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a large contingent from Israel,
headed by Zalman Aranne,
Minister of Education. An el
derly dentist from Rio soothed
me in folksy Yiddish that I
need not worry about the neo-
Nazi wave in Latin America
We shall overcome. The
veteran writer, Joseph Left-
wich, asked me to join his
London group in the lobby
which included the Detroit
ORT leader, Harry Platt, a wit
ty member of Parliament, who
regaled us with anecdotal tid
bits from behind England’s po
litical scene, and the contests
bf British Jewish factions. A
We£t German rabbi spoke de
fensively of the-returnees from
Israel.
A Synagogue Without Jews
Jews lived in various parts
of Yugoslavia since the begin
ning of our era. In Dubrovnik,
ancient republic of Regusa,
they settled in 1352, and were
legally acknowledged in 1403.
Their miniature synagogue, the
oldest in the tialKan countries,
stands in forlorn dignity on
z,udioska Ulica (Jew Street).
Historically known Jews in
clude Juan Rodrigo de Castel-
branco, pnysician and botanist,
who wrote in Latin under the
name of Amaius Lusitanus;
Jacobus t lavius, teacher, ling
uist and poet, tne rabbis Solo
mon (Jet, /\ron Cohen and Ja
cob Paiao.
The earthquake which near
ly destioyeu UuDrovnin. in Joo7,
left the ghetto and the syna
gogue unimpaireu. When the
menen uoops emereu in 18uo,
the Jews won lull equality.
'1 he Nazis and tneir Ustashi
henenmen muiueteu 8u‘ < of
Jugoslavia's 7o,UU() Jews. Dub-
rovnm touay, itaooi toeinuno
told me, nas omy seven men
and ten women past middle
age, and no cmiuien. he, his
bi other who acta as beadie,
and a sistet, ate me only sur-
vivuis ot a large lamuy whose
ancestry uaies uac., yeaia.
rney torm the minyan at Fri
day evening vv ui umeas
Jewish touiists drop in. They
saved from tne Nazis tne sefer
torahs ana tneir priceless sil
ver crowns, breastplates, point
er and Kidousn goblets l he
damages to the synagogue were
repaiied witn tne neip of the
government and Claims Con-
ierence.
Dubrovnik is a memorable
picture of medieval history. It
is a walled-in town with huge
arched gates at both ends built
of solid rock and surrounded
by massive battlements facing
the coast and the land ap
proaches. Its white-washed
houses rise on terraced cobble
stone levels, and the broad
main street is lined with srrtall,
privately managed shops and
restaurants.
Amsterdam early in July
slightly arctic, but fascinat
even in the cold mist. Thou
Holland lost 120,000 Jews
the Nazis, the approximate
30,000 saved owe their lives
the resistance of its worke:
professionals, clergy and into
iectuals who stubbornly dispu
ed the Nazi program of exter
mination. Following a perio<
of caution the Nazis in Febru
ary, 1941, faced the first mas
protest in Amsterdam, wit)
angry work stoppages spread
ing to Utrecht and other cities
at heavy costs of Dutch lives
When Professor E. M. Mey
ers of Leyden University, and
■other Jewish teacher personnel
of various schools were dis
missed, students all over the
country left their classrooms
They ignored an edict to sign
a pledge of loyalty to the Na
zis (only 15'I reportedly com
plied), and about 400 were
slain. Six thousand physicians
refused to cooperate. Calvinist.
Catholic and Lutheran church
men read anti-Nazi pastoral
letters, and joined the Resist
ance. Many of them w’ere jail
ed; 92 perished. The dock wal
lopers of Amsterdam struck in
May, 1943, and the railroad
workers in The-last months of
the war.
One Underground newspa
per, “The Spark,” distributed
300,000 yellow badges with the
slogan: “Jews and non-Jews
Are One.” Among the Jews
saved were about 12,000 part
ners of mixed marriages.
On the square near the flea
market, not far behind the
massive Portuguese synagogue.
I saw two brownstone prayer
houses, and an ORT school
building gutted. A Jewish play
house w'here the Nazis con
ducted “selections," stands
roofless. Inside there is a slen
der marble monument, flow’ers
at its base, and a memorial
light burning The Jewish com
munity had erected nearby a
huge bronze statue of a Resist
ance labor leader.
Das Schoene Wien
To a visitor, lovely Vienna
seems hollow otf its pre-w'ar
charm and romantic elegance.
Only 15,000 Jew's are left from
a pre-Anschluss Jewish popula
tion of 200,000. Bernhard Brav
er, a writer, and war-time di
rector of the Kulturgemeinde.
told me: “One senses insidious
Jew hatred everywhere.” As
Braver put it, the existence of
Israel acts as an effective anti
dote not only in Vienna, but
also among the Jew's remain
ing of once flourishing Europ
ean communities. Then why
not leave the bitter memories
behind and go to Israel? One
is too old, he said, or too re
signed to change, but no longer
without hope and courage.
The Southern Israelite
62