The Buffalo Board of Rabbis declared in a statement today that Jewish tradition does not make mandatory that opening prayers at meetings and conferences be delivered by a clergyman and urged that lay people “should be called on to do so whenever possible.”
The rabbinical group explained that this would not only “be in accord with Jewish tradition,” but that it would also “be of help to the rabbis who, because of their limited number, are unable to answer all requests” for such appearances in Buffalo.
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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.