“emes” Demands Liquidation of Ort Unless It Severs Relations with American Branch; B. C. Vladeck Rep

A strong demand to liquidate the International Ort in Moscow appears in today’s “Emes,” the organ of the Moscow Jewish Communists. The paper says that the Comzet, government department for settling the Jews on the land, should annul its agreement with Ort if the Berlin Ort continues to associate itself with the Ort in New York.

By this demand the American Ort is accused of utilizing its relief activities for the declassed Jews as anti-Soviet propaganda. The “Emes” says “if the Comzet could reject an agreement with the London Jewish Federation because it is headed by a counter-revolutionary rabbi, why can’t it do the same thing with the Ort if the Berlin Ort will not sever relations with the American Ort headed by the “Forward’.”?

The paper also attacks the Agro-Joint, charging it with being to blame for the serious situation in the Jewish colonies of Crimea with regard to the Spring sowing. The “Emes” points out that the Agro-Joint promised to bring 55 tractors from the U. S. for the Spring sowing but that thus far they have not arrived and also that the Agro-Joint refuses mechanical aid to the Jewish collectives.

A. Merezhin, a leader of the Jewish Communists, siding with the Agro-Joint, admits that the situation in Crimea is serious but he says the Agro-Joint is not to blame. He declares that the promised tractors are now on their way and that it is the government and not the Agro-Joint which furnishes the Jewish collectives with mechanical assistance.

After having seen the above cable, B. C. Vladeck, vice-president of the American Ort and chairman of the People’s Tool Campaign, as well as general manager of the “Forward,” issued the following statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

“From the excerpt from the ‘Emes’ it is not quite clear what is meant, but I don’t know of a single case where our activities could be interpreted as hostile to the Soviet government. The resolutions of our two conventions, as well as the official instructions from our officers are proof that we were always strictly impartial in every way.

“It is true that the Jewish Communists in America have repeatedly attacked us, but we know that the reasons for these attacks are not based on any principle or on love for Russia. They have been called forth only because of the fact that we conducted the People’s Tool Campaign with much less expense and with much better results than the ‘Icor,’ which tries to utilize the sympathy felt by the Jews of America for the Jews in Russia for purposes which have nothing to do with relief.

“We cannot imagine that the Soviet government should not allow the Jews of the world to help the Jews of Russia, whose condition is worse than the condition of any other class or nationality in Russia. The Soviet government, which has itself contributed considerable sums of money and granted great tracts of land will not, let us hope, share the attitude of the Jewish Communists, who have so many times in the past been giving advice to the Soviet government which it refused to take.”