— Jewish leaders reacted today to the assassination attempt against President Reagan with urgent appeals for action to bar such terrorism and with requests for control of handguns. Prayers were offered by American Jews for the President’s early and complete recovery.
Bertram Gold, executive vice-president of the American Jewish Committee, expressed the hope that the attempt to kill the President “will encourage us, as a nation, to reverse this uncivilized style of heightened violence.”
Howard Squadron, president of the American Jewish Congress, said that the attack on the President “is an attack on civil order,” adding that “the minimum first step, by stringent legislation and strict information, is to put an end to the promiscuous possession of handguns.”
Ivan Novick, president of the Zionist Organization of America, said that “the assassin’s bullets once again reminds us that the world is consumed with hatred and that violence and terrorism, by groups or individuals, must be out-lowed by the civilized community.”
Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld, president of the Synagogue Council of America, said the assassination attempt made it necessary for the American people to “soberly re-examine the security provisions for the safety of our leaders.” He also said there must be a renewal of the search “for rational solutions to the continuing menace of violence in our land.”
GROWING THREAT OF VIOLENCE SEEN
Rabbi Sol Roth, president of the Rabbinical Council of America, an Orthodox group, called on all Americans to go to their houses of worship and to pray for the President’s rapid recovery.
Rabbi Benjamin Kreitman, executive vice president of the (Conservative) United Synagogue of America, said the assassination attempt had “aroused the Jewish community to the growing threat of violence on the American scene.” He warned that “the availability and accessibility of firearms, and particularly handguns, help to fuel crime and brutality.”
Rabbi William Berkowtiz, president of the Jewish National Fund of America, sent a message to President Reagan’s wife, Nancy, from Grossingers, N.Y., where the JNF is holding its assembly, declaring that the JNF “expresses its profound shock and dismay at the senseless and tragic violence which has once again struck our nation.”
Berkowitz read to the delegates yesterday a message from Reagan declaring that the JNF, “as the organization most responsible for the afforestation and soil reclamation in Israel, you have inspired your people and made remarkable strides in transforming wasteland into lush and productive areas.” The President also said: “Over the years you have worked diligently to fortify the bonds of friendship between the peoples of Israel and the United States.”
Among international leaders who sent messages to the President, Premier Menachem Begin reacted with “shock and astonishment.” Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir sent a cablegram to the President, expressing “shock at the attempt on the life of the leader of the free world” and Israel’s wishes for a “speedy recovery.”
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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.
