Orthodox Scholar Calls for Jewish Unity
NEW YORK — One of the world's leading Judaic scholars last week
called on Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews in both Israel and the
Diaspora to cease "feuding" with each other over doctrinal differences and
to seek instead to "build Jewish unity and dignity so we can preserve our
people and our heritage."
Dr. Emanuel Rackman, president of Bar-Ilan University in Israel,
made his remarks at a session of the American Jewish Committee's
annual meeting.
Warning that disagreements among the various Jewish move-
ments could lead to "disastrous civil strife" in Israel and elsewhere,
Dr. Rackman contended that at least some of the "warring" stem-
med from misunderstanding.
For example, he said, many Conservative and Reform Jews in the
U.S. feel resentment because of their "mistaken belief that Israel does not
Korobka
Comes to Mind
as Relevant
Factor in
Kashrut
Allegiance
regard non-Orthodox Jews as Jews." Stressing that this belief was based
on a "false impression," Dr. Rackman said that Israel "does not regard as
Jews only those who have not been converted by Orthodox standards,
which are quite minimal today."
However, Dr. Rackman pointed out, since much of the ill feeling
among Jewish groups springs from disagreements over the validity of
certain conversions, "it is essential if we are to retain any unity that we
agree on standards of conversion that are acceptable to all."
But still more important, he emphasized, Jews "must cease these
futile debates" over issues that separate them and focus instead on the
positive accomplishments of the respective movements and the "common
grounds that bind us all together."
Before moving to Israel in 1977, Dr. Rackman was rabbi of the
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THE JEWISH NEWS
A Weekly Review
Commentary, Page 2
of Jewish Events
RABBI RACKMAN
Jerusalem Day
Calling for
United Jewish
ActiOn to Protest
Status of
Israel's Capital
Editorial, Page 4
Copyright (b) The Jewish News Publishing Co.
VOL. LXXXI, No. 12
17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
$15 Per Year: This Issue 35c
May 21, 1982
Investigation Sought of U.S.
Links to Nazi War Criminals
Jerusalem's History,
Reunification Marked
NEW YORK (JTA) — Allegations that U.S. officials smuggled hundreds of Russian-born Nazi
war criminals into the United States after World War II for anti-Soviet propaganda and intelligence
purposes might be investigated by Congress shortly. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a member of the
House Judiciary Committee's sub-committee on immigration, said Sunday that he would call for an
investigation.
, Frank appeared on the CBS-TV "60 Minutes" program where John Loftus, a former prosecutor
for the Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations (OSI), charged that State Department
and other officials smuggled known war criminals into the country in violation of specific orders from
Presidents Roosevelt and Truman and that- various government agencies were covering up this
operation as recently as 1978.
According to Loftus, the fact that Nazi war criminals were brought into the U.S. clandes-
tinely by government officials aware of their past activities, seriously hampered the OSI's
efforts to expose and prosecute them.
The government must prove that alleged collaborators lied about their Nazi past when applying
for admission to the country and for U.S.
citizenship, before the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) can de-
naturalize them and begin deportation
proceedings.
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Menahem Begin's
"We had one unit of the government out
narrowly-based coalition government survived a Labor
trying to prosecute the Nazis and other
Party no-confidence motion in the Knesset on Wednesday
units of the government trying to secret
by a one-vote margin.
the
information," Loftus said on "60 Min-
Two Likud Knesset members announced on Tuesday
utes." The former prosecutor, now in
that they were quitting the party. Amnon Lin and Yitzhak
private practice, said the OSI "established
Peretz said they would vote with Labor on the motion,
that the files pertaining to the Nazi immi-
which was ultimately defeated 58-57 with three absten-
tions.
gration had been withheld from Congress,
Likud's defeat was prevented by the abstention of
from the courts, from the CIA and from the
Weakened Likud
Survives Attack
(Continued on Page 10)
Jerusalemites are shown celebrating Jerusalem Day at
the Western Wall.
By MARIE SYRKIN
World Zionist Press Service
(Editor's note: Ms. Syrkin is an author, translator and
'ndeis University professor. This article originally ap-
ed in the New Republic magazine.)
Any discussion about Jerusalem must begin with one plain
fact: the division of Jerusalem was the direct result of Arab
aggression. Except for the 19 years between 1948 and 1967
Jerusalem had always been united. The artificial partition of the
city took place in 1948 when Jordan seized East Jerusslem. Is-
rael's victory in 1967 reunited the city.
Today it is again a unified city whose redivision appears
plausible only to those in the Arab camp whose strategy calls for
the piecemeal cannibalization of Israel. These are the "moder-
ates." The rejectionist Arab states and their supporters want no
less than all of Jerusalem, so that now the issue is sovereignty —
Israeli, Arab or international.
Few need to be reminded how thoroughly Jerusalem has
permeated Jewish consciousness since the destruction of the Sec-
ond Teriiple in 70 CE. Jerusalem has informed Jewish lit-
(Continued on Page 14)
(Continued on Page 11)
JDC Allowed to Resume Work in Poland
In December, the
American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee
was invited to resume its
aid to the Jewish popula-
tion of Poland. The
Polish government
halted the aid after the
Six-Day War in 1967. This
historic photograph from
1919 shows the S.S. Au-
burn being loaded with
kosher salted beef in New
York harbor to aid the
Polish Jewish population
trapped by the fighting
between Poland and
Russia. A rabbi in the
crowd is shown blessing
the shipment.