The Rabbinical Council of America, at the closing session of its 13th annual convention here today, issued a call to American Jewry to recognize the Israeli Chief Rabbinate as the central religious authority for world Jewry. The call was issued in the form of a resolution adopted by the 150 delegates attending the convention. Rabbi Israel Tabak, of Baltimore, was unanimously reelected president.
Reviewing the relationship between the Council and American Jews with the Israeli Rabbinate, Rabbi Charles B. Chavel, of Edgemere, L.I., declared that “it is clearly understood that the relationship is purely voluntary and that therefore the chief Rabbinate will act as a guiding light to all Jewish communities seeking religious instruction in the light of Torah and its oral traditions,”
William B. Herlands, president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, urged the immediate formation of a “League for United Orthodoxy” to include all principal Orthodox Jewish agencies in the U.S. He said that the proposed group would seek the financial support of American Jewry, but “should such support not be forthcoming through the media of existing Jewish community fund-raising agencies, the combined Orthodox group would be compelled to establish its own nationwide United Orthodox Jewish Appeal.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
