Non-Jews as well as Jews in Canada, and significant sections of the leading Canadian press, reacted today with apprehension and condemnation regarding the renewal of anti-Jewish persecutions in Russia. La Presse said editorially today that “a new wave of anti-Semitism is sweeping Russia.” The Montreal Gazette pointed out: “Khrushchev is using Stalinist methods against Jews, while assuring the Russians that Stalinism has gone forever.”
At an open forum here last night, Michael Garber, a leading Zionist here, and a founder of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said that recent events in Russia “are all the more shocking in view of the admissions there that the ‘doctors plot’ of the Stalin era had been a fraud.” Mr. Garber expressed the opinion that the secrecy that surrounded the trials and convictions of the Moscow and Leningrad Jewish leaders indicated that the so-called “evidence” against the convicted Jews “could not stand the light of day.”
Other Canadian leaders agreed that the recent developments in Russia indicate the need for more intensive petitions to the Soviet authorities, calling for a reversal of their anti-Semitic policies.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
