The Jewish section of the French Communist party was reported today to be rapidly nearing a major split over the latest anti-Jewish developments in the Soviet Union.
A number of French Jewish Communist leaders associated themselves earlier this month with a personal letter to Soviet Premier Khrushchev protesting the difficulties created by Soviet authorities for Russian Jews seeking matzoth for Passover. The letter, prepared by CRIF, the central Jewish community organization of France, asked the Soviet Premier to take immediate action to enable Russian Jews to obtain matzoth and threatened to make the letter public if no reply was received in two weeks.
The “Neue Presse,” Jewish Communist organ here, has twice published editorials criticizing the official Soviet policy on Jews. In its March 17 issue, Neue Fresse published a front-page editorial entitled, “We Condemn,” a denunciation of the notorious pamphlet, “Judaism Without Embellishment,” published in Kiev by the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, which contains caricatures of Jews reminiscent of the caricatures which appeared in the Nazi paper “Der Stuermer.”
The editorial declared that “a progressive person, Jew as well as non-Jew, condemns any cartoon, from whatever source, which is liable to spread hatred or incite anti-Semitism. We have seen cartoons of the pamphlet in the newspapers and it caused us dindignation.” The editorial added that it was “permissible” to “propagate free-thinking ideas in an enlighted way and to express one’s thoughts about religious prejudices but it is not permissible to go to extremes.”
The editorial declared that “the Soviet Government must be more alert against such phenomena and react sharply, if such a pamphlet was actually published in Kiev.” This is the first time that any Communist unit anywhere in the world has questioned the Soviet Government so sharply.
DEMAND INFORMATION ON ANTI-SEMITIC BOOK PUBLISHED IN KIEV
Earlier this week, Neue Presse addressed a letter to the Soviet news agency, Novosti, asking it for information regarding “Judaism Without Embellishment.” The newspaper even took the step of making public the text of its letter. “The information about a pamphlet that is supposed to have appeared in Kiev, with an ugly cartoon on the front page reminiscent of other cartoons of an anti-Semitic character, has caused understandable indignation among all progressive people and particularly among the Jewish masses and it is being used for increased anti-Soviet propaganda, ” the letter said.
“We therefore ask you to get in touch with competent circles as soon as possible and inform us as to the entire truth about this pamphlet–whether it actually appeared in Kiev and, if so, what the views are of the Soviet authorities about it, and what measures will be taken so that propaganda on free thought should not degenerate into something which is liable to increase anti-Semitic attitudes as well as anti-Soviet propaganda, ” the letter requested.
Novosti specializes in disseminating information about the Jewish situation in Russia and in refuting charges of anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union. The effects of the anticipated split are likely to be felt widely within all liberal and Communist groups in West Europe which will likely be pushed into taking a more energetic stand in demanding abrogation of the open anti-Semitism of the Soviet Union.
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