The Congress-approved bill to admit 205,000 displaced persons to the United States within the next two years was criticize today at the 59th annual convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The bi11 was described as “converted from a humanitarian project into a scheme to sift the refugees on the basis of nationality, creed and calling, a policy abhorrent to the American principle of no discrimination with regard to race, religion or national origin.
The parley also expressed approval of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring released time educational programs that involve the use of public schools invalid. Following a recommendation by its Church and State Committee, the convention agreed to press concertedly for the discontinuance of the released time program in many of those communities where it is still in operation.
A report submitted by the convention’s Commission on Justice and Peace called for a liberal platform of social action with the “principles of prophetic Judaism.” An end to discrimination in education and employment, elimination of the poll tax and lynching and freedom from governmental intimidation through the practice of “imputing guilt by association” were also advocated.
Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, former advisor on Jewish affairs to the U.S. command in Europe, addressing the convention last night, said that “although American Jews will continue to help Israel with material and moral support and guidance, the trend and direction of the future must be towards complete disassociation of non-Palestinian Jewry with the political affairs of Israel. On the other hand, the Government of Israel must scrupulously avoid the giving of instructions to citizens of other countries.
Advocating that all rabbis spend a year of training in Israel and that America Jewish children be sent there for study, Rabbi Bernstein predicted that the major interest of American Jewish Community life will now shift from pre-Zionist political and Philanthropic activities to the development of religions and cultural programs in the United States.
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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.
