LONDON, (JTA) — A broad,
world-wide plan to mobilize the
world's religious leaders of all
faiths at a "spiritual summit"
meeting, in aid of world peace,
was announced here at the 12th
international conference of the
World Union for Progressive
Judaism.
The announcement was made,
by Dr. Maurice N. Eisendrath,
president of the Union of
American Hebrew Congrega-
tions, who said that Dr. Albert
Schweitzer, famous philosopher
and Christian missionary sur-
geon, has agreed to serve as
honorary chairman of the
"spiritual summit."
"Khrushchev, Kennedy and
other world leaders," said Dr.
Eisendrath, "seem to be fur-
ther apart than ever before
negotiations. It is the
in their
•
task of religion to catalyze
the heads of state through the
moral imperative so that they
may subordinate self-interest
and hasten their • negotiations,
so that an acciderital push of
a button may not destroy the
world."
Dr. Eisendrath said he is
communicating with religious
leaders of various faiths . to
serve on the organizing com-
mittee for the "spiritual
summit." He said he hopes to
convene :-. meeting of North
American_ religious leaders in
New York early next year,
and believes that the world
meeting may be held late in
1962 or early in 1963. He rec-
ommended Bombay as the
site for the world meeting.
Delegates from six countries
on four •continents agreed at a
symposium during the annual
conference that a major result
of the trial of Adolf Eichmann
in Jerusalem has been a demon-
stration by non-Jews of a new
understanding of the , Hitler
holocaust. ,
Delegates from Brazil, Bri-
tain, the United States, India,
The Netherlands and the South
African • Republic took part in
the symposium, which discussed
the impact of the trial on gen-
eral opinion and on the Jewish
communities of their countries.
SEVERE REACTIONS
The symposium participants
reported widespread approval
of the manner in which Israel
has been conducting the trial.
However, one delegate, Nether-
lands Rabbi Jacob Soetendorp,
reported that some survi7ors
of the Nazi camps had suffered
severe personal reactions to the
reopening of the horrors of the
Nazi periods.
He also reported that, prior
to the start of the trial,. the
Dutch government had begun
to soften its attitude toward
collaborators and war criminals
but that, as a direct result of
the disclosures in Jerusalem,
the attitude of the government
had again stiffened.
* * *
Rabbi Frederico Pinkuss, of
Sao Paulo, Brazil, reported that
the trial had focused attention
on high Nazi criminals who had
secretly entered Argentina dur-
ing the Peron regime. He also
disclosed that Jewish commu-
nities of Uruguay and Argen-
tina were disturbed by mani-
festations of in cr easing
anti-Semitism by Nazi sym-
pathizers.
Rabbi Albert Minda, of Min-
neapolis, newly elected presi-
dent of the Central Conference
of American Rabbis, said the
trial had sensitized Americans
to the dangers of ultra-reac-
tionary movements. He added
he felt that some of the ad-
verse reaction in the United
States to the John Birch Society
might be traced to the Eich-
mann trial revelations.
A world leader of Reform
Judaism predicted Israeli
Jews would not reject Juda-
ism As•• a faith -as he said
Was the case for a large num-
ber at the present time.
Dr. Solomon Freehof of Pitts-
burgh, president of the World
Union for PrOgressive Judaism,
told the opening session of the
conference that "the need of
spiritual life will become in-
creasingly evident to the grow-
Dr. Hertz Urges
, .,•
unittcation to
Aid Soviet Jews
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to
The Jewish News)
LONDON—Jews must unite
to save the 3,000,000 Soviet
Jews from "spiritual genocide"
which is "being practiced in
the Soviet Union," the Twelfth
Annual Convention of
World Union for P
e
Judaism was t
Tues-
day. '
The.. Warm
as sounded by
Rabbi . Ric
Hertz of Temp
Beth El,
troit, reporting
the pli
of the Jewish
munit*
behind the Iro
taro.
said that "our
Jews ehind the Iron
are i treater danger th
the
s under the Nazi re-
gime.'
Rabbi
the Soviet gover en was
carrying out a calculated pro-
gram of "spiritual starvation"
against Soviet Jewry and
that. "silence by Fear" had
resulted in the "withering of
Jewish life and spiritual
genocide for Jews and
Judaism."
Rabbi Hertz made in ex-
tended tour of the Soviet Union
in 1959 and reported his find-
ings to President Eisenhower.
The delegates then adopted a
resolution calling on "all Jews
and men of goodwill to use
their good offices - on behalf of
the Jews of the Soviet Union
that their institutions and tra-
ditions may be perpetuated."
Mrs. Victor Polstein of
Larchmont, N.Y., The World
Union's representative at the
United Nationi, reported that
Russia stifled any mention of
Soviet treatment of the Jews
in any discussions at the
United Nations. She said she
regarded "with deep concern"
the deprivation of the rights
of Jews in any country, add-
ing that this posted a threat
to "the free religious func-
tioning of all Jews."
Dr. Nelson Glueck, pregident
of the HUC-JIR and an archaeo-
logist, told another session
about the effect of modern dis-
coveries on Judaism. He traced
recent archeological discoveries
which he said confirmed the
theological changes made by
Reform Judaism.'
In another resolution, the
delegates said they "strongly
protested the decision" of the
Israel rabbinate in its "re-
fusal" to permit marriages of
members of Bene Israel, the
Jews of India, to members of
the Sephardic and Ashkenazic
communities in Israel.
The delegates asserted
that "at this stage of Jewish
history, when the broken
fragments of our people need
a new and stronger sense of
brotherhood, the time has
come for a more kindly inter-
pretation of legal technicali-
ties and for friendliness to all
who offer loyal hearts to the
world brotherhood of Israel."
The convention ended
Wednesday with election of
officers and adoption of a two-
year program aimed at advanc-
ing the Reform Jewish Move-
ment throughout the world.
ing generation" of Israeli Jews
"to whom nationalism itself is
no longer an original idea." He
said- there "will be a famine in
Israel, as the prophet said, 'not
for bread but for the word
of the living God'."
He said the World Union had
made "tremendous 'advances"
in both Israel and other parts
of the world and he forcast a
"bright outlook" for Progressive
Judaism in Israel based on re-
cent developments there. He
based his forecast also on what
he called the "tremendous
growth" of liberal Judaism all
over the world which he said
came from those families "who
reject the Orthodox Judaism of
their parents."
OBSERVING LESS
"Our chief work must be
among those who consider
themselves Jewishly religious
bu
egally authentic
Jewish practice," he told the
delegates from 23 countries at-
tending the seven-day confer-
c.
Ra i
rea r
the
ism
ae
e
isitio of
00 s a perrhane
e of
worship for a
m syna-
gogue an
campaign to
rai
for a Leo Baeck
ary school in Haifa and
the "trend" toward " "greater
acceptance" in Israel of liberal
religious practices.
* * *
It is estimated that only 20
per cent of the Israelis identify
themselves with any religious
branch of Judaism. This group
belongs mostly to Orthodox
Judaism.
An acute shortage of rabbis
and limited funds are hamper-
ing the growth of new Reform
Jewish synagogues, the execu-
tive director of the World
Union for Progressive Judaism
reported.
Addressing the second , day
of meetings of the confer- •
ence, Rabbi Hugo Gryn,
World Union executive direc-
tor, told the representatives,
"our greatest problems are
men and means. .Every single
World Union constituent suf-
fers - from a shortage of
rabbinic leadership."
"We must redouble Our
efforts to find young men inter-
ested in entering the rabbinate.
I hope that all of us will begin
an- international recruiting
drive among our constituency;'
Rabbi Gryn said.
Rabbi Gryn announced the
initiation of a fund-raising
group called "Friends of the
World Union" aimed at raising
$100,000 in a cash drive to
meet the immediate and urgent
needs of the international syna-
gogue body. One thousand indi-
viduals will be sought to con-
tribute amounts of $:100 each.
JEWS FLEE CUBA
Rabbi Gryn also told the as-
semblage that Jewish life in
Cuba has been virtually de-
stroyed since the Castro regime
took over. He said only a hand-
ful remain after most left for
other countries in North and
South America.
The World Union represents
one of the largest Jewish syna-
gogue bodies in the world with
a membership of 1,500,000 in 23
countries. The largest affiliated
body is the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations consist-
ing of 630 Reform temples in
the United States, Canada and
Latin America with a member-
ship of 1,000,000.
Attending the conference for
Progressive Judaism from De-
troit are Dr. Richard C. Hertz
of Temple Beth El and Dr.
Leon Fram of Temple Israel.
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World Conference- of Reform Leaders Plans Spiritual
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