President Ephraim Katzir said today that he would continue to maintain the synagogue built into the Presidential residence by his predecessor, President Zalman Shazar, but that he would not continue Shazar’s practice of holding weekly Sabbath services there. The President, who took office May 24, announced his decision to the dozen or so neighbors who regularly attended services at the Presidential residence. He said they would be welcome to continue but indicated it would be preferable if they worshipped elsewhere from now on.
Katzir, who is not Orthodox in his religious observances, said he would use Shazar’s synagogue only for special services. He said he intended to spend most of his weekends for the next six months at Rehovoth where he intends to keep up his scientific work at the Weizmann Institute of Science. He said that even when he is in Jerusalem he would prefer not to be bound to one synagogue.
The President apologized to the weekly worshippers who were turned away by a police guard when they came to the Presidential residence last Friday night for their weekly services. He said the guard had acted without his authority and has been reprimanded. The synagogue, set up by Shazar, contains a silver mezuzah said to have adorned the synagogue of Rabbi Bal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement 200 years ago.
Alexander Ginsburg was appointed general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. He replaces the late Dr. Hendrik George Van Dam.
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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.
