Problems of U.S. Jewry Analyzed by Dr. Goldmann at Zionist Congress

Fear that the majority of the young generation of Jews in the United States may not retain their Jewish identity and continue a Jewish life executive, in an address last night at the World Zionist Congress here.

Dr. Goldmann, who reviewed the Jewish situation in countries outside of Israel and the tasks which face the Zionist movement, said that the threat of assimilation among Jews was never greater than today. He was especially worried about the situation of the Jews in the Soviet bloc countries where the question of the survival of Jewish communal life is most acute. He appealed to the government of the Communist countries to grant the Jewish communities the same rights enjoyed by other national minorities in those countries and “to lift the Iron Curtain separating East European Jewry from the rest of the Jewish world.”

Dr. Goldmann urged the-Zionist Congress to invite non-Zionists supporting Israel morally and financially to join in sharing the responsibilities for the direction of emigration to Israel and in the absorption and colonization of newcomers in Israel. He also proposed some radical reforms for the Zionist movement in its organizational structure “Now that the State of Israel exists and enjoys the support of the vast majority of the Jewish people,” Dr. Goldmann said, “Zionism must concentrate increasingly on the question of assuring the survival of Jewish life in the Diaspora as long as the Diaspora exists. It should link all Jewish life with Israel, both collectively and individually, so that it might culminate in the personal immigration of individual Zionists to Israel.”

“Rarely in our history,” Dr. Goldmann stated, “was our future in the Diaspora threatened as gravely as it is today. Only if one restricts survival to physical survival of the individual Jew can one feel moderately gratified. But when Zionists speak of survival, they mean, collective spiritual survival as a people. Anti-Semitism could totally disappear in the world, yet the position of Jews as a people could be more imperilled than ever by spiritual and moral perils for their existence as Jews.”

APPEALS TO COMMUNIST COUNTRIES TO PERMIT FULL JEWISH LIFE

Dr. Goldmann pointed out that the problem of the Jews in the Communist countries is not a problem of anti-Semitism. “The Soviet and the East European states,” he said. “are based on equality of rights for all racial and religious groups and minorities. We do not accuse the government of these states of intentional violations of the fundamental principles of their constitutions. But we accuse them of not allowing the Jewish communities to live their full Jewish lives and maintain their identity as Jews, and secure their future as Jews.

Pointing out that Zionism is regarded in these countries as “counter-revolutionary, and that the existence of Jewish schools is not permitted, and that the synagogues still existing there will shortly disappear on account of the lack of rabbis, Dr. Goldmann declared: “The Jewish communities in these countries are not permitted to maintain contact with Jewish communities abroad. There is no Yiddish literature, press and theatre in the Soviet Union. In short, Jews are not permitted to develop Jewish cultural creativeness.”

The Jewish Agency leader, who was interrupted frequently by enthusiastic applause, demanded that the Communist countries permit the establishment of seminaries to train rabbis and clerical staffs. He also requested that Jewish communities in these countries be enabled to restore contact with other Jewish communities and that Jews be allowed to visit Israel. “There is no fundamental conflict between such demands.” Dr. Goldmann said, “and the basic principles of the social regime in the above countries. The Soviet Union is based on recognition of the rights of all national minorities and is rightly proud of the dozens of languages of its peoples and their cultural lives. Why then deny these rights to the Jewish minority? The fact that this minority is not concentrated in the Soviet Union cannot serve as a reason for this death verdict,” he stressed.

“In this new period, when the Soviet leaders want to break down the Iron Curtain to encourage contacts, to increase their commercial and cultural relations in other parts of the world, we have the right to ask that the Iron Curtain separating East European Jewry from the rest of the Jewish world should also be lifted, “Dr. Goldmann continued. “A special problem in all these countries is the right of Jews to emigrate to Israel.

“There were years when the East European states permitted large Jewish migration to Israel, and we were deeply appreciative. After years of complete stoppage of immigration and of persecutions and arrests of Jewish leaders, especially in Rumania, we gladly notice certain improvements in both direction. We do not hesitate to appreciate the release of most of the Zionist leaders, but we demand simultaneously that the remainder should be released and permitted to leave for Israel. There are even today Communist countries–like Bulgaria and Yugoslavia–permitting Jews to emigrate to Israel. Why should not the Soviet Union and other East European states revert to a more liberal policy?” Dr. Goldmann asked.

“The Soviet Government is now destroying barriers and is creating rapprochement, co-existence and a state of peace–don’t its rulers understand that by granting to Jewish communities rights similar to the rest of the national minorities they would do away with the accusation of discriminating de facto against Jewish communities and would win the gratitude and appreciation of millions of Jews and non-Jews who are deeply interested with the future and survival of the great Jewish community in the Soviet Union?” Dr. Goldmann stressed.

SAYS JEWISH LIFE IN U.S. IS OVER-ORGANIZED BUT DISORGANIZED

Referring to Jewish life on the American continent, Dr. Goldmann stated that Jewish life in America enjoys a “beautiful facade,” but in content and in depth of Jewish spiritual values is not equal to this facade. “Too much,” he said, “is being spent on institutions and on organizational structure, but one needs only to penetrate the facade of American Jewish life to become frightened.” He asserted that millions of American Jews do not belong to any Jewish organization, not even to a religious congregation.

“A very large section, if not the majority, of American Jewish youths receives no Jewish education whatsoever,” he stated. “Most of the activities of American Jewry are concentrated in fund-raising and in organizational manifestations. Compared with the impressive external aspects, the spiritual output of American Jewry is most shockingly inadequate,” he declared.

“The United States,” he continued, “is generally a country not conducive to minority cultures. It is a melting pot. One of the many weaknesses of American Jewish life is that it is being over-organized and simultaneously disorganized. It has too many organizations and yet lacks a single representative body that would determine policies, survey the position of American Jewry and resolve its problems. Despite the beautiful facade, there is not a guarantee that the majority of the young generation of American Jewry will retain Jewish identity and continue Jewish life as it is today.

“Let us not forget that this is the situation ten years after the fall of Hitlerism. The worst feature of all this is that the assimilation of today is not ideological and does not respond to any slogan or appeal, but is quite natural and constitutes a spontaneous process of which those who are experiencing it are not even aware. The situation would appear to be hopeless if there were not an Israel. Israel is a source which can revitalize Jewish life. Israel is a substitute and more than a substitute for the destroyed Jewish strongholds of Europe. The problem now is how to utilize this source and how to link the Diaspora to Israel.”