NAC

JEWISH CULTURE POPULARIZED

Soviet people prepare to honor
centenary of Sholom Aleichem

HILE ,in Moscow, during
= visit to the Soviet
Union last year, I met and talk-
ed with one of the most promi-
nent Soviet writers, Lev Kassil,
whose stories for children are
published ‘in many languages
in hundreds of thousands of
copies. He is the chairman of
the special commission estab-
lished by Union of Soviet
Writers about a year and a half
ago to publish in Russian all
the works of Leib Kwitko — a
victim of the Beria anti-social-
ist crimes.

During that intimate conver-
sation in his apartment, which
lasted a whole evening, I in-
quired about the life and cul-
ture of the Jewish people in
the Soviet Union, and these
are Lev Kassil’s words:

“I am certain (ya ouveren)
that many, many things will be
done to satisfy the cultural
needs of the Jewish people as
Soviet citizens. I am convinced
OF ttc:

When I read in the Soviet
press about cultural activities
and events for and by Soviet
Jewish citizens, I realize that
what Lev Kassil told me was
very true.

Great efforts have been
made in the last couple of
years to popularize among the
Soviet people the contribution
made by Soviet Jews to the
treasury of Soviet culture, as
well as to satisfy the cultural
needs of the Jewish people in
the Soviet Union. These cul-
tural activities are of an im-
posing and expanding nature.

The Soviet Ministry of Cul-
ture recorded 3,000 Jewish
eoncerts with a total attend-
ance of 3,000,000 in 1957. These
concerts were given in many
cities and towns from Moscow
to Kiev and Odessa, from Lenin-
grad to Tashkent. In the same
year 1,000,000 recordings of
Jewish folk-songs were sold
in the Soviet Union.

In Vilnius, ‘capital of the
Lithuanian Soviet Republic, a
Yiddish library was established
a couple of years ago. The
book fund of this library is
still comparatively small, but
it is constantly growing and
may now be in a position to
provide those who wish to read
a Yiddish book wtth a wide
variety of contemporary as
well as classical Jewish litera-
ture. Besides, as was report-
ed in the press some time ago,
a Jewish drama group and a
choral group are functioning in
Vilnius.

For about a

year now a

Jewish theatre collective has
been functioning in Lenin-
grad. When recently a drama

.contest was held in Leningrad

in which 300 theatre collect-
ives took part, the Jewish
theatre collective participated
along with such well estab-
lished drama collectives as the
Leningrad Drama _ Theatre
and the drama collective of the
Palace of Culture. Of the 300
contestants, the Jewish Drama
Collective won third place and
the title “Laureate of the Len-
ingrad Contest of Art Collect-
ives.” :

A few months ago the Soviet
Ministry of Culture selected a
special commission to prepare
and carry through a whole’pro-
gram of varied cultural events
in honor of the centenary of
Sholem Aleichem, the great
Jewish classicist, in 1959. And
elaborate preparations are
being made to celebrate this
cultural landmark throughout
the Soviet Union.

Just recently an album of
paintings by the Soviet Jew-
ish ‘artist, Tanchum Kaplan,
was published in Leningrad.
In this album the great Jew-
ish artist tells in both Yiddish
and Russian the well known
story by Sholem Aleichem —
The Enchanted Tailor. This
album has been published in
preparation for and as part of
the Sholem Aleichem centen-
nial celebrations.

Recently too, the Russian
State Drama Theatre of Soviet
Latvia came to Leningrad and
there staged a series of plays,
among them Sholem Aleichem’s
Tevie The Milkman.

In. Birobidjan, the Jewish
Autonomous Territory, Jewish
writers are grouped around a
Yiddish newspaper which has
been appearing uninterrupted-
ly for almost three decades.
Preparations are in progress
now for the publication of a
Birobidjan, almanac in Yiddish
and Russian as one of the cul-
tural efforts to mark the 25th
anniversary of the Jewish
Autonomous Territory which
falls on May 7, 1959.

Every effort is being made
by the Soviet Ministry of Cul-
ture to popularize the works
of Jewish writers, both con-
temporary and classical, among
the different nationalities of
the Soviet Union by translat-
ing and publishing them in
hundreds of thousands of copies
in Russian, Ukrainian and sev-
eral other languages. The scope
and significance of this work
cannot be underestimated.

it os os
As noted by the resolution,
“On The Struggle For Marx-
ism-Leninism Among Jewish
Canadians,” adopted by the

Labgr-Progressive Party’s na-

tional committee last month:

“Life for Soviet Jews is a
developing process as a result
of the abolition of discrimina-
tion by the Soviet state, and
there is, therefore, naturally a
wide and active discussion in
the Soviet Union about forms
of expression of Jewish cul-
ture and a series of steps is
being taken to meet the needs
of the Jewish pople in the
new stage of transition to
Communism.”

When we look at the life of
the Soviet Jews from this
standpoint, we cannot help
but see that those who lost
faith in socialism and in the
science of Marxism-Leninism
are not motivated by any
noble considerations in their
“concern” over the “plight” of
Soviet Jews. The outcry raised
by the proponents of desertion
and renegacy, who have land-
ed in the camp*of the enemy,
has a cynical, opportunist ring
and is part of the campaign of
slander against the Soviet Un-
ion.

Jewish people who have
shown genuine concern for the
development of Jewish culture
in the Soviet Union and in
Canada will welcome these ad-
vances already made. As
friends of the Soviet Union
they remain on the side of his-
tory, whereas the renegades
are being repudiated by his-
tory which is moving human-
ity towards the triumph of
socialism throughout the world.

HARRY GURALNICK

Quote and unquote

“These roads I’ve built, and
the roads I’m going to build:
are going to be old some day.
But eternity is forever.’—
Rev. and Hon. P. A. Gaglardi,

minister of highways, at a
gospel rally in Exhibition
Gardens on September 29.

Eternity is also how long
it’s taking him to finish some
of these roads. .

xt xt Xt

“T think with horror of a
world in which all kindness
would be the duty of the
state.” Prime Minister
John Diefenbaker, opening a
Red Feather campaign at
Galt, Ont., on September 29.

But the unemployed would
appreciate even a little state
kindness right now.

; CONGRATULATIONS: WE MADE IT ye

He thought it was)

just one more. cholé

The letter accompanying this contribution “based OM

really happened here at Woodfibre when the regist igh
school elections took place,” concluded with this invite”
the editors: “If you want to see a ghost town where some. t
people are showing some working class independence

here some time...”

He came to fill in just an-
other routine chore, Three or
four at the most were all who
would register. People in com-
pany towns were all the same.
They were simply not inter-
ested in any pubhc affairs.
They were too used‘ to the
“company” doing and decid-
ing everything.

This giving of the vote on

school affairs to people in’

company towns was _ foolish.
Just a lot of extra work. He
hadn’t had eight register in
any one place yet!, But the
routine must be gone through!

He pinned a notice of the
hours of registration on the
bulletin board and wandered
up to the school. There he
talked with the principal.
Sure he would be delighted
to have. supper with him.
Time? Well, he was supposed
to stay at the registration
desk till 6:30 p.m.- but few
ever came. Call for me at six,

It started off according to -

pattern. The school principal,
of course, registered. The
company manager showed up
and the company accountant
a few minutes later. But it
was shortly after this that
things began to happen.

An. ancient Austin. chugged
up and a middle-aged man
came in. He registered, asked
a few questions, who, how

October 10, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE! a

of

of

“an
many and so forth, #
parted. ; e ty

Minutes later the a
crepit Austin was b@

people untangled ne ip
from the car and at
register. A third and sn
time that uncertain ©
was heard outside ach i
istration office and © it
three or four peo? ath
ouevered themselv®&
the car and register A
To be sure, tw? ee
more of the comP* ey
brass wandered 12 © . pol
was a steady trickle nits
wives, some mech?)
just plain laborers:
istrar’s six o’cloe "f
date was delayed an stat,
he was barely able” ay ©)
collect and put ®
apers. it,
3 “T don’t underst@™
confided to his 9
principal. u
“A ghost towP — on Sim.
say, most of the
and nobody sure Wo ot Ua
mill will run 284% ye TT
and yet over
istered.” _ ete
But one thin& ‘pert
trar didn’t know —
a socialist in t

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