Hamilton Reports:
JEWISH
J^ISH NEWSPAPER IN CANADA*
5 & 8
CANADA'S NATIONALJEWiSH NEWSPAPER
TORONTO & MONTREAL, FRIDAY, JUNE 26th, 1964
THE LAST MINYAJV
Jews in Minsk waiting in line to get into the synagogue. The picture was taken by the New York Herald Tribune
• Commentary •
By M. J. Nurenberger
TRAGEDY IN MINSK
Apparently, so far as Russia is concerned, co-existence is to be achieved at the expense of the complete spiritual annihilation of 'Soviet Jews. While steadfastly denying any specific antisemitic measures, at the same time the Soviet government is consistently destroying the last vestiges of Judaism on its territory.
Perhaps the saddest story reaching us from Russia these days is the demolition of the last synagogue in Minsk.
There are reportedly 230,000 Jews living in this growing and.booming capital of White Russia, Mirtsk always was one of the foremost Jewish ceriiirs, both of secular and religious Judaism. Prior to Stalin's liquidation of Jewish culture, Minsk boasted ■its own Yiddish daily and innumerable institutions, even under the Soviet regime. It had many synago-, gues, of which only one large one survived the Nazi destruction of the city.
Just last week a New York newspaper published a photograph of a number of Jews queuing up before the building, trying to enter this house of worship. (One can barely conceive such devotion to prayer and participation in Jewish religious life in the Soviet Union. Anyone expressing his piety naturally becomes suspect.)
Is this continual Jewish devotion to the synagogue so much a challenge to the policies of the regime that the Byelorussian government decided, as a last resort, to demolish this one remaining house of worship servicing 230,000 Jews?
Another element of cruelty is involved — a cruelty perhaps without parallel in any civilized country.
The demolition of the synagogue, according to the New York Herald Tribune, started on May 29th while the congregants were praying inside, without any notice to ihfi worshippers or congregation members.
The Soviets, in self-defense, insist that the building had to be torn down because it was a wooden structure; furthermore, the lot was*^eeded for a new apartment house.
Needless to say, the Jews of Minsk were not allowed the opportunity to purchase another piece of larid elsewhere to rebuild their synagogue.
The authorities of Minsk have the temerity to report that the Jews themselves demanded the demolition of the large synagogue which, by the way, was the last remaining edifice of a whole series of synagogue schools and buildings now converted into apartment houses, accordiitg to th^ same report of the Herald Tribune, V
It must have been a pathetic sight to see these Minsfc congregants, surprised by' the demolition squad, saivagingSifre Torah, candle holders and other holy obfects. It probably reminded one of a fatnous Chagall painting of Jews wandering with the Torah, for the sake of the Torah.
The popularity of this synagogue is not to be deniad. North American Jews; in fact, are astonished to learn that in Minsk, where it is dangerous to be affiliated with a place of worship; usually three-hundred men and women filled the synagogue at every service during the week.
correspondent, David Miller, on May 29th, shortly before demolition crews moved in and wrecked the building to make way for apartment construction.
99
JERUSALEM (GJN) — Abdul Nasser, dictator of EjH^t, last weekend launched his most violent, vitriolic ^attack against Israel, the United States and Britain.
ACCUSES U. S.
The Egyptian President at the same time accused Washington of having supplied rockets to the Israeli. He added that Great Britain is selling submarines to Israel while France is delivering the newest type tanks and planes to the Jewish State.
iThe Egyptian, in a angry mood (according to mon-
AUSmUAH UBOUg CAUS FOR ACnOH AGAIHST BICOTS
Sydney, (JCNS) — The Australian Labour Party, at its State conference here expressed great concern at the recrudescence of Nazi activities iii Australia and decided to take every action to combat it.
Maui ice Isaacs, one of the delegates, said that the Nazis were dedicated to the overthrow and destruction of democratic institutions in the country and that the activities of the National Socialist Party m Sydney had been exposed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
He also warned against the activities of the Communist Party, and the Ustashi Party.
"^Meanwhile, the ninth biennial conference of the Australian Federation of Jewish Ex-Service Men and Women, which took place at Brisbane called for the banning of the Nazi Party in Australia. It urged the Executive Council of Australian Jewry to take all neces-
Shall we protest, or should we express ouir admirf ation for the Jews of-Minsk who dare.defy so cruel, a regime by publicly demonstrating theirl attachment to Judaism? At the same time; perhaps we ought have another look among the fifth columnists in our own ranks who try to minimize this Khrushchev-disdain fpr~religiou5 mlues and for the right of people to pray ois they please.
There also^cotild)he anpther lesson one should learn frorn this recent iragedv — a lesson of loyalty to our own Jewish values. /
sary steps to counteract the activities of the National Socialist movement and to investigate the Crimes Act to see what, if any, amendments were needed in order to protect Australian citizens against the propagation of the evil doctrines of racialism and Nazism.
INVESTIGATION OF NAZI CRIMINALS
Bonn.:.West^ GtEsiffla^ NS) ^ About 800 cases against Nazi criminals .'are still awaiting full investigation, Dr. Ewald Bucher, the German Federal Minister of Justice, told Parliament here in reply to a question by a Social Democrat deputy.
Since the end of the war, he said, 5,445 German citizens had been sentenced by German courts to terms of imprisonment for war crimes, while about 5,000 had been convicted by Allied courts.
Dr. Bucher then said that the West German legal au-
thorities had finished sifting a!l the available documentary material on the Nazi period, iheluding the Federal Archives at Koblenz, the files of the former Nazi ministry for Occupied Territories in the East and other
mai STATE LEADERS
mimrimTrim^
TEL AVIV, - Rolf Hoch-huth's "Deputy", the play about Pius XII war role had its premiere at the Habimah theatre last weekend.
President Shazar, Prime Minister Eshkol, and Foreign Minister Golda Meir were among those who declined first night invitations, it is learned. Other Cabinet Ministers were in the audience, however.
The actors, playing before an all-black backdrop, gave uniformly excellent performances. The play was directed by Avraham Ninio.
Rdckeis
Israe
DICTATOR DENOUNaS , ISRAEL COLLUSION
itors here who picked up Cairo broadcasts), also boasted, "we know the details of Israel's arms purchases".
Commenting for the first time upon Israeli Prime Minister Eshkol's visit to Washington, Nasser stated that "an organized hostile campaign against the United Arab Republic" is being conducted in the United States.
Speaking about Israeli complaints against the arming of his country by Russia, Nasser sa,tirically added:
"One would imagine Israel has no armed forces and was not obtaining military aid." He also repeated the old propaganda line, accusing Israel of being "a bridgehead for imperialism in the Middle East."
Nasser spoke at a parade in Cairo where cadets at a military academy marked "Evacuation Day", the anniversary of the withdrawal of British troops from Egypt. The address was carried live by Radio Cairo.
WON'T FORGET ISRAELI LESSON
The Egyptian leader sharply attacked the British policy in Yemen. He told his audience that Yemeni forces and tribesmen "recaptured" part of their territory.
Resuming his diatribe against Israel, the Arab
"We will never forget the-lesson of 1956 when Israel surprised the Arab countries by showing the arms it obtained."
In order to live in peace, he continued, Egypt must be permanently ready to face the aggression of Israel "and those behind her" (the United States and Britain).
SWISS RAP EGYPTIAN
'^^^      WAR-P % . :
ZURICH, Switzerland. — Swiss University professors and lecturers protested yesterday against Egypt-ion preparations for war -on Israel and condemned Swiss firms said to be helping to arm the Cairo Government.
The protest proclamation was addressed to the Federal and Cantonal (District) Governments, to industry, commerce and the Swiss people.
It was signed by more than 300 lecturers and professors of Swiss Universities, institutes and schools.
•URGENT' ARAR TALKS
CAIRO — "Important consultations" on the U.S.-Israel atomic research agreement are being conducted between the various Arab capitals, the Arab News Agency reports from Beirut.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Puad Amoun, said that the question would be discussed at the Arab summit meeting in Alexandria in September.
documents. In the case of the Nazi ministry, however, no incriminating documents were ever found, he said. It was possibile that all secret files at the ministry had been destroyed before the end of the war.
The audience's reception of the performance was restrained.
A telegram from author Hochhuth was received on the eve of the opening.
It is believed that the Foreign Ministry was keen on having the presentation of the play postponed at least until after the Ecumenical Council reconvenes in the autumn. But the Habimah theatre decided to go ahead immediately to prevent renewed pressure by the Foreign Ministry against the production of the controversial show.
MOVE T0M
A turn in the direction of an increasingly more buslhess-Iike basis for investment in Israel was taken at the 26th Convention of the Zionist ofganiization of Canada (Central Divisioii), which ended Its deliberations last Sunday, as the economic side of Aliyah came in for special enipahsis.
In an unequivocal Tesolution, the convention gave solid back-
NEOEV DINNER CHAIRMAN The Officers of the Jewish Notional Fund of Toronto an-l^unce^thot JOHN R. DEVOR will t)e Chciirmon of the Morris B. KoUfmdn Negev Dinner, which will .take plocfl on Wed-
nesday, Devor,
December 2nd. Mr. a lifelong   Zionist, is
now Second Notional Vice-President^ of the Zionist Organiza-"tjon oF Canada, and serves oh . "d variety oif Committees.on the Notional, Regional and Toronto levels. Keenly interested in Jewish Education, he is Vice-' President of the Toronto, Bureau of Jewish Education ond Vice-President of the Asspciot-ed Hebrew Schools.
ing to the recent decision of the National Executive of the Zionist Organization of Canada to create a Mortgage Loan Fund for Canadian plim, and urged its incoming executive to assist in the implementation of the resolution itself.
The resolution, which noted the^ decision of the National Executive to iiiake" Aliyah an Integral part of its program and tlvities in Canada, also urged '«rtl Zionist societies and communities in ; the Central Division to avail themselves of the information and guidance services provided by the. Economic Department of the Jewish Agency in Toronto "as to possibilities of investments and Aliyah and opportunities for immigragUon, e-conomlc absorption and retlre-meht In Israel."
A' inethod specifically-mentlp-nel in order to enslire effective communication of the essential information and guidance was the planning of meetings with the representative of the Department to discuss Important questions.
Conntins blessings. .
The Convention went out of its way to express deep appre-(;lation of Canada's continued sympathetic attitude towards the
State of Israel and its place in the initemational commimity and urged the Canadian government to continue its "traditionail support of Israel's determined efforts to serve as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East."
The inbre sombre side of the same coin came in the form of a speolar resolution on Russian Jewry which expressed the hope for an early end to the religious arid , cultural dlscrirhination which Russian Jews are subjected, to. -
The same resolution commended all individuals; and organizations who had gone but of their way to appeal to.the Soviet authorities on behalf of Soviet Jews, but it went, further by urging the Canadian government, to lodge an official protest at the United Nations and to the Soviet government. The resolution made it quite dear that what worfd Jewry wanted for their Soviet bretheren was nothing more, and nothhig leiss, than "full and equal rights enjoyed by all other religious and national groups in the Soviet Union."
Real Hebrew Education
Providing a top-notch Hebrew education to youth was named in the resolution oh education
Bertram Loeb, President of Supersol Ltd., the first supermarket chain in Israel told The Conadian Jewish News that there is very little substance to several reports concerning the firm. Mr. Loeb, in a telephone con-
versation from the firm's head office in Ottawa, also stated that the auditor's report was not yet complete but that Supersol was a healthy company and will continue to serve the people in Israel as before.
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as the key to stemming the flow of young Jewish people in the direction of assimilation. Education was also said to be the key to the achievement of a meaningful. future Jewish existence, and the resolution called for maximum Zionist, content, in all Jewish education provided. .
The convention recommended to its National Executive that it seek and enlist the collective efforts of the Canadian Zionist
family toward establishing Hebrew Day Schools in Jewish communities and, as an alternative, that it lend active support to existing day schools wherever feasible.
Speakers and Officers The two-day Convention was addressed by a distinguished roster of speakers, including His Excellency, Gershon Avner, I-srael Ambassador to Canada, Isaiah L. Keren, an expert on Middle East affairs resident in
Washington, The Hon. Allan Grossman, MPP, and His Worship Mayor Philip G. Givens, Q. C.
The following officers were re-elected: Julius Hayman, President; Harry Zifkin, Irvmg Prisch, Mort Golumbia, Max Goody, Dr. Allen Small, Mort Margolius, Lazar Lifschitz. Rabbi Dr. W. G. Plaut, Kenneth D. Soble, Dr. Mark Zimmerman, Stephen E. Berger,. Dr. George Llban — Exocutive Officers..
IN MONTREAL —■ As is discernible, the above photograph was taken at the studios of rodio station CFMB, Mdntreal, at the conclusion of a live broadcast. Biblical Quiz, which was held under the auspices of the Consul General of Israel, to select a Canadian representative to participate in Israel's third International bible contest which Will be held in Jerusalem on September 24th. V , .  ^, . ,,       . ,■ ' .
Above ore: (top leftl^ur,Marie-Andre du Souveur, participant; Mr. L. Yalofsky,porticipont; ; Miss Collette Avitdl, representative of the Consulate General of Israel;   Mr: N. VVilcheskv, \ director of the Jewish Hour, CFMB; Mr. David Z. Rivlin, Consul Generol of Israel in Montreal; Mrs. Sadie E. Holcro, porticipant; Mr. a: Guerln. participant; Miss Violet u. Fraser, porticiparit; Mr. R.S. Catto, dramatist and bible expert; from Montreal who will represent Canada at the. contest in Jerusalem.