THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
14—Friday, June 30, 1967
Silence of Christian Spokesmen During War Hit
LOS ANGELES — The head of
Reform Judaism's commission on
interfaith activities accused the
FALLSBURG, N.Y. (JTA) —
organized Christian establishment
Rabbi Pesach Z. Levovitz, presi-
AMSTERDAM (JTA)—A poll of with failure to back Israel's posi-
dent of the Rabbinical Council of the Dutch population on the Middle tion in a time of hostilities and
America, Or thodox rabbinical East situation showed Monday that crisis.
body, called upon Jewish leaders 67 per cent of those queried fa-
Rabbi Balfour Brickner, New
and organizations engaged in ecu- vored the Israeli cause in the con- York City, director of the com-
menical dialogues and interfaith flict with the Arab states. More mission, told 500 Reform rabbis
discussion "to reassess and review than 25 per cent of those polled at the 78th annual meeting of the
the value of their participation in were neutral on the question and CCAR at the Hotel Ambassador
these programs."
another seven per cent had no that "the official spokesmen of
Addressing the annual conven- opinion. Less than one half of 1 American Christiandom were not
tion of the organization attended per cent favored the Arab cause.
only silent in support for the in-
Meanwhile, the Ashkenazi, tegrity of the state of Israel, but
by some 600 rabbis, Rabbi Levo-
vitz said that "all recent evidence Sephardi and Liberal Jewish com- by their silence or their prayer-
seems to point to the essential in- munities in the Netherlands wired ful calls for peace which urged
adequacy of interfaith exchanges." Foreign Minister Joseph Luns that the question be placed in a
He cited the failure of the Christian drawing his attention to the cur- paralyzed United Nations, these
community "to raise their voices rent wave of persecution and at- leaders also failed the cause of
in defens of Israel and its inhabi- tacks on Jews in various Arab world peace."
tants when President Nasser issued countries and urging the interven-
A number of rabbis were disap-
a proclamation threatening the tion of the Dutch government in pointed at this lack of understand-
cooperation
with
other
members
of
2,500,000 Jews of Israel."
ing on the part of the Christian
The controversial issue of Fed- the United Nations in ending the hierarchy since they felt that the
Jewish passion for survival, espe-
eral aid to private religious edu- excesses.
The Jewish community con-
cially after the dreaded holocaust
cation came in for sharp disagree-
efforts on
tinued
with
additional
has not been fully comprehended
Wednesday
among
four
ment
behalf of Israel with the depar-
by these groups.
Jewish Educators, all of whom are
ture
of
another
group
of
volun-
prominently identified with Ameri-
Other rabbis responded that
teers to help in the reconstruc-
can Orthodox Judaism.
in their own communities large
tion of Kibutz Gadot in Galilee
numbers of Christian laymen
The three-hour debate before
which suffered during the recent
and clergymen came forth with
600 rabbis attending the annual
fighting with Syria.
financial and other aids to their
convention of the Rabbinical Coun-
The Dutch Order of Freemasons
Jewish colleagues and friends
cil of America reflected the mod-
donated 25,000 guilders (about
on behalf of Israel. They point-
erate, middle of the road and ex-
$6,000) to its Israeli counterpart
ed out that the Christian laymen
treme positions that Orthodox
along with a similar sum to the
were not acting under the theo-
Jewish leaders have taken on
Dutch Red Cross for aid to Israel.
logical doctrines and directives
church-state issues as they relate
of their faith, but rather as
to public support of private edu-
Romania's Support
Americans who have warmly
cation.
pioneering and
received the
Dr. Jacob I. Hartstein, presi- of Direct Peace Talks
democratic spirit of Israel.
dent of Kingsboroug,h Community
by Israeli
Rabbi Joshua 0. Haberman,
College in New York City, took Hailed
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
Trenton, N.J., found Christian lay
a middle-of-the-road position. In
to The Jewish News)
NEW
YORK—Ambassador
Mor-
people
far ahead of their clergy
supporting the program adminis-
tered under the federal Education decai Kidron, member of the in coming to the support and ex-
Act of 1965, Dr Hartstein em- Israeli delegation to the United pressing sympathy for Israel.
In his sermon before the CCAR
phasized that government aid Nations, told an emergency meet-
benefits now available to children ing of the American Jewish League group, Rabbi Brickner said, "Chris-
attending schools under religious for Israel here that "a positive tianity was faced with an acid test
auspices should be viewed pri- note in the Middle East crisis" of American inter-religious rela-
marily as an opportunity "to im- had been introduced at the current tions and by and large Christians
prove and enrich educational emergency session of the General were silent and in some instances
their suport was for the wrong
programs. to raise quality, not as Assembly by Romania.
He said that the position of the reasons — anti-Communism — red
the bread and butter of educa-
Romanian delegation in support of baiting."
tional support and financing."
direct peace talks between the
He sharply criticized the Ameri-
On the other hand, Rabbi Uri
Arab states and Israel, the only can Jewish Committee, who said
Miller, a former president of
such
stand
by
any
Soviet
bloc
in
a report that there existed
the Rabbinical Council, strongly
country, "is the only realistic and "widespread Christian support for
upheld the principle of the
practical method of achieving any Israel's position as a reflection of
separation of church and state.
kind of stable peace in the Mideast the growth of Jewish Christian
He asserted that "every escala-
understanding that has developed
area."
tion of government aid to pri-
Rabbi Isidore Breslau of Wash- through inter-faith dialogues."
schools
parochial
vate and
ington,
D.C.,
was
elected
president
Rabbi Levi Olan, Temple Emanu-
breaks down the wall separat-
of the league, succeeding Samuel
ing church and state and may
Daroff, who died recently.
harm the public school system
Dr. Judah L. Shapiro reported on
which has been the crowning
current Zionist reorganization ef-
glory of the American social
forts
and said that the World Zion-
economy and which has brought
ist Organization's reorganization
about an integrated society."
committee had reaffirmed the posi-
Rabbi Simon A. Dolgin, vice tion that there could be only one
president of the council and active
united Zionist movement. The
in Jewish education, assumed an
matter will be considered at a
extreme position by asserting that
meeting of the WZO in Jerusalem
"Our American democracy provides
July
17.
for the right of parents to select
Orthodox Rabbis Hear of
Dialogue Disillusionment
67 Pct. in Dutch Poll Back
Israel; Less Than 1 Pct.
Support Arab Cause
the type of education they desire
for their children so long as it
meets minimal requirements." He
contended that to deprive a stu-
dent of state-supported courses in
these areas because his parents
choose private schools or schools
under the auspices of religious in-
stitutions is to deprive him of ben-
efits which the state offers.
Hebrew U. Governors
Meet on Mt. Scopus
JERUSALEM—Fifty-five Ameri-
cans were in Israel this week to
attend the annual meeting of the
international board of governors
of Hebrew University, it was an-
by Samuel Rothberg,
nounced
chairman of the board of Ameri-
can Friends of the Hebrew Uni-
versity.
Rothberg said at least one
session will be held at the original
Hebrew University campus on Mt.
Scopus. This will be the first
governors' meeting at this historic
spot which has been cut off from
Israel since 1947, and only re-
cently recovered.
It is expected that the board of
governors, which is the supreme
policy-making body of the univer-
sity, will officially accept the re-
turn of the Mt. Scopus facilities.
Israelis Praised
in Protecting Iloly
Sites in Jerusalem
Israel has been given fullest
credit for having protected the
holy places in Jerusalem.
In a Catholic News Service syn-
dicated article, Max Lazega cabled
from Jerusalem:
"Religious leaders in the now-
reunited city of Jerusalem have
expressed their complete admi-
ration of the restraint used by
Israeli forces in seizing the city
from its Jordanian defenders.
"Pointing to orders limiting
Israeli soldiers to band-to-hand
fighting in the streets and to the
guards stationed to protect
shrines from damage, the re-
ligions leaders s a id that the
hand-to-hand fighting had result-
ed in minimum damage to the
city . . .
"Once the safety of the holy
places was assured, the refugee
problem occupied the attention
of the area's Christian, Jewish
and Moslem leaders. Although
. . . agencies found many refu-
gees, Israeli cooperation has
eased what might have been a
tragic situation."
El, Dallas, was named as the new
president succeeding Rabbi Jacob
J. Weinstein, K.A.M. Temple, Chi-
cago. The new president is the
second Texan to hold the highest
post of the Reform rabbinic body
of 1,000 spiritual leaders in the
United States and Canada.
The CCAR sharply criticized
the United Nations as having
been "manipulated by many as
a convenient sounding-board for
the big lie, for vicious propagan-
da and for a callous distortion
of facts."
"As with the League of Nations
some 30 years ago, the interna-
tional body's credibility and honor
is on the line," the unanimously
adopted declaration of the rabbis
stated. This was a direct reference
to Soviet and Arab criticism of
Israel at the international body's
recent and continuing delibera-
tions.
In an emotionally charged set-
ting, the rabbis called for intensi-
fied financial support of the United
Jewish Appeal's Israeli Emergency
Fund and the campaign of the
Israel Bond Organization, whose
receipts are used to consolidate
Israel's economic 'framework.
The adoption of the resolution
represented a sharp departure
from the rabbinic body's position
of supporting the United Nations,
which it has done consistently.
Rabbi Weinstein was sharply
criticized by National Commander
Malcolm A. Tarlov of the Jewish
War Veterans of the U.S.A. for
"deliberate distortions and mis-
statements of fact, particularly in
his accusations against the JWV."
Rabbi Weinstein, in his key-
note address to the CCAR con-
vention, was reported in the
press as criticizing "the Jewish
War Veterans, who have object.
ed to liberal rabbis using the
pulpit to state opposition to U.S.
policy."
"This charge," said Commander
Tarlov, "is completely false, as
Rabbi Weinstein has every reason
to know. The JWV, which has long
supported U.S. policy in Vietnam,
has coupled public expressions of
such support with affirmations of
the right of full and responsible
dissent.
Wayne County Republican Chair-
man Henry R. Sladek has an-
nounced the appointment of Mrs.
BARBARA M. KOMAR as the new
public relations director of the
county GOP committee. She re-
places HILARY WHITTAKER
who expects to leave in July to set
up a pilot training and public re-
lations program for the U.S. Peace
Corps in India.
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