President Ephraim Katzir, of Israel, warned tonight that “a new anti-Semitism” threatens the Jewish people. Addressing the Sixth Plenary Assembly of the World Jewish Congress whose theme is “World Jewry in a Changing World,” Katzir drew a distinction between the old anti-Semitism directed against Jews individually and the new, aimed, he said, at the Jewish nation collectively.
“Our enemies, even if they are ready to accept Jews as individuals, are not prepared to recognize the corporate existence of the Jewish people as we ourselves have defined it,” Katzir said. “This is the new anti-Semitism, the denial of the Jewish people the right to live as Jews, as part of the Jewish people.”
Katzir maintained that “it is not only the Jewish people that faces Arab terror and blackmail. Just as the Nazi persecution of the Jews engulfed the world with World War II, so do Arab attacks against Israel and the Jewish people threaten Western democracy itself,” he said.
LATIN AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE DECOMPOSING
The Plenary Assembly’s sessions this afternoon were devoted to the situation of Jews in various parts of the world. Dr. Benne Milintzky, head of the Brazilian delegation, described what he called the process of “decomposition of Jewish life” in Latin America. He said that in Argentina, “where the majority of the continent’s 800,000 Jews live under a democratic regime, the majority of the political organizations are pro-Arab.
“This,” he said, “is reflected to some extent in the government’s attitude. The same parties also show a certain amount of anti-Zionism and some anti-Jewish feeling.” Milintzky said that “in the ‘strong man’ regimes of Peru, Chile and Brazil, in spite of certain restrictions, there is no organized anti-Semitism, although the acutely nationalistic mentality creates difficulties for open and full expression of Zionist identification and loyalty to Israel.”
JEWS IN RUMANIA
Another speaker, Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen of Rumania, the only Communist bloc country that maintains diplomatic relations with Israel, spoke of a revival of Judaism in his community. “Rumanian Jews who never in their lives entered a synagogue are coming back to us and take part in religious festivities,” he said. “In fact, the only Hebrew language newspaper in Europe is published in my country where we have every opportunity to live as Jews and to develop a network of social welfare institutions for Jews,” Rabbi Rosen reported.
He praised freedom of expression in Rumania. “Whatever I say from this platform I can say freely in Rumania too,” he said. “We can proclaim our identity with Israel and our love for her while remaining loyal citizens of the Republic of Rumania. We have convinced the leaders of our country that there was no danger to Rumania if Jews were allowed to live as Jews; also that good relations between Rumania and Israel were mutually beneficial. We have even reached the stage where a Rumanian Jew who emigrates to Israel is not regarded as a traitor.”
WESTERN EUROPE IS POTENTIAL ALLY
Dr. S. Levenberg, vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told the Plenary Assembly that “It would be a great mistake to write off Western Europe as a potential ally of Israel.” He noted that only four Western European countries voted in the UN. General Assembly to invite PLO leader Yasir Arafat, while the others were either opposed or abstained “Western Europe is desperately anxious for peace in the Middle East. The public is tired of polemics, it welcomes concrete suggestions which would alleviate the present situation,” Levenberg said.
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.
