THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Israel, Egypt Scuttle U.S. Resolution Compromise
•
(Continued from Page 1)
Strauss reportedly be-
lieved that a U.S. resolution
would worsen relations
with Israel but he had no
chance to argue the point
with the President since his
instructions were given to
him at the last minute.
Strauss was reported as say-
ing on the plane that he car-
ried out the instructions but
both Begin and Sadat firmly
rejected the U.S. proposed
resolution.
The State Department,
however, denied there had
been any dissent about
Mideast strategy and that
the approach used by
Strauss over the weekend
had been approved unanim-
ously at a meeting attended
by Strauss.
On returning from the
Middle East Strauss had
told reporters that his
mission was "not good."
According to a working
paper obtained by the
Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, a draft of the reso-
lution before the UN reads:
"The Security Council af-
firms:
"A. That the Palestinian
Rabbi's Liberal Conversion Views
By RABBI
MARC ANGEL
One of the outstanding
modern rabbinic
authorities was Rabbi Benz-
ion Meir Hai Uziel (1880-
1953), who served with dis-
tinction as the Sephardi
Chief Rabbi of Israel begin-
ning in 1939. Rabbi' Uziel
had an extraordinary
career, both as a scholar and
as a statesman.
One of the important
areas which Rabbi Uziel
treated in his responsa re-
lates to the issue of conver-
sion to Judaism. The weight
of Orthodox opinion has
tended to consider any con-
version to Judaism where
there is no strong commit-
ment to Jewish observance
to be invalid and meaning-
less. One orthodox rabbi
stated what many believe,
that "Conversion to
Judaism without commit-
ment to observance has no
validity whatever and the
spuriously converted person
remains in the eyes of
Halakha a non-Jew as be-
fore."
Rabbi Uziel offered a
different point of view on
this topic. In a responsum
written in 1943, Rabbi Uziel
argued that when an inter-
married couple comes to a
Jewish court seeking the
conversion of the non-
Jewish partner, we must
allow such a conversion
even if we are not convinced
that the convert will be fully
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observant of Jewish law in
every detail.
We may not take the
haughty attitude that
since these individuals
have flaunted Jewish
tradition by their act of
intermarriage we should
let them suffer the fate of
transgressors.
On the contrary, since
they have come to rabbinic
authorities, the couple now
displays a desire to rejoin
the Jewish people in full.
They have shown that they
want to be part of the
Jewish community. Even if
we know that the main and
perhaps the only reason for
the conversion is marriage,
yet when all is said and done
such a conversion is still
valid from a halakhic point
of view.
Indeed, Rabbi Uziel
argued that such conver-
sions are not only permissi-
ble but actually are morally
required. Rabbis are not
only permitted to convert a
non-Jew for the sake of
marri?ge, but are urged not
to avoid the positive respon-
sibility of so doing. Rabbi
Uziel believed the conse-
quences of allowing an in-
termarraige to take place or
to continue are far more
serious than the implica-
tions of conversion when the
ideal situation does not
exist.
He was particularly con-
cerned that children born of
an intermarried couple
should not be lost to the
Jewish fold. Therefore, by
encouraging the conversion
of a non-Jewish spouse,
there is a chance that the
children will grow up in a
Jewish milieu.
In a responsum dating
from 1951, Rabbi Uziel
concluded that it is per-
missible and in fact
obligatory for us to ac-
cept converts even
though it is known to us
that they will not observe
all of the commandments.
We can assume that their
coming to Judaism will
lead them to become
more observant.
By opening the door for
them and letting them enter
our community we can
strengthen Jewish life.
Needless to say, we must
make every effort to teach
them the Torah and to
encourage their observance
of our commandments. But
in the final analysis, we
must rely on our sense of
compassion and reason.
Respect for Women Reason
for Exclusion From Minyan
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)
Traditional Judaism does
not involve the presence of
women in establishing the
required quorum for prayer,
10 males as a minimum.
Some halakhic sources
trace this as far back as the
Bible where the term "con-
gregation" or "community"
was applied strictly to 10
adult males, i.e., in the case
of the 10 male scouts who
were referred to as a "com-
munity" (Numbers 14:27)
Some claim that the mat-
ter involves the considera-
tion that the obligations of
males are not the same as
the obligation of females
when it comes to prayer and
that a quorum for public
prayer has to consist of 10
individuals whose obliga-
tions for prayer are identi-
cal (Margoliyot ha-Yam
Sanhedrin 74b).
This understanding
would sometimes
exclude males under cer-
tain circumstances when
their obligation for
prayer is not the same as
the rest of the congrega-
tion (e.g. an Onen who
has lost a next of kin and
has not as yet had the
chance to effect his bu-
rial).
Still others explain the
exclusion of women on the
grounds that Jewish law re-
garded the roles of females
as distinctively different
from that of males. This exc-
lusion is hence not one
which points to any sense of
inferiority but rather a
status which indicates ex-
clusiveness.
The experience of prayer
is about the most intensive
as far as concentration is
concerned. In the case of
public prayer which alone
permits the inclusion of
"Davar Sheb'kdusha,"
which is the intense feeling
of the presence of holiness,
at least two requirements
are necessary. A person
cannot experience such in-
tensity alone.
Also, the group which
makes up this intense col-
lective experience must
comprise 10 persons whose
individuality can merge be-
cause of the similarity of
their identity. This is not
considered possible in the
case of including females in
the quorum because Jewish
law insists that the distinc-
tiveness and exclusiveness
of the female be recognized.
In short, Judaism, in its
traditional sense, recog-
nizes not just the equality of
women but also their dis-
tinctiveness.
people should be able to
exercise its inalienable
rights of self-
determination, national in-
dependence and sover-
eignty in Palestine in ac-
cordance with the United
Nations Charter and re-
levant resolutions of the Se-
curity Council and the Gen-
eral Assembly;
"B. The right of Palesti-
nian refugees wishing to re-
turn to their homes and live
in peace with their
neighbors to do so and the
right of those choosing not
to return to receive compen-
sation for their property."
The Israeli Cabinet on
Sunday unanimously
supported Prime Minis-
ter Menahem Begin who
had unequivocally re-
jected any change in UN
Resolutions 242 and 338
or any supplements to
them.
Strauss did not hide his
surprise in Israel that
Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat, as well as Begin, was
entirely unenthusiastic
about the U.S. draft.
Observers believe Sadat
fears the effect of such a
draft upon his evolving
peace process with Israel.
He is plainly aware of the
voices that have already
been raised in the Israeli
Cabinet recommending
that Israel cease its gradual
r
pullback from Sinai as a
reaction to the proposed
resolution.
Israeli analysts believe
Sadat's reluctant approach
towards the proposed
American initiative stems,
too, from his feeling that a
new UN resolution would be
seen as a triumph for the
Arab rejectionists and that
American involvement in
the drafting of such a reso-
lution would be interpreted
as a sign of U.S. pandering
to the rejectionists.
Friday, August 24, 1919 7
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