Religion and Real Estate in England
LONDON — British Jews are in
the throes of a bitter conflict which
is rending the community asunder.
The irony of it is that this conflict
has arisen over an issue which is
irrelevant even within the context
of the Anglo-Jewish community.
No principles are involved and no
religious dogmas either.
A small London synagogue of the
United Synagogue group, which is
Orthodox and which sponsors the
Chief Rabbinate, had to be de-
molished some years ago in order
to make room for a major road-
way. This happens in London all
the time. It was a 100-year-old
building and the motor age assert-
ed itself. The authorities provided
the funds for a new synagogue
some distance away but in the
same area. The management of
the demolished synagogue took
some time to organize things but
are now ready to build. Meanwhile,
the parent body, the United Syna-
gogue, withdrew its endorsement
of the plans on the grounds that
there is no need for another syna-
gogue in that particular area and
that the funds could be used for a
new place of worship where .Jews
dwell in larger numbers.
When two sides cannot agree on
such an issue it goes to the court.
It has been decided by the wardens
of that demolished synagogue call-
ed Bayswater for the purpose of
identification, to ask the high court
to decide on the issue in a civil
suit. A little odd for a synagogue
to go to court against its parent
body but not all that unusual.
While all this was going on, the
Chief Rabbi of the British Com-
monwealth, Dr. Immanuel Jako-
bovits entered into an agreement
with the wardens of the planned
new synagogue for the construc-
tion of a Chief Rabbinate Center
as part of the complex. Such a
center is needed, since the Chief
Rabbinate is now located in
Woburn House, which is over-
crowded and teeming with Jew-
ish organiaztions, both religious
and secular, and also houses the
Board of Deputies on a whole
floor, as well as on the ground
level, where an assembly hall is
to be found.
However, it is a moot point as to
whether the Chief Rabbi was right
in going to the wardens because he
must have known about the objec-
tions to the whole plan on the part
of the parent body of which he is
himself the spiritual head.
It is now being argued that be-
cause of the Chief Rabbi's inter-
vention the United Synagogue had
to drop its case in the courts, and
the wardens of the Bayswater
Synagogue will be able to build the
new edifice in defiance of the
United Synagogue.
Tnis again is a moot point. The
case was dropped on legal advice.
If it was so strong, the Chief
Rabbi's intervention could not have
made much difference, so it must
have been weak from the outset.
As the case was never heard, we
shall never know.
But now, the other issues in-
volved are coming to the fore: Can
the Chief Rabbi continue to work
smoothly with the United Syna-
By S. J. GOLDSMITH
(Copyright 1970, JTA, Inc.)
2, 000
Polish Jews
Await Resettling
NEW YORK (JTA) — United
Hias Service reported Monday that
it spent $3,054,000 in 1969, close
to half a million dollars more than
it had anticipated. Carl Glick,
agency treasurer, attributed • this
to the mass migration of Jews
from Poland in the wake of that
country's anti-Semitic campaign.
Gaynor I. Jacobson, executive
vice president of United Hias Serv-
ice, reported that the current
Polish caseload in Vienna and
Rome was close to 2,000, and that
most of them were seeking to
come to the United States. He
estimated that in 19'70 his organ-
ization would resettle 6,500 men,
women and children from Eastern
Europe, the Middle East, North
Africa and Cuba, including 3,400
from Poland.
Harold Friedman, president of
the worldwide Jewish migration
agency, stated that more than
5,500 Polish Jews came to Vienna
last year, and the United Hias
Service assumed responsibility for
about 3,600 of them. In addition,
an estimated 3,000 Jews went di-
rectly from Warsaw to Denmark
and Sweden, some with United
Hias assistance.
ANTS?
Moho 'cm holler UNCLE!
Call
l
gogue after such a confrontation?
Is the United Synagogue, whose
head is Sir Isaac Wolfson, neces-
sarily right in its objection to the
new synagogue? And is a Chief
Rabbinate Center in itself enough
justification for a new building?
True, this is a religious commu-
nity. On the other hand, the Chief
Rabbi himself has said that Jewish
education, lamentably neglected,
is his main concern. If so, could he
not forget edifices for the time
, being and concentrate on educa-
tion-on the teaching level rather
than the brick-and-mortar level?
The Federation of Synagogues,
another Orthodox group but a little
near the old type of Eastern Euro-
pean Orthodox, the Liberal and
Reform groups and Dr. Louis
Jacobs' group, which is more-or-
less a Conservative trend on the
American pattern though attuned
to English ways of thinking, are on
the sidelines, as it were. But the
Chief Rabbi is also their Chief
Rabbi. He is the acknowledged re-
ligious head of Commonwealth
Jewry. George V. once said that he
had the Archbisop of Canterbury
to advise him on the New Testa-
ment and the Chief Rabbi to advice
him on the Old Testament. The
Chief Emeritus, Dr. Israel Brodie,
was knighted on relinquishing his
office. He is now Sir Israel. This
is the official attitude to the Chief
Rabbi, and British Jews take great
pride in it. They are, therefore, in-
volved in the conflict, wherever
they happen to pray and whatever
kind of prayer book they happen to
use.
Such conflicts do not affect the
attitude of British Jews to Israel
and do not impair their efforts on
behalf of Israel.
It is typical of British Jews to
fight out their conflicts on the real
estate level. This is the level they
know best. When Dr. Israel Brodie
on Dec. 9 and was signed by had his argument with G. Jacobs
Yosif and Sofia Kazakov, who British Jews promptly reduced a
gave a Moscow street address. serious theological disputation to
They appealed to Mrs. Meir for the level of a fracas about the
help in leaving the Soviet Union possession of a synagogue building.
to rejoin their son Yakov Kaza- As soon as Rabbi Jacobs' followers
kov, who had settled in Israel
secured a new building, the quar-
They related that they had re- rel died down. _
ceived the required affidavit from
their son and had filed it with the
necessary documents and applica-
tion for an exit permit. They were
notified by the OVIR, a section of
the police, that their application
had been denied.
The Kazakovs said they had then
addressed an appeal to the heads
of the Soviet regime and to the
legal authorities but had again
been informed by OVIR that their
application had been rejected.
The Kazakovs told Mrs. Meir
that the rejection of the permit
was a violation of their human
rights as guaranteed by the United
Nations Convention to which the
Soviet Union was a signatory.
They gave her full permission to
broadcast or otherwise publicize
their letter in the hope that an
aroused world opinion would com-
pel the Soviet authorities to per-
mit them to proceed to Israel.
which they said, they considered
their homeland.
Soviet Couple Begs Golda's Aid
to Acquire Permit to Emigrate
So They May Join Son in Israel
UNITED NATIONS (JTA) —
Ambassador Yosef Tekoah of Is-
rael delivered Monday to Secre-
tary-General U Thant a letter re-
ceived by Prime Minister Golda
Meir from a Moscow Jewish
family appealing for her assistance
in securing permission to leave
the Soviet Union to be reunited
with kin in Israel.
Tekoah, who returned from Is-
rael Sunday night, asked the sec-
retary-general to have the Moscow
letter distributed as an official
document of the General Assembly.
In his cover letter, Tekoah drew
attention to his previous communi-
cation of Nov. 10, dealing with the
refusal of the Soviet authorities to
grant exit permits to permit the
reunification of families in Israel.
The letter transmitted to Thant
Monday In photostat form was
originally addressed to Mrs. Meir
• • •
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
18—Friday, January 9, 1970
862-3200
PEST CONTROL SERVICE, Inc.
Guaranteed Control of Roaches,
Mice, Spiders and Clover Mites.
Call 3574647,
SERVE ISRAEL
FORA YEAR I
Join the
SHERUT LA' AM PROGRAM
Ages 18 - 30
For details contact:
SHERRY LA'AM OFFICE
515 Park Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10022
(212) 753-0230/0282
MEIR ARIEL
or
c/o Jewish Community
center
Detroit, M M
e yi cehrsi g R ° ed. 48235
DI 1-4200
KIBBUTZ ALIYA DESK
GET INVOLVED
WITH THE .KIBBUTZ
The kibbutz is a unique social experiment in cooperative living which
strives for personal and community self-realization.
We invite you to experience the kibbutz through the following pro-
grams, which are ovoilable any time, all year round.
KIBBUTZ ULPAN
A six month program
TEMPORARY WORKER
of 1/2 day Living and working on a kibbutz
work and 1/2 day Hebrew studies One month or more
AGE: 18-35
AGE: 18-35
COST: Transportation
COST: Transportation
DATES: Year round
DATES: Year round
For information and application for these programs and for
permanent settlement, summer and teenage programs, contact.
ZVI ZEXER
KIBBUTZ ALIYA DESK
Suite 1301
200 Park Avenue South
New York, New York 10003
(212) GR 7-5663
MEIR ARIEL, J.C.C.
18100 Meyers, Detroit 48235
DI 1-4200
Classes Start at Art Linkletter Schools
Need $280 Million in '70
for Migrant Housing
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Deputy
Premier Yigal Allon said that
$280,000,000 was needed for immi
grant housing during the coming
fiscal year, which begins April 1.
He said $161,000,000 would be spent
for that purpose during the current
fiscal year. .
Allon referred to immigrant
housing needs in an address on the
occasion of his leave-taking from
the absorption ministry. He served
as minister of immigrant absorp-
tion in the old government and
was appointed minister of educa-
tion in the new. He welcomed
Shimon Peres, who will be In
charge of the absorption ministry
on a caretaker basis. The port-
folio has been reserved for the
Mapam Party, a partner in the
Labor alignment, which has joined
the government but refuses to ac-
cept a ministerial assignment.
Enrollment reservations are now open in The New Art Linkletter-Totten School
at 12 Mile and Evergreen Roads. The school features two separate and distinct
programs. The Young World of Discovery is a Nursery School for children, ages 3
to 5. It stresses the educational, cultural, creative and social development of U
child rather than just play activity. -
The second featured program are the children's dance classes for ages 3 and np.
Subjects taught are Tap, Ballet, Acrobatic, Baton, Modern Jazz and Personality sing-
ing.
Free bus transportation is provided for all students living in a designated bus
area. For further information call 588-0300 or 357-1215.
Adis.