Rabbi Kopul Rosen has announced his resignation as president of the Mizrachi Federation of Great Britain because he came to the conclusion that there was no basis for a political party with religion as its sole program.
“I have the greatest admiration for the part the Mizrachi has played in the Zionist movement,” Rabbi Rosen declared, “but with the establishment of the State of Israel, the situation has changed radically. I am convinced that a political party with religion as its sole raison d’etre, far from furthering the interests of Judaism, is a serious disadvantage to it.
“More could be achieved in the religious life of Israel if religious matters were considered outside the arena of party political strife. I hold the view that a world-wide religious and cultural movement, not attached to any party and seeking no parliamentary representation, would do much more to strengthen the religious and cultural institutions of Israel than is possible in the present circumstances where religion tends to become the vested interest of one political group.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
