American Jewish Committee Reports on Suppression of Judaism in “iron Curtain” Lands

Charges that “there exists a common pattern of suppression of all Independent religious, cultural and communal activities” in the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe were today made “by the American Jewish Committee in a statement issued here. The A.J.C. also stated that the “attack hits Catholic, Protestant and Greek Orthodox, as well as Jewish, religious communities, and their cultural and welfare organizations.”

Churches and synagogues may still conduct services, the Committee statement said, “but religious education is being abolished” and “cultural and welfare activities are being preempted by the state.” It added that “religious groups are required to promote Communist policies; their leaders are chosen by the Communist high command.”

Independent Jewish organizations in all satellite countries were closed down or forced to disband “voluntarily,” the A.J.C. charged. It added, “Jewish schools were taken over by the state, usually with promises that the Yiddish or Hebrew language of instruction would be preserved. Subsequently, the minority language was abolished, the teaching of Jewish history and literature discontinued or reduced to a minimum, and Communist indoctrination made the main purpose of education. Jewish welfare institutions, hospitals, orphanages, etc,, were ‘nationalized.’ Jewish relief agencies, which had contributed great amounts of money for rehabilitation, were closed down. Many Jewish religious and civic leaders were jailed or forced into exile,’

REVEALS SITUATION IN RUMANIA. HUNGARY AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA

In Rumania, the American Jewish Committee report stated, the “Union of Rumanian Jews was forced to merge with a left-wing splinter group, and after several months to ‘dissolve voluntarily.’ The Federation of Jewish Religious Communities was taken over, without the benefit of an election, by a new, pro-Communist leadership. Sixty-nine Jewish elementary schools and 23 Jewish high schools, with a total of 13,000 pupils, were ‘nationalized1 in the summer of 1948.Resistance against the nationalization of the schools was considered a criminal offense;’ illegal’ religious instruction is now prohibited and severely punished. Religious weddings and other rites are subject to special taxes.”

“In December, 1948, after a violent campaign,” the statement said, “all Zionist organizations were forced to ‘dissolve voluntarily.’ In addition, the offices of the Jewish Agency, Keren Hayesod and Keren Kayemeth, the fraternal organization B’nai B’rith, the Joint Distribution Committee, the ORT, and the CSE have been closed by the police. Even the religious funeral society, the Chevra Kadisha, has been dissolved by the government. Finally, the government has ‘nationalized’ 256 Jewish charity institutions, including orphanages, children’s homes, medical centers, and old age homes,” the report added.

“In Hungary, leaders of the community were jailed for offenses ‘against the dignity of the state.’ In the 1948 elections of boards of Jewish communities, all independent groups were forced to withdraw their lists; Communist-dominated bodies were ‘elected’ on a single ‘unity list.’ The later developments followed the Rumanian pattern; On March 25, the Zionist Federation of Hungary announced its ‘voluntary’ dissolution,” the report said.

“In Czechoslovakia, Jewish organizations were allowed to develop rather freely until the Communist coup in February, 1948. After that everything changed. The president of the Association of Jewish Religious Communities in Slovakia, Emanuel Frieder, was arrested, as was the president of the Zionist organization of Czechoslovakia, Oscar Krasnansky,” In Poland, Jewish institutions enjoyed a certain degree of freedom for several years. Recently, the Central Jewish committee was reorganized to assure complete control by the Communists.