England prosecutes war crimes
There is little doubt that England suffered immensely during World War II. Londonand other centres were major targets for the Luftwaffe. At war's end in 1945 hundreds of thousands of British military and civilian personnel had been killed or wounded in the conflict with Nazis.
When the British army accompanied American, French and Russian forces into Germany, it was one of the first units to encounter the concentration camps. British soldiers did much in those early days to succor victims of Nazi barbarism encountered in those camps.
Given this meritorious record, it has always been puzzling why England has never enacted legislation enabling the government to prosecute Nazi war criminals liying in England. On two different occasions the Hoiise of Lords has rejected statutes making that prosecution possible and on each occasion the Lords have expressed their disinclination to pursue elderly men for crimes committed more than half a century ago.
Members of the House of Commons in Britain do not, fortunately, share the view that there is a statute of limitations on murder and that is why Prime Minister John Major recently invoked the rarely
used 1911 Parliament Act to force the legislation through without any further debate. Commenting on the use of the Parliament Act, Greville Janner, a senior figure in Britain's Jewish community, said:
"It is a marvellous outcome and is proof that public outrage and an elected democracy gets results."
That may be, but analysts point to many ironies in the affair. Prime Minister Major, for exampfe, is said to have been opposd personally to the idea of legislation designed to prosecute Nazi war criminals. Many members of the House of Commons appear to be more interested, moreover, in asserting the supremacy of the House of Commons over the House of Lords than in affirming the legitimacy of hunting down Nazi war criminals.
What is important, in the final analysis, is not the procedural wrangle which has permitted the passage of a controversial statute biit the end result. Those who had no pity for their aged Jewish victims, as Beate IClarsfeld has noted, deserve no pity no matter how old they are.
The men in their 70s and 80s now awaiting their arrest and prosecution for heinous war crimes will nonetheless have something their victims were denied— due process in law.
London Jevtfish Chrqnicle celebmtesiSO y^^^
By ARNOLD AGES
The Jewish Chronicle of London, England, one of the oldest English-language newspapers reporting on Jewish events, is celebrating its ISOth anniversary.
Since 1841 the Chronicle, through a succession of editors and Owners, has established itself as the voice of British Jewry and has compiled an enviable record as a newspaper of record and innovation in the Jewish media world.
Priding itself as a quality newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle, over the past 150 years, has not only reported the news but also tried to set the agenda for the Jewish community in Britain and abroad.
The paper innovated in publishing literary and historical studies and in 1906 brought out a supplement in modern Hebrew. According to Cecil Roth, the great Jewish historian,
Arnold Aqm Is a regular JWB contributor. He it professor at Waterloo Unlvwyity, an author andjournallat
the ieww/i C/ir(omW<? ciarriie^ a feature between 1891 and 1892 called "darkest Russia" which reported on the persecution of Russian Jews.
The Jewish Chronicle was one of the first newspapers to inform the world of Nazi atrocities in World War II and in the post-war period covered outbreaks of anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and South America.
Zionism and Israel have, of course, been the focuses of the reportage from the earliest years. In 1896 the newspaper published Herzrsflrst article A Solution to the Jewish Problem," which appeared one month before the publication of
Der Judenstadt. It is also said that the British govemnient postponed issuing the Balfour Declaration for a week in order to allow the Chronicle to print the news at the same time as the rest of the press.
Anticipating Solzhenitsyn*scomment thata good newspaper should be a "second government," the Chronicle hsiS. often taken critical stances on th? internal politics of British Jewry, Zionism and the State of Israel.
In the highly difficult and competitive world of journalism in general and Jewish journalism in particiilaf, the Jewish Chronicle has maintained high canons of integrity and professionalism.
May its future be longer and even more illustrious than its past.
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CJC to establish committee to preserve Yiddisii culture
By PAULA KIRMAN
The Yiddish language, its literature and lore are one of the greatest cultural creations of the Jewish people.
In the years of the Holocaust, all Yiddish cultural centres in Europe were destroyedA great danger existed since then that centuries of cultural achievements of the Jewish people would vanish forever.,
Fortunately, in the past few decades, there has been a growing interest in reviving and cultivating Yiddish. There has also been a realization of the great importance of Yiddish as a link with the past and how the knowledge and appreciation of it can strengthen our identity.
In order to satisfy the growing demands for Yiddish, the Canadian Jewish Congress formed a national committee for Yiddish with branches in several provinces in Canada. Unfortunately the Vancouver committee ceased to exist in 1980. In the absence ofaformal committee. Congress (Pacific Region) supported various cultural Yiddish activities including Shaya Kirman Memorial Foundation for Yiddish culture. Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir, Rinat Folk Ensemble, Workers for Zion and Chelm Cultural Club, etc. ^ ^
CJC believes the time is now right to establish a Vancouver committee for Yiddish. Its goals would be as follows:
To inspire an interest in Yiddish culture; enhance knowledge and love of Yiddish by facilitating language instruction; support Yiddish cultural activities such as concerts, readings, dramatic presentations, lectures; operate as a liaison between all local organizations maintaining an interest in preserving Yiddish culture; facilitate the passing on of Yiddish experiences from older Yiddish-speaking people to a younger generation.
The Shaya Kirman Memorial foundation has alredy delegated two members, Paula Kirman and Rubin Pinsky, to help CJC establish the Committee for Yiddish.
Those who are genuinely interested in establishing such a committee should telephone myself at 228-^)044 or Rubin Pinsky at 873-9842.
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By ETHAN MINOVITZ
What can Canadian Jews do to help Israel absorb the Ethiopian allyah of Operation Solomon?
LeoLowy, Q
businessman: ^ "They can unite and increase their generosity towards Israel so that they can achieve their goal in history."
0Marie Doduck, housewife: "One thing would be to help with monies for their schools and education. They've had to pay $2,000 per head to the Ethiopian government."
Morris Bumstein,
retired scrap metal merchant: "The only thing we can do in this country is give as much money as we can afford. There should be no refusal to help."
0Tracy Ames, television producer: "Canadian Jews should realize this is a great miracle, because this is part of the great ingathering of the exiles prophesied. We should help in any way we can."
0
Dr. Harry Winrob,
physician: "I suppose they have to contribute funds. I don't know if they can do much more"in a tangible way."
Q Miriam Warren,
retired secretary: "I'd think that money is one of the big things, but the problem of absorption is tremendously complex. I'm not sure money answersall the problems."
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