There is an unmistakable trend in the United States toward’s a “supermarket religion, in which the customer chooses his faith on the basis of fancy packaging and attractive labeling, ” Rabbi Israel Miller, president of the Rabbinical Council of America, declared here tonight in delivering the keynote address at the opening session of the 41st annual national convention of the women’s section of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.
The delegates also heard an appeal urging Jewish women “to register formal protests with local television management” against showing “tales of horror” and other “debasing” material in their programs for children. The appeal was voiced by Mrs. Emanuel Lazar, outgoing president of the organization in her presidential report.
“What can as an army of women do to combat this menace?” she asked. She told the delegates that they must request from their local television management that their programs for children should be “culturally enriching rather than debasing. ” We must not allow our children to be exposed to unsuitable programs any longer, ” she urged.
Rabbi Miller, warning against “supermarket religion,” said: “The still small voice is often drowned out by the shrill cry of the spiritual huckster, hawking his wares with catchy slogans and spot announcements. Authentic religion rejects this pragmatic appeal and emphasizes long years of study and practice of the eternal varieties which attract both the mind and the heart.”
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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.
