Friday, Sept. 13, 1963 — THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS -- 28

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No Easy Answer Predict Senate

Israel Bond Investments Bears Fruit

By ROBERT APPEL
but to refuse, that they have Fight on Curtailing
in Outstanding Agricultural Growth
Orthodox rabbis never do it. no right as rabbis to officiate
Conservative rabbis rarely do at marriages which do not re- U. S. Aid to Egypt
it. Reform rabbis do it pretty sult in the establishment of
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sen.
frequently.
Jewish homes and families, Kenneth B. Keating, New York
Do what: perform marriages that, as official representatives Republican, said in the Senate
in which one of the partners is of the synagogue, "they cannot ithat the language in the Foreign
not a Jew and — at that par- give formal sanction to acts Aid Bill passed by the House,
ticular occasion at least — has that tend to weaken the syna- pertaining to diversion of aid
no intention whatever of be- gogue and render the survival by Egypt for military purposes,
of Judaism problematical."' was "not entirely satisfactory,"
coming one.
But to assume from this cap- Such a rabbi may—and many and that, if possible, he will
sule generalization that Reform do—say that it is more "honest seek to have the Senate version
rabbis do not have profound and suitable for parties to such "strengthened."
differences on the issue — and a marriage to be united by a
In any event, he served notice
even pangs of personal and civil ceremony."
that he would lead a fight to
Those who disagree "can retain at least the present House
rabbinical guilt—is to be grave-
also argue in terms of prin- version of the old Keating-Hal-
ly in error.
A striking insight into some ciple—of humanity, consider- pern amendment.
of these qualms and conflicts ation and toleranceand they
Keating drew attention of the
emerges from a report by may likewise e x p r e s s the Senate to a letter by national
Rabbi Bernard J. Bamberger, view" that officiating at such commander Daniel Heller of
who may be properly described a marriage "saves for Juda- the Jewish War Veterans to
as one of the elder statesmen ism many individuals who
of American Reform. Terming would be alienated by a more President Kennedy, opposing
further aid to Egypt in view of
his views "Some Reflections on rigid policy."
a Debate," he emphasized that
Rabbi Bamberger also favors that country's aggressive mili-
he simply wanted to " "state discarding two other assump- tary expenditures. He voiced
some considerations" which he tions which emerged in the agreement with the JWV, and
felt might be helpful to any 1961 debate: That rabbis who said "their position deserves the
A group of farm workers in the B'sor region sort and pack
future research and discussion perform mixed marriages lack consideration and careful atten- tomatoes from their latest harvest. With the help of Israel
tion
of
the
Senate."
on the problem in the ranks principle "a n d the counter-
Israel now grows over seventy-five per cent of its
Noting the large amount of Bonds,
of the Reform rabbinical asso- assumption that rabbis wha re-
domestic food requirements, and has successfully developed
Egypt's
budget
devoted
to
mili-
ciation, the Central Conference fuse to do so are medieval
commercial crops like cotton, sugar beets and peanuts. In
of American Rabbis. His com- bigots." He indicated strong tary preparations, Keating stated addition, the newly-developed B'sor region is growing winter
ments, dealing with a debate doubts that there were in the. that there was "no reason in tomatoes, winter potatoes and other new crops for home use
on the question at the 1961 Reform rabbinate any substan- the world why the U.S. taxpay- and export to Europe, where there is a great demand for off-
CCAR convention, appeared in tial number of rabbis who ers should in any way subsidize season crops from Israel.
a recent issue of the CCAR would "cheerfully marry any Nassers military build-up against
Journal.
couple who arrived with a lic- the State of Israel." He said
There is on record a 1909 ense, fee and ring" or that that "it is clearly absurd to
Holiday Greetings
CCAR resolution which is there were many "racists" who permit U.S. aid to be used not
still the official CCAR posi- drive away every mixed couple for economic development but
for the personal ambitions and
tion. This says, first, that such approaching them.
marriages are contrary to
Consider also, says Rabbi aggressions of Pr e s i d e n t
Jewish tradition and, second, Bamberger, the range of atti- Nasser."
that they • should be discour- tudes of those who approach
An Achievement in Good Taste
aged by the American rab- the rabbi for help. Instances Red Cross President
binate.
were mentioned at the 1961 con- Lauds JDC Work
The formula has proved not vention in which the Reform
GENE VA ( JTA )—Th e t er-
to be very helpful, according rabbi is "used" by the Jewish
to Rabbi Bamberger who feels partner in a mixed marriage or n a ti on a 1 Committee for the Red
Congressman
that the American Jewish com- by his family, "presumably to Cross lauded "the great htunani-
munity as a whole seeks to give an aura of Jewish respect- tarian deeds" of the American
discourage mixed marriages, ability to the ceremony." Such Joint Distribution Committee.
Leopold Boissier, president of
that almost no one advocates instances no doubt do occur,
such marriages on principle says the rabbi, "but the request the International Committee,
wife and family
but that "opposition in general for a quick pro forma conver- praised the JDC in a letter of
good
wishes
on
the
occasion
of
wish all their friends and the
does not prevent marriages in sion can also be classified as
the 100th year of the founding
particular."
an attempt to use the rabbi." of
the
International
Red
Cross.
Jewish community of Detroit
He also notes that "we rabbis,
Still another problem for
together with the lay leaders the Reform rabbi may be the He described the JDC as an or-
A
Happy,
Healthy and Prosperous
of American Jewry, have been issue of freedom of conscience ganization "with which we have
worked
in
close
collaboration
fostering conditions that lead "when conversion is made a
New Year.
to intermarriage." The Jewish prerequisite for the perform- through particularly dark per-
iods
of
contemporary
history."
struggle against discrimination ance of a marriage." The
in housing, education and em- problem takes a more acute
ployment and activity for inter- and painful form, in Rabbi
faith goodwill has had consid- Bamberger's opinion, when
erable success and one of the the rabbi does not insist on
consequences has been more conversion but does require
meetings of young Jews with a promise that the children
non-Jews and more mixed mar- will be reared as Jews. May
To My Fellow Citizens . .
riages. Rabbi Bamberger adds it not be "a particularly of-
bluntly that mixed marriage "is fensive invasion of conscience
here to stay." There is no to exact a promise from any-
ghetto to which American Jews one to bring up his children
The past year has seen a relaxation of World tensions,
could retreat to isolate their in a religion which he him-
young from such contacts and self is not prepared to ac-
the overwhelming majority of cept"? he asks.
for which we are all thankful. We have further seen some
American Jews would reject
One proposal offered by Rab-
such an option if it was avail- bi Bamberger is that more pre-
demonstrations of an increased awareness of the brotherhood
able.
cise information should be ob-
He suggests that it would tained. Specifically, "if it could
be a useful first step to dis- be shown that one procedure
of man, within our country. Let us hope that the New Year
card the assumption — im results in significant gains in
plicit in some statements terms of Jewish affiliation and
made at the 1961 CCAR con- loyalty, while the contrasting
continues towards peace in the world and equality for all men.
vention debate—that "rabbis procedure occasions significant
who officiate at mixed mar- loss, we should have to give
riages encourage such unions great weight to this pragmatic
and those who refuse to of- consideration." To this, he adds
ficiate discourage them."
he is not optimistic as to whe-
The fact is, says Rabbi Barn- ther it is possible and practic-
berger, "it would be hard to able to devise and carry out
produce a single authenticated research yielding dependable
case in which a planned mixed information on the question.
marriage was called off because
Aside from all these trouble-
a rabbi declined to perform it some problems for which, for
or one in which the availability the Reform rabbinate, no
of a rabbi declined to perform simple easily-applicable formu-
it or one in which the avail- las are available, there are re-
ability of a rabbi to officiate lated issues. ,One posed by
was a factor in the decision to Rabbi Barmberger is: "How can
enter the marriage."
we reach and influence posi-
Recognition of this pair of tively the large numb e r of
axioms may be helpful but prob- mixed families that have never
lems remain. Some Ref or m had any contact with us or our
rabbis say they have no choice synagogues?"
Pending the time when the
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