SEVENTH HEAVEN

During his speech last
week before an estimated
100-person crowd, Rev.
Lyons said no religious sym-
bols would prevail in a
perfect world. He said such
symbols dilute and desecrate
religion.
Nathan and other TORCH
opponents had called for
teaching multi-cultural pro-
grams to help children
understand differences

among their peers. The
board of education agreed
with TORCH opponents,
restating its position that
religious ceremony and in-
doctrination have no place in
public education.

❑

`Who Is Jew' Solution
Gains Scant Approval

Converts were not
being prepared for
"denominational"
Judaism.

Synagogue of America's
biennial convention.
Rabbi Stanley Wagner, of
Denver's Orthodox Beth
HaMedrosh Hagadol Con-
gregation, offered his
"Denver Program" as a
working proposal.
The seven-point Denver
Program included the estab-
lishment of a conversion
board separate from a belt
din, consisting of Reform,
Conservative and Orthodox
rabbis who would supervise
a 16-week course before rec-
ommending candidates to
the Orthodox rabbinical -
court.
Though each rabbi would
be required to work in-
dependently with the can-
didates he referred, it was
made clear the converts
were not being prepared for
"denominational" Judaism
but Jewish life as a whole,
Rabbi Wagner said.
Reform spokesman Rabbi
Dow Marmur of Toronto's
Holy Blossom Temple
quoted from a Jan. 4 column
in the Jerusalem Post by
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of the
West Bank town of Efrat.
Riskin's solution calls for
the formation of a "unity
beit din" comprising three
Orthodox rabbis and an
equal number of Conser-
vative, Reform and
Reconstructionist rabbis.
Marmur noted that since
three rabbis are the

Sale!!

The policy, however,
allows for shared knowledge
of the major religions if it
enhances understanding and
tolerance.

I NEWS I

Toronto (JTA) — A propos-
ed compromise to the con-
troversy over non-halachic
conversions that would be
amenable to the three main
branches of Judaism met
with little enthusiasm, as a
panel of Orthodox, Conser-
vative and Reform rabbis
debated the "Who is a Jew"
issue at the United

Huge Clearance

minimum required to con-
vene a rabbinic court of law,
the Orthodox presence
would fill this requirement
without compromising the
pluralistic stance of their
non-Orthodox colleagues.
Rabbi Arnold Goodman of
Ahavath Achim Congrega-
tion in Atlanta was the final
speaker to address the
plenary's 700 delegates.
The Conservative repre-
senta.tive attacked the
Denver Program saying, "It
sent forth the wrong
message. If we are to come
in, we are to come in as
equal partners. Otherwise,
we challenge our halachic
competence. Why should we
delegate our responsibility?"
Rabbi Goodman said.

Orthodox Fight
`Unity' Belt Din

New York (JTA) — Eleven
rabbis of Yeshiva University
have signed a five-point
document opposing the for-
mation of a mixed de-
nominational "screening
committee" to solve the
"Who is a Jew" controversy.
The committee was to con-
sist of representatives of the
Orthodox, Reform and Con-
servative movements.
The document, addressed
to students at the college
who had requested clarifica-
tion on the matter, states
that "A beit din (rabbinic
council) which includes even
one member who is not an
Orthodox Jew is without
halachic authority."
Some Orthodox sources
had favored the idea of a Co-
operative committee,
reasoning that it would
reduce to a minimum the
number of illegitimate con-
verts, by Orthodox stan-
dards, who are accepted into
Israel as citizens. The pro-
posal's supporters reportedly
include members of the Rab-
binical Council of America,
the rabbinic arm of Or-
thodox Judaism.

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

67