Orthodox Group ‘insulted.’ Will Review Its Role in U.S. Community

A major reassessment of the role of Orthodox Jewry within the total American Jewish community is being undertaken by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, it was announced here today by Moses I Feuerstein, national president of the organization. The reassessment, he said, will have special reference to relationships between the UOJCA and non-Orthodox organizations in agencies such as the Synagogue Council of America, the National Jewish Welfare Board, the National Community Relations Advisory Council and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Noting that various recent developments had given “special immediacy” to the reassessment undertaking, Mr. Feuerstein cited among these the letter sent in March to Prime Minister Levi Eshkol of Israel by the presidents of seven American Jewish non-Orthodox organizations. The letter, made various allegations which Orthodox Jewry called “hostile.”

Mr. Feuerstein declared that “the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations has regarded this as a move calculated to alienate the Orthodox Jewish community, by publicly insulting it by means of defamatory allegations, and as an effort aimed at dividing the American Jewish community. The hostility to traditional Jewry thus shown was a major factor in convincing all elements in UOJCA circles that a reassessment of relationships is overdue.”