While there has been a marked diminution of anti-Semitism in many parts of the globe, about one-quarter of the nearly 12 million Jews throughout the world felt its effects in one form or another in 1957 according to a year-end survey by the World Jewish Congress in New York published today.
Egypt had the blackest record during the year so far as anti-Semitism was concerned More than 22,000 of that country’s 45, 000 Jews were compelled to leave as a result of the relentless pressures exercised on them following orders and decrees sequestrating Jewish businesses and properties and resulting from the ouster of Jews from jobs professions and homes.
Egyptian representatives and emissaries have also taken the lead in Arab agitation against the Jews throughout Latin America, but these efforts have failed to destroy the traditionally good relations between Jews and Arabs in the commercial Hie of the great urban centers, and the attempt to promote a boycott of the Jews and of Israel in Latin America has been a total failure, the Congress reported.
Poland was also the scene of anti-Semitic agitation and outbreaks in 1987. But in contrast to the Egyptians, the Gomulka regime exerted itself to denounce and prosecute the anti-Semite aguaiors and repeatedly expressed its resolve to bring the anti-Semitic agitation to an end. At the same time the regime recognized the human rights of Poland’s 45,000 Jews and facilitated the emigration of whose who desired to leave. It is estimated that 29,000 Polish Jews emigrated mainly to Israel while the community welcomed back to Poland some 10, 000 repatriates from Soviet Russia in 1957.
An area of major concern is Soviet Jewry, which is estimated to number up to 3, 000, 000 persons. While permission was granted to the Jews of Moscow to establish for the first time a small theological seminary Soviet Jewry continues to suffer as a corporate body the restraints and restrictions to which it has been subjected since 1948. Jews of Russia, the World Jewish Congress survey reported remain deprived of all organizational links with the rest of the Jews of the world
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