Rome Jewish Community to Protest Tripoli Arrests

The Rome Jewish Community will make representations to the Italian Government over arrests and floggings of Jews in Tripoli for refusing to keep their stores open on Saturday, Leonard Montefiore, president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, announced yesterday at a meeting of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

The announcement followed a discussion of whether the Jewish community should identify itself with the fight against Fascism in which Sir Robert Waley-Cohen, Jewish communal leader, emphasized that Italy was friendly to the Jews and that it would be “disastrous” to create a contrary impression.

Drawing a distinction between Nazism and Fascism, he called Sir Oswald Mosley’s movement “Nazism of the most unpleasant type” and branded it as “Nazism imported from Germany, not Fascism imported from Italy.”

Nazism was more dangerous than Fascism, he declared, and the Jews should do whatever possible to emphasize the distinction between the two. He denied that he had stated privately that he was “almost a Fascist.”

Mr. Montefiore, reporting on the situation of the Jews in several countries, described increasing persecution of Jews in Germany and the propaganda in the German provinces blaming the Jews for the civil war in Spain.

The board also discussed continued anti-Jewish terrorism in London’s East End. Neville Laski, chairman of the board, reaffirmed his confidence in the police and asked that names and details of terrorism be registered with the board for action.

Mr. Laski read a message addressed by the Board of Deputies in behalf of the British Jews to the new King and Queen offering congratulations on their accession and pledging the Jews’ loyalty to them. The message was unanimously approved.