Conservative Jewish Leaders Urge Restoration of Black-jewish Coalition

A call for the restoration of a united Black-Jewish action front to work together for improved minority conditions, was made here today at special ceremonies at Independence Hall marking “A Day of Social Concern” sponsored by the Social Action Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly. The Assembly represents 1,200 Conservative rabbis internationally and claims to represent 1.5 million Conservative Jews in this country.

The call said that despite their differences, Jews and Blacks must restore the coalition of the 1960’s and work together in such areas as education and job opportunities, urban renewal and the restoration of the ecological health of the nation’s environment.

“We in the Jewish community are repelled by racial and religious bigotry of any kind and are frightened at a spectre of anti-Semitism, particularly, those echoed in the current political campaign,” asserted Rabbi Alexander Shapiro, president of the Rabbinical Assembly. “We must not permit the statements of either a Jesse Jackson or a Rev. (Louis) Farrakhan to prevent an alliance of Blacks and Jews working together for the social improvement of all minorities in America.”

A similar declaration was made by Marshall Wolke, president of the United Synagogue of America, representing Conservative Judaism’s 850 synagogues. He said: “We reaffirm the historic Jewish commitment to civil rights, which is underscored by the positive contact existing between the Black and Jewish communities, while deploring the demagogic utterings of Black extremists and the resultant distortion of Black-Jewish relations.

“We encourage and support all efforts to reestablish a viable, productive relationship between our two communities, both religious and secular, and call upon our rabbis and affiliated synagogues to intensify their efforts to this end.”

A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS

In urging renewed Black-Jewish ties, the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue asked their 1,200 rabbis and 850 congregations to initiate a variety of programs aimed at forging a closer grass roots understanding between Blacks and Jews.

Recommendations made were: pulpit exchanges with Black churches, adult education forums, articles in synagogue and church bulletins, use of Anglo-Jewish and Black publications, formation of local Black-Jewish dialogue groups and discussions on local TV and radio programs.

In his message, Shapiro called for the convening of a national meeting of Jews and Blacks, at the earliest possible moment. He stressed that such a gathering must include the widest possible spectrum of representation from both the Black and Jewish communities.

At the Independence Hall ceremonies, the Rabbinical Assembly honored veteran civil rights leader, Bayard Rustin, for his distinguished service to humanity and presented him with a mounted shofar containing the inscription, “masterbuilder of human rights for all people.” Mayor Wilson Goode and Rabbi Max Housen, president of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis, also participated in the program. In addition to Black-Jewish relations, the Conservative Jewish leaders convened at Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel to discuss the question of nuclear disarmament and ecological problems.