Speaking for 800 Jewish communities in the United States, the General assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, at its session here today, adopted a resolution expressing “grave concern” over the joint resolution presented by the U.S., Britain and France to the U.N. Security Council censuring Israel for the Kibya incident.
“We urge our government to use its influence and prestige through the United Nations and through diplomatic channels to endeavor to bring about such a revision of the resolution in question, and to call upon the governments directly concerned to negotiate a settlement of their differences and a permanent peace,” the CJFWF General Assembly requested.
The CJFWF pointed out that the proposed three power resolution regretably fails to recognize that the fundamental cause of these unfortunate developments, which have taken innocent lives on both sides of the frontier, lies in the failure of the free world to restore peace to the area. That restoration is crucial to the maintenance of peace in the entire world.
“In keeping with the objectives of the existing armistice agreements Israel has continuously proposed direct negotiations with the other signatories as the best means to achieve peace. These overtures have been persistently rebuffed. We believe the goal of peace would be best served by revising the resolution pending in the Security Council, both to recognize impartially the broad background of the present tension, and to call upon the parties most concerned to end that tension by constructive action to transform the armistice agreements into just and honorable peace treaties,” the CJFWF resolution stated.
JUDGE SOBELOFF ANALYZES JEWISH COMMUNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Simon E. Sobeloff of Baltimore, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, addressing today’s session of the General Assembly, traced the development of cooperative efforts by American Jews through their central communal agencies in the face of the “colossal struggles” to destroy Nazism and aid in the re-establishment of the State of Israel.
“There is a strong parallel between these events in Jewish communal life and the experience of the free nations of the world,” he declared. “In both instances common struggles strengthened a sense of kinship–nation with nation, and Jewish community with Jewish community–between those who live in far corners of the world. Having won the war, both the nations of the world and Jewish communities now have the prolonged, less dramatic, more difficult responsibility–to ‘win the peace.”
Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, addressing the more than 1,000 Jewish community leaders from all parts of the country who participated in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, said last night that the Jews of America owe it to themselves and to the Jewish people “to take over the glory and burden of our heritage now that the Jewish communities of Europe no longer exist as vital and creative centers.”
Speaking of Israel, Rabbi Silver said: “Already close to a million and a half Jews live in Israel and it seems destined to become, next to the United States, the largest center of Jews in the world and its most important cultural center. Many grave problems confront the new state–political, economic and social–but knowing their drives and dynamism, their pride and devotion, I am confident that they will solve them-with help and assistance of their fellow Jews throughout the world.”
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.
