Czech Jews Increasingly Apprehensive over Repetition of 1950’s Purges

The president of the American Jewish Committee revealed that the organization’s European office, headquartered in Paris, has reported increasing apprehension among Czechoslovak Jews and fears of a repetition of the purges of the 1950’s. Philip E. Hoffman, in a statement on the re-emergence of anti-Semitism in Czechoslovakia, declared: “Clearly, the unpopular regime of Custav Husak has unleashed its power against the pitiful remnant of pre-World War II Czechoslovak Jewry in order to stifle the struggle between Czechoslovak liberals and conservatives, and to obscure the shortcomings in Czech society.” Purges of Czechoslovak intellectuals have mounted in the last few months, especially of persons who can be identified as Jews, Hoffman stated. “Jews have been blamed for many of the failures of the socialist countries and of their allies, and the Czech radio has broadcast themes that harken back to the discredited Russian Tzarist forgeries, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” he reported. In this intensified action, the terms “Zionist” and “Zionism” have been used in place of “Jew” or “Judaism,” thus obscuring differences for the ordinary reader or listener. Pointing out that the Czechoslovak Jewish community now numbers about ten thousand, Hoffman observed, “The American Jewish Committee condemns the use of “scapegoatism” and racism in any form, regardless of the system or society in which it is found. The new action against Czech Jews must be condemned by all men who seek justice, freedom and peace.”