Dr. Israel Brodie, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, addressing the annual dinner of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America here tonight, said that he is “fascinated by the phenomenal return to religion in a big way that is evidenced among Jews in the United States.”
Chief Rabbi Brodle, who arrived from London yesterday for a month’s visit to this country, said: “The latter-day phenomenon of a return to religion by Jews is evidenced in the ceaseless building of synagogues and community centers, the establishment of communal institutions of various kinds, increased attendance at worship and a conscious identification with the Jewish community.
“But the Judaism I have in mind is the Judaism of Orthodoxy,” he continued. “It is the type of Judaism so often challenged and misrepresented. It is the Judaism of our fathers and ought to be the faith and way of life of our children. It is pervasive and at all stages of our life tests our will. It calls for the concentration and consecration of our intellect and the refinement and discipline of our instincts. It is consequently an integrated Judaism, robust and invigorating, demanding and rewarding.”
Moses I Feuerstein, president of the Orthodox Union, speaking at the dinner, urged the formation of an international association of the orthodox Jewish communities of Great Britain and the United States. Mr. Feuerstein asserted that the orthodox communities of both countries “in reality encompass the bulk of their Jewish populations.” He pointed out that “while American Jewry was numerically stronger than British Jewry, religious Jews in the United States look with envy at the structural set up of the Jewish community of Great Britain with its Chief Rabbinate, its Beth Din (Ecclesiastical Court), and religious institutions.”
“As the representative of 3,000 orthodox synagogues serving more than 3,000,000 American Jews,” Mr. Feuerstein said, “the Orthodox Union welcomes the opportunity of sharing experiences and ideas with the distinguished spiritual leader of the British Commonwealth. His presence on our shores is an honor to all American Jews.”
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.
