100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be under copyright. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission. If you have questions about the collection, please contact the Bentley Historical Library at bentley.ref@umich.edu

September 16, 1977 - Image 5

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1977-09-16

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Friday, September 16, 1977

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Romanian Jews Enjoy Religious Freedom, But Unable to Make Aliya

by DAVID LANDAU

(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.



JERUSALEM, A brief en-
counter with Romanian
Jewry can be a haunting
and moving experience, as
Premier Menahem Begin
learned.
For this reportef, who ac-
companied the premier on
his official visit to Romania
the experience was even
more heart-wrenching be-
cause he, unlike the pre-
mier, was able to mingle
freely and speak directly
with numerous Jews in
Bucharest, the capital.
The all-pervading fear of
even the most chance con-
tact with foreigners which
used to daunt all Roma-
nians has apparently eased
somewhat in recent years.
There were many opportu-
nities for conversation,- al-
though, of course, some sen-
sitive subjects were, by
tacit understanding, ruled
taboo and carefully avoid-
ed.

Chief among these was
the subject of aliya. It is
the desire of many of Ro-
mania's remaining Jews to
re-unite with their relatives
in Israel. If the desire is
present and yet it has not
been realized, the reason,
in most cases, is the author-
ities refusal to grant an exit
permit.

Moreover, as one beard-
ed and sidelocked Jew from
a provincial town told me,
every sign or semblance of
anti-Semitism is quickly
and forcefully slapped down
by the authorities and thus
a Jew who 10010 like a Jew
need have no fear to walk
the streets or -travel on the
trains even in the most iso-
lated areas. Every Roma-
nian knows that a tangle
with them is to be avoided
at all costs—even at the

MEN!
SHOW
A LITTLE
WRIST
CRC!

A bit of competition for
the watch ...wrist chain
is the new sensation for
today's fashionable man.
Choose from six handsome
styles ... but definitety
wear it in Sterling Silver
or 12 Karat Goki Ailed.

ij

GEORGE

\ O
, HRENSTEIN,

\\

Jewelers Ltd.
/ /
Creative Jewelers'Diamonds—Precious
Stones—Precision Time pieces
HARVARD ROW MALL
11 Mile& Lehner
3534145

cost of foregoing the joys of
Jew-baiting.
Ironically, it is this rela-
tive freedom and well-being
that the Jews of Romania
enjoy , which itself is the
major reason why one
basic freedom is denied
them: the freedom to leave.
This is because the govern-
ments seeks to prove to the
world—both East and
West—that it is genuinely
tolerant of religious prac-
tice and religious minorities
without this prejudicing its
Communist orthodoxy. It is
yet another pin with which
to prick the Kremlin. '

But to achieve this a psi-
mary prerequisite is the ex-
istence of a Jewish commu-
nity upon which to lavish
the religious tolerance and
governmental care and pro-
tection. With an estimated
400,000 Romanian Jews
(Holocaust survivors—some
half a million were killed
by the Nazis) having gradu-
ally left, mainly for Israel,
over the years, the govern-
ment is apparently con-
cerned to retain the remain-

ing few thousands. (Accord-
ing to Israeli estimates the
current figure is around
50,000. The Romanian au-
thorities put it lower.)

Thus Begin's plea for free
family reunion for all those
who wish it did not meet
with an immediately posi-
tive response from Presi-
dent Nicolae Ceausescu and
his aides. Nevertheless, Is-
raeli sources professed
themselves not dis-
couraged. Apparently they
took heart from the sympa-
theic hearing which the Ro-
manian _leaders _gave to

Begin on the Jewish issue.
The fate of Romania's re-
maining Jews is linked with
the broader issues of Ro-
mania-Israel relations and
of Romania's own consid-
erations, in which the So-
viet connection is always
the predominant factor.
Begin could only give the
Jews of Bucharest who
flocked to the Choral Syna-
gogue on Friday night to
hear his vague and unspecif-
ic message of hope and en-
couragement. But, given
Begin's rousing oratory and
the passionate sincerity

with which he spoke, this
was clearly enough to lift
the hearts of those who
heard him—as their faces
so vividly.. portrayed.

Beauty fades away but
good name remains fc
ever.

Daily—Hospital
Sympathy

FRUIT
BASKETS

3 Times Dail3
`Nation-Mide
Delivery
$1.3.95

54 SOUTH WO I DWARD (Nr. Maple
BIRMINGHAM
MI 2-4150

RODNICK-
McINERNEY'S
779-4140 772-43511

Leshona Tova Tikoseivu

May You Be Inscribed in The Book Of Life
For A Good Year

Swiss Bishops
Supporting MDA

NEW YORK—Declaring
that the Swiss Conference
of Bishops "has full and
complete understanding" of
the issuesft surrounding the
recognition of the Israeli
Magen David Adam 'Society
by the International Red
Cross, it called on the inter-
national organization "to ar-
rive at an early and posi-
tive decision."
The declaration was sent
to Alexandre Hay, presi-
dent of the International
Committee of the Red
Cross with the request that
it be considered favorably.
Rabbi Rubin R. Dobin, in-
ternational chairman of Op-
eration Recognition re-
ceived- a copy of the state-
ment which was issued
from the headquarters of
the Conference of Swiss
Bishops in Fribourg, Swit-
zerland.
Operation Recognition is
the world-wide group which
is spearheading the cam-
paign to have the Red
Cross admit the Israeli or-
ganization as a member of
the League of Red Cross So-
ciet)es.
A new MDA Recognition
Kit has been prepared for
immediate distribution.
Requests for the kit should
be sent to Rabbi Dobin, In-
ternational Headquarters,
Operation Recognition, 124
Richmond Place, Law-
rence, N.Y. 11559.

. For the Jew, Israel is a
state of mind. It is not only
a piece of geography. It is
history. It is theology. It is
memory. It is Jewish tears
and Jewish triumphs. It is
Jewish anguish and Jewish
ecstasy. It is childhood leg-
ends and biblical verses. It
is the direction that we
pray and the subject, of our
prayers. It is exile and
homecoming. It is a burn-
ing Temple and a new flag
at the United Nations. It is
Tisha b'Av and Yom At-
zmaut.
—Sidney Greenberg

You should
look so good.

The right suit. The right fit. At - the
right price.
That's Shifman's.
If you're like most people, you
hate buying suits, because you hate the
way they fit.

And, obviously, if a suit doesn't fit
good, it doesn't look good.
So, to flatter the finest
selections in town,
Shifman's has the
finest tailors in town.
Justto make sure
you'll look good.
In fact, you'll look
your best.

.(Shown, the natural look
in distinctive hopsack,
from Nino Cerruti,
just one in our great
selections of gifted
designer/makers.)

a

Shifman's

Lincoln Center Greenfield at 101/2 Mile Road
Open Thurs..and Fri. till 9; Sat. till 7


Use your Shifman's 'charge, Visa, or Mastercharge.

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan