Rabbi Abraham Gross, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, took sharp issue with the Synagogue Council of America’s proposal in which Jews were asked to leave the synagogue on Yom Kippur to gather in front of the synagogue as an expression of solidarity with Soviet Jews. Such action is “contrary to the spirit of the holiest day of the year when Jews go to the synagogue to pray for our brethren and all of humanity,” Rabbi Gross said.
He stated that he was amazed that the Orthodox segment in the Synagogue Council did not exercise its veto power to “prevent this flagrant desecration of Yom Kippur.” Continuing, Rabbi Gross declared: “Such cheap publicity-secking methods lend to harm the cause. The Rabbinical Alliance calls on all Jews, even those who did not plan to attend synagogue service, to reconsider in light of the difficulties confronting our brethren, to come to the synagogue and pray with increasing fervor this Yom Kippur.”
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.
