Need for Jewish Unity Stressed at Central Conference of American Rabbis

The need for Jewish unity in America was stressed today in a report adopted by the convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis which is holding its sessions here with over 200 rabbis from the United States and Canada attending.

The report, submitted by the Committee on Contemporary History, presented a picture of Jewish life in Europe, Asia and America. Outlining a course of action for Jews, it stated: ”Our first and most important problem is to do everything that lies in our power to help win this war; the second is to help our fellow Jews abroad, who are the outstanding victims of Nazi cruelty. And this help can be brought to our fellow Jews only if we are truly united and intelligently organized.”

The Committee also called the attention of the Conference to the needs of a ”democratic, representative American Jewish congress.” The report continued: ”it is not too early to call it now; once we have assembled and have formulated our demands, we shall then have the right and the duty to ask the United Nations engaged in this great conflict to state their war aims specifically with respect to the Jews.” The Committee asked that this proposed congress be based on the local community councils.

The Committee on Synagogue and Community suggested the establishment of Institutes of Judaism for ministers in various communities; special tracts of information for men in the service; and the holding of an Academic Conference of selected groups of intellectuals at one of the leading universities in the East.

WAR EFFECTS ON MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND HOME DISCUSSED AT CONVENTION

The Committee on Marriage, the Family and the Home presented a report in which it declared that ”the Synagogue must share with other agencies the task of reducing to a minimum the deleterious effects of war upon family life. Rabbi Stanley R. Brav, reporting for the Committee, proposed the creation of ”a joint committee on marriage, the family and the home composed of representatives of the Conference, the Union, the Sisterhoods, Brotherhoods and Youth groups to work in behalf of maintaining home and social contacts for the service men located in the area.” It also suggested a course in family consultation service at the Summer seminar sessions of the Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Institute of Religion. The committee stressed the need for more literature on the subject of family and home. It recommended ”that the Committee prepare two syllabi for courses in marriage and family life.”

Warning of the war-time tendency to neglect spiritual and cultural development, Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, of Pittsburgh, reporting for the Commission on Jewish Education urged that ”we strengthen our children to endure these years of stress.” Rabbi Leon Fram of Detroit, speaking on a ”New Approach to the Teaching of Peace,” declared we must continue to teach the ideal of peace so as ”to render a third world war in twenty years unnecessary.”

In an address on ”The Permanent Contributions of Isaac M. Wise,” Dr. Allan Tarshish of Hazleton, Pa., stated that ”the basic purpose of Dr. Wise was to revitalize and preserve Judaism. To this end he sought to bring about a union of reform and orthodox congregations.”