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Orthodox Groups Challenge
Change in Lineage Proposal

NEW YORK (JTA) —
Two Orthodox groups have
angrily denounced a pro-
posal by a leading 'Reform
Editor-in-Chief
rabbi for a revolutionary
Emeritus, JTA
change in Jewish law that
I (Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)
would regard the child of a
mixed marriage as Jewish if
CJF INNOVATIONS: The Council of Jewish Federa- either parent was Jewish.
tions is entering the new year with important innovations
The Union of Orthodox
to irfcrease the involvement of community leaders in the Rabbis of the United States
CJF decision-making and governance structure and proce- and Canada assailed the
dures.
suggestion by Rabbi Ale-
The move expands the CJF governance to about 700 xander Schindler, president
active participants. They will be expected to work on a of• the Union of American
year-round basis. Some of them, active in their local federa-
Hebrew Congregations
tions, have for years been attending the CJF General As-
(UAHC) as "a hazard for the
sembly as delegates. But the Assembly meets only once a
non-Jew, a hazard for the
year. The present idea is to activate them to a meaningful
Jew and a hazard for all
year-round linkage to the CJF and its board of directors,
mankind."
which is guiding the on-going work and meets quarterly.
The Agudath Israel of
Elected by their local federations, they will form a body America issued a statement
to be "Federation Delegates To The CJF." This body — a blasting Schindler and the
kind of council of governors — will be the Only authorized entire Reform movement. It
governing and policy-making organ of the CJF. One of its
also took strong exception to
functions will be to elect the board of directors which has a promise by Shimon Peres,
hitherto been elected at the General Assembly by delegates chairman of the opposition
Labor Party in Israel, to
entitled to vote as federation representatives.
Members of the CJF board will be principally elected support "recognition of all
from the members of the new Federation Delegate body,
streams of Judaism" in Is-
who will also serve on CJF committees, task forces, etc.
rael when his party returns
Members
of
"Fed-
TIGHTENING CONNECTIONS:
to power. Both Schindler
eration Delegates To The CJF" will be elected by their and Peres spoke at the re-
respective communities at the beginning of the calendar
cent 55th biennial conven-
year for service throughout the year. The local federation tion of the UAHC in To-
president will be heading the local delegation and the ronto.
Jewish tradition holds
executive director will serve as ex-officio member of the
that only a child born of a
delegation.
To tighten the connecting structure between the local Jewish mother is Jewish.
communities and the CJF, members of the CJF staff will
Upholding this, the
visit communities on a year-round basis. They will Union of Orthodox Rab-
evaluate local problems and keep the local groups of Feder-
bis said, in a statement,
that "According to Torah
ation Delegates informed on new developments.
TOP LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE: The CJF board and the tradition of ages
of directors, the election of which will now pass from the which still exists today, a
General Assembly to the "Federation Delegates To The Jew is only a person born
CJF," is currently composed of 136 members. They include to a Jewish mother or a
74 persons elected at-large for two-year terms and the proselyte who has been
converted with the exact
presidents of the 16 cities with 40,000 or more Jewish
population; eight life members, of whom seven are past procedure laid down in
the authoritative codes of
presidents of the CJF; 25 chairmen of committees; 12 offi-
Judaism from ancient
cers and one regional chairman of the Western Area.
All of the board members have been recommended by times down to the
Shulhan Arukh — Jewish
their respective community Federations. The board makes
decisions between the annual meetings of the Assembly code of laws."
According to the state-
and is obligated to carry out the policies established by the
ment, "All the good-will and
Assembly which will henceforth be made by the Federation
broadmindedness in the
Delegates body.
world cannot change the ac-
. tuality of a non-Jew into the
actuality of a Jew. Fur-
thermore, the non-Jew him-
self would not want to be
such a convert because it is
JERUSALEM (JTA) — and Iraq have built nu-
worthless unless it is main-
clear power plants while
Israel opened its first year-
tained as Divinely or-
Israel has put a freeze on
round solar energy plant on
dained.
the Dead Sea last week such projects.
"Were all the rabbis in
But solar energy was the
while advocates of nuclear
the world to convene and
power urged that the coun- immediate focus of atten-
declare their 'recognition' of
try also move in that direc- tion. The 150 kilowatt plant
the Jewishness of an impro-
tion because of the soaring at Ein Bokek on the Dead
perly converted proselyte or
Sea was opened officially at
price of oil.
of a child born to a Jewish
Moshe Arens, chairman ceremonies attended by
father alone, they could not
of the Knesset's Foreign Af- Energy Minister Yitzhak
make him a Jew."
fairs and Security Commit- Modai. It is a pilot plant
The Agudath Israel
tee, warned at a meeting at with a limited output.
statement said that "Hav-
If the new technique on
the Haifa Technion that
ing
long ago renounced the
time was running out for Is- which it is based proves suc-
divinity of the Torah, there
rael to prepare the infras- cessful, a five megawatt
is
no
novelty in the Reform's
tructure and assemble the power station will be built
resources to build a nuclear on the same site by late
1981 or early 1982 to be fol-
power plant.
Israel has the scientific lowed by a 20 megawatt
know-how to build such a plant.
plant, he said. He noted that
by next year Israel will Jewish Theater
probably be paying Egypt Group is Formed
$40 per barrel for Sinai oil,
NEW YORK — Twenty-
almost double the present
individuals have
price and still will not be five
formed a North American
able to fill all of its energy
Jewish Theater Association
needs.
Prof. Shimon Iftah, and are planning a Jewish
president of the Israel theater festival in New
Nuclear Science Society, York in 1980.
The organization is also
observed that it was
planning a directory and a
paradoxical that oil-rich
scripts
inventory.
countries such as Libya

attack on the traditional
determinants of Jewish
lineage. The Reform rabbi-
nate has long overlooked
the classical definition of
Jews by officiating at in-
termarriages.
"It charged that
'Halakhic determinants
are being rewritten, to
serve the whims of those
Jews who choose to
marry out of the fold;
when the Jew and Torah
law are on a collision
course, it is the individual
who must adjust and cor-
rect his actions and not
our timeless tenets."
The Agudath Israel also
claimed that "the Reform
movement in this country
and around the world is in a
desperate state" and "the
current attempts at resusci-
tation via Israel by threats
to test Reform rabbis' rights
in Israeli courts will fare no
better than previous futile
efforts in Israel and the U.S.
History has shown that a
Judaism not based on
Halakha has no future."
The Agudath Israel ac-
cused Peres of "bartering
Jewish survival and Jewish
ideals for the dollars of the
Reform temples" by "prom-
ising to fulfill their desires
in Israel."

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