The establishment of a Religious United Nations–a parliament of world religion–by heads of religious groups of all faiths was urged here tonight by Rabbi Barnett R. Brickner, of Cleveland, addressing an audience of 3,000 at the “Third Seder” sponsored by the National Committee for Labor Israel at the Broadwood Hotel.
“If a Religious United Nations could be created it would be the most dramatic demonstration of the vision of the Hebrew Prophets, which was also the hope of Jesus,” Dr. Brickner said. “And it would be the incentive for world peace through brother-hood, because unless the world is infused with a truly religious spirit, there can be no peace in the world.”
Pointing out that the Jerusalem issue “might well be the lead for the formation of such an organization,” Dr. Brickner called for the setting up of a religious commission under the United Nations as a solution to the Jerusalem question. “The issue really at stake and involving the Christian world is that of the Holy Places,” Dr. Brickner stressed. I think it is blasphomous to put the Holy Places into the configuration of power politics because this is not a political problem in any sense at all. It is a spiritual and religious value and the Church should refuse to have it mixed up with power politics.
Dr. Brickner proposed that the United Nations religious commission should be appointed as quickly as possible–representing the Catholics, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, Jews and Moslems–and that its functions should be: to care for the Holy Places, all of which are located in the Old City of Jerusalem; and always be responsible for the guaranteeing of free access to and from these Holy Places by all peoples.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
