AJCongress Urges Termination
of Entire Chaplaincy Program
(Continued from Page 1)
servative) to drop their participa-
tion in the military chaplaincy
draft. Yeshiva University's Rabbi
Isaac Elhanon Theological Semi-
nary suspended participation in
the draft, effective Jan. 1, in
favor of a one-year test of volun-
teering by students. The Jewish
Theological Seminary, in a follow-
through to a decision by the Rab-
binical Assembly, the association
of Conservative rabbis, announced
plans for a new seminary school
for chaplains, starting in the fall,
in a program in which all rabbinic
candidates must choose either
military chaplaincy duty or civil-
ian chaplaincy assignments. Rabbi
Lev noted that the - Reform move-
ment was still participating in the
chaplaincy draft and that the
Central Conference of American
Rabbis had announced that the
issue would be discussed at its
convention next month.
According to the commission
data, there are now 64 Jewish
military chaplains on duty, 16
short of the 80-man quota, and 14
will be released this year after
their two-year tours of duty. Four
Reform, one Conservative and
five Orthodox rabbinic students
are now being processed for serv-
ice, for a total of 10 new military
chaplains to replace the 14 who
will be discharged.
Rabbi Lev said that despite the
difficulties attending the draft
program since its inception in
1950, he felt it would not have
been dropped "by the Orthodox
and Conservative groups while
three million men are in the
armed forces, were it not for
the political and moral problems
raised by the war in Vietnam." He
said that "the general student
spirit of revolt" had affected the
rabbinical schools and that the
chaplaincy "has apparently been
one of the first casualties of this
revolution." He noted that the
students "listened carefully to the
rabbinic leaders who opposed the
government's policies in Vietnam"
but they did not hear the same
leaders "when they affirmed that,
as long as there are Jewish
personnel in the armed forces, it
is the responsibility of the rab-
binate to serve these Jews."
He warned that "many of the
gains which we have made, Jew-
ishly speaking, in the military—
and on the American scene in
general — will be jeopardized if
we have a ridiculously inadequate
number of Jewish chaplains in
uniform." He declared that "with-
out Jewish chaplains, intermar-
riages and conversion of Jews to
Christianity are certain to in-
crease in the services."
MAIMI — Protestant, Catholic
and Jewish religious leaders are
considering a proposal by the
American Jewish Congress that
the armed forces replace military
chaplains with civilian religious
counselors wearing no uniforms
and not subject to military disci-
pline.
The call came in a resolution
adopted by the American Jewish
Congress national biennial con-
vention, calling for an "orderly
termination" of the present chap-
laincy system.
"Increasingly today," the reso-
lution noted, "many chaplains be-
lieve that they cannot in conscience
support the war their government
is engaged in and at the same
time cannot in conscience deny
to the soldier access to the relig-
ious guidance and help they so
often desperately need."
The resolution added: "Religion
must always remain the guardian
of the nation's conscience and the
moral judge of its actions. It can-
not fulfill that sacred responsibility
if it is at the same time the hand-
maiden of government."
The resolution said that rabbis,
priests or ministers engaged in
chaplaincy work in the armed
forces "should have but one obli-
gation—to provide religious help
to the soldier who seeks it.
"Faithful commitment to this
obligation," the statement de-
clared, "requires him to consider
nothing but the religious needs
of the soldier he is counseling. Yet
the very fact that the chaplain is
paid by the government and bears
its military rank cannot but im-
pose another obligation upon him
—the obligation to serve the in-
terests of the political state."
Thre resolution called on the
National Conference of Catholic
Bishops, the National Council of
Churches and the Synagogue Coun-
cil of America to end the present
military chaplaincy system and to
use, instead, civilian chaplains
"paid by their respective faiths
and bearing no responsibility or
duty other than ministering to the
religious needs of the soldiers who
seek their help and guidance."
6—Friday, May 24, 1968
Mrs. Landsman Stresses
Community College Role
Sandra G. Landsman, candidate
for the board of trustees of Oak-
land Community College, told the
Southfield Chapter, Michigan As-
sociation for Children with Learn-
ing Disabilities, of the need to pro-
vide quality education for Oakland
County, "this being the most im-
portant task Oak-
, land Community
College must
face."
She stated fur-
ther that "educa-
tion is the means
by which we can
develop our most
important r e -
‘ source, the young
people of this
Mrs. Landsman country. Trans-
fer, career and developmental pro-
grams offered must not be mini-
mized nor the vital role in con-
tinuing education be undervalued."
Mrs. Landsman has been a teach-
er with the Detroit Board of Edu-
cation since 1957 and is a gradu-
ate student in educational guidance
in community colleges.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Nautical Training School Under Way at Ashdod
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
The $30,000 proceeds will pur-
chase machinery in Britain and
other equipment for the school's
laboratory.
The ORT school will increase the
number of ship's officers gradu-
ated each year. They will qualify
for licenses in Israel's merchant
marine. The Israel government
maintains a nautical college at
Acre.
LONDON — The proceeds of a
benefit concert conducted here
by Daniel Barenboim will go
toward equipping a new nautical
training school which is being
built by ORT (Organization for
Rehabilitation Through Training)
at Ashdod, Israel's newest deep-
sea port.
8s
IMMEDIATE
DELIVERY
See
Harry Abram
LARRY & HARRY
NO FALSE PROMISES — JUST GOOD DEALS
LS
ar
"WE SELL BECAUSE OF OUR REPUTATION"
"WE
JOE MAY CHEVROLET
12555 GRAND RIVER near Meyers
BR 2-2470
LI 8-4119
TE 4-4440
LOUIS BERRY, Dinner Chairman • DORA EHRLICH and ABE KASLE, Honorary Chairmen
.0?
et064 Xediartai gintd
its the Ittea4uFe ?rot lz,116ence
it
at a geTsteln,ona vnn,ele hoftwat,
PAUL ZUCKERMAN
ge edadi‘shiny €3, de
oft, de occasion,
Rabbi Arm Presents Six Kfar Silver
ZOD Scholarships to Local Youth
Paul Zuckerman Family Forest
Ae/
•
nen', lane thiotemtth
AaF4clay ~
Aneteen Xfaxed and
at Yitaaltel
604tai4
(
At the annual meeting of the Zionist Organization of Detroit,
Rabbi Milton Arm, chairman of the Philip Slomovitz Scholarship
Fund, presented scholarship awards to six youths who will study and
work at Kfar Silver in Israel. To Howard Torf, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Jack A. Torf, of Oak Park, went a $2,000 annual award to the Mollie
Goodman Academic High School in Ashkelon, Israel, sponsored by
the Zionist Organization of America. Partial scholarships of $250 each
went to Paul H. Draznin and Sheryl Silver who will attend the ZOA
Masada Leadership Training Course at Kfar Silver. Partial scholar-
ships of $250 each were awarded to Howard Lax, Neal Best and Ida
Leib, who will attend the ZOA Teen-Age Summer Camp at Kfar Sil-
ver, Ashkelon, this summer. The scholarship award committee of the
ZOD consisted of Rabbi Milton Arm, chairman, Louis Panush and
Reuben Young. In the photo (from left) with Rabbi Arm, are Paul
Draznin, Sheryl Silver, Howard Torf, Howard Lax, Neal Best and
(front) Ida Leib. Tributes or contributions to the Philip Slomovitz
Scholarship Fund in honor of, or as memorials to, people or occasions
may be sent to the Zionist Organization of Detroit, 18501 W. 10 Mile,
Southfield, 48075, or call 353-3636.
Stern
fedd
S
A‘9, 1 01
.40,0tat
6:30
g&tnele 7:00
If you wish to attend please contact the
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
Phone 399-0820
22100 Greenfield, Oak Park 48237
1