Synagogue Council of America Raps Apartheid in South Africa. Rhodesia

The Synagogue Council of America, at a meeting of its plenum, adopted a resolution condemning apartheid in South Africa and Rhodesia and stated that if a tragedy is to be averted, the governments of both countries “must be persuaded to change direction rapidly toward policies based on human dignity, justice and racial conciliation before time runs out.”

The Council, which is the coordinating agency for Conservative, Orthodox and Reform Judaism, declared that “the growing violence and loss of life in South Africa have dramatized once again the injustice of white supremacy rule in that country as well as in neighboring Rhodesia. The most recent bloodshed holds the seeds of catastrophic racial war in southern Africa.”

The plenum resolution expressed admiration to whites and Blacks in both countries “who have spoken out bravely and at great personal risk in condemnation of their governments’ repression and injustice.” It added that the Council commends the U.S. and Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger “for the diplomatic initiative in which they are presently engaged. We urge the Administration to adhere steadfastly to a policy that expresses clearly our country’s repugnance of the racial policies of the governments of South Africa and Rhodesia.”