THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

38 April 30, 1976

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Vanishing Remainder of E. Germany's Jews

By JON FEDLER

Goethe and Bach, and the ies, the government in East
leading East European trad- Berlin contributes $12,000
LEIPZIG, E. Germany — ing center, is also the home annually,. Indeed, the GDR
Leipzig, birthplace of of one of the world's strang- seems to treat its Jewish cit-
•
•
•
est Jewish communities.
izens fairly generously.
Before World War II, the
Though official policy is
18,000-strong Jewish com- to eliminate privately-
munity played a leading owned shops, a number of
part in the city's cultural Jews in Leipzig have been
and economic life. Today, allowed to retain trading
REPAIRS S ALTERATIONS
with 14,000 killed in concen- licenses.
tration camps and many
Those East Germans — -
It's Leather Weather!
survivors emigrated to the Jewish or gentile — who
The finest in professional care for your
U.S. or Israel, only 79 Jews spent time in Nazi concen-
suede and leather garments.
still live here. More than tration camps are entitled
1•••• ■■••■■■••
half are in their sixties. to a special pension of about
I COUPON
I
There are only four chil- $400 monthly. This is higher
I 20% OFF I
dren.
than the average East Ger-
on cleaning
•
From this point of view, man workers' monthly pay
Through May 7 '76
Leipzig is not much differ- check and substantially
ent from East Berlin — higher than the normal pen-
543-5700
576-0575
where
there has been. only sion.
10612 W. 9 We 4503 N. Woodward
one Bar Mitzva among the
Those registered as
Oak Pori
Royal Oak
400 registered Jews in the "Victims of Fascist Persecu-
last 10 years — or other tion" (former camp in-
East German cities.
mates) are also entitled to
Without a permanent free travel within the GDR.
rabbi or cantor (there are
"We certainly don't lack
none left in the German anything," says Mrs. Rosen-
Democratic Republic) baum, a widow, who lives
services can be held only alone in a spacious three-
on High Holy Days, with room apartment sur-
the aid of a cantor from rounded by pictures of her
Budapest and a choir com-
parents and children who
posed of Christians.
died in Buchenwald.
Mrs. Ella Rosenbaum,
Jews in the GDR are al-
22106 Coolidge
one of the community's lowed to publish their own
547-31 15
members, sees no anomaly monthly news sheet, with
Announces That
in the use of a non-Jewish a Star of David on the
choir in the synagogue — cover.
the only synagogue in pre-
On Passover, the commu-
sent day East Germany that nity meets after the service
was not destroyed in the for dinner at a local hotel,
1938 "Kristallnacht."
enjoying matza and kosher
"Many of them speak bet-
wine from Hungary.
ter Hebrew than our Jewish
This freedom to pursue
meribers, and they some-
their religion has, however;
Hair Stylist, Well Known In The Area
timos give public perform-
its price. Although there are
anc?.s of traditional Jewish at least two Jews in the East
Has Joined Their Staff
son 4s," she says proudly.
German Communist Party's
T le synagogue, converted Politburo, the East German
Call Her For Your Appointment
by Vie Nazis into a soap fac- government supports the
tory, was restored after the
PLO. Foreign Trade Minis-
war. For its upkeep, and ter Gunter Soelle made a
that of two Jewish cemeter- point of visiting a PLO han-
dicrafts stand at this year's
Leipzig fair.
Because - of this, the Jew-
ish population — whether
out of necessity cr out of
conviction, officially main-
tains a "neutral" policy to-
wards Israel. Though pen-
sioners have the right to
travel abroad, -.few elderly
Jews would risk applying
for a visa to visit Israel.
Asked why a leader of
the Jewish community had
attacked the recent World
Diamond
Conference on Soviet Je-
wry held in Brussels, Mrs.
Rosenbaum said, "He had
earrings,
no choice. We are expected
to take a stand."
Tiffany set
There is "no discrimina-
tion"
against Jews wishing
$325
in white or
to enter the civil service or
professions, "as long as they
* IA
yellow gold.
are card-carrying Commun-
ists," she added.

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Even though it is
"neutral" towards Israel,
and is full of praise for the
authorities, one still detects
a certain nervousness. One
community leader I spoke
to, refused to answer any
questions by telephone.
However, in fairness, one
must add that this is a pre-
caution adopted by many
East Germans. In short, the
Jews of East Germany en-
joy a surprising degree of
freedom, but it is by no
means unlimited.

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Priests Seeking
Intervention
in Lebanon War

NEW YORK (ZINS) —
Some Maronite Christian
priests who are refugees
from Lebanon learned that
Israel Ambassador Haim
Herzog would be speaking
in the UN Security Council
on the situation in Lebanon.
They telephoned him to say
that they would include in
their prayers the hope for
intervention by Israel. The
priests had come to this
country to organize aid for
the Christian community of
Lebanon.

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