A “Jewish-Christian-Moslem Society,” dedicated to the improvement of relations among the three groups was set up here today as a result of a series of letters to the British press urging the formation of such a group. The society is to be non-political and open to all who are interested in fostering better relations among the three faiths.
The main speaker of the first meeting was an Australian Moslem, Dr. Salah Ad-Diem, who is in England in the course of a “transworld tour,” following a lifetime of preparation and study for brotherhood work. Dr. Ad-Diem, who opened the meeting by asking the 30 persons present to “smile,” said that this was the first time that “the three Semitic faiths” had gotten together. He represented, he said, “the largest organization in the world–the human family.” He was elected a president.
The inaugural meeting was chaired by A.I. Polack, educational officer of the Council of Christians and Jews here, who expressed the belief that the Jewish community would wholeheartedly subscribe to the objects of the Society. If the three faiths could combine to bring some spiritual impact to the situation in which religious ideals are being negated, he added, they would be doing something really significant.
Excerpts from letters expressing support and interest were circulated at the meeting. Lord Samuel, first High Commissioner of Palestine, wrote that he was “in full accord with the purposes of the society.” The private secretary of Israel Ambassador Eliahu Elath conveyed Mr. Elath’s best wishes and asked that he be kept informed of further developments. Other letters were from Moslems in this country. It was agreed to invite Edwin Samuel to become a president of the Society.
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.
