Newspaper Page Text
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE November 28, 1986 Page 13
HUC official critical of Israeli Orthodoxy
by Richard Bono
TSI stall writer
On a recent visit to Atlanta, an
official with the world’s primary
educational center for Reform
Jewry criticized the often acri
monious conflicts that have char
acterized the relationship between
Israel’s official Orthodox policy
and the country’s growing Reform
Movement.
That on-going battle was re
cently brought to a head when
violence erupted between the two
groups at the Baka District
Reform synagogue in Jerusalem.
Although the parties involved in
that Simhat Torah altercation
are said to have reached an ac
cord, tensions appear to be far
from over.
“The population in Israel is in
general highly disapproving of
the violence that the official rab
binate has been sponsoring,” said
Richard Scheuer, chairman of
the board of governors of Hebrew
Union College—Jewish Institute
of Religion. “Actual violence,
however, is going to be less of a
problem,” he said, “because they’re
getting enormous public disap
proval and they cannot continue
in that direction.”
Scheuer sits at the helm of the
55-member national board of
governors, which oversees HUC—
JIR’s four campuses—at Cincin
nati, New York, Los Angeles and
Jerusalem. Founded in 1875, He
brew Union College, as it exists
today, is considered the intellec
tual and educational center for
the growing Reform Movement
worldwide.
The rabbis and cantors edu
cated and ordained at Hebrew
Union College work in more than
750 synagogues and temples
throughout the United States,
Canada, Israel, Great Britain,
South Africa, Australia, Brazil
and elsewhere.
Scheuer visited Atlanta re
cently as a board member of Jer
usalem’s Albright Institute of
Archeological Research, which
is under the umbrella of the
Schools of Oriental Research.
That group’s annual conference
at the Marriott Marquis this
month brought Scheuer to At
lanta.
Scheuer is critical of what he
considers the official rabbinate’s
intolerance of religious pluralism.
“The Orthodox say that unless
you believe that every pronounce
ment in the Torah is the word of
God, you’re not an authentic
Jew,” he said. “We believe that
religion necessarily has to evolve
over the centuries and we try to
structure a philosophy and liturgy
that people can live with.”
Leaders of the Reform Move
ment say that they will force the
Knesset’s hand in the near future
in an effort to get rights, cur
rently afforded only Orthodox
rabbis, to perform marriages,
grant divorces and sanction con
versions, among others.
“Most Jews in Israel feel there
f-Outspoken refusnik arrested
NEW YORK (JTA)—Leningrad activist Albert (Chaim)
Burstein was arrested Monday as he spoke by phone from a
local post office to Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry
director Lynn Singer. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail for
“resisting arrest,” the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry
reported.
According to the SSSJ, Burstein, 21, is one of Leningrad’s
most daring refusniks and has been a target of beatings, threats
and harassment by the KGB. On Nov. 5 he was forcibly pre
vented from flying to Vilnius in Lithuania to join activists there
commemorating the Holocaust. The next day KGB agents beat
him again and threatened to kill hirn.
Willett Toyota
2650 N. Decatur Rd.
Decatur, GA 30033
299-0551
Danny Tourial
#1 Selling
Small Truck
in America.
Fleet
cars
and
trucks
Leasing all
makes and
models
bm> m
.,,1, ,1 l-jr
t Truck
is a need for other patterns of
religious practice rather than just
the official Orthodoxy,” Scheuer
said.
He commented that at the
groundbreaking for HUC— JIR’s
two new buildings on the Jerusa
lem campus earlier this month,
Israeli President Chaim Herzog
said to him, “‘We need you to
show us a middle way (between
secularism and the official Ortho
doxy). We need somebody to
show us how to be Jewish with
out fanaticism, how to be Jewish
and still live in the 20th century.’”
Hebrew Union College’s open
ing of two new buildings on the
Jerusalem campus was marked
by an official “Week of Dedica
tion,” which drew several top
Israeli government officials.
The Jerusalem School of
Hebrew Union College provides
a mandatory first year of study in
Israel for HUC rabbinic, cantor
ial and religious education stu
dents.
“We find it is a much more
effective way to teach Hebrew,”
Scheuer said. “If the students are
in Jerusalem, they read Hebrew
newspapers, hear it on the street
and on television. It’s much more
natural.” *
Scheuer said that learning a
language in its native country has
the quality of an adventure. He
added that the contact HUC stu
dents have with the Israeli popu
lace also has benefits in exposing
them to a multitude of cultures,
ideas and lifestyles.
I ftolin 'UIYN
Richard Scheuer participates in dedication ceremonies for the
new additions to the Jerusalem School of Hebrew Union College—
Jewish Institute of Religion.
6
American
Heart
Association
WE'RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE
I wish to express my
deep appreciation to all my good
friends whose cards, donations,
phone calls and flowers, along
with their sincere concern,helped
speed my recovery from recent
surgery.
Kenneth Yoss
MISSION
TO
ISRAEL
We’ve reserved a place for YOU...
Discover Your Heritage
on the
Atlanta Jewish Federation’s
January “Heritage” Mission to Israel
January 8 -16, 1987
Martin & Harriet Isenberg, Bernie & Sandy Palay
Co-chairmen
Cost: $850 for $1500+ contributors to the
1987 Federation Campaign
Call Marilyn Shubin - 873-1661
for reservations & details
TODAY!.: