THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Booklet Details Repression, Bias Against Russian Jews • NEW YORK — In the 25 years since Stalin's death, the anti-Semitism that he exhibited in his later years has become all-pervasive in Soviet life, stimulated and directed by deliberate go%r- ernmental policy. Prejudice against Jews in Russia has become evident in such diverse acts as: the closing of synagogues, es- tablishment of quotas for Jews in certain professions and in college admissions, pressure to prevent rabbini- cal training, discourage- ment of Yiddish, publica- tion of anti-Semitic articles, books and pamphlets, and constant efforts to promote assimilation. This account of what has been happening to the Jews of Russia in the past quarter century is provided in a new booklet, "Soviet Jewry Since the Death of Stalin," by Leon Shapiro, professor of Russian and Soviet Jewish history at Rutgers University. The booklet has just been published by the American Jewish Commit- tee. The analysis by Prof. Shapiro is preprinted from a feature article in the 1979 edition of the American Jewish Year Book, published by the American Jewish Com- mittee and the Jewish Publication Society of America, which will ap- pear shortly. The author noted the wide disparity between the theory of complete freedom of religion as guaranteed by the Soviet constitution and the practice of severe re- strictions on all aspects of Jewish religious life. Dur- ing these past 25 years, he points, out, Soviet authorities have done "ev- erything in their power to hinder the observance of Jewish religious law,' in- cluding: • Exclusion from school and employment of those who wish to observe the Sabbath. • The mass closing of synagogues. • Intermittent but fierce attacks against those who are active in synagogal af- fairs. • Prohibition or discour- agement of training facilities for religious per- sonnel. • Scarcity of such reli- gious items as prayer books. • Closing of Jewish cemeteries. In the realm of Jewish culture, Prof. Shapiro finds that though the Soviet re- gime strongly discourages attempts to re-establish Yiddish schools, newspap- ers, theater and other as- pects of the previously flourishing culture of the Jewish population in Rus- sia, some of these activities take place. There is a regular Yid- dish periodical, Sovetish Heymland; one daily news- paper; some Yiddish books are published (though not listed in the official direc- tory, which lists books in 89 other languages); and amateur Yiddish theater and musical groups func- tion. Turning to concrete anti-Jewish policies of the Soviet regime in the past quarter century, Prof. Shap- iro lists these actions of the government: • The elimination of Jews from responsible posi- tions in government. • Establishment of a quota system for Jews in many professions. • Reduction in the prop- ortion of Jewish students in Universities, and the estab- lishment of a quota for Jews in the prestigious schools of higher learning. anti- • Widespread Jewish writings have been published, including 90 openly anti-Semitic books printed since 1960. anti- • Systematic Jewish propaganda in the Soviet press, radio, and lec- tures in which Jews are de- picted as conspirators work- ing against the Soviet state. • Obliteration of Jewish history in Russian texts and including documents, Jewish aspects of the Holocaust. The growth of the Jewish dissident movement in the Soviet Union, with its nearly exclusive emphasis on emigration, has been fol- lowed by new governmental repression, the author writes. Among the steps that have been taken to smother such activities have been: • Arrest of dissidents and imposition of long prison sentences. • Efforts to cut off com- between munications Jewish dissidents and their supporters at home and abroad. • Imposition of special education taxes for exit visas. • Commitments of dissi- dents and those monitoring the Helsinki agreements on human rights to mental in- stitutions. - Concluding his review, Prof. Shapiro warns: "There is no doubt that Soviet Jews are threatened with assimi- lation." He points out that the Russian Jewish com- munity, with its great heri- tage, is not likely to disap- pear without resistance. Some of the actions of the Jewish activists in the Soviet Union in recent years are but a symbol of such resistance, he declares, but one of the important determinants in the future of Russian Jews is likely to be the nature of the succes- sion when the present lead- ers of the Politburo pass from the scene. Copies of the booklet are available at a nominal charge by writing the American Jewish Commit- tee, 165 E. 56th St., New York City, New York 10022. The cost of university education in Israel has risen 780 percent during the past decade. Friday, January 26, 1919 23 An Israeli Appraises the State Of Israel By DR. MILTON J. STEINHARDT Yaacov Hasdai's book "Truth in the Shadow of War" (Tel Aviv Zmora, Bi- tan, Modan) sent shock waves throughout Israel. It is the refined product of a series of attempts at self- examination and soul- searching following the Yom Kippur War. -' What makes this particu- lar effort in Hebrew a "classic" and unique are the excellent qualifications of the author, the comprehen- siveness and objective scholarship of the study, and its constructive criti- cism. Also highly relevant is the fact that the author was a colonel in the Israel Defense Forces and he was a researcher for the Agranat Commission investigating the difficult early period of the 1973 war. This book is divided into three parts. The first one is concerned with the after- math of the Yom Kippur War, the author's convic- tion that the military estab- lishment deteriorated after 1967 and that there existed a complacency and a lack of initiative, self-criticism, and team work. In the second section of the book the author states that Jewish history did not begin with Zionism, that the Jews in Auschwitz were just as heroic as those that cap- tured Jerusalem, the lat- ter possessing the means to defend themselves, and that might does not make right. Hasdai stres- ses the need to be humane in battle despite provocation, and that the army should not delegate the menial kitchen tasks to local Arabs. The third section of the book deals with the viabil- ity of the Jewish state sur- rounded by hostile Arabs. "Can our survival be guaranteed?" he asks and then continues "Consider- ing our current isolation, how long must we fight? He emphasizes an histor- ical truism that interna- tional relationships are based on interests, not friendship, and he decries the dependence and ac- ceptance of the worst fea- tures of the U.S. The last section of the book is in the form of a letter to a friend — a potential "oleh" to Israel from the U.S. In his philosophic dis- cussion on the "ideal state" he searches for the causes of the current Is- raeli problems and he points to what he calls the "party system cartel," the lack of independence be- tween the legislative and executive branches, as well as the failure to dif- ferentiate between short- term concerns and long- term goals of security and survival. Accord- ingly, the Israeli citizen feels helpless in influenc- ing the course of gov- ernment. He suggests a second legislative body such as a senate composed of mature persons (over 60). He con- siders it plausible that half the candidates he selected from the political parties, and the other half from in- dividuals at large. He envisions another pos- sibility: that each citizen be allowed a fixed monetary sum for elections over which he may exercise preferen- tial control to the party or individual candidate. Hasdai seems to favor an educated elite, a European aristocracy or an academic elite. To this reviewer, the author's plan for a spe- cially trained elite is simi- lar to the ideas laid out in Plato's "Republic." Cur- rent suggestions for compulsory voting ig- nore a basic tenet of Plato that numbers by them- selves do not make for democracy, and that a thousand votes by the un- informed still may equal zero. As to social factors, Has- dai notes the gap between the affluent and the disad- vantaged, and he refers to the phenomena in Israel not unlike that in the U.S. — violence, inflation, black market, expense accounts, income tax evasion, corrup- tion, capricious strikes by a minority and the general lack of courtesy of the gov- ernment employees. One can almost hear the author say "we have a right to expect more from the state of Israel." The concluding chapter, written when the Camp David accord was in process, is entitled "Tests of Sincer- ity." It is an excellent analysis of the current negotiations and the possi- ble pitfall: the Arabs' at- tempt to obtain by sophisti- cated means .what they could not achieve by force. The real difficulty, ac- cording to Hasdai, is that in the present stance Sadat's sincerity can only be tested in two signific- ant areas: a mutual re- duction of arms in the Sinai and the resolution of the refugee issue. It must be clear to all that preaching hatred and train- ing professional killers in the PLO camps with Soviet arms, UN subsidy, Saudi blackmail money, as in VILLAGE NUTRITIONAL & HYPNOTHERAPY CLINIC INC. OR. RALPH SANDLER DIRECTOR Hypnotherapy Because The Problem Is In Your Mind • • • • • • • • • FRANK PAUL and His ORCHESTRA "Music and entertainment at its Best for Your Guests"- Insomnia • Nervousness Stress Lower High Blood Pressure Lose Weight • Self Hypnosis Relax • Self Improvement Learning Disabilities Drug and Alcohol Addictions tlltte r in SVitamin Therapy g office hours by appt. only 559-5577 28035 Southfield Rd. Suite 203 557-7986 YOU'RE BETTER OFF IN A MORRIS BUICK Lebanon, is hardly a pre- lude to a vision of peace. Lathrup Village, Mich. 48076 BIG DISPLAY OF NEW BUICKS FAST DELIVERY GOOD SERVICE PHONE 342- 7100 FOR PROOF MORRIS BUICK 14500 West 7 Mile . . . Block West of James Couzens oe cornel J presents DISCO CLINIC CRASH COURSE IN DISCO Tuesday, Jan. 30, 1979 or Thurs., Feb. 1st 7:30-10:30 p.m. 3 Hours Of Dance Instruction With Partners Only By Reservation: 967-3232 "Two-Party Budget Service may help you save money on your phone bill." Michigan Bell Two-Party Budget Service is especially designed for people with fixed incomes, such as retirees. For a low monthly charge* you would share a two-party line and have an allowance of 44 local calls a month. Extra local calls you make are only 5.1¢ each. This is about the lowest-cost phone service in the country. If you think Two-Party Budget Service might be what you need, just call your Michigan Bell Business Office and talk to a service representative about it. 'Plus rural zone charges where applicabl Michigan Bell . . . people who enjoy serving people.