The underlying principles of our society–individual morality, social justice and international cooperation–were “bequeathed to the world by the people of Israel in the land of Israel,” Ambassador Abba Eban of Israel today told the 350 Conservative rabbis attending the 52nd annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly of America here.
“Israel is the country in which the qualities of the Jewish mind are expressed in political and social institutions,” the Ambassador continued. “This in itself, quite apart from the many links of pride and humanitarian solidarity, would require Jewish communities the world over to assume the most active and vigilant responsibility for Israel’s success.”
Earlier, the proposal for the establishment of “organic Jewish communities” in the United States was criticized by Dr. David Petegorsky, executive director of the American Jewish Congress, who held that “the major problem in American Jewish life is not unity but democracy.” It was also opposed by Milton Himmelfarb. of the American Jewish Committee, who felt that proposals for greater centralization and authority in Jewish communal, religious and educational affairs generally “prove to mean the discouragement of minority opinion and the stifling of creative opportunity for experiment and innovation.” Rabbi Simon G. Kramer stressed that the “basic unity in American Jewry must stem from its religious character.”
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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.
