16 Friday, September 26, 1980 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Unacceptability of Jewish Prayer' Remarks Defended by Baptist NEW YORK (JTA) — A Baptist leader's claim that "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew" Mack Pitt and his Orchestra plus Disco Music just for you 358-3642 has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish and some Bap- tist groups and a denial by Dr. Bailey Smith, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, who made the statement, that he is anti- Semitic. Smith, however, would not disavow the remarks he made at the National Af- fairs Briefing, a gathering of fundamentalist Chris- tians in Dallas last month. Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, director of the interreli- PEACE To Your Home JOY To Your Heart HY & MARILYN JACOBS gious affairs department of the American Jewish Committee, described Smith's assertion as "invin- cible ignorance" of the Jewish faith and "almost to- tally at variance with the major pronouncements of the Southern Baptist Con- vention." Smith is pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla. Smith's Dallas speech was recorded by Milton To- bian, executive director of the AJCommittee's North Texas region which mailed transcripts to Jewish lead- ers last week. Smith was recorded as saying: "It is interesting; at great political rallies, how you have a Protes- tant to pray, a Catholic to pray, and then you have a Jew to pray. With all due respects to those dear people, my friends, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew." Responding to the angry reactions to his remarks, Smith declared "I am pro- Jew. I believe they are God's special people. I believe they are still loved in the heart of God and that the Jews are some of the greatest blessings human- ity has ever had, but with- out Jesus Christ they are lost. No prayer gets through that is not prayed through Jesus." He claimed that "Jews have an argument with me because they have an argument with the New Testament." In an interview with De- troit Free Press religion writer Harry Cook, Rev. Smith was asked, "What could you possibly have had in mind; saying that God doesn't hear the prayers of Jewish people? Have 3,000 years' worth of prayers gone ignored? How about Moses, Abraham, David, all those people? Smith replied, "Well, JEWISH NATIONAL FUND Cordially Invites You to Attend The TESTIMONIAL DINNER Honoring DR. HAROLD T. SHAPIRO Distinguished President of the Univeristy of Michigan HAROLD T. and VIVIAN B. SHAPIRO FOREST in the AMERICAN BICENTENNIAL PARK General Chairman: David B. Holtzman Honorary Co-Chairmen: Mrs. Morris Adler Mr. and Mrs. Louis Berry Mr. and Mrs. Morris J. Brandwine Mr. and Mrs. Irwin I. Cohn Dr. and Mrs. I. Jerome Hauser Mr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Jockier Mr. and Mrs. Charles Milan Mr. and Mrs. Max M. Shaye Mr. and Mrs. Leonard N. Simons Mr. and Mrs. Philip Slomovirz Mr. Phillip Srollman Mr. and Mrs. Max Stollmon Mr. and Mrs. David P. Zack Mr. and Mrs. Paul Zuckerman President, Jewish National Fund of Greater Detroit, Cormi M. Slomovirz Executive Director, Percy Kaplan Assistant Executive Direcror, Alan J. Herbach Director of Publicity, Ceil Kliger Ruda " name is Jesus Christ." Smith's remarks were condemned by a col- league, Dr. James Dunn, director of the Dallas- based Christian Life Commission of Texas Baptists. Dunn observed that "Baptists at their best have always believed in religious liberty" but "you can't really believe in religious liberty without respecting the religious convictions of others." He added, "If God Al- mighty cannot hear the prayers of Jews, you're put- ting pretty severe limits on your doctrine of God." Meanwhile, leading Bap- tist ministers and educators from several states have strongly deplored Dr. Smith, for his public remark last month that "God Al- mighty does not hear the prayer ora Jew." Scores of letters ad- dressed directly to Smith, to various Baptist church organs and to American Jewish leaders involved in inter-faith affairs, de- nounced Smith's views as contrary to the Scrip- tures and unfair and in- sulting to Jews. Abu Hatzeira Associate Jailed; Case Has New Twist . . . on the occasion of the establishing of the Honorary Chairmen: Dr. Thomas N. -Bonner. President, Wayne Store University Dr. William Haber University of Michigon Father Robert A. Mitchell, S. J. , Presidenr, University of Derroir sir, first of all let me say that the statement all the papers are quoting today I did make. I can't say I didn't. But it amounted to 30 seconds out of a 40- minute talk. And I know it's what people always say, but I was quoted out of context. "Anyway, of course, the prayers of the Jews were heard by God, that is, up until God sent Jesus. Before Him (Jesus) the Jews had the complete revelation and lived by it. But things are different after Jesus, and the reason I said God doesn't hear Jewish prayers is be- cause my Bible says that Jesus is the only way a man can get to God. I can't help what it says in the New Tes- tament." "Are you saying, then," Cook asked, " that fol- lowers of Judaism, fol- lowers of Buddah, Mohammed, Lao Tse and Confucious, to name but a few, are doomed, can't expect God's approval? "I'm saying only what I've been taught since I was five years old. I'm saying that there is no other name under heaven whereby men can be saved. And that in Israel and on the occasion of the upcoming 80th Anniversary of the Jewish National Fund Keren Kaymeth Lelsrael On Wednesday evening, October 15, 1980 Shoarey Zedek Synagogue 27375 Bell Road, Southfield Cocktails, 6:30 p.m./Dinner, 7:00 p.m. Dress Optional Guest Speaker: Honorable Paul Kedar Counsel General of The State of Israel Dinner Chairman: David B. Holtzman Contribution (including dinner): per couple (Minimum) $150.00 For. Information and Reservations call: 27308 Southfield Southfield, Mich. 48076 Phone 559-5520 JERSALEM (JTA) — Moshe Gabbai, a long-time close associate of Religious Affairs Minister Aharon Abu Hatzeira and a senior official of the ministry, was remanded in custody for 15 days by a Tel Aviv district court. It was the first such court action since the investiga- tion began several months ago of allegations that Abu Hatzeira and other ministry officials misappropriated funds. Gabbai was jailed at the request of the police. The Tel Aviv magistrate who ordered him held after examining evidence in his chambers, said there was sufficient prima facie mate- rial to warrant the remand. He emphasized, however, that it should not be con- strued as an indication of guilt. A police attorney told the court that Gabbai is suspected of taking kickbacks from several yeshivot which received unwarranted and dis- proportionate increases in their allocations from the Religious Affairs Ministry. The police said he is also suspected of bribery in a recent local election. Gabbai, who was held for questioning for 48 hours be- fore his remand, reportedly has refused to cooperate with the police. Under Is- raeli law, a suspect may be held in custody for a maximum of 15 days. But the court can renew the re- mand at 15-day intervals as long as the investigation continues. The case took an unex- pected turn last week when Israel's two chief rabbis stated that on religious grounds one of the chief witnesses against Gabbai could not testify. He is De- puty Mayor Israel Gottlieb of Bnei Brak, an Orthodox township north of Tel Aviv, who is himself a suspect in the case and had offered to turn state's el, idence. Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Sephar- dic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, whose opinions were solicited separately, both insisted that the insitution of state's evidence was counter to Jewish religious law. According to the chief rabbis, by admitting his own guilt, the witness disqualified himself from giving acceptable evi- dence against anyone else. They cited biblical and talmudic texts to that effect. National Religious Party circles observed that Gottlieb would not be able to transgress against the chief rabbis' injunction without losing all vestiges of his standing and his posi- tion in the party. Chief Rabbis Goren and Yosef were themselves the targets of criticism from non-religious and legal sources for interfering in the Abu Hatzeira case. Di Presse Has New Director BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Mates Goldfarb, active in the Jewish community here, has been named new director of Di Presse, the only Yiddish newspaper in Argentina, and its weekly publication in Spanish, Nueva Presencia.