A leader of Conservative Judaism warned today that Arab propagandists are making serious inroads among the organized Christian clergy in this country. According to Henry N. Rapaport, national president of the United Synagogue of America, the failure of Christian leadership to understand the Jewish position regarding Israel “has caused a gulf in Christian-Jewish relations.”
Mr. Rapaport addressed a meeting of the United Synagogue’s Northern Ohio region here. He cited examples of Protestant Church publications which carried anti-Israel articles refusing to present a balanced picture of conditions in the Middle East. He said that frequently when Church editors are approached, they reject recommendations to present another viewpoint. “While the Christian laymen sympathize and seem to understand the cause of Israel, many of the organizational Christian clergymen do not, and are making little effort in this direction,” Mr. Rapaport said. “They fail to comprehend such questions as the peoplehood of Israel and the relationship between the Jews of Israel and their worldwide religious counterparts.”
Mr. Rapaport however, praised the understanding of the American Catholic community and its leadership. He lauded Pope Paul VI who, Mr. Rapaport said, “spoke out vigorously against the barbarous hangings of Jews in Iraq.”
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