1 , 44 October 17, 1975 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Official Soviet Government View of Jewish Citizens Revealed Soviet embassy releases based on the Novosti official USSR news agency again deny anti-Semitism in Rus- sia and glorify the mythical "Jewish state" of Biro Bid- jan. While presenting some established facts, the new- est releases portray a glo- rious picture of Jewish life. For the first time such re- leases received by The Jew- ish News speak of large at- tendance at religious services. The glorification of Biro Bidjan is a continuing at- tempt to point to a Jewish settlement with a Yiddish newspaper. These claims have long been disputed. The paper is a reduced sheet limited in circulation among a handful of Jews amidst a large' non-Jewish popula- tion. •• • • • • . •• • • ** • by HATTIE • • SCHWARTZ • . • 3 56-8 563 . STATIONERY • • ; PARTY FAVORS XMAS CARDS :* * * ENTERTAINMENT * *: SEYMOUR • CARICATURES SCHWARTZ • MUSIC SHOWS ■ RICKY THE CLOWN 356-8525 One press release stated: "On Saturday, at the very end of September, in the evening on the eve of the Torah (Bible) holiday not less than 1,500 people gathered in the Moscow Choral Synagogue. Many of them were very old men who seemed to have come out of the pages of the works of Sholom Alei- chem, although young faces could also be seen. "According to our ritual, we daily pray and observe our forms of worship. There is in particular a great num- ber of parishioners on Sat- urdays, as a rule not less than 1,000," said Mikhail Tandetnik, 56, chairman of the Moscow Religious Jew- ish Community Board. "He told me that a great deal of matzot is baked an- nually. It is taken home to the ill and the aged. The re- ligious community supplies its members with kosher meat. The synagogue's base- ment is provided with a mikva which is a ritual ba- thing place. There is a yesh- iva, a Jewish rabbinical col- lege. "When I said that West- dick stein inc. from one to any number of musicians jeep smith patty grant dick stein shelby lee johnny griffifh jerry fenby Let the Professionals Perform 358-2777 "music the stein way" • • • • Color Weddings Super Imposed Silhouettes Unique Poses Bar fVlitzvahs Zuz. - 111oLzmAm 547-7054 ern information media, in Arkhipov St. (where the particular the Voice of synagogue stands) has America and the BBC, con- been repeatedly halted." stantly mention the 'obsta- A second press release cles' placed by the authori- quotes Lev Shapiro, first ties on the normal work of secretary of the Communist the synagogue and the 'ar- •Pa\rty of the Soviet Union rests made for religious con- Committee of the Jewish victions,' or claim that mili- Autonomous Region: tiamen burst into the "There are more than synagogue, Tandetnik said: 2,000,000 Jews in the USSR, " 'This is a sheer inven- but no "Jewish problem" tion.' exists. Just as citizens of any " 'Militiamen do not other nationality, Jews have enter the synagogue. We the same rights and enjoy ourselves turn to the mili- all the privileges which a so- tia on the eve of great holi- cialist society provides for days, asking for help in its members." maintaining order around Shapiro says, "There are the synagogue. Of special. some 8,000 Jews among the use is the assistance by deputies of the Supreme traffic regulators to avoid and local Soviets of the incidents and accidents USSR and the Union re- when the parishioners publics. Jews are also to be leave the synagogue. At our request the traffic in Gershom Scholem in Boston U. Post BOSTON — Gershom G. Scholem, the world-re- nowned Judaic scholar who has devoted over 50 years of intense study to Jewish mysticism, has joined Bos- ton University's faculty for a single semester. Named to the university's Department of Religion, the noted scholar will teach courses in Judaic studies. Scholem began studying kabala at the University of Berlin. In 1922, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on an obscure kabalist text. His dissertation was fol- lowed by eight books and more than 500 articles on Jewish mysticism, the sum of which is credited with opening up the once esoteric purview of Jewish ascetics to concerned scholars and students of religion. While at the university, Dr. Scholem will serve as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humani- ties. The endowment sup- porting his stay was estab- lished last year through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York. It was granted to provide support for a professorship in any area within a broad spectrum of the humanities on a permanent basis. GOOD NEWS! SALE all coats 20% off Bobye Green has the best-looking coats you can own. This year . Choose from long or short leathers, wools, fur trimmed, storm coats with zip-out linings, etc. Yes, they're all 2o% off. Won't you please stop by and select the right one just for you! P.S. • Don't forget we carry a complete selection of sizes 1 0 to 20 and 12", to 24"2 . The Smart Woman's Choice bobye greens better nd E MASTER CHARGE • FdS nions Mon. thru Sat. 1 0:3 0-4:3 0 • BANKAmERICARD 3055 W. 12 MILE • BERKLEY • 398-1331 (between Greenfield and Coolidge) USSR have been received by 1,460 Jews — 13 percent of the total number. He added, "The paper, "They are also among the executives of major `Birbidjaner Shtern' and the administrations and enter- monthly literary magazine prises. The Soviet state- ,`Sovetish Heimland' are highly values the contribu- published in Yiddish in our tion made by persons of country. Fiction and other Jewish nationality in de- literary works of Jewish veloping the economy, authors are being published science, and culture. in rather large editions. "Some 340,000 Jews have Jewish drama and musical been decorated with orders ensembles and amateur art and medals of the USSR: collectives are active in 117 have received the title of many Soviet cities including Hero of the Soviet Union, Moscow, Leningrad, Birob- and 80 have received the ti- idjan, Vilnius, Kishinev, tle of Hero of Socialist La- and Chernovitsy." He said, "The ow bor. The title of Lenin Prize Laureate has been received whelming majority of So- by 120 Jews — 11 percent of viet Jews do not even im- the total number of prize agine leaving Russia, their winners. State Prizes of the Motherland. At the same found in the highest execu- tive body of state power, The Council of Ministers. Black Rejects Racist Tag for Israel After Long Visit BY DAVID FRIEDMAN (Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.) NEW YORK — A Black psychologist who spent 15 months in Israel believes that the Jewish state cannot be considered a "racist" so- ciety as some American Blacks have charged. The conflicts in Israeli society cannot be viewed in American terms of Black- white relations since they are based on cultural differ- ence rather than color, ac- cording to Dr. Sandra A. Garcia, an associate profes- sor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Garcia was in Israel from Sept. 1973 to Dec. 1974 on a Ford Foundation fel- lowship to study the assimi- lation of Jews from Mor- occo. She said she had become interested in Ash- kenazic and Sephardic Jews and wanted to see if this could be compared to the American race problem. She chose the Moroccan Jews be- cause they are the largest Sephardic group in Israel. Although the Sephardic Jews tend to be darker than the Askenazic — some Indian Jews are dar- ker than most American Blacks — there is no color prejudice in Israel in the American terms, Dr. Gar- cia stressed. She said the conflict is chiefly based on the fact that Jews from North Af- rica and Asia come from dif- ferent cultures than the Jews who immigrated from Europe. The social conflict in Israel should be com- pared to the conflicts be- tween different immigrant groups to the U.S. in the early part of the century, she noted. However, Dr. Garcia said certain conditions on the surface do seem similar to present day American prob- lems. The Ashkenazic Jews are predominant in the power structure and hold the top jobs in Israeli so- ciety; poor Sephardic Jews live in slum areas which could be compared to Amer- ican ghettos; Sephardic Jews test lower on IQ exam- inations and they, particu- larly the Moroccans, are blamed for increased crime. There is even busing for in- tegration in Jerusalem. At the same time, every- one in Israel is committed to closing the social gap, Dr. Garcia noted. She said she never found the hatred of other ethnic groups that she, as an American Black, has experienced in the U.S. Perhaps most important since everyone is a Jew, all want to assimilate and be- come Israelis, she said. Dr. Garcia said the problem may be solved in Israel in a few generations as groups intermarry and as the various ethnic groups assimilate into so- ciety. She said one poten- tial source of a race con- flict could appear when some 25,000 Falasha Jews immigrate from Ethiopia. Dr. Garcia said the 25 million Blacks in the U.S. have enough problems at home without getting in- volved in the Mideast con- flict, especially without first having adequate informa- tion. She does not want Blacks to hang a Black-white racial conflict tag on Israel. She said that before Blacks call Israelis names in solidarity with their so-called Third World brothers, they should learn the facts. Orthodox Slate National Event NEW YORK — The first national Orthodox leader- ship conference on public af- fairs has been announced in a letter by Harold M. Ja- cobs, president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congre- gation of America, to promi- nent leaders of the North American Jewish Commu- nity. The conference will be held Nov. 26-30 in New York City and will be open to rep- resentatives of all North American Orthodox com- munities and institutions. Jacobs has also an- nounced the appointment of David H. Hill, chairman of the UOJCA commission on internal Jewish affairs as the conference's chairman, and Sheldon Rudoff, UOJCA vice president. as conference co-chairman. time, due to religious views, unbridled Zionist propaganda, and the fact that some Jewish families were disunited as a result of World War II, a definite number of persons of Jew- ish nationality expressed their desire to leave the USSR." He said the USSR re- stricts emigration for per- sons who have received spe- cial military training, who are employed in enterprises of the defense industry. "Due to their activities, they have access to confi- dential state material. The consent of other members of the family, who are legally entitled to the care and ma- terial support of persons wishing to emigrate from the USSR, is also taken into account." Shapiro said more than 95 percent of those who apply are permitted to leave the USSR, but did not mention application difficulties. Al NEU/ CONCEPT II\ Gertrude Shaw, formerly In- teriors by Shaw, now offers a new concept in interior de- sign for "your home away from home" in Florida or Michigan. This novel service includes the selection of all furnishings plus linens, dis- hes and the like, complete to the last detail for your stay in Florida. Just unlock your door and walk into a profes- sionally designed home with that Florida flair — created just for you. 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