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Arab Propaganda Undermines Image of Jewish People As a Progressive Force

January 13, 1970
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Arab propaganda is a major problem not only for Israel but for Jewish communities in the diaspora as well, speakers at a special session of the World Executive of the World Jewish Congress said here this weekend. Dr. S.J. Roth of the Institute of Jewish Affairs, said that “Arab propaganda tries to present Zionism and Israel and through it the whole Jewish nation as a reactionary colonialist force, which does not care about the rights and sufferings of others.” If this line of attack is allowed to make headway–and the situation in the universities already indicates that it has–“it would completely change the image of the Jewish people,” he continued, which for centuries has been known as a progressive force, passionately devoted to social justice, universal brotherhood and support of all oppressed people.

Abraham Shenker of the Jewish Agency suggested that Zionist values be introduced as counter-propaganda to the Arab position. In a related development, a speaker in a discussion group on the situation of Jews in Latin America said that the greatest danger they faced was the increasing Arab propaganda penetrating all levels of the population. Marc Turkcv also said that in some of the leftist revolutionary states in Latin America, which he called non-Communist, Jews are free to continue their religious, cultural and economic life unhampered. On the other hand, he contended there are rightist regimes in which there is no official anti-Semitism but which contain anti-Semitic elements in their leadership.

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