The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-15

i Oysei Zimbanist, Herr Masel, GABRIEL dap-
rielov, Osher Kerstein and Mandel Jarcho have
issued an appeal to all orthodox Jews reading
as follows:
1t has come to our knowledge that number
of rabbis abroad have made common cause WIN
the bitterest enemies of the Jewish people ana
of the Jewish religion in attacking the Soviet
Union and representing the Soviet power as
the prosecutor of the Jewish people and the
Jewish religion.
We are deeply indignant at the fact that a
Jewish rabbi in Paris took part in joint reli-
,oious service with the notorious nspirer of
anti-Jewish pogroms and leader of the Black
Hundreds, the Metropolitan Euogius. we are
indignant at the fact that the Roman Pope
has appealed for a crusade against the Soviet
Union, and we are unable to understand now
an appeal can be issued in the name OF rellglon
which can very well bring with 1T the greatest
slaughter how one can commit terrible crime
against religion allegedly in order to benefit
it. We are of the opinion that these people
are united by other aims than the protection
of religion. The bloody crimes which were COM
mitted against the Jewish people by some OF
those people who now pretend to protect our
religion have not been forgotten by us. We
declare herewith that we need no such protec-
ton in the Soviet Union. We cannot separate
our lot from that of the Jewish people, and
the Soviet government is the only government
in the world which theoretically crushes all
tendencies toward anti Semitism.
We are opposed to the anti-regous and
atheist propaganda of the Communist Party,
but we must be Just and declare also that the
Communist Party is rigidly opposed to anti
Semitism and expels all anti-Semites from It's
ranks We must remember that the Soviet
government is now in control of country IN
which for CENTURIES an animal hatred of the
Jews was fostered. We have not forgotten
the bloody pogroms we suffered prior to the
revolution. A fact of the greatest historical
Importance is the decree issued by the leader
|sof the Communist Party and the head of the
Soviet government, Lenin declaring the anti
Senites as the enemies of the Soviet govern
ment.
Under British dominance in Palestine ex
cesses of the Arabs against the Jews are still
possible and in Rounnia and other countries
pogroms and an open anti-Semitic campaign
are still possible, but in the Soviet Union the
authorities and public opinion in general sup
press all tendencies to anti-Semitism with all
possible means including legal prosecution;
We are compelled to. declare to the whole
world that the Soviet power is the only power
which takes measures to give people OPP
pressed and prosecuted up to the time OF the
revolution the possibility of imp owing its lot
The Soviet power gives Jews land and provides
them in their new homes with the means of
production. 1t gives them the same rights
as all sother nationaities and permits them TO
elect their own self-adminstrative organs, the
Sovets, particularly in the Jewish colonies.
All the shameful laws which oppressed the
Jewish people have been abolished. In the
Soviet Union all paths are open to the Jews
tow, fkn Ctato
State services ETC., whereas in number of
| countries outside the Soviet Union such unfair
limitations still exist against the Jewish people.
| As far as religion is concerned, the Soviet
power gave the Jews equal rights with all other
nationalities for the first time in history. The
| decree separating the Church from the State
and the school from the Church prohibits any
discrimination between believers and unbe-
levers. We have never been subjected to any
persecution under the Soviet power on account
of our religious convictions. There have been
| cases where Jewish rabbis and others have been
punished for offenses against the Soviet laws,
but our religious activities are perfectly legal
and open, and no single case is known to US of
any persecution in connection with them. With
regard to the reports spread abroad concerning
the execution or other severe punishment of
rabbis in the Soviet Union, we must declare.
very definitely that all such reports in
Nentions which have no basis whatever in fact.
We consider it our duty to declare before
the world that no single rabbi has been threat
ened or is threatened with the death sentence
or with any other severe punishment in the
Soviet Union. During the whole period of the
| Soviet power no single rabbi has been executed
| anywhere in the Soviet Union In those few
| cases where the Soviet authorities have arrest
| ed rabbis or other ministrants of the Jewish
| faith, the reason has not been religious but
civil. In addition it must be said that the
Soviet power deals more justly with accused
! persons than any other power. A striking PROOF
| of this fact is the acquittal of number of
:, rabbis in Minsk recently who were arrested
| in connection with offenses against the Soviet
| laws. Thanks to the objectivity of the Soviet
| authorities they were very soon released. We
| rabbis hope and trust that the Soviet power
will continue to treat in the future as justly
| as we have been treated in the past.
| With regard to the fact that the Communist
| Party and the Young Communist League de-
| mand that their members break with religion,
it must be pointed out that, like the Atheist
| Association, these organizations are quite volun-
tary, no one is compelled to join them, and in
fact religious. persons are not accepted as mem
| bers.
| We cannot deny that the number of irreli-
gious persons in the Soviet Union is growing
rapidly, but this is also the case in many
| other countries. In our country the process is
| quicker and more obvious.
Where synagogues have been closed down
| this was done not by the authorities but by