Jewish Communities in Central America Hold Four-day Conference

A four-day convention of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Central America and Panama concluded here today. Reports of the status of the Jewish communities of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador were presented during the sessions.

Among the issues which the delegates discussed were the effect of the Central American Common Market on Jews in the area, the nature of Judaism and Jewish consciousness, the Jewish declaration by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, anti-Semitism in the Central American countries, problems of integrating Jewish youth, particularly Jewish university students, in to Jewish communal life, Jewish youth and Israel, the halutz ideal and its influence on Jewish youth in Central America, and Jewish education.

Participants in the conclave included also Israeli Ambassadors Shmuel R. Kapel and Col. Izhak Shany, Dr. Woodrow de Casto, president of the Federation, Manuel Tenenbaum, president of the regional council of the Jewish Youth of Latin America, and Mark Turkow of the South American Executive of the World Jewish Congress.