American Council for Judaism Parley Calls on Jews to Integrate with American People

The American Council for Judaism, at its fifth annual conference here, yesterday adopted a statement reaffirming its position that “Americans of Jewish faith must strive to achieve political, civic, cultural and social integration with the American people.” The statement also emphasized the organization’s adherence to the “universal traditions of Judaism in opposition to Jewish nationalism,”

The statement took issue with those who “misrepresent American Jews either by labeling them as a separate nationality or by seeking to impose on them special obligations of the state of Israel.” The statement added: ,p/>”We “believe profoundly that all Israelis should be free to work out a way of life, enlisting their whole allegiance to their state, as we in America will continue to work out our way of life as an inseparable part of the American people. The most loyal citizens of Israel and America could wish no more. But the contention that there is a ‘Jewish1 nationalism, relating all Jaws politically to the state of Israel and Israel to all Jews, makes it vital that we achieve the complete identification of American Jews with the American people.”

The statement also called on all American Jews–Orthodox, Conservative or Reform–to “become active members of the synagogue or temple,” The Council urged all rabbis to “emphasize those spiritual qualities which are the power and glory of Israel.” Jewish religious schools were asked in the statement to “teach our children the spiritual, moral and ethical content of Judaism as a sustaining religious faith and not a nationalist loyalty.”