The United Synagogue of America, at its convention here today, approved a program of the Jewish Theological Seminary which will require candidates for rabbinical degrees to spend a year of study in Israel. The program was announced at the convention by Dr. Moshe Davis, provost of the Seminary.
The delegates, representing 520 Conservative congregations, adopted a four-point plan which includes the following projects: 1. Establishment in Jerusalem of a spiritual and cultural center on land allocated by the Jewish National Fund; 2. Pilgrimages to Israel will be encouraged by United Synagogue members for long and short term residencies which will be directed and serviced through the center in Israel; 3. Scholarly and intellectual exchange involving a two-way passage of ideas between Israel and America; 4. Support of all Conservative religious institutions.
Financing for this program will be achieved through a self-imposed two dollar tax per year per member of the United Synagogue, which will lead to the creation of a $3,000,000 annual fund to enlarge the scope of the Conservative movement’s Israel program. In adopting the resolution, the delegates resolved to return to their communities to begin the immediate implementation of a tax program and the creation of the building fund.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
