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. 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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.