Rabbi Roberto Graetz, spiritual advisor of the Reform Emanu-El Congregation, refused to attend a meeting here several days ago to pay homage to Mahatma Ghandi when he became aware that the event was organized by India’s Embassy in Argentina. The rabbi, who had previously accepted an invitation, stated in a letter published in various newspapers, that it is inconsistent for the sponsors of the event to honor non-violence when they do not practice it.
Rabbi Graetz, who graduated from the Cincinnati Hebrew Union College and a member of its faculty, said that India has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not respect universal principles. The support by the Indian government of terrorist movements devoted to the destruction of Israel is itself an act of violence, he said. “I shall attend with pleasure such an event when it will be organized by a body truly devoted to non-violence,” he stated.
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