Numerus Clausus Practised in Polish Universities Spokesman for Club of Jewish Deputies Declares in P

The numerus clausus enforced against Jewish students at the High Schools of Lemberg University has brought down the Jewish proportion at the Medical Faculty from 35% to 14% and in Warsaw it has brought it down to 8 per cent. and almost identical conditions prevail at the polytechnics, Deputy Sommerstein said in the Seym today speaking on behalf of the Club of Jewish Deputies in the debate on the Budget of the Ministry of Education and Public Worship.

Deputy Sommerstein complained that the Government was with-holding all rights from the Jewish schools system, and was giving no financial aid to the Jewish schools, not even to the Jewish vocational schools, which could train large numbers of Jews in industry and artisanship, while at the same time the Jews for whom these schools could not find room because of lack of funds were being reproached for engaging in excessive numbers in trade.

Deputy Sommerstein registered a protest against the new Government regulations for organising the Jewish Communities on a religious basis. He described the Government allocation of 120,000 zlotys for Jewish religious requirements as ridiculously small, and demanded that it should be increased to 860,000 zlotys.

Deputy Minzberg, one of the Jewish members of the Government Party, who is a leader of the Agudath Israel and President of the Lodz Jewish Community, rose to declare that the Orthodox Jews are satisfied with the new Jewish Communities regulations, which, he said, aim at eliminating the anti-religious elements, who are misusing the Jewish communities for political propaganda, and converting them into Moscow cells of irreligion.

Deputy Minzberg agreed that the Government subsidy for Jewish religious needs is indeed very small, but the State, he said, has no money. He urged the Government, in conclusion, to make a grant to the Lublin Yeshiba, the great stronghold of Jewish religious teaching in Poland.