Friday, September 24, 1965
JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Page Nine
Goldmann speaks on the wor/cf situation of Jewry
/ . . . JEWS MUST BE WORLD CITIZENS . . . ARAB RELATIONS SIGNIFICANT ... THE SOVIET "KISS OF DEATH" ... THE REAL THREAT TODAY
Excerpts from the text of an address by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, President of the World Jewish Congress, at the inaugrural session of its World Executive in the Maison de PEurope, Strasbourgr, Sunday, July 11, 1965.
The Jewish situation, so long a& the majority of our people lives dispersed throughout the world, has always been and will remain dependent to a large degree on the general world situation. Jewish organizations, all too often, disregard this fact, with the result that the Jewish people, as a people, does not participate actively enough in efforts to solve problems on which depends the fate of all humanity.
It is one of the axioms of Jewish history that our people enjoys favorable conditions of llf in stable world situations £ind more difficult conditioins of survival in troubled times. From this point of view, the world situatic^ has deteriorated in recent years During a period in which, despit*^ the increasing mass character of the life of peoples, or perhaps just because of it, the influence of great individual leaders is increasing and is even more decisive than in previous phases of modern democracy, it is tragic that three major world figures, whose policies and influence were directed towards a relaxation of world tension and increased possibilities for a stabl^ peace, have passed away within a short time. These three personalities were the late President of the United States, John F
Kennedy, the great departed
Pope John XXIII and—whatever
one may think about his internal
DR. NAHUM GOLDMANN
policies and his character — Mr. Nikita Khrushchev.
In addition to the disappear-
New Year Greetings
Mr. and Mrs. Nate Alexander, Lindsay and Jackie
4690 Cedar Crest/ North Vancouver
Extend to all their Relatives and Friends Best Wishes for a Year of Peace, Good Health and Happiness
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest P. Belogus and Family
4569 Osier Street
Wish all their Friends and Relatives a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year
Mr. and Mrs. A. Bialoglowsky, Faye and Henry
5550 Baillie Street
' Wish all their Friends and Relatives a Very Happy New Year
A Very Happy New Year to all Our Relatives and Friends
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley S. Blank Nadine and Harvey
224—130th N.E., Bellevue, Washington
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Brounstein
1445 West 11th Avenue
Extend To All Their Relatives And Friends Best Wishes For A Year Of Peace, Good Health and Happiness
Mrs. Dora Camerman and Sons
No. 102—1137 West 10th Avenue
Extends Best Wishes to Relatives and Friends for a Peaceful and Happy New Year
Mrs. Louis Cohen
5629 Ash street
and Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Cohen and Lori Beth
of Berkeley/ California
Wish their Friends and Relatives a Very Happy New Year
ance of these three world leaders who were, all in all, stabilizing elements, conflicts have arisen, both in Asia and in the Caribbean, which have increased world tension and have, for the moment, interrupted the gradual development towards a new world system or lasting peace. One of the most deplorable and tragic aspects of this development is the decline of the authority of the United Nations, so c-ften regretted hy its courageous Secretary General, U "Thant, which is being m.ore and more eliminated as r decisive factor in settling conflicts thereby losing a large part of its "raison d'etre" and its historical significance. The feeble and halfhearted way in which the member states of the United Nations, or at least the Great Powers,, deal with the problem of human rights, which is of such tremendous importance . to our people, is a clear and sad indication of this dangerous trend which, if not halted and reversed, can only bring disaster.
The second feature of the world situation is the growing gap between rich and poor peoples, the increasing consciousness of the poor of being deprived of the riches of the earth and their increasing unwillingness to accept this situation which they have done for many centuries. The re suit is growing social unrest, psychological dissatisfactioin, bitterness and anger in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people in Asia, Africa and the South American continent which, if no+ halted and reversed by far-reaching radical action by rich nations and by the beginning of the redis tribution of the wealth of the earth, may lead to increased instability and revc-lutionary developments. That many Jewish communities are deeply involved in this dangerous development has been already indicated in some concrete cases, such as the decline of the flourishing although small Jewish community in Cuba, not because of any anti-Jewish tendencies on the part of
the Castro government — which has an excellent record in its attitude to the Jewish minority— but is due only to social upheaval, in view of the fact that the Jews in Cuba, as in most other Latin American countries, belong to the middle classes whose survival is now inevitably threatened by revolutionary upheavals.
A third dangerous tendency, which is still increasing, is the revival of extreme nationalism. The evolution cf Europe towards real unity has suffered a great . setback in the last few years. The newly established Asian and African states are increasingly nationalistic; attempts to unite the peoples and states of the American continent are, at the moment, not too successful; and in Germany, as in other older countries, a renewed nationalistic sv/ell can be felt, which would result in ominous possibilities for the future, if not checked in time.
CLASSIC MINORITY
The Jewish people is deeply and vitally involved in all these developments. An unstable world situation threatens all weak peoples, even more so all minorities and especially the classic minority which we represent. Social unrest and instability threaten the existence of the Jewish communities in many parts of the world. As for nationalistic developments, they endanger thp right of the Jewish people to maintain its identity, which will be discussed here in a very concrete way. We Jews, the classical minority, can exist only in a world atmosphere and situation where, in addition to our equality of rights as individuals our right to be different and to safeguard our specific characteristics as a minority in all spheres in which Jewish existence expresses itself which is far more than the purely
religious sphere, is fully recognized. The nationalistic state of mind, which demands exclusive loyalty by its citizens to the state and to its majority, must by necessity and definition endanger the existence of non-conformist minorities and above all of our own Jewish life.
More than ever, it is our duty as a people to be conscious of world trends and not to limit our activities as people to specific Jewish problems but to begin to think about, to discuss and, what is most important, to act as a people with regard to the world problems which have a determining im.pact on our existence and on our future. To be more specific:
(1) We should actively participate in all movements to safeguard peace and to bring about a system of coexistence and mutual understanding between the two world blocs, so as to make war and aggression impossible wherever they may develop;
(2) We should take part, collectively, in efforts to improve the economic condition of the have-no ls and to encourage and further as far as possible all attempts to assist the developing countries to improve their situation. Here we may learn from the wise policy of Israel which, through its great and proportionately unparallelled efforts to help the developing countries, has not only increased its own moral stature and prestige, but has promoted the reputation and the prestige of the Jewish people, which finds its highest collective expression today in the existence and the achievements of Israel;
(3) We should become more
(Continued on Page 10)
See GOLDMANN SPEAKS ON JEWRY
New Year Greetings
Morris, Jean and Lianne Cohen
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C.
Would Like To Wish Their Family And Friends A Happy, Healthy And Joyous New Year
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Farber
93 Victoria Crescent, Nanaimo
Extend their best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year to their family and friends
MAY YOU HAVE GOOD HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PEACE THROUGHOUT THE NEW YEAR
Mr. and Mrs. N. Green
289 West 49th Avenue
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Greenhiit Victor, Norman, Marcie and Lori
878 West 45th Avenue
Wish all their Friends and Relatives a Happy, Healthy New Year
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Grunfeid, Pearl, Linda and Harold
530 West 62nd Avenue
Wish All Their Relatives and Friends a Most Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year
Mr. and Mrs. G. 8. Krivel and Jocelynn
Suite 304—5926 Tisdall Street
Wish their many Friends A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year
Mr. ond Mrs. Ben Kurtz, Debbie, Abbe, Marcie and Barbie
749 Reeder Road, Richmond
Extend Best Wishes to Their Relatives and Friends for a Happy and Healthful New Year