The Phoenix Jewish news., 1962-09-07

ition of Algeria. All budgets and
projections were demolished by the
new riptide as Israel, American
and other Jewries prepared to
underwrite the promise of refuge.
IsraePs long-denied and sudden
devaluation of its pound last Feb
ruary cast a long shadow over the
future. In part, the devaluation was
a bid to meet international stand
ards of currency stability. 1t was
aimed at the expanding European
Common Market whose countries
buy 60 per cent of ISraePs export
ed products. 1t mirrored IsraePS
continued imbalance of internation-
al payments and the struggle to
cope with it.
Months of delicate balance on the
touchy Syrian border around Lake
Tiberias collapsed suddenly in the
spring when Syrian gunners began
firing regularly at Israeli fisher
men and on Israeli police patrol
launches. Israel complained repeat
edly and unavailingly to U nj t e d
Nations officials in the area. Pa
tience exhausted, Israel struck
hard in a March night raid on
Syrian gun positions. In deci-
sion widely regarded as less than
objective, the Security Council ig-
nored Syrian provocations and con-
demned Israel.
IN THE SOVIET Union, the year
began with the arrest and sem
fencing of three prominent and
elderly Jewish lay leaders of Len
ingrad for "treasonable activities. "
Then came the news that three
Moscow Jewish leaders had been
similarly arrested, tried and con-
victed. Then news came that Jews
were being arrested, tried and
quickly executed for economic
crimes" 1t became evident that
the increase in availability of con-
sumer goods after decades of Sc
we're austerity had unloosed
throughout the Soviet Union a
spreading gray market of SNUG
Cling, currency speculation and
undercover trading.
In several show trials, the Jewish
Identification of some of the de-
PENDANTS was spotlighted in Soviet
press reports - in TifliS, Wilma and
other cities. Clearly, the Soviet au-
thorities had decided to use Jews
as scapegoats.
This overshadowed the disclosure
by Chief Rabbi Levine of Moscow
that state-owned bakeries would
not bake matzohs for Passover.
The Soviets tried to deny that Rus
sian Jews were being prosecuted
as Jews, but the execution of Jew
ish defendants for such alleged
crimes continued. The Soviet drive
to isolate Jews from world Jewry
and to extinguish their j w / n
Identification also continued un-
abated during 5722.
ANTT-JEWISH elements in Chris
tian dogma have historically serv-
ed as a fountain of anti-Semitism.
Roman Catholicism, under the be
nign influence of Pope John XIII,
have been magnifying, even clean
sing, some of these elements of
church-inspired hate. Strong hints
have been given that the Ecumeni-
cal Council, convening Oct. 13, may
consider further steps in that di-
rection. Three Jewish organizations
submitted memoranda during the
year, urging complete elimination
of anti-Jewish references f r o m
Catholic texts, liturgies and tn e
catechismS.
One of the major stories of the
year in the United States was the
Supreme Court decision in ] u n e
banning as unconstitutional an Of
ficial prayer, created and distrib-
uted by the New York State Board
of Regents for recitation daily in
public schools. Jewish organiza-
tions had a key role in the argu-
ments against the prayer. Although