Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israel'*: ^
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Estab
Vol. XXXVIII
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1963
-^oO
NO. •
UN Unit Spells Out Religious Rights
Principles Hit Red Persecutions
By SAUL CARSON
JTA Correspondent at the United Nations
UNITED NAT IQ NS, N. Y.
(JTA) — After three weeks of
debate and deliberation which, at
times, grew bitter as Westerners
led by an American expert, as
well as representatives of Jewish
organizations, assailed the Soviet
delegate on the Kremlin’s denial
of equal religious and other
rights to Russia’s captive 3,000,-
000 Jews, the United Nations
anti-bias unit concluded its ses
sions here this week by firming
up three basic human rights now
expressed as guiding principles.
"Die principles spelled out and
forwarded to the Human Rights
Commission for consideration at
its March meeting in Geneva
dealt with: I) The right of every
one to leave or return to his own
country; 2) the right of everyone
to be free of all and any forms of
racial discrimination; 3) the right
of every person everywhere to
pursue his own faith or religion
and practice the rites, rituals and
dietary prescriptions of his relig
ion.
The American expert, who
rought the Communists politely
but firmly throaghoet, was Mor
ris B. Abram, chairman of the
American J rwieh Committee’s
executive committee, this former
Atlanta attorney was a member
of this year’s Suboommiaslon in
his individual capacity as an ex
pert In civil liberties. His prin
cipal adversary was the Soviet
member of the group, Boris S.
Ivanov.
The anti-bias group is official
ly known as the Human Rights
Commission’s Subcommissdon on
Prevention of Discrimination and
Protection of Minorities. At
various times during the three-
week session, the unit heird ad
dresses and received written
memoranda from a number of
Jewish organizations that have
status here as consultative bodies
entitled to speak but not to vote.
These Included the Coordinating
Board of Jewish organizations,
comprised of B’nai B'rith and the
Board of Deputies of British
Jews; the World Jewish Con
gress; and the World Organiza
tion of Agudath Israel. The Is
rael Government was also rep
resented by a special observer,
Dr. Melr Rosenne.
Under the Subcommission’s
rules the guiding principles men
tioned no country by name But
that the Soviet Union was the
target of many of the principles
was indicated clearly by the Jew
ish organizations intervening, by
Dr. Rosenne, and by Mr. Abram
and other members of the 12-
man anti-bias unit.
One of the principles aiming
directly at current anti-Jewish
discriminations practiced by Sov
iet authorities included, without
mentioning either matzoth or the
USSR, the following:
“No one shall be prevented
from observing the dietary prac
tices prescribed by his religion or
belief. The members of a religi
ous belief shall not be prevented
from acquiring or producing all
materials and oojects necessary
for the performance or observ
ance of prescribed rituals of prac
tices. including dietary prac
tices.”
Going further to aim at the
fact that the Soviet Goemment
controls the means of producing
matzoth, the next clause state*}:
"Where the Government contMls
the means of production and dis
tribution, it shall make such ma
terials or objects, or the means
of producing them, available to
the members of the religion or
belief concerned.” This article
aimed also at Soviet bans against
the making of prayer shawls,
phylacteries or the Hebrew cal
endars necessary for the accurate
scheduling of traditional Jewish
holidays and observances.
Taking account of the fact that
Sov f et authorities have placed
hindrances in the training of rab
binical candidates in the USSR,
that no Jew wishing to study for
the rabbinate is allowed to go
abroad for such training and ed
ucation, and that Jewish children
in the USSR do not have religi
ous training but are subjected to
atheistic indoctrination instead,
one of the principles stated.
“Everyone shall be free to
teach or to disseminate his re
ligion or belief in public or in
private. No one shall be com
pelled to receive religious or
athetlstic instruction, contrary to
his convictions or, in the case of
children, contrary to the wishes
of their parents and, when appli
cable, legal guardians. No group
professing a religion or belief
shall be prevented from training
the personnel intended to devote
themselves to the performance of
its practices or observances, or
from bringing teachers from
abroad necessary for this purp
ose. When such training is avail
able only outside the country, no
permanent limitations shall be
placed upon travel abroad for the
purpose of undergoing such train
ing.”
In general, the religious prin
ciples held that “everyone shall
be free to adhere, or not to ad
here to a religion or belief” and
that “anyone professing any re
ligious or non-religious belief
shall be free to do so openly
without suffering any discrim
ination on account of his religion
or belief.”
The principles concerning the
rigb’s to emigration and immi
gration pointed clearly to pleas
to the Soviet Union — voiced
among others by Dr. Rosenne and
by Label A. Katz, president of
B’nai B’rith speaking for the
CBJO — requesting the Moscow
regime to permit Jews to leave
the USSR to be reunited with
their families, in Israel or else
where £ . .
-< She ’•principles dealing with
elimination of all forms of racial
discrimination would grant every
conceivable right — to employ
ment, housing, voting, education
and public accommodations— to
all persons regardless of race,
color or ethnic origin.
Mr. Ivanov had actually shown
little enthusiasm for the adoption
of the principles on emigration-
immigration or on religious
rights. He was interested primar
ily in principles banning racial
discrimination, attributing all
such discriminations solely to
“colcndalism.” He tried several
times to postpone final action on
tht emigration-immigration issue
and on religious principles until
1964 —but was unsuccessful. In
the end, he abstained on the final
vote regarding emigration-immi
gration and voted for the religi
ous principle#. Thus, the
were adopted by the subcommis-
sion unanimously — In spite of
their Implications of erttsdem
against currant anti-Jewish prac
tices in the Soviet Union-
German Gets Two Years;
Murdered Jews in Minsk
FRANKFURT (JTA)— Joseph
Lechtha, a 72-year-old former
police lieutenant colonel, was
sentenced this week by a jury
court in Hassel to two years in
prison on conviction of complic
ity in the wartime murder of sev
eral hundred Jews in Sluzk in
the Minsk area. A co-defendant,
Wilhelm Paperhozt, was acquitt
ed
One of the three non-Jews tes
tifying at the trial in Coblenz of
12 Nazis on charges of the mass
murder of 35,000 Jews in the
Minsk ghetto described how a
young Jewess pleaded “I am still
so young, let me live” before she
was shot in the neck and killed.
This was one of the scenes of the
daily killings described by the
witness and the two others from
Hungary and Rumania, who now
live in West Germany. They also
described the susequent exhuma
tion and man burning of bodies
before advancing Soviet troops
reached the district
Pre-trial investigation of evi
dence against eight former Nazi
SS and SD men charged with
participation in the mass slaugh
ter of Jews and Soviet prisoners
in German-occupied Lublin con
tinued in Wiesbaden. Those being
investigated Include a former
Criminal Investigation Depart
ment Inspector, Hermann West-
hoff, and a former CID chief of
Limburg, Georg Hoffmann. The
Investigation is being conducted
by a special investigation depart
ment of the Wiesbaden pUbUc
prosecutor’s office. The two chief
defendants have been confronted
with several survivors of the Lub
lin mass murders. Moat of the
witnesses have come from Israel
to testify.
A 73-year-old former pabca
major general and public com
mander of Lodz in Nazi-occupied
Poland Insisted at the mass mur
der trial of 13 former Nazis that
he had never been at the Chaim-
no camp as three of the defend
ants previously testified he had
been.
Walter Keuck, In dsnylng that
testimony, paid ha had lost his
memory of the wargtea Mate.
He upntei jegret if hie pattae-
men had bean uaad as “Matey-
men” by the Gestapo. The 13 de
fendants are being tried an
charges of murdering or abetting
the murder of 170,000 Jews in the
Chelmno camp. Preliminary pro
ceedings against Keuck have been
opened by the Hannover public
prosecutor on charges of complic
ity in wartime Nazi mam mur
ders
Sanders Dinner
Special
Emphasis
The Southern Israelite this
wee* throws the spotlight
of publicity on the forth-
cominc Gate City Lodge,
B’nai B’rith dinner present
ing Georgia Governor Carl
Sanders. Special material
on pages 10 and 11.
Neo-Nazi Barred from Sao Paulo Cabinet
RIO DE JANEIRO, (JTA)—Governor Adeuuur de Burro* Marly
elected Governor of Sao Paolo, announced here this woek that he
will not include Plinio Salgado, former leader of the nee Nasi
Intergrmllsta Party, among the members of his provincial Cabinet.
Mr. de Barros had stated three weeks ago that he would name
Salgado to the post of provincial Minister of Education. Sharp pro
tests arose in the Brazilian press after that announcement Now
the Governor has decided to keep Salgado out of the Cabinet
Policeman Hit as Synagogue Attacked
BUENOS AIRES, (JTA)—Shots were fired from a speeding ear
at a synagogue in Helgucra Street here Sunday slightly wounding
a policeman guarding the Jewish house of worship against
attack. The policemen returned the fire, but the attackers
Mark Turkow, representative of the World Jewish Congress in
Latin America, returned here this week from a visit to Bolivia.and
reported that the general situation of the Jews there is “quiet” now,
despite anti-Semitic propaganda by ex-Nazis who had infUtrpted
into that country. Mr. Turkow said he found walls scribbled With
slogans like “Glory to Hitler” and “We will revenge Eichmnnn's
death ” However, he added, leaders of the Bolivian Jewish com
munity have assured him that Government authorities fight against
any outbreaks of anti-Semitism.
Kennedy Lauds ADL; Gets 'Democratic Legacy' Award
WASHINGTON (JTA)— Pres
ident Kennedy voiced high praise
last week for the B’nai B’rith’s
Anti-Defamation League for its
half-century of devotion to high
est American principles of equal
ity and freedom of all men. He
declared that ADL has dedicated
itself for 50 years to the cause
for which all of America has
stood for the last 200 years.
Mr. Kennedy’s praise of ADL
took place here at a dinner cel
ebrating ADL’s 60th anniversary,
whore Henry Edward Schultz, na
tional chairman of ADL, present
ed to the President ADL’s coveted
“Amercia’s Democratic Legacy
Award.” The occasion marked
the President’s first appearance
in person on the platform of a
Jewish organization since he
entered the White House.
In presenting the award, Mr.
Schultz cited the President’s firm
stand for separation of church
from state, persistent opposition
to forces of the extremes cl left
and right, expansion of equal
employment opportunities
throughout the federal establish
ment, denunciation of outrages
perpetrated against minorities,
executive orders combating dis
crim.nation, and other steps to
promote freedom.
President Kennedy commend
ed the Anti-Defamation League
for ‘tireless pursuit of equality
of treatment for all Americana”
and “a lasting and substantial
contribution to our democracy.”
He said the founders of the de
mocratic legacy of this country
were animated by a sense erf
commitment to test the capac
ities of men for self-government
and political liberty available to
all the people. He said this was
“a great inheritance.” “I think,”
he stated, “it is not a burden, but
a privilege to have a chance In
1963 to share that great concept
which they felt ao deeply among
all of our people to make this
really, as it was for them, a new
world, a new world for us and,
indeed, for all those who look to
us.”
Mr. Kennedy added that that
was what the ADL “haa stood for,
for 50 years—that Is what this
country has stood for 206 years,
and that is what this country will
continue to stand for.”
Loading personages of all
all branches of Government—in
cluding Vice-President Johnson,
mmebers of the Supreme Court
and members of the Cabinet—
attended, together with B’nai
B’rith and ADL leadens from all
ovei the counrty.
The event was featured over
coast-to-coast television with a
full-hour broadcast over CBS-
TV. The program was entitled
“Dinner With the
Pulitzer Prize-winner
Doren wrote the script
depicted the American _
democracy, freedom and
through folk and