A report on the current status of Jewry in Rumania was delivered here today at a meeting of the central committee of the Jewish Democratic Committee of Rumania by Bereu Feldman, secretary-general of the organization, the only remaining body representing the Jewish population of this country. The session is being attended by delegates from all parts of the country and the guest of honor is Shmuel Mikunis, Israeli Communist leader.
Mr. Feldman made it clear that the fight against Zionism remains paramount among the activities, of the Committee. The Jewish leader and member of the Rumanian parliament warned against continuing Zionist propaganda which, he said, “seeks to throw the Jewish population into the arms of an. Exploiting capitalism.” He also revealed that the campaign against the Zionists is being waged in the Jewish press, at mass meetings and on Yiddish broadcasts. Full equality is enjoyed by the Jews of Rumania, Mr. Feldman declared.
The second major task confronting the Committee, according to its leader, is the vocational retraining of thousands of Jews, with the help of the government and the Rumanian Workers Party–the local Communist Party. Thousands of such retrained workers have been placed in jobs, he added.
Besides the public schools which offer either complete or partial curricula in Yiddish, the Yiddish Culture Federation has established a large number of local choirs and dramatic groups which are staging Yiddish plays, Mr. Feldman reported. There are three Jewish newspapers currently being published, he said, one in Yiddish, one in Rumanian and the third in Hungarian. Two radio stations feature weekly Yiddish broadcasts.
Referring to the recent nationalization of Jewish communal relief kitchens, children’s homes and old people’s homes, Mr. Feldman asserted that they had been turned over to the government which is now operating them “smoothly” along the same lines as previously. “Not a single one was closed down following nationalization,” he stated, “and their entire staffs have been maintained and put on the government payroll.”
Turning to the problem of pensions for victims of racial persecution, he revealed that of some 7,000 applications submitted, 4,000 have already been granted. The remaining applications will be dealt with shortly.
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