Stalin is “adding to his madness” by attacking the Jews at the same time he is trying unsuccessfully to destroy the Catholic Church, declares an editorial in the March issue of “The Sign,” national Catholic magazine published here.
“No one in history has ever prevailed against either the Church or the Jews, ” the editorial entitled “And Now the Jews! ” and signed by Rev. Ralph Gorman, the editor, asserts, “but Stalin is taking on both at the same time.
“We can have no doubt or hesitation as to our duty as Christians to help in every possible way the persecuted Jews. We should modify our immigration policy by opening wider our doors to these victims of Red Tyranny as well as to other refugees and expellees who are still searching for a new home and a new start in life.
“The recent about-face marks a great and important change in Soviet policy. Only the gravest reasons could induce Stalin to drop his liberal pose and to clothe himself in the filthy mantle of Nazi anti-Semitism, “the article says. It points out that one opinion is that things are going badly in the USSR and in the satellite states and that Stalin is making a scapegoat of the Jews in order to divert to them the rising wrath of the people. Others believe that Stalin’s anti-Semitic purge is part of his plan to win Germany.
“A third and perhaps partial explanation is Stalin’s desire to secure control of the Middle East,” the Catholic organ continues. “This area is rich in oil, it has long-coveted warm-water ports, and it is the broad highway to Southern Asia, Africa, and the soft underbelly of Europe. Posing as a friend of the Arabs and an enemy of Israel Stalin has a good chance of winning this highly strategic crossroads of the world without firing a shot, “the article states.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
