,—
, February 27, 1976
ICAPINPRTEz.177' •
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Brussels Declarations on Soviet Jewry
, delegates assembled at this second Brussels conference on Soviet Jewry, repre-
Jewish communities in every continent, declare to our brethren in the Soviet
TE are with you in your struggle. We share your faith. We honor your courage. You
t alone! Together we work towards the same future, identify with the same experi-
-, respond to the same memories. The Jewish destiny that unites us is one and inse-
- 112,e, our common tradition indestructible.
'4 11e, salute those from every sector of society, every race and religion — in govern-
Him-dent, science, law, education, the arts, labor, commerce and industry — who
tied with us in the cause of the Jews of the USSR.
.s2; call on all men and women of conscience, and all governments cherishing
<i,glititarian ideals, to speak out on behalf of Jews of the USSR. We have the right
to say to them, a generation after the Holocaust, that they dare not remain
t 1l face of the renewed threats confronting the Jewish people. History has
aat these threats imperil human rights everywhere.
*;;E abhor and condemn anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, whether under the guise
`• 'lice towards the Jewish religion or false accusations against Israel and Zionism.
;tate that the equation of Zionism and racism by the government of the Soviet
.yid other regimes is a calumny against Israel and against Jews everywhere. Those
4xploit this mockery of truth give aid and comfort to the enemies of liberty, peace,
ice and human brotherhood.
I WE declare that Jewish people, deriving immeasurable strength and spirit from
.! state of Israel, shall resist and overcome those who seek to thwart its rightful
3pirations.
WE have listened to the messages of our brethren in the Soviet Union, declaring their
'determination to emigrate to Israel and follow the 100,000 Jews from the Soviet Union
ho have succeeded in reaching the Jewish state.
, WE proclaim our faith and pride in their fortitude, which adds new depth to the
spirit.
have heard the statements and commitments of delegations of Jewish communi-
k,
::rom throughout the world. All affirm that the Jewish people has never stood more
`united in solidarity with the Jews of the USSR and with Israel, where so many of them
seek their freedom and fulfillment as Jews.
NOW, THEREFORE:
At the close of this second Brussels conference, we call upon the Soviet Union:
• To respect its own constitution and laws, to fulfill its obligations as set forth in
international declarations and agreements in the field of human rights and fundamental
freedom, and to implement the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference Security and Cooper-
ation in Europe.
• To recognize and respect the right of Jews in the USSR to be united with their
brethren in the land of Israel, the Jewish historic homeland.
• To remove all obstacles in the way of those who wish to leave and to desist from all
harassment and intimidation.
. • To free forthwith the Assirei Zion — the prisoners of conscience incarcerated for
their struggle to return to Zion.
• To recognize and respect the freedom of our brethren within the Soviet Union to
profess and practice their religion and to enjoy and develop their cultural heritage and
language.
• To end the campaign of anti-Semitism and acts of discrimination against Jews.
• To allow Jews in the Soviet Union to establish and maintain ties with the rest of
• the Jewish people.
On this historic occasion, we remember the ancient oath of our people: "For the sake
of Zion, I will not remain silent and for the sake of Jerusalem will not hold my peace."
As heirs of that tradition, we, representatives of the Jewish people, solemnly declare that
for the sake of our brethren in the Soviet Union, we shall not remain silent nor shall we
hold our peace.
Call to Christian Conscience at Brussels
We Christians — Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals - from many parts of the world
— meet in Brussels 30 years after the end of the Nazi Holocaust in Europe. We are
painfully aware that a majority of our fellow Christians of that generation ignored the
omnious signs of the escalating Nazi attacks upon the Jewish people — attacks that cul-
minated in the nightmare of this century: the murder of six million Jews. But today, this
generation of Christians will not be silent as we raise our voices in support of the struggle
to prevent the cultural and spiritual annihilation of the Jews of the Soviet Union.
We assemble here in Brussels, in concert with our Jewish brothers and sisters, to
make known our profound anguish and concern about the continued and continuing den-
ial of human rights of Soviet Jews, and of other deprived groups and nationalities.
Our foremost Christian leaders and institutions have all publicly condemned the viol-
ation of human rights. Pope Paul VI has declared:
Hunan dignity is rooted in the image and reflection of God in each of us.
It is this which makes all persons essentially equal. The integral development
of persons makes more clear the divine image in them. In our time the Church
has grown more deeply aware of this truth; hence she believes firmly that the
promotion of human rights is required by the Gospel and is central to her minis-
try . . . 'The right of religious liberty': This right uniquely reflects the dignity
of the person as this is known from the word of God and from reason itself.
Today it is denied or restricted by diverse political systems in ways which
impede worship, religious education, and social ministry. We call upon all gov-
ernm-ents to acknowledge the right of religious liberty in words and foster it in
deeds, to eliminate any type of discrimination, and to accord to all, regardless
of their religious convictions, the full rights and opportunities of citizens. (Oc-
tober 23, 1974).
The World Council of Churches at its 1975 General Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya,
following a discussion that involved a repudiation of the denial of human rights in the
Soviet Union, declared:
We emphasize the clause referring to fundamental human rights as pro-
claimed by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The churches
have the responsibility to be involved whenever it is necessary to make clear
that security and the development of genuinely human relationships across'
frontiers go together.
We must resound the calls for human rights until they are respected. We believe that
when persons perceive themselves incapable of continuing their participation in a society,
their decision must be fully respected. In such an eventuality, which always entails for
the individuals concerned a difficult and painful predicament, the true character of a
society is measured by its understanding and generosity. A government that resorts to
coercive methods and force against its citizens demonstrates both its own weakness and
its contempt for human integrity.
Therefore, we speak now to the leaders of the Soviet Union: Respect the human
rights provisions of the United Nations Charter. Give the Jews their right to leave for
countries of their choice, a right which is theirs under the United Nations Declara-
tion of Human Rights. We call upon the Soviet Union to implement those provisions
of the Helsinki Agreement which relate to freedom of thought, conscience, religion,
and belief, as well as to the right of people to emigrate.
We appeal to the Soviet authorities to end all harassment and intimidation against
persons who seek exit visas.
We appeal for an end to the wanton kidnapping of Jewish children, removing them
to compulsory boarding schools, and, thus, cruelly separating them from their families.
We appeal for an end to the drafting of young Jewish men into the Soviet armed
forces as a punitive measure.
We appeal for an end to the sentencing of innocent men and women to prison
terms on false charges.
We appeal for an end to the transfer of persons to psychiatric institutions for alleged
"mental illness."
We appeal for an end to the denial of professional status and educational opportuni-
ties for Soviet Jews.
We appeal for an end to the denial of exit visas to scientists and soldiers for exces-
sively long periods on the theory that they possess national security "secrets."
We appeal for an end to the harassment to persons by depriving them of employ-
ment when they apply for exit visas.
We appeal for an end to the exorbitant taxation of gift monies that are sent to Soviet
Jews from abroad for relief.
We appeal especially for an end to the ruthless and brutal imprisonment of all prison-
ers of conscience, both Jewish and Christian, and we urge that all such prisoners be
immediately released.
Further, as Christians we appeal to the Soviet authorities to grant religious, cultural,
and educational institutions for the perpetuation of Judiasm and Jewish culture; the lift-
ing of the prohibition against publishing Hebrew Bibles and prayerbooks, and the produc-
tion of religious articles; the permission to train rabbis and Jewish teachers in both the
Soviet Union and in seminaries abroad; the creation of a representative body of Soviet
Jewry with freedom to communicate and associate with their co-religionists in other
lands.
While realizing our own failures and shortcomings in the vital area of human
rights, we nevertheless cannot remain silent or indifferent in the face of the grave
and dehumanizing injustices that have been inflicted upon the Jews and other groups
in the Soviet Union.
To all persons denied religious liberty in the Soviet Union, to all who courageously
defend human rights there, we pledge our solidarity with them as brothers and sisters.
We will stand at their side until their freedom and liberation is realized. We will not rest
until human rights and justice prevail in the Soviet Union, and everyplace where human-
ity, the sacred image of God, is defiled.
Finally, in the spirit of the prophet Isaiah, we call upon Christians in every land to
join with us in this effort to free an entire people. We urge our fellow Christians to sign
this "Call to Conscience," and to deliver it to the political and religious leaders of their
lands as part of a great effort: Let the Jews of the Soviet Union leave or let them live as
Jews!
I the LORD have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you and set you as a covenant of
the people, a light for the nations.
To open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out from confinement,
And from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. (Isaiah 42:6-7)
- Jacob Hart: Funding the Defeat of Cornwallis
By MORRIS SCHAPPES
Editor, Jewish Currents
Jacob Hart's memorable
moment in history came
April 28, 1781. The 21-year-
old Marquis de Lafayette
stopped overnight in Balti-
more at the head of 1,200
picked men sent by Wash-
ington to march into Vir-
ginia to find the British
troops led by the traitor
Benedict Arnold that had
wrecked Richmond and dev-
astated the countryside,
raiding and burning.
The patriots of Baltimore
gave a banquet for Lafay-
ette, at which he outlined
the army's extreme finan-
cial needs. The merchants
there raised 5,000 pounds as
a loan to the armed forces
— and Jacob Hart headed
the subscription with the
sum of 2,000 pounds.
By June, Lafayette was
chasing Cornwallis from
Charlottesville to the sea-
coast, where on Oct. 19, 1781
the French fleet and Wash-
ington's army got Cornwal-
lis to surrender at York-
town.
The Journal of the Con-
tinental Congress May 24,
1781 thanked the Balti-
more merchants; May' 27,
1782, Robert Morris repaid
Early in 1782, Jacob
Hart moved to Philadel--
phia, where his wife had
been born. March 17, 1782,
he was one of the 36 origi-
nal members of Cong.
Mikveh Israel.
LEAH HART
the loan as head of the Of-
fice of Finance.
By 1781 there were per-
haps three other Jewish
families in Baltimore be-
sides Hart and his wife,
Leah Nathan, whom he had
married Nov. 4, 1778, when
she was 18, he 32.
On the Philadelphia tax
list for 1782, Jacob Hart's
wealth was assessed at only
100 pounds (compare Jonas
Phillips, 2,272, Moses Na-
thans, 1,595, Hayman Levy,
1,258, Isaac Moses, 1,120
and Haym Salomon, 340).
His contribution to the
fund to build the synagogue
was therefore only 3 pounds
(Benjamin Franklin gave 5).
After moving to Balti-
more in 1785, Hart and his
growing family finally set-
tled in New York, where he
became active in Cong.
Shearith Israel.
In 1797, the Rev. Ger-
shorn Mendes _Seixas and
he chose the Hebrew motto
on the seal of the congre-
gation. In 1800 this Bavar-
ian Jew became president
of the congregation, the
majority of those members
were also Ashkenazim,
although to this day the
congregation calls itself
the Spanish and Po-
rtuguese Synagogue.
, JACOB HART
1