Jews in the Soviet Union

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 12

Jews in the Soviet Union

Sir, — It is astoundingly revealing that Jurriaan Bendien’s “genuine socialist democracy would guarantee the right of free expression to Zionists, however reactionary” (January 30) which must include Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose racism is of a particularly rabidly vicious kind. Why not, then, for Nazism, fascism and apartheid? The socialist cause “at home” will never be advanced by “socialists” whose defective sense of “genuine democracy” blinds them to genuine socialist democracy in the Soviet Union. Soviet life may have its seamy side, but antiSemitism and racism in any form is no part of it R. A. Dow has it all wrong. The State and Church are entirely separated in the Soviet Union, so no church schools are run by the State. Church schools are run entirely by each religious community, including the Jewish. My latest information (1983) is from Rabbi Adolph the funds of

whose Moscow Choral Synagogue derive from donations, and sales of matzoth and religious literature, including Hebrew Bibles. — Yours, etc., M. CREEL. January 30, 1986. Sir, — Jurriaan Bendien does not seem to realise that his letter actually negates his claim to know what a genuine socialist democracy should be. His basis is not Marxism, on which a genuine socialist democracy should be based, but a mixture of ultra-liberalism and ultra-Leftism stemming from capitalist philosophy. This mixture is basically a camouflage for the development of fascism, notwithstanding its acceptance by many genuine people. The idea that a socialist democracy should allow within it a base for fascism, namely his “however reactionary” Zionism, on the grounds that fascism is some kind of human right, makes a mockery of the millions of lives lost defending not only socialism but the other human right of people in capitalist countries to freedom from fascism. I suggest to Mr Bendien that he read Lenin on Socialist Democracy, or study it again if he has already read it. — Yours, etc., R. TATE. January 31, 1986.