A spokesman for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada said today that a delegation met Monday for more than 90 minutes with Robert Lipshutz, the counsel to President Jimmy Carter, for the express purpose of making the existence of the Orthodox rabbinical organization known to the White House.
Rabbi Simcha Elberg, Agudas Harabonim chairman, said that while the organization was not certain it would have accepted the White House invitation to 900 rabbis to participate in a 30th anniversary celebration at the White House last month, its officials were concerned that the organization was unknown to White House officials.
Rabbi Elberg said that while the delegation did not ask for the meeting with Lipshutz to discuss Middle East problems, they did express their “distress and sorrow” at the decision of the Carter Administration to sell its most advanced jet fighter planes to Saudi Arabia. The delegation told Lipshutz that the transaction “may put in jeopardy the security of Israel” and that if Israel was in danger, the peace of the entire world could be at stake.
The delegation consisted of Rabbi Elberg, chairman of the organization’s administrative committee; Rabbi Aron Soloveitchik, Dean of Yeshiva Brisk in Chicago; Rabbi David Singer, vice-president of the rabbinical group; Rabbi Noah Chodos, vice-chairman of its executive committee and Rabbi Hirsh Ginsberg, director. Rabbi Elberg said the Union of Orthodox Rabbis was negotiating for a meeting with President Carter.
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