Conference of American Rabbis Approves Plan of Federal Synagogue Council

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

A step towards religious unity in American Jewry was taken at the Wednesday morning session of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in convention here, when the report of the Committee on Synagogue Council was adopted in full without dissent.

By accepting this report the Central Conference decided to further the creation of a Federal Council of Synagogues in America. The membership of the council will comprise the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Rabbinical Council of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in America and the United Synagogue of America.

According to the preamble, the position is taken that the synagogue is the basic unit of Jewish life. It was resolved that a council composed of representatives of national congregational and rabbinical organizations of America be formed for the purpose of speaking and acting unitedly in furthering such religious interests as the constituent organizations in the Council have in common.

There are at present two hundred and ninety-four members in the Central Conference of American Rabbis, according to a report presented. A motion to draw up a new ministers hand book to replace the present volume was adopted.

The campaign for a pension fund for rabbis reported favorably on its efforts to increase the present income for this fund. The Committee on Church and State reported the result of their suryey to the effect that “in the light of the present hysteria of moral uplift and one hundred percent Nordic Americanism, we believe the present most favorable plan is that which seeks a week day hour for religious instruction outside of school hours and school buildings, to the extent that school hours are shortened one day in the week to permit consummation of this plan.”

The convention approved the constitution for the proposed Conference on Jewish Education for Collegiate Youth, to comprise the representatives of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Federation of Temple Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods, the United Synagogue of American, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Women’s Council of the United Synagogue, the Bnai Brith, the Intercollegiate Memorial Society, the Jewish Chautauqua Society and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations.

The purpose of the organization will be to promote the academic study of Jewish literature and philosophy and kindred subjects.

The Commission on Good Will Between Jews and Christians reported a continuation of activity. The executive board of the conference was instructed to communicate with national Jewish organizations in this movement so as to make it possible to engage a Jewish field worker in the cultivation of good will between Jews and Christians.

The preparation of a ritual for the use of Jewish student congregations, now being established under the auspices of the Hillel Foundation and other organizations, and the suggestion for an identical effort for the Jewish women students were made in the report on religious work in universities presented by Rabbi Leo M. Franklin.

The recommendation was advanced that the religious needs of the Jewish women might be best undertaken by one or several organizations of Jewish women.

To postulate a code of ethics between rabbi and congregation and rabbi and rabbi was the endeavor of the committee on arbitration in presenting its report on this subject. The trial sermon plan was denounced. The election of a rabbi by the trial sermon plan only was regarded as inefficient and ineffectual. A discussion on the entire report tended to uphold the measures seeking to maintain the dignity of the rabbinate and the application of high ethical principles in the practical affairs of the congregations. No rabbi shall exploit the call of one or more congregations by capitalizing such a call for an increase in salary, it was decided. Rabbis are not encouraged to offciate in the family of members of another congregation without the permission of the rabbi of that congregation.

Five Jewish children, pupils at the Burke public school, were selected to participate in an experiment conducted by Superintendent of Schools William McAndrew before the Rotary Club of Chicago, to show that under the new idea in education not only reading, writing and arithmetic were taught, but also reliability. readiness and responsibility.

The pupils, each under 12 years old, are Norman Sider, Louis Turner, Ruth Brockman, Rose Epstein and Roslyn Sobel.

Graduation exercises of the B. Altman & Co. continuation school were held in the store’s auditorium, Filth Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street, on Wednesday. One hundred and sixty-six diplomas were awarded. all to employees of the company. Colonel Michael Friedsam, founder of the school and president of the company, addressed the graduates. When writing to advertisers kindly mention the “Jewish Dally Bulletin,”