World Jewish Congress Calls for Boycott of Poland’s Warsaw Ghetto Ceremonies

The World Jewish Congress called on Jews in Great Britain and other countries last night not to participate in arrangements being made by the Polish Government to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising there next spring. The appeal to boycott the event was contained in one of a series of resolutions adopted at the closing session of the 15th biennial conference of the WJC’s British section. The resolution voiced “profound disquiet and regret” that Poland has abandoned its friendly relations with Israel and has “given utterance to violent and unjustified expressions about the Jewish people.”

In another resolution, the WJC appealed in the Soviet Government “to ensure for Soviet Jewry the same rights and facilities that are enjoyed by other religious and ethnic minorities in the USSR.” It called on Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin, “on the occasion of International Human Rights Year” to implement his promise to allow Soviet Jews to emigrate so that they can be reunited with their families abroad.

The WJC also declared its solidarity with Israel, called attention to the plight of Jews in Arab countries since last June’s war and called on Jews the world-over to assure that united Jerusalem remains a Jewish city. The Congress urged the British Government to ratify various international conventions calling for the elimination of racial discrimination, equality in employment and support of the United Nations proposal for a U.N. commissioner for human rights.

The closing session of the conference was addressed by Ivor S. Richards, Labor MP from London and a member of the international Human Rights Court at Strassbourg, and David Ennals, joint parliamentary undersecretary at the Home Office. Both hailed the WJC for its work in the field of human rights. Mr. Ennals said that as a minister, he has had invaluable help and guidance from the WJC in the field of human rights and race relations.

Mr. Richards said that national laws can and should be judged against the code of universally accepted principles and that an individual citizen should have the right to challenge his own nation’s laws against that code. Lately, he said, the Council of Europe has been looking into the possibility of a general code against incitement to racial, national and religious haired.