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30 Reform Rabbis
Discuss VietHm
With Goldberg
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
American Jewish Reform move
ment’s Joint Commission on So
cial Action is going to intensify
its efforts to keep alive through
out the country a “dialogue for
peace” in Southeast Asia, it was
announced by the heads of the
Reform group’s lay and rabbin
ical organizations —the Central
Conference of American Rabbis
and the Union of American He
brew Congregations.
The announcement was made
by Rabbi Jacob J. Weinstein,
president of the CCAR and Rab
bi Maurice Eisendrath, president
of the UAHC at a news confer
ence in which they reported .the
results of a two-hour meeting
held by 30 Reform rabbis who
discussed the Viet Nam situation
with Ambassador Arthur J. Gold
berg, chairman of the United
States delegation to the United
Nations.
Rabbi Weinstein and Rabbi
Eisendrath were among the 30
who met with Mr. Goldberg.
They said that far from discour
aging public discussion of the
Viet Nam situation, Ambassador
Goldberg had made it clear that
the U. S. Government is anxious
to keep the dialogue alive.
(Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild,
spiritual leader of the Temple in
Atlanta, was also one of those at
tending the meeting with Gold
berg.)
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
Vol. XLI
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1966
NO. 5
Rabbis Address Jesuits on
Jewish-Catholic Relations
Soloveitchik Outlines Stand
On Jewish-Christian
WOODSTOCK, Md. (JTA) —
More than 2000 seminarians and
the entire faculty of a noted Jes
uit institution attended a two-
day institute on Jewish-Christian
relations here last week. This is
the first such Institute to be held
at a major Jesuit seminary since
the promulgation of the Ecumen
ical Council’s declaration on the
Jews. The institute was co-spon
sored by the Woodstock College
and the American Jewish Com
mittee. The Baltimore chapter of
the American Jewish Committee
and the Baltimore Jewish Com
munity Council cooperated in or
ganizing the institute.
The Very Reverend F. F. Car-
deena. S. J. Rector of Woodstock
College extended greetings to the
noted Jewish scholars, religious
and communal leaders participat
in'' in the interfaith conference.
Father j. A. Fitzmver. S. J. Pro-
fes'er of New Testament and
Ehhl^eal Languages, chaired the
Augusta Rabbi
To Deliver Prayer
In US Senate
Rabbi Maynard C. Hyman, spir-
tual leader of
Synagogue, has
seen invited by
Senator Her
man Talmadge
to open a ses
sion of the
United States
Senate in
Washi n g t o n
with a prayer.
He will deliver
this prayer on
F e b r uary 8.
While in Washington, he will
meet with Senator Talmadge and
other Senate leaders.
Prior to assuming his rabbin
ical duties with Adas Yeshurun,
Rabbi Hyman was the spiritual
leader of Congregation Tifereth
Zvi in Utica, N. Y., for seven
years. While in Utica, the Rabbi
was one of the first area clergy
men in recent years to be invited
to open a session of the House of
Representatives in Washington.
Buffalo Rabbis
Ask Invocations
By Laymen
BUFFALO (JTA)—The Buffa
lo Board of Rabbis declared in a
statement that Jewish tradition
does not make mandatory that
opening prayers at meetings and
conferences be delivered by a
clergyman and urged that lay
people "should be called on to do
so whenever possible.”
The rabbinical group explained
that this would not only “be in
accord with Jewish tradition,"
but that it would also “be of help
to the rabbis who, becau.se of
their limited number, are unable
to answer all reouests” for such
appearances in Buffalo.
opening session at which Rabbi
Jacob B. Agus of Baltimore, de
livered a paper on “A Rabbinic
View of the New Testament in
the Context of the First Cen
tury.”
Rabbi Agus, a member of the
Conservative branch of Judaism,
pointed out that “The Noachide
laws plus the imitation of God
in rabbinic literature and their
counter-part in the New Testa
ment provide us with the basic
framework for the understanding
of our relation to people of other
faiths. We do not seek to convert
others to our historic faith, nor
do we assume that all religions
are equally true, nor do we pro
fess to be interested only in ex
ploring the objective domain of
knowledge. We do meet on the
common ground of knowledge the
better to know others and our
selves,” Rabbi Agus said.
Other sneakers included Rabbi
Monford Harris of the College of
Jewish Studies, Chicago, who
spoke on “Judaism and Chris
tianity in the Middle Ages: Mvths
and Realities”; Dr. Joseph Blau
of Columbia University, who
sDoke on “The Modem Period:
Emancipation and Post-Enlighten<~
ment"; Rabbi Abraham Shuster-
man, of Har Sinai Congregation,
Baltimore, who spoke on “Con
temporary Trends in Judaism”;
Irving Blum, vice-president of
the Associated Jewish Charities
of Baltimore, who spoke on “Or
ganization of the Jewish Com
munity”; and I^on Sachs, direc
tor of the Baltimore Jewish
Council, who <:r.r.iro on “Judaism
and Social Justice.”
LAKEWOOD, N. J. (JTA) —
Guidelines for inter-religious
consultation and for fruitful com
munications between Jewish and
Christian religious communities
were outlined here by Rabbi
Joseph B. Soloveitchik, leading
American Jewish theolo g i a n
and Professor of Talmud at
Yeshiva University, in an address
at the annual conference of the
Rabbinical Council of America.
The more than 500 Orthodox
rabbis attending the conference
were told by Rabbi Soloveitchik,
to oppose any “public debate,
dialogue or symposium concern
ing the doctrinal, dogmatic or
ritual aspects of our faith vis-
a-vis similar aspects of another
faith community.” On the other
hand,’ he advocated interfaith
communication in matters of hu
manitarian and cultural endea
vor.
“We would deem it improper,”
he stated, “to enter into dialogues
on such topics as: 1. Judaic mon
otheism and the Christian idea
of trinity; 2. The Messianic Idea
in Judaism and Christianity;
3. The Jewish attitude on Jesus;
4. The concept of the Covenant
in Judaism and Christianity.
There cannot be mutual under
standing concerning these topics
for Jew and Christian will em
ploy different categories and
move within incommensurate
frames of reference and evalua
tion.
“We are ready to enter into
dialogue on such topics as war
and peace, poverty, freedom,
man’s moral values, the threat of
securalism, technology and hu
man values, civil rights, etc.,
which revolve about religious,
spiritual aspects of our civiliza
tion. Discussion within these
areas will, of course, be within
the framework of our religious
outlooks and terminology.” He
added that “in the areas of uni
versal concern we welcome an
exchange of ideas and impres
sions. Communications among
the various communities will
greatly contribute towards mu
tual understanding tfnd will en
hance and deepen jur knowledge
of those universal aspects of man
which are relevant to all of us.”
Moses I. Feuerstein, president
of the Union of Orthodox Jew
ish Congregations of America
hailed Dr. Soloveitchik’s state
ment as “one of the most signifi
cant and historical documents.
For the first time, the scope and
the limits of a possible exchange
of views between the Jewish and
Christian religious community
has been clarified,” he said.
PHILADELPHIA (JTA)— The
charge that the new chairman of
the Conservative Party of Penn-
Dialogues
Rabbi Iarael Miller, president
of the Rabbinical Council, urged
the religious leaders of the major
faiths in the United States and
the world to mobilize public opin
ion in support of President John
son's quest for peace in Viet
nam, “Let us mobilize all avail
able resources to escalate the
peace efforts, so that we may be
united behind the President’s
leadership,” he said. “Religious
leaders have a moral obligation
to respond to this challenge by
activating the whole weight of
their spiritually powerful religi
ous forces behind these endeavors
of the President of the United
States.”
The Orthodox rabbis expressed
"dismay and condemnation” over
“desecration of the Sabbath" in
Jewish Centers and Y*». The ac
tion was taken in one of a series
of resolutions. The rabbis de
clared that Jewish Centers were
founded to strengthen Jewish life
and observance of Jewish Law
“and not for weakening Jewish
consciousnes and disregard of
our laws and traditions.”
sylvania, W. Henry MacFarland,
has been involved in anti-Jewish
and anti-Negro 'activities for the
past 20 years was made here by
the Anti-Defamation League of
B*nai B’rith.
David Berger, chairman of the
ADL Metropolitan Philadelphia
Advisory Board and former City
Solicitor, said that MacFarland,
at the age of 24, contributed art
icles to an anti-Jewisb. anti-
Negro publication in Danville,
Va., started his own publication
in 1945 and since then formed
a number of organizations. Two
of them, the AOT, oefiHnl said,
were oit*d as “F»so»*t” in 1949
bv tb° TT. s. Attorney General
Tom Clark. One of the or*n. n »za-
tir.ru listed in a renort on
‘Subversive Activities of Hate
Gmuns” by the Americanism
Commission of the TlUnnls De»
partment of the American Le
gion.
In 1954. the ADL leader said,
the House un-America Activities
Committee issued a report on
“Pro-Fascist and Hate Groups"
which listed MacFarland as ac
tive both in the anti-Semitic Na
tional Renaissance Party and
Conde McGinley’s hate sheet,
“Common Sense.” Mr. Berger
said that MacFarland’s publica
tion, “National Progress" pub
lished “false and insulting state
ments about Jews” and urged a
constitutional amendment to bar
immigration entry of all persons
“who are not of the Christian
faith.”
Brandeis 9 20th Anniversary
Dr. Goldstein Says Many Non-Jews
Aided Founding of Noted University
WALTHAM, Mass., (WUP) — Brandeis,
which will mark its 20th anniversary on February
7 as the first Jewish-sponsored secular univ«rsitv
in America, received some of its greatest aid and
support from non-Jewish friends, accordin" to Dr.
Israel Goldstein, one of its original founders and
guiding spirits.
In a statement issued this week, Dr. Goldstein
lists scores of outstanding Christian personalities,
leaders in almost every field of endeavor, who
have contributed to the success of the university.
Dr. Goldstein, who has just completed a hook
entitled “Brandeis University—Chapter of Its
Founding,” presented some brief glimpses into the
developments which preceded the acquisition of
the campus and charter. “In January. 1946,” he
stated, “Middlesex University at Waltham was
about to close its doors because the graduates of
its medical school were being denied accreditation
for the practice of medicine on the claim that the
quality of the school was inferior. Its charter
authorized degrees in Arts and Sciences, Medicine
and Veterinary Medicine. The management of the
school claimed that they were being penalized for
their non-quota policy.
“After visiting the site,” Dr. Goldstein con
tinued, “more than 100 acres of land and several
buildings, I felt certain that this was the oppor
tunity to give substance to a long-cherished idea.
The problem was, how to acquire the property and
the charter and how to build up the educational
and financial support. Our chief educational spon
sor in the earliest stage was the late Professor
Albert Einstein.
“The formal consummation of the negotiations
for the campus charter took place at the meeting
of the Trustees of Middlesex University held in
the Harvard Club, Boston, February 7. 1946. To
this meeting I was invited together with my col
leagues, Julius Silver, George Albert and Dean
Joseph J. Cheskis, who had earlier called my at
tention to the possibilities involved."
It was at this important meeting that all ar
rangements were made to bring the control of the
institution, its property and charter into Jewish
hands. “The next step,” Dr. Goldstein noted, “was
to secure the consent of the Brandeis family to
attaching the name of the late Justice Brandies to
the university. The consent of the family was con
veyed by Susan Brandeis Gilbert in a letter of
August 5, 1946.”
Founder Goldstein recalled that “there were
stormy days and heavy trials ahead until the doors
of the university, under President Dr. Abram L.
Sachar, were opened to the first entering class in
the Fall of 1948. But its career since,” he con
cluded, “has been one of the great success stories
in American collegiate life, and has been a source
of pride to the American Jewish community."
Conservative Party Head in Pa
Charged With Anti-Semitism