44 Friday, October 29, 1976

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

YOUR WEDDING —
BAR MITZVA

Salo Baron's Novel Traces Persecution of Russian Jews

ALBU
FINE
WINER

Bv- ALLEN A. WARSEN

Salo Wittmayer Baron,
the dean of Americap
Jewish scholars and the
author of the monumen-
tal "Social and Religious
History of the Jews," has
authored a masterful his-
tory of the Russian Jews
titled "The Russian Jew
under Czars and
Soviets," (Macmillan
Publishing Co.).

WILL BE

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Baron's history pre-
sents a complete record of
the Russian Jews from
their earliest times on
Russian soil to the pre-
sent.
Rather than consider-
ing the evidence of the
early history of the Jews
in Russia that would take
us too far afield, we will
evaluate Jewish life
under the czars and
Soviets,, and commence
with Czar Ivan IV, the
Terrible (1533-84), who
inscribed a tragic chapter.
in Jewish history by de-
creeing that the Jews of
the City of Polotsk (he re-
conquered it from the
Poles in 1563) adopt Greek
Orthodoxy. Some did, but
the 300 who resisted were
drowned in the Dvina.

Czarina Elizabeth Pet-
rovna (1741-62) was just as
cruel. She ordered the de-
portation of all Jews "from
our whole empire."
No less merciless was
Catherine II who by her
decrees of 1783 and 1794
laid the foundation of the
Pale of Jewish Settle-
ment.
Alexander I expanded
the Pale, and it remained
intact until the First
World War.
Nicholas I (1825-55) was
as brutal as his predeces-
sors. His decree of 1827
that Jews aged 18 be
drafted into military ser-
vice for 25 years alarmed
and horified every Jew.
Actually, children as
young as 5 years were
forcefully seized by so cal-

* '.

We know this man.
We admire him.
We are proud
to endorse him
and urge you
to re-elect him:

Chief Justice
Thomas Giles
Kai/ 7 a II a

Mandell L Berman
Paul Borman
Irwin I. Cohn
William Davidson
Alfred L Deutsch
Sheldon Erlich

Samuel Frankel
David Handelman
Arthur Howard
Milton Howard
Thomas I. Klein

Bruce Leitman
Joseph Levin
Mrs. Theodore Levin
James A. Michelson
Lawrence J. Michelson

Sheldon L. Miller
Royal Oppenheim
Irving Rose
Mark Schlussel
Leonard N. Simons

Only Chief Justice Kavanagh is so widely
endorsed for the Michigan Supreme Court.

PRESS

LABOR &EDUCATION

Detroit News

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POLICE

Michigan Education
Assocation

Detroit Police
Officers Association

Greater Detroit
Building Trades Council

Police Officers Assoc.
of Michigan

Teamsters Union

Michigan State Police
Officers Assoc.

Richard Sloan
Isadore Winkelman
Stanley Winkelman
Robert Zeff
Morton Zieve
Paul Zuckerman

LEGAL PROFESSION

17 past presidents of
the Michigan State Bar

Michigan Trial Lawyers

Women Lawyers' Assoc.

Downriver Bar Assoc.

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Members of
Wayne State UnivOrsity
Law School Faculty

Paid for by Citizens for Kavanagh,1234 Lafayette Bldg., Detroit, MI 48226

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led "khappers" and
drafted into the army.
Few survived.
The vicious edict re-
mained in force for 29
years. Alexander II dis-
continued it in 1856.
The assassination of
Alexander II in March,
1881 was blamed on the

ticut and Massachusetts,
located in the Far East at
the confluence of the riv-
ers Bira and Bidzhan.

The Birobidzhan pro-
ject, according to its

promoters, had a threefold
aim: to settle Jews on land;
to create an autonomous
Jewish district; and as Si-
meon Dimanshtain, the
commissar for Jewish Af-
fairs, said, "to protect our
Far East against outside
intervention" (Japanese).
None of the aims
materialized.
The author further de-
lineates the rise of Yid-
dish culture and its tragic
ertd as well as that of its
creators.
Neivertheless, the au-
thorconcludes: "We need
but remember the tre-
mendous eruption of irra-
tional forces into all
human affairs in our gen-
eration. Yet we must not
overlook the very basic
assumption of both
SALO W. BARON
American democracy and
Jews "although the ter- Russia's materialistic
rorists included only one conception of history,
Jewish woman, Hesia namely, that in any long
Helfman, whose con- historic process reason
tribution consisted must ultimately prevail."
merely in providing shel-
ter for her fellow con- Israel Post Office
spirators."
Notes Bicentennial
As a result, Alexander
LOS ANGELES — The
I-II instituted the notori-
ous "May La;Ws" and the Post Office of the state of
"numerus clausus" for Israel honored the U.S.
secondary and university Independence Day by pic-
students, and pogroms torially cancelling on July
erupted throughout the 4 in Jerusalem a limited
numbered edition of 2,000
country.
The oppressive anti- sets of two collector's cov-
Jewish measures were in- ers commemorating the
tensified under Nicholas American Revolution.
Their introduction in
II (1894-1917), Russia's
the United States was the
last czar.
During his reign, the presentation at the Is-
Kishinev and other pog- raeli . Embassy in
roms occurred and the Washington, D.C. -of the
Beilis trial took place. In- number-one gold medall-
formed of the number of ion cover of the set to
casualties, he is reported Ambassador Simcha Di-
to have said: "I had ex- nitz by Stanley Hod-
pected that a much greater ziewich, government
number of Jews would. liaison to the Interna-
perish." He contributed tional Stamp Collectors
12,339,000 rubles toward Society, former head of
the publication and dis- the Philatelic Division,
tribution of the infamous United States Postal Ser-
"Protocols of the Elders of vice and Curator of the
U.S. Postal Service
Zion."
Museum.
Baron, in addition to
For information on the
recording czarist oppres- covers, write the Interna-
sion and persecutions, tional Stall. Collectors
portrays in his book Society, 6253 Hollywood
Jewish religious and Blvd., Hollywood, Ca.
economic life, cultural 90028.
movements, literary ac-
complishments, emigra-
L.A. Synagogues
tion, etc.
He, moreover, presents Attract Members,
a thorough picture of
LOS ANGELES'JTA)
Jewish life under the — Some 800 Los Angeles
Soviets; describes Le- Jews have responded to
nin's attitude toward the
an appeal for synagog ,-
Jewish people; and por- affiliation sent to 70,0•.
trays the Yevsektsia's Jewish households in the
(the Jewish arm of the
Los Angeles metropoli-
Bolshevik Party) role in tan area by the Los
the -destruction of Jewish Angeles Jewish
communal institutions,
Federation-Council.
including such organiza-
The appeal was com-
tions as ORT and OZE (a prised of a letter and a re-
health organization). The turn postcard.
Yevsekts even tried to
The postcard listed six
serve pork to Orthodox categories of synagogues
inmates in a home for the about which the user
aged. "As a result a could obtain information.
rumor spread throughout These were Orthodox,
the town that the old men Conservative, Reform,
and women received from
Sephardic, Hasidic and
the revolution the bles- Reconstructionist.
sings of starvation rather
Another postcard item
than liberation."
invited the undecided
The author describes user to request "some
comprehensively the his- general information re-
tory of Birobidzhan, a garding the synagogue
region the size of Connec- community."

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