Information Issued by the Association of Jewisii Refugees in Creat Britain 8 Fairfax Mansions, Finchley Rd
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Vol. XIX No. 5 May, 1964 INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISII REFUGEES IN CREAT BRITAIN 8 FAIRFAX MANSIONS, FINCHLEY RD. (corner Falrtax Rd.). London, N.W.S 0//ice and Consulting Hours: Telephone : MAIda Vale 9096/7 (General Office and Welfare for tha Aged). Monday to Thursday 10a.m.—Ip.m. 3—6p.m. MAIda vale 4449 (Employment Agency, annually licensed by the L.C.C, and Social Services Ocpt.) Friday Wa.m.—tp.m. W. Rosenstock well as photos of deportation scenes. The third section dealt with the contribution of Jews to the arts, literature and science. As it could only include references to per AFTERMATH OF COLOGNE VISIT sons who were born in the Rhine district or happened to live there for some time, it "Monumenta Judaica" Exhibition was unavoidable that the evidence of the contribution made by Jews to German cul In the previous issue we briefly reported catastrophe has been indelibly inscribed ture could not be comprehensive ; the selec Jnat, as the climax of Brotherhood Week in into German and Jewish history. Yet the tion was bound to be somehow accidental. Germany, a mass rally was held in Cologne position would be considerably worse if Rightly, persons who were no longer Jews on March 15. It was attended by 4,500 post-war Germany did not even try to make by religion were also included. This can people and more than 6,000 applications for amends both in the material and in the not be considered as a concession to any aomission had to be turned down. The spiritual sphere. " racial" doctrine : Jews themselves have rally was also meant to mark the termina That such attempts may be successful become increasingly aware of the com tion of the " Monumenta Judaica " exhibi could be seen from the response to the plexity of their Jewishness and would also tion. As, since then, more than a month " Monumenta Judaica " exhibition. During have considered it a grave omission if nas elapsed the rally and the exhibition can the five months of its existence it was Rhenish Jews like Heine, to quote only one no longer claim to be of " news value " in visited by more than 130,000 people. It is instance, had been omitted. The fourth the ordinary sense of the word. However, particularly gratifying that a very high pro section gave the viewer an idea of the rich ooth ventures call for an evaluation under portion of the visitors consisted of young cultural heritage of the Jews, demonstrated a wider aspect. persons and, as Professor Ernst Simon by beautiful editions of Bibles, prayer ,-^f we try to turn our minds to the pre- mentioned in his address at the rally, it books, haggadoth and other works. "The .i»33 days in Germany we can hardly was impressive to notice their keen interest most organic section of the exhibition was "nagine that at that time more than 10,000 and serious-mindedness. the last one, headed " The Jewish Year." J-hristian citizens of one town would bave It was particularlj; well arranged in one Been prepared to forego the leisure of a Well-informed Guides large hall and depicted not only the festi punday morning to attend a meeting, vals but also customs connected with events initiated solely by Christians, in order to The guides of the conducted tours, in the individual Jew's life. ^'xpress their feelings of brotherhood with mainly students, had been especially ^ne Jews ; nor can we imagine that in those trained for the job. Again, thinking of the Although the exhibition has now been ~^ys—also under Christian auspices—a pre-Nazi period, could we then have closed, its lasting value has been preserved Whole museum of several floors would have envisaged a band of young enthuisiastic by two masterful and well-illustrated publi p^n. cleared out to make room for an Christians expjlaining to a Christian audi cations : a catalogue with explanatory notes F^nibition of objects related exclusively to ence the meaning of words such as Midrash, and a handbook with expert monographs 'ne Jewish people. On the other hand, it Gemarah, Sukkot and Havdalah ? Their on the historical, religious and political sub was then inconceivable to us that the time knowledge did not, however, stop at this jects relating to the exhibition. Both was not distant when a Government of the level. AH of them had endeavoured to voluminous books were acquired by most nation in whose midst we lived would build study their subject more thoroughly and of the visitors. "•ematoria to kill German Jews and were thus able to answer the variety of The rally, which was meant to mark the •niUions of Jews from other European questions put to them. Yet, above all, termination of the exhibition and of countries. there was caritas ", love, and an urge to Brotherhood Week, was organised by the interpret the destiny of a strange people, Co-ordinating Committee of the Society for th '^' ^^ course, a connection between Christian-Jewish Co-operation, in conjunc Jp .^'[iP^ecedented manifestations of pro- set apart in many ways and for many reasons and, at the same time, interwoven tion with the Municipality of Cologne ewishness in the Germany of today and Under a wider aspect, the address by Car ne unsurpassable happenings under the with the life of their environment to a lesser or higher degree. This fundamental |>iazi regime. But there is also the haunting (Continued on page 2, column 1) question, especially in the mind of a Ger- approach was typical of the spirit in which ^^" Jew who visits his former homeland, the exhibition itself was arranged. Its wnether the past has really been liquid object was not apologetics of Jewry and The Association of Jewish Refugees in ated. Perhaps, the visitor is bound to ask Judaism, but an unbiased presentation of Great Britain nimself, the well-clad and well-behaved the facts. KUest at the next breakfast table also held The first section was meant to remind the herewith invites its members to the position in one of the concentration or visitors that Christianity had its roots in xtermination camps like those who now, Judaism. This was shown by examples from GENERAL MEETING p^ years after the war, are on trial in Christian art, e.g., pictures about the on Thursday, May 28, at 8.15 p.m. *^rankfurt. genealogy of Jesus as a descendant of Thus, a visit to Germany by necessity David's father, Jesse, or the well-known at Zion House, 57 Eton Ave., N.W.S "rouses mixed feelings. The position is sculpture " Ecclesia and Synagogue" on sJTTi^^^- ^°^ those who are inclined to over- the Strassburg Munster. In the second sec AGENDA p^PWy the issue either by unreservedly tion documents about the history of the Reports on AJR Activities J-ondemning all Germans for all time or Jews on the Rhine from the early begin Report on Restitution and Compen j". considering the Nazi period as an nings under the Romans up to the time of sation isolated chapter of German history, now persecution under the Nazis and to the Election of Executive and Board ^losed once and for all. At first sight such establi'^hment of post-war communities extreme attitudes seem to reflect clear-cut were displayed. There were, to quote only (The Ust of candidates submitted by the decisions in one way or another. Yet they some examples, references to and refuta Executive is published on page 12, uo not meet the real situation. Certainly tions of the blood libel, documents about further nominations should reach the p ™ian gestures of atonement cannot the emancipation, about the fight of Ger AJR office by May 15.) man Jews for their rights and about the No further notice will he given. eradicate the past, nor can they make us Non-members are not entitled to vote, but overlook symptoms of its political legacy rising of Zionism (David Wolffsohn and will be welcome as guests at the meeting. in present-day Germany. We know that the Justizrat Bodenheimer lived in Cologne) as Page 2 AJR INFORMATION May, 1964 Aftermath of Cologne Visit GERMAN TRIALS TIME LIMIT FOR PROSECUTIONS (Continued from page 1) with their work, their efforts created grave The American Jewish Congress, in identical problems in the religious sphere. Like the letters to the U.S.A. Secretary of State, Mr. dinal Bea (Rome), himself of German other speakers—and also Martin Buber in origin, was the most important one. He Dean Rusk, and the West German Ambassador his message—he stressed that only by in Washington, Herr Karl Heinrich Knepp- stressed that the new approach to Judaism retaining their own specific values could stein, has urged that West Germany's statute inaugurated by the Ecumenical Council the religions achieve their common goal for of limitations against prosecutions for major under the late Pope John would be followed the sake of mankind. Nazi war crimes, effective next year, should up under the reign of Pope Paul. Perhaps, Addresses were also delivered by Pfarrer be extended for another 20 years. he stateci, it was an advantage that decisions The letters expressed concern that it be had been adjourned for the next session of Dr. A. Freudenberg on behalf of the Co made clear to all peoples of the world that the Council: until then, some of those who ordinating (Committee, and by Lord Mayor guilt for the crimes of the Nazi era is had been reluctant to accept the proposals Theo Burauen on behalf of the Municipality indeUble.