Conservative, Reform Rabbis Fight Change in Israel Law of Return

KIAMESHA LAKE (JTA) 1 servative and Reform rab- that both organizations
—The heads of both the Con- I binical groups agreed here should oppose changes in
Israel's Law of Return that
would further weaken the
SPECIALIST
Reform rabbis, particularly
Foreign Car Service
IN
status of Conservative and
VOLKSWAGEN
in the areas of conversion.
AND
Speaking at a session of the
PORSCHE CARS
ter/
,40.0
74th annual convention of the
Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbi
CALL

oly, thus excluding the Con-
servative and Reform rabbis.
The present Israeli Law of
Return automatically gives
Israeli citizenship to all Jews
emigrating to Israel, includ-
ing those converted to Juda-
ism. The proposed amend-
ment would limit this citizen-
ship and right of return to
those.. converted Jews . who
were admitted to Judaism
548.3926
\
A wise man will make under Orthodox jurisdiction.
548-4160
( Prescription )
(0.
Rabbi Nadich, stating that
more opportunities than he
541-9704
Conservative Judaism recog-
finds.—Francis Bacon.
nizes the validity of Halakha,
1018 W. 9 Mile Rd.
Between Livernois
FERNDALE
noted, however, that "The
26001 COOLIDGE Hwv
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
& Pinehurst
MICH.
Alfons G. Rehme
OAK PARK
543 3343
Friday, May 10, 1974-15 flaw lies in the fact that the
Israel Orthodox establish-
ment would place in their
hands the right to determine
whether conversion by a
rabbi in the country, or out-
side of it, had actually con-
verted the candidate in •c-
cordance with Jewish law. If
the rabbi were not Orthodox,
the fact would have at once
stamped his conversion pro-
cedure as invalid. Our posi-
tion continues to be — that
the conversion be performed
only in accordance with the
Jewish law, but let the ac-
tion be decisive, not the doer
of the action. But one thing
we will never agree to — No
one has the right to run us
out of the halakhic household
of Judaism."
He added it "is our view
that the integrity and author-
ity of t h e Halakha are
strenghthened not by conceal-
ing it, but by making it pos-
sible to respond to the best
developments within life."
Rabbi Kahn accused the
Orthodox establishment in
Israel of challening "the
right to be non-Orthodox and
still be a member of the
Jewish faith and people. That
right has not been granted
to our Reform and Conserva-
tive colleagues in Israel, and
There's never been a better time
if the change proposed by the
to make your move to Metropolitan
National Religious Party in
and take advantage of the
Israel in the Law of Return
highest interest paid
is passed by the Knesset, that
right will ultimately be de-
On insured savings.
nied in the Diaspora. If it
Metropolitan offers the
succeeds, it may ultimately,
best lineup of savings plans
in effect, defrock us."
available anywhere—with
Rabbi Kahn also said that
lower minimums and increased rates
"If the Law of Return is
paid on new Certi-Book certificates. 4,
amended by the government,
And, regular savings earn
our converts will no longer be
5 1/4% annual interest from day of deposit
converts, our marriage con-
to day of withdrawal with no minimum V,
tracts will not be evidence of
•'
or withdrawal restrictions:*
valid marriages, nor will ou,:•
CERTI-BOOK CERTIFICATE
religious divorces be valid
NEW $1,000 minimum/Yields 7.71% annually.
divorces." Rabbi Kahn asked
his 0 rt h o d o x colleagues:
Compounded quarterly/4-year maturity.
"What is it that you really
want? Do you expect if you
push hard enough and use
CERTI-BOOK CERTIFICATE
CERTI BOOK CERTIFICATE
CERTI-BOOK CERTIFICATE
the political power of the
state of Israel to outlaw our
0, Yields 6.92% annually.
Yields 6.66% annually.
NEW S500 minimum .
rights. that reform and con-
Compounded quarterly.
/ii Compounded quarterly.
/
et ADD 550 or more any
`-' S1,000 minimum with
51,000 minimum with
" Yields 5.88%
servative Jews will return to
maturity of 30 months
maturity of 12 months
annually when
Orthodoxy? Or are you try-
or longer. ADD S100 or
or longer. ADD S100 or
compounded quarterly.
ing to push us out from
more any time.
more any time.
90-day maturity.
Jewish life?
"We are to stay," he said.
Certi Book interest is compounded quarterly, or may be paid monthly or quarterly by check.
"We are not going to disap-
pear. We,- too, want Israel,
Federal Regulations require a substantial loss-of-interest penalty for early withdrawal on Certi-Book and certificate accounts.
the people and the state, to
survive. We are Jews, and
those we have converted are
Transfer your funds to Metropolitan Savings quickly and easily. Just bring your passbook or certificates
Jews and will remain so."
from any financial institution or call your nearest Metropolitan office and ask for "New Accounts."
A warning that Henry Kis-
singer may be to Israel what
Neville Chamberlain was to
Czechoslovakia was made by
Prof. Hans J. Morgenthau to
the Rabbinical Assembly
INSURED
meeting.
Speaking on "The Middle
East in World Politics," the
professor of political science
CENTRAL TELEPHONE NUMBER 851-5300
at New York City University,
MAIN OFFICE, FARMINGTON 31550 Northwestern / UTICA 45676 Van Dyke / DEARBORN 13007 W. Warren / BEVERLY HILLS-BIRMINGHAM 32800 Southfield
said that "Israel's fate may
OAK PARK-HUNTINGTON WOODS 25555 Coolidge / SOUTHFIELD Tel-Twelve Mall / NORTHWEST DETROIT 19830 W. Seven Mile and 13646 W. Seven Mile
well hinge upon the credibil-
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ity of Egyptian President

Al / s

Judah Nadich of New York,
president of the Conserva-
tive RA, and Rabbi Robert I.
Kahn of Houston, president
of the Reform Central Con-
ference of American Rabbis,
agreed that the Orthodox
rabbinate in Israel was at-
tempting to use the present
Israeli internal political crisis
to create a religious monop-

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METROPOLITAN SAVINGS

Anwar El Sadat's commit-
ment to the Jewish state's
peaceful existence, on which
Dr. Kissinger has based his
Middle East policy."
In what was basically a
challenge to American policy
in the Middle East, and upon
American reliace on U.S.-
Soviet detente, Prof. Morgen-
thau said:
"When Neville Chamber-
lin went to Munich, he had
no intention of destroying
Czechoslovakia, he thought
instead that he had assured
peace in our time. On his
deathbed, the former prime
minister remarked that
everything would have turn-
ed out all right if Hitler had
not lied to him. Let us hope
Henry Kissinger will not
have occasion to assert that
everything in the Middle East
would have turned out all
right if Sadat had not lied
to him."
The administration, mean-
while, "has decided to use
its monopoly position to en-
force what is being called
an even-handed policy but is
really an open switch from
counseling moderation 'with-
out applying strong pressure
to putting the American foot
down."
A recommendation that the
Rabbinical Assembly accept
ordained women for member-
ship was made by Dr. Nadich
in his presidential report.
The idea follows a decision
announced last September
when the assembly's com-
mittee on Jewish law and
standards ruled that women
may be counted in a minyan,
the quorum for prayer.
Rabbi Nadich said that the
status of women in Conserva-
tive Judaism must be raised
to a parity being achieved by
women in other fields.
He said he was aware that
the Jewish Theological Sem-
inary sets standards for ad-
mission to its rabbinical
school. "But we must now
recognize that two rabbinical
schools now ordain women,"
Rabbi Nadich said. Further-
more, he added, a decision
by the Rabbinical Assembly
on this matter "cannot help
but influence the policies of
the seminary."

Canada School Joins
Alliance Israelite

NEW YORK (JTA)—"For
the first time in the 114-year
history of the Alliance Is-
raelite Universelle, a school
in North America—the Mon-
treal (Canada) Maimonides
School — has now affiliated
with the Alliance's network,"
Prof. Rene Cassin, president
of the Alliance and a Nobel
Peace Prize laureate and
honorary president of the
Council of State of France,
told more than 100 leaders
of the American Friends of
the Alliance at the Plaza
Hotel in New York.
Yakov Tsur, former Israel
ambassador to France, is the
chairman of the board of a
new institute, `Kerem" (vine_
yard), designed for special
training of teachers whose
task will be to strengthen
the teaching of Jewish
matters and the humanities
in Israel's secondary schools.
Tsur also is the head of the
Jewish National Fund in Is-
rael.