THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, September 28, 1919 15

Jewish, Catholic Units Seek
to Upgrade Status of Women

By BEN GALLOB

(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)

The upgrading of women
in both their social and
religious lives is the
mutual interest of an-
usual freindship be-
tween a group of Catholic
feminists and the Houston
chapter of the American
Jewish Committee.
St. Joan's Alliance, the
Catholic group, and the
AJCommittee chapter re-
cently held a joint meeting
to hear Mary Sinderson,
chief of the civil rights di-
vision of the U.S. Attorney's
office for the Southern Dis-
trict of Texas, discuss,
women's needs in insur-
ance, jobs, finances and
other topics.
Janis Ross, a leader in the
Alliance, said that the AJ-
Committee "seems to be
mm a aware of feminist atti-
tudes than other religious
groups in our community.
This may be because the
chapter is "not tied to a par-

titular congregation."
Sanford Kanter, direc-
tor of the AJCommittee's
southwest area, attrib-
uted the agency's
"forward-looking
perspective" to the fact
that the agency "takes an
intellectual approach
and relies heavily on re-
search and analysis." He
said that the AJCommit-
tee established a unit to
study the role of women
in 1973 as an outcome of
such study and analysis.
Kanter also said that
"Judaism has opened up
much more lately to the
whole spectrum of women's
issues. He noted that
seminaries that train rabbis
for Reform congregations
have graduated an increas-
ing number of women each
year and that a number of
these women rabbis are now
serving in pulpits. "Soon
there will be Conservative
women rabbis, too," Kanter
said.

The Origin of Kol Nidre

them claimed that the
annulment only affected
The "Kol Nidre" is a for- the vows of the past year.
mula recited for the annul- Others claimed that the
ment of vows and pledges annulment affecthd the
and promises. This is of- vows of the coming year
fered before the evening that one might forget to
service of Yom Kippur be- keep. Still others claimed
gins.
that the annulment af-
The origin is a matter of fected the vows of the
disagreement between past year as well as the
scholars. Some say the orig- vows of the future year.
inal language (as we say it
It was pointed out by later
today) was Aramaic and, authorities that the vows,
therefore, it originated dur- pledges and promises that
ing the Gaeonic period in were affected were only
Babylonia.
those between man and the
Others say that the origi- Almighty. Vows between
nal language was Hebrew man and his fellow man are
and that, therefore, it origi- not included in this annul-
nated towards the begin- ment procedure. They must
ning of the Gaonic period be fulfilled and cannot be
outside of Babylonia. Ray forgiven.
Hai Gaon (Ninth Century)
indicated that the purpose Jewish Education
of this recitation was to seek in Latin America
forgiveness for those vows
and pledges which an indi- Goal of Agency
vidual failed to keep during
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A
the past year.
Jewish Agency survey
This refers to the committee which recently
pledges and vows which recommended to the Agency
a person may have for- Executive that the program
gotten, because if he still for developing Jewish edu-
remembered them he is cation in Latin America for
required to fulfill them the next three years be con-
now.
tinued, received a report
An interesting reason for last week on what had been
the origin and practice of accomplished in the last
the recitation of the _Kol four years.
Nidre is offered by one of the
Haim Zohar, secretary
critics (Jacob Mann). He general of the World Zionist
claims that, as is the case Organization, who served
'with some other customs,
as committee chairman,
the recitation of Kol Nidre said the Jewish Agency
was instituted to steer spent some $6 million for
people away from the mis- the program in that time.
taken position maintained
The program's aim is to
by the Karaites.
deepen Jewish-Zionist edu-
The Karaites did not ac-
cation in Argentina, Brazil,
cept the traditional
Uruguay and Chile, and to
authority of the rabbis to
develop new study pro-
annul vows, as is our prac- grams and improve the edu-
tice even today. They sim- cational standards by train-
ply insisted that there is no ing teachers.
way to annul vows. It was,
therefore, to demonstrate
Only one man was
that vows can be annuled created by God as the com-
that the rabbis ordained the mon ancestor of all, for the
formula to be recited before sake of the peace of the
the Yom Kippur eve service. human race, that one may
A difference of opinion not say to another, "My an-
ensued among some rab- cestor was better than
binic authorities. Some of thine."

By RABBI SAMUEL FOX

(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)

-

t://N1VV4,
A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, for the past three decades, our Jewish community has watched with
sympathy and understanding the effort of the State of Israel to build a flourishing
democracy; and
WHEREAS,that effort has been greatly strengthened by the inflow of investment
capital produced by the sale of Israel Bonds for the express purpose of helping to expand
and develop Israel's vital economic infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, a new era of hope has dawned for the people of Israel and men of
goodwill all over the world as a result of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty; and
WHEREAS, Israel is confronted with new and additional responsibilities, including
the rebuilding of the Negev and the transference of populations from the Sinai to the
Negev; and
WHEREAS, the Synagogue is the center of Jewish life and has played a major role in
providing Israel with the economic aid it has required to build from strength to strength,
and
WHEREAS, the new $1 Billion Economic Development for Peace Loan is vital to the
growth of Israel as the nation prepares to meet the challenges of the immediate future,
and
WHEREAS, it is of special importance that this year there be an additional purchase
of these Bonds, including a regular investment plus a $1000 loan to Israel in this historic
period,
NOW, THERFORE, we urge all of our congregants preparing to celebrate the
Jewish New Year of 5740, to participate fully and wholeheartedly in the double-level drive
to invest in Israel's future and thereby to assure the prosperity, development and growth
of the State of Israel in a peace-time era.

David M. Lieberman,Rabbi
B'nai Israel-Beth Yehudah
Haskel Grubner,Rabbi
Dovid Ben Nuchim
Leizer Levin,Rabbi
Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah
Milton Rosenbaum,Rabbi
Temple Emanu-El
Ernst J. Conrad,Rabbi
Temple Kol Ami
Efry Spectre,Rabbi
Adat Shalom
Richard A. Weiss,Rabbi
Temple Beth Jacob
James I. Gordon,Rabbi
Young Israel-Oak Woods
Harold S. Loss, Rabbi
Temple Israel
Betzalel Gottlieb,Rabbi
Mishkan Israel, Nusach H'Ari,
Lubavitcher Center
Morton. Yolkut,Rabbi
B'nai David
Irwin Groner,Rabbi
Shaarey Zedek

David A. Nelson,Rabbi
Beth Shalom
Leon Fram,Founding Rabbi
Temple Israel
M. Robert Syme,Rabbi
Temple Israel
Milton Arm,Rabbi
Beth Achim
Feivel Wagner,Rabbi
Young Israel of Greenfield
Israel I. Halpern,Rabbi
Beth Abraham Hillel Moses
A. Irving Schnipper,Rabbi
Beth Abraham-Hillel Moses
Shaiall Zachariash,Rabbi
Shomrey Emunah
Leo Y. Goldman, Rabbi
Shaarey Shomayim
Stanley Rosenbaum,Rabbi
B'nai Moshe
Elisha M. Prero,Rabbi
Young Israel of Southfield
Richard C. Hertz,Rabbi
Temple Beth El

You can obtain a prospectus from

STATE OF ISRAEL BONDS

David B. Hermelin, General Chairman
Greater Metropolitan Detroit Committee

Irving Laker, Chairman
Synagogue and Temple Activities

24123 Greenfield Road, Southfield, Michigan 48075 • 557 2900

-