Rabbis in this country urged Jews to usher in the New Year by rededicating themselves to the traditions and spiritual values of Judaism, by mobilizing resources to aid Jews everywhere who are faced with spiritual or physical oppression, and by being in the forefront in the struggle for freedom and justice for all.
Rabbi Irwin M. Blank, president of the Synagogue Council of America, expressed the hope that the New Year “will bring the leadership of the nations of the world closer to the realization that human problems can only be solved in humane ways if man is to stop destroying his fellow human beings.”
He said, “We pray for our brethren in the Soviet Union and for all men who yearn to live free from oppression….Our prayers are with the poor and the hungry who live in the midst of affluence and plenty. As religious people, we cannot abide by this injustice. Since governments are inevitably corruptible, we pray that people will never give up their right to challenge authority and to oppose authoritarianism. We pray for the peace of the world.”
PRESERVE TORAH JUDAISM
Rabbi David Hollander, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, said: “To the Jews in America…the message is that the deep concern it has shown for the Jews in Russia and in Arab countries and for the security of the State of Israel must be paralleled by an equally deep concern for the preservation of Torah Judaism….Let us preserve the integrity of the synagogue by rejecting the efforts of the Conservative and Reform clergy, many of whom have placed a religious mask upon the process of assimilation and intermarriage.”
Rabbi William Berkowitz, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, observed that the chief threat to Jewish survival in America “remains spiritual rather than physical.” Internationally, he noted, Israel is still endangered as Arab nations continue their hostilities and the Jews in the Soviet Union continue to face spiritual genocide.
Rabbi Berkowitz stated that in the coming year the New York Board of Rabbis “shall continue to unite the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform rabbinate in the true spirit of the oneness of the people of Israel. We shall strive to galvanize the resources of American Jewry for the fulfillment of their responsibilities to fellow Jews all over the world. Creative Jewish survival must be our primary objective.”
Rabbi Robert I. Kahn, president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, said; “While continuing to build Jewish life in the diaspora through the family, the synagogue and our communal institutions, we must remain ever vigilant to protect the rights of Israel….We welcome the positive attitude of our government toward Israel and pray that the pragmatism of politics and economics will not alter this course. We must, however, continue the campaign to educate both legislators and businessmen, Christian clergymen and neighbors and all people of good will towards a comprehensive understanding of Israel’s rights and needs.”
Rabbi Joseph Karasick, chairman of the American Section, World Jewish Congress, called upon Jews to be alert, in their High Holy Day prayers, to the constant political and economic dangers facing Latin American Jews. “North American Jewish communities must join with our South American brethren in helping them maintain strong religious, educational and cultural institutions.”
He warned that “while we must always help Israel, Soviet Jews and our Jewish life here, we cannot turn our backs on the crisis on the South American continent. Rabbi Karasick expressed the belief that the overthrow of the Allende government in Chile and the election of Juan Peron as President of Argentina “demands an even more alert watch.”
Harry Gutmann, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, said that “while we must always be alert on behalf of Israel, Soviet Jews and universal causes, this year should mark the period when Jews once again become Jews.” He noted that “too many of us have hidden our Jewishness in the sea of democratic assimilationism. We must again practice and live our Jewish faith.”
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.
