B’nai B’rith international concluded its 30th convention here Friday with two actions expressing determination that unified Jerusalem is to remain under Jewish sovereignty among highlights of its six-day agenda that included speeches by the three major candidates for President of the United States.
Both actions on Jerusalem were adopted unanimously by the convention which attracted delegates representing 500,000. members in 42 countries around the world. The meetings were attended by approximately 1400 delegates and their guests.
One of the actions was the decision to establish B’nai B’rith’s “world center” in Jerusalem. It will be housed temporarily in the B’nai B’rith library on B’nai B’rith Street. The project will be furthered in the months ahead.
The other action was a four-point resolution that emphasized “united Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel” and quoted Vice President Walter Mondale as stating that Israel is “our friend, our conscience, our partner” and “its well-being is in our moral, political and strategic interests.”
URGED TO ADHERE TO PARTY PLATFORM
The resolution urged President Carter to “adhere to the provision of the platform of the Democratic Party, adopted by the party’s convention in 1976 and again in 1980, which calls on the U.S. to recognize a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel while continuing to grant full protection for the rights of all its inhabitants and for the religious institutions sacred to Jews, Christians and Moslems.”
“This convention registers profound disappointment with the American failure to veto the Security Council’s resolution, calling on all governments to remove their embassies from Jerusalem, the resolution added. “The UN’s action erodes the peace process and endangers Israel.”
It stressed that “this convention urges the government of the U.S. to move its embassy to Jerusalem, without further delay” and added: “this convention categorically rejects the characterization of the older portion of the city of Jerusalem as ‘occupied territory’ and calls upon the U.S. to reaffirm its commitment to a safe and secure Israel within recognized and defensible borders. The pre-1967 borders – even with minor modifications – are not defensible and do not meet the requirements for Israel’s security.”
Jack Spitzer, of Kirkland, Washington, was reelected to a two-year term as president of B’nai B’rith International.
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.
