B’nai B’rith Announces Book Publishing Project for Jewish Knowledge

A comprehensive book publishing project to foster Jewish scholarship, stimulate self-education and provide new sources or study covering diverse aspects of Jewish life was announced by B’nai B’rith last night.

The “muti-track” program is designed to reach different intellectual levels, from the scholar to the layman, within the adult Jewish community. Works already commissioned or scheduled for publication will deal with Jewish history, sociology, religion, philosophy and literature.

“The emergence of a rapidly-growing market for books of Jewish content and interest” encouraged B’nai B’rith to undertake the project as an expansion of its adult Jewish education activities, Rabbi Jay Kaufman, B’nai B’rith executive vice-president, said. Dr. Harry M. Orlinsky, professor of Bible at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, is chairman of a B’nai B’rith publications committee directing the project.

Among works already scheduled is a 50-volume series of classics from Jewish literature edited by Professor David M. Sidorsky, director of graduate studies in philosophy at Columbia University. Dr. Orlinsky said that the series would constitute a “fundamental library of Jewish classics from the Biblical era to the 20th century.”

Philip M. Klutznick, who served as president of B’nai B’rith from 1953 to 1959 and was later a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said today in addressing a luncheon of the B’nai B’rith board of governors, that the United States should “earnestly reexamine its political motivations” in Viet Nam and, “if the containment policy of 1954 no longer serves the national interest,” move to begin peace negotiations or curtail its military commitment. He suggested that President Johnson should call a “limited-size” bipartisan conference of top civilian officials and Congressional leaders to insure that American policy in Viet Nam is suited for 1967 and the future.