A ranking legal authority’s point-by-point rejection of objections raised by the Orthodox religious establishment and letters to the 120 members of the Knesset from 150 U.S. Congressmen, including some of Israel’s staunchest supporters, appeared to clear the way for
Orthodox Jews in Israel and abroad have been waging a relentless campaign against the project on grounds that it will be a center for missionary activities. The Mormon Center is sponsored
Deputy Attorney General Yoram Bar-Sela was asked by a special ministerial committee to review the project. His findings, published over the weekend appeared to demolish the arguments by religious Jews who have cited the Mormon faith’s long record of proselytizing
A FORM OF COUNTER-PRESSURE
But Knesset members, under severe pressure from their Orthodox colleagues and the Chief
The signatories included Reps. Lee Hamilton (D. Ind.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East; Tom Lentos (D. Calif.), a member of
They acknowledged that they are “aware of the sensitivity which many Jews feel regarding proselytizing,” but added: “It is our understanding that the officials of BYU have signed an
BYU representatives in Jerusalem hired a prominent public relations firm to help their appeal to local opinion. They took out double page advertisements in the leading dailies over the weekend, reprinting the Congressman’s letter with all 150 signatures
ELEMENTS IN THE LEGAL FINDINGS
Bar-Sela’s opinion took care of the legal objections. It stated, in part: “The grant of
All of those points had been contested by Orthodox activists as reasons why the government should revoke its permit. Bar-Sela stated that the university campus itself–adjacent to the Hebrew University campus–is of no cause for concern, given
Bar-Sela found the Visitors’ Center adjacent to the campus more questionable. But he inclined to the view that adequate assurances from BYU can be included in the land-lease contract with the Israel Lands Authority.
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