Rabbi Irving Miller, president of the American Jewish congress, took issue here with those “who deny that there is a future for Jewish life in America.” He called upon American Jewry to build “integrated Jewish communities in America which will provide the Jewish people with institutions and ideals which will insure Jewish survival.”
Rabbi Miller addressed the three day convention of the Independent Order Brith Abraham, national American-Jewish fraternal order, at the Flagler Hotel. He denied that “in order to be a good Jew one must go to Israel.” He emphasized that there is “no inconsistency between loyalty to America” and its great democratic institutions and relationship to Israel which is based upon the historic and religious identification of the land with the Jewish people.”
The great need today for the American Jews, stated Rabbi Miller, is to provide the rationale for creative Jewish living in America. “That rationale,” he added, “will be found in the reaffirmation of historic Jewish values and experiences in an America.” George O. Arkin was elected Grand Master of the Brith Abraham order at the closing session today.
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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.
