The South African Jewish Board of Deputies voted unanimously here today to approve a statement presented by Dr. Teddy Schneider, chairman of the Board, welcoming the clarification by Premier Hendrick Verwoerd of the rights of South Africa’s Jews.
The issue had arisen as a result of a letter sent by Premier Verwoerd to A.S. East, a former Jewish Cape Town councillor. In that letter, the Premier had noted that, in the recent parliamentary elections here, many Jews had voted for parties other than the dominant National Party. In his statement on behalf of the Board of Deputies, Dr; Schneider declared:
“The Premier’s clarifying statement dispelled the disquiet caused by his private letter to Mr. East, and reaffirmed the democratic right of Jewish citizens to support whatever parties they wished to support. The Prime Minister thus endorsed what has been the consistent standpoint of the Deputies, namely that Jews, no less than other citizens, participate in political life, and exercise their political rights in accordance with their personal convictions and beliefs–not as members of a group but as individual citizens.
“Referring to differences which have arisen between Israel and South Africa at the United Nations, the Prime Minister stated that his criticism of Israel had nothing to do with his attitude to Jewish citizens of South Africa. The Prime Minister thereby affirmed the principle that group relations between different sections and the Republic should not be influenced by or made dependent upon the foreign policy of any other State.
“The citizens of South Africa, however close their religious or cultural ties with any other country may be, cannot be identified with the policy of that country; Whatever the differences are that have arisen between South Africa and Israel, we trust sincerely that, in the interests of both countries, the friendly relations which always existed between them will continue and will not be impaired.
“The Prime Minister has appealed to all to keep the country free of anti-Semitism, as it has been for more than a decade; We trust his appeal will be heeded, and hope that, as the basic issues have now been clarified, this controversy will be allowed to end,” the statement concluded.
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