Richards, in Letter to “times,” Says Roumanian Gov’t Has Not Redeemed Pledges to Jews

A correction of an erroneous impression conveyed in correspondence from Bucharest in the “New York Times” of March 16 reporting an interview with Jon Lugojanu, State Secretary to Juliu Maniu, Prime Minister of Roumania, is contained in the letter to the “New York Times” of March 30 from Bernard G. Richards, Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress.

Declaring it to be a matter of grave regret and serious concern to the Jews of Roumania and of the United States that the Maniu government’s pledges have remained unredeemed and that the position of the Jews in the last year, despite these pledges have become even more tragic politically, economically and culturally, Mr. Richards points out that the new communities law upon which Mr. Lugojanu bases improvements for the Jew is “in reality a blow at the integrity of the remaining Jewish community forced upon the Jews” despite their unified opposition.

Mr. Richards also refers to the fact that all Jewish governmental schools were still closed despite promises that they would be re-opened and that where schools privately subsidized by Jews are permitted to function, Hebrew and Yiddish are classified as foreign languages by the government.

Discussing “the virtual numerus clausus which exists,” Mr. Richards points to the difficulties that Jewish students encounter before being admitted into Roumanian universities. Explaining that while the Jews bear the chief burden of taxation there is a complete indifference on the part of the authorities as to the cultural and social needs of the Jews, Mr. Richards declares that “the government subsidy to the Jewish schools amounts to five cents per capita, and that is offered as evidence of the broadening of the government’s Jewish viewpoint.”

Turning to “the one improvement upon its predecessors to which the Maniu government might have pointed” during the first months of its regime, “the absence of anti-Semitic excesses,” Mr. Richards says, “the events of the last three months have denied it that distinction. The repeated excesses by students which threatened even the distinguished Jewish leader, Nahum Sokolow… and the failure of the government to punish the offenders placed the Maniu government in the same category with its predecssors.”