Goldmann Completes Five-day Visit to Rumania; Hails Jews There

The World Jewish Congress delegation to Eastern Europe, headed by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the WJC, concluded today its five-day visit to Rumania with a statement by Dr. Goldmann, who hailed the efforts of Jewry here to maintain the Jewish way of life. He stressed particularly his confidence that East European Jewry would “continue to play an active part in its efforts to assure the survival of the world Jewish community.”

A highlight of the visit was this weekend’s Sabbath eve religious service at the Choral Synagogue, this city’s principal Jewish house of worship. More than 2,000 persons crowded the sanctuary, and hundreds of others were outside the synagogue, unable to come in. Rumania’s Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen delivered the sermon and stressed the significance of the WJC delegation’s visit to Rumania. An additional guest of honor at the service was Israel’s Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir, here to sign a trade agreement between Israel and Rumania.

An official banquet, arranged by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Rumania, was tendered in honor of the WJC delegation last night. Many Jewish personalities, representatives of 16 Jewish communities from all over Rumania, representatives of all Christian churches here attended the event.

Earlier, the delegation was received officially by Prof. D. Dogaru, secretary-general of the department of religious affairs in the office of Rumania’s Prime Minister. The conference lasted two hours, during which the WJC delegation stressed the value of collaboration between Rumanian Jewry and the World Jewish Congress. The delegation had visited all major Jewish institutions and organizational headquarters here. The WJC group was a guest of honor at a performance given by the Jewish State Theater.