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HONOR BARD’S MEMORY

He attacks progressive culture AUUC concert to mark
---publishes Yank war ‘comics’

d tet man who stood on the
stage of Toronto’s Massey
Hall last month to slander three
well-known Canadian cultural int
stitutions — the United Jewish
People’s Order, the Jewish Folk
Choir and the Morris Winchev-
sky Schools — is an active di-

rector of a publishing house that

prints and distributes in Canada

and the United States some of
' the vilest “comic” books found

on newsstands.

He is J. Irving Oelbaum, presi-
dent of the Ontario Section of
the Canadian Jewish Congress,

‘boss of Acme Paper Products

and director of Superior Publish-
ers Lid., Toronto.

A few weeks ago the Toronto
Globe and Mail and the Cana-
dian Tribune reported that Su-
perior Publishers were the only
major publishers of “comic”
books in Canada. This was
brought out in hearings in Ot-

tawa on “comic” books. A read-
er in New York sent the Cana-
dian Tribune a copy of one call-
ed “Strange Mysteries” with a
front cover depicting a terrified
woman escaping from. sundry
skulls, ogres, ghosts and other
monstrosities. :

Inside this magazine is a state-
ment of ownership to conform
with U.S. laws. It Jists among

the owners, “J. Irving Oelbaum, |

4 Strathearn Boulevard, Toronto,

age BORE,

rx Oe
Be NT oot

‘wharges of

Ontario.” The statement of own-
ership was sworn September,
1952.

Further investigation by the
Canadian Tribune, in coopera-
tion with the Canadian Jewish
Weekly uncovered here and in
Buffalo several® other “comic”
magazines published by Superior
Publications, among them some
of the most hideous Yankee war-
glorifying publications with
strong racist overtones directed
against the peoples of Asia.

When the leaders of the Cana-
dian Jewish Congress called a
Massey Hall meeting on Febru-
ary 15 to add further slanderous
“anti-Semitism” in
the Soviet Union, Oelbaum di-
rected almost his entire address
to an attack on the cultural in-
stitutions of the United Jewish

People’s Order, which for more .”

than a quarter of a century has
been fostering and teaching Jew-
ish culture and the Jewish lang-
uage in its shules, choirs, thea-
tre, dancing and other groups.
its choir, the Jewish: Folk Choir,
under Emil Gartner’s direction,
is looked upon-as one of the out-
standing choral groups in the
country and only last month ‘a
fine evening of Jewish operetta
with a performance of Solntad:
en’s Spectacle.

At a recent cultural seminar
sponsored by the UJPO, “comic”

books came under strong fire
from the participants and it was.
urged that groups make repre-

entations to the Senate Com-

x

i

mittee in Ottawa, to stop. the
flood of these Yankee atrocities
coming into Canada.

The publications of Oelbaum’s
“comic” book house originate in,
the United States. The plates or
artwork are imported, the print-
ing done here for both export
and Canadian distribution.

In a current issue of “Strange
Mysteries” there is a story about
a “dimensional knife” that not
only kills, but causes its victims
to disappear at the same time.
A creature seeking vengeance
gets the knife, reads the caption,
‘rushes into the city’s deserted
streets howling and yammering

. ‘Kill Lieber! Death to Lieber!
Slay — Murder — Stab — Rip —
Destroy — Kill!! Kill Lieber!!!”

This incitement to violence is
published over the name of J.
Irving Oelbaum, the man who
attacks Canadian cultural institu-
tions which stand in opposition
to violence and war, which fight
for decency and peace.

Crude exhibitions of sex-distor-
tions, murder, torture, . terror,
war, and the depiction of Ameri-
can white soldiers as “superior”
beings to hideously portrayed
Asians — these are the stock-in-
trade of this highly profitable
“business.”

In the House of Commons of
January 21, E. D. Fulton (PC-
Kamloops) in introducing a mo-
tion to set up a committee to
study curtailment of what he
termed obscene and filthy
“comic”. books, told the House:

“While you cannot legislate
morality, I do believe you can
and you should, by legislation,
define as an offense, the publica-
tion of literature which seeks,
for motives of profit, to pervert
morals, particularly those of
children.”

Justice Minister Stuart Garson

‘led the opposition to the motion

and it was defeated 96-64.

Shevchenko anniversary

THIS COMING Sunday, March
15, 8 p.m., Ukrainian Canadians
in the Greater Vancouver area
will gather at Hastings-Odeon
Theatre here to commemorate
“birth of Taras Shevchenko, on
the 139th anniversary of the
great Ukrainian people’s poet,
democrat and patriot, with a
program of songs, dances and
music sponsored by the Associa-
tion of United Ukrainian Cana-
dians. :

Each year in the month of
March, Ukrainians | throughout
“the world hold gatherings to
honor Shevchenko’s memory. In
_ his Testament which he wrote in
1845, as a call’ to his people to
carry on their struggle against
oppression even after his death,
he made this simple request:

“And _ in the family, grand. and

«free,

The. family ‘that will be,

Do not fail’ to speak a kindly,

And gentle word of me.”

~

Taras Shevchenko was born a

serf on March 9, 1814, in Kirilov-
ka, a village in Kiev’ province.
Orphaned when he was only a

few years old, he became a house-.

servant of his master. He never-
theless learned to paint and
write .under the most difficult
conditions, and eventually was
bought out of serfdom by the
Russian democrats when he was
24 years old. Nine years later
he was arrested and sent to pris-

on exile. In his poem, “The Bon-

fires Burn,” he vividly portrays
the misery of his imprisonment,
forbidden to write or paint:
“Grant not, O Lord, to any man,
A lot like mine. ‘
Slowly to die in dungeon,
Wasting the days of my life.”

Four years after he was re-
leased from prison exile, Hfaras
Sheenen eR ed:

*

THE nance of Shevchen-
ko’s views is illustrated by his
friendship with a former Ameri-
can Negro slave, the great trag-
edian, Ira Aldridge. Although
neither knew the other’s lang-
uage they used to spend whole

_ nights together, singing the songs

of their people and pledging

their brotherhood.
And on his return fron prison
the ailing poet signed and cir-

x

Prokofiev dead

One of the Soviet Union’s most —
outstanding composers, Sergei
Prokofiev (above), died last week
at the age of 62 of a cerebral
stroke. ‘Known throughout the.
world for his ballet and oper@

~ music, his latest major work was ‘

the oratorio, “The Guard of

Peace.” \

culated. this angry protest de
nouncing the Tsarist pogroms —
against the Jewish people: “No
honest person can remain silent —
in the face of such shameful
acts.” :

Today his name and works,

like. those of Burns and Shelley,

live in the hearts not only of
his own Ukrainian people, but

_ of all men and women every-

where who cherish human free —
dom.—RAY .DOWHOPOLUK.

‘GRAND CONCERT

TO COMMEMORATE THE GREATEST POET OF
UKRAINE

‘T. SHEVCHENKO
HASTINGS-ODEON THEATRE
Sunday, March 15 8 p.m.

Sponsored by: Association of United Ukrainian Canadians

M ; Cen) : bes : e Peet ;
usicians Booking Agency
‘ _ Contact Us For Your
aie PARTIES, DANCES, BANQUETS - .
Or Any Other Public Or Private Functions _
that call for Musical Entertainment of All’ Types
be aly Write 609 E. Hastings or
PHONE HASTINGS 8143 | Hae og

4

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 13, 1953 — PAGE 8