Brazil’s Communist Party which, while officially illegal, is very active and is believed to be the strongest Communist organization in Latin America, is widely split on the Soviet Union’s stand against Israel, it was learned here today.
Several party leaders in some of the country’s largest centers, including members of the organization’s country-wide central committee as well as regional heads, have been expelled for refusing to circulate a central committee resolution staunchly upholding the Soviet Government’s stand against Israel. The central committee announced the suspension of four of its members, identifying them only by their party names — Silveira, Rodrigo, Lima and Toledo. Three others are identified by pseudonyms as the heads of regional committees. All had apparently refused to distribute the central committee’s directives on support of the Soviet Union in its anti-Israel policies.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of Jewish Communities in Brazil today petitioned Nikolai Podgorny, president of the USSR, to end anti-Jewish discriminations in the USSR. The Soviet Ambassador here issued a statement denying there was anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union. The Confederation also sent a memorandum to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, asking the Government to intervene on behalf of Jews being persecuted and harassed in the Arab countries.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.