Reform Congregations Ask Repudiation of U.N. Plan to Internationalize Jerusalem

Declaring that the new city of Jerusalem is completely Jewish in its population, economy and institutions, and has been for centuries the spiritual center of Judaism, the executive board of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations at its semi-annual meeting here this weekends adopted a resolution asking President Truman to repudiate “the unworkable and morally indefensible plan of the U.N. Palestine Conciliation Commission which would out off the new city of Jerusalem from Israel.”

The 100 delegates, who represented 400 congregations in 325 cities, also approved the final terms of the merger of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati and the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. In addition, the board pledged support of the combined campaign of the U.A.H.C. and the merged educational institution for $1,875,000. It was also decided to launch a concerted effort to win to Reform Judaism unaffiliated Jews.

In an address before the board, Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath, president of the Union, warned that salvation from impending atomic destruction could not be found in the sharpening of international tensions but in a spiritual renaissance in daily lives. He added: “Deliverance from this grim catastrophe is not to be found in witch hunting and name calling, in dubbing our alleged adversaries as irreligious, militaristic, materialistic and godless, when there is as much of the same thing among ourselves.”