The national rabbinical convention which was scheduled to open in Tiberias yesterday was postponed until next week, it was announced today. Adjournment of the convention was provoked by “sharp divergencies” between Rabbi Judah L. Maimon, Minister of Religion, and a number of other rabbis. Rabbi Maimon insisted on inclusion of renewal of the Sanhedrin in the convention agenda.
The ultra-Orthodox sect, Neturei Karta (“Guardians of the City”), which does not recognize the establishment of the state of Israel on religious grounds, disclosed today that it plans to petition the International Court of Justice in The Hague to exempt its members from conscription in the Israel armed forces on the grounds that Jerusalem is not part of the state of Israel.
Prof. Norman Bentwich, authority on international law and former attorney-general in the Palestine mandate government, described the Neturei Karta’s intention as a “fantastic idea.” He pointed out that only sovereign governments can submit their differences to the International Court of Justice, while individuals or groups only have the right to petition the U.N. Economic and Social Council.
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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.