Absence of Soviet Jewish Representations Regretted at Geneva Parley

A total of $480,000 has been raised in II European countries in order to assist the French Jewish community to meet the problems created by the influx of Jews from North Africa, it was reported here today by Dr. Astorre Mayer, president of the Milan Jewish community and chairman of the Standing Conference of European Jewish Communities. Dr. Mayer presided at the fourth annual assembly of the Standing Conference which opened here yesterday.

Dr. Mayer told the assembly that he regretted the absence of representation from the Soviet Union, center of the largest Jewish community in Europe. He expressed the sentiment of the conference for establishment with the 3,000,000 Soviet Jews the same social and cultural exchanges which the Conference has with the other European communities.

“Given tolerance, encouragement and opportunity of free contact with Jewish communities all over the world,” he declared, “the Soviet Jews will be able to give to Jews and humanity that same and important contribution to Jewish values in literature, religion and similar fields as in the past.”

He extended the greetings of the Standing Conference to those Jewish communities which were “unable to take part in this meeting.” He added that “the heavy losses” which the Jewish people to take suffered in recent years “make it imperative that every community should take part in our work and in the preservation of Jewish values.”

Discussing the postwar development of the European Jewish communities, Professor Morris Ginsberg of London, said that “even though they could not have done so much without outside help, European Jews have proven far more resilient and resourceful than was generally expected.” He stressed the importance of the United States and Israel as centers of Jewish influence on the European Jewish communities.

Charles Jordan, overseas director-general of the Joint Distribution Committee, noted that the acute shortages of personnel to staff community social services and schools and the difficulties faced by small communities in providing their members with a full range of services, are among the main problems Jews still face in Europe.

Dr. Albert Vajs, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia, told the lay and professional leaders representing Jewish communities in 14 countries that without the will of the European Jewry to help themselves, American Jewish aid and the stimulus provided by the existence of the State of Israel would not have been sufficient. The Assembly is under the sponsorship of the Joint Distribution Committee.