The National Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs today reaffirmed its opposition and that of the rest of the Conservative movement to bingo and other forms of gambling as fund-raising devices for synagogues. The resolution was adopted at the closing sessions of the 32nd annual convention. The convention also supported President Kennedy’s bills for Federal aid to public schools and also backed his opposition to such aid for religious schools. It elected Philip Goldstein, of Washington, D.C. as president for 1961.
The Federation, which is an affiliate of the United Synagogue of America, heard Dr. Leo Pfeffer, director of the Commission on Law and Social Action of the American Jewish Congress, call upon American synagogues to heed the “moral imperative of historic Judaism” by taking an active role in the effort to achieve social and economic Justice for all Americans.
Dr. Pfeffer said that “the security of American Jewry rests upon the strength of American democracy.” “At the same time” he added, “peace, justice, freedom and equality represent the pillars of both prophetic Judaism and the American democratic system. The synagogue in America thus has a responsibility both in terms of the Jewish heritage it represents and the American tradition which is its setting to take a role of leadership in civil rights and civil liberties activities. “
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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.
