Two Rabbis Score ‘isolationist and Withdrawal’ Tendencies Among Jews

Two Jewish leaders have criticized the withdrawal of American Jews from interreligious dialogues because of some Christian attitudes on Israel when, for the first time, they said, Protestant and Catholic laymen are showing an eagerness to learn about Jewish roots and Judaism.

Addressing a Long Island Christian-Jewish laymen’s dialogue in Garden City, Dr. Eugene Borowitz, Professor of Education and Jewish Religious Thought at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Rabbi Balfour Brickner, director of Interfaith Activities of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, condemned what they described as the “isolationist and withdrawal” tendencies of the majority of Jews in this country from involvement in issues other than those of specific concern to Jews such as Israel and Soviet Jewry.

The interreligious dialogue yesterday was sponsored by the UAHC and the Commission on Christian-Jewish Relations of the Episcopal Church Diocese of Long Island. Rabbi Borowitz observed that while Jewish assimilationism remains a problem today, “an equal danger exists in Jewish withdrawal from interfaith discussions so as to preserve an illusion of superiority.” He warned that “the re-ghettoization of Jewish concern is less a sign of health and maturity than a desperate strategy to escape the positive challenge of a relatively open society.”

Rabbis Brickner and Borowitz expressed disagreement with those Jews who are using the criticism of Israel by a number of Christian organizations and leaders as a pretext to withdraw. Some of their criticisms have been directed toward the Israeli posture on Jerusalem.

Rabbi Brickner called attention to the “remarkable” response of Christianity to the plight of Soviet Jews. He stated that Jews must recognize “if conditions in the larger community and our society sours, American Jews and Judaism will equally suffer.”