U.A.H.C. Board Backs Rabbi Eisendrath in Conflict with Emanu-el Congregation

The Board of Trustees of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations has “acknowledged with regret” the resignation of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York from the membership in the central congregational body of Reform Judaism in the United States and Canada. Details of the action were released at a press conference by Mr. Irvin Fane, chairman of the UAHC Board at the conclusion of the two-day meeting held here.

Mr. Fane stated that the Board members adopted two resolutions, the first read “that this UAHC Board of Trustees acknowledges with regret the resignation of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, and expresses the hope that Emanu-El will find its way back into the family of the Union.” The other resolution gave a vote of confidence to the Union’s leadership and its president, Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath to speak out as an individual on public issues and “in accordance with the principles of American democracy, prophetic Judaism, and his own conscience, and to speak for the UAHC in accordance with resolutions adopted by the UAHC General Assemblies.”

The vote on the resolution of the Emanu-El resignation was 83 to 2 with one abstention. The resolution supporting the Union’s leaders and the right to “speak out” was unanimous.

At its meeting on April 25th, the Trustees of Congregation Emanu-El with a vote of 6 to 4, adopted a resolution withdrawing their membership from the UAHC. In a statement released to the press on May 5th, Emanu-El’s president, Alfred R. Bachrach, cited as one of the reasons for withdrawal the Union’s statements on Vietnam as well as similar pronouncements made by the president of the UAHC, Rabbi Eisendrath. In addition, Mr. Bachrach charged that the Vietnam statements were “unauthorized and impossible” and further criticized Rabbi Eisendrath’s assumption to speak for the Reform movement. He said “There is no such thing as a spokesman for Reform Judaism on social and political issues.”