Chile’s Jewish community has requested authorities to investigate a university textbook containing anti-Semitic passages as well as the participation of Nazi elements in a recent demonstration of a local Arab organization, the World Jewish Congress reported today.
The Comite Representativo de las Entidades Judias de Chile, the central representative body of Chilean Jewry and the WJC affiliate here, discovered that a booklet published by the University Press, used in preparation for aptitude tests for entrance to the university, contains violently anti-Semitic references.
According to the Latin American Branch of the WJC, the passages were taken from “The Jews in 25,000 Words,” a book by Jacob Al-Kubba, a propagandist for the PLO. The book had been published in Barcelona some time ago and following complaints was withdrawn from circulation in Spain, only to reappear at the Santiago book fair.
The authors of the university booklet are Hugo Leon, Alonso Morgado and Jimena Schuster. The Comite has formally lodged a protest and has asked to be received by the Minister of Education, Oracio Araquiz and by the rector of the University of Chile and President of the University Press, Roberto Soto Mackenney.
The Comite is also investigating the participation of pro-Nazi groups — bearing banners and wearing emblems — in recent public demonstrations. One such demonstration was organized by the Federation of Arab Organizations and held at the Ducal Theater here. The Comite has issued a communique declaring that “the community will with absolute certainty act in all such cases in a calm but extremely firm manner.”
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