Ben Gurion Asked to Prevent Establishment of Reform Synagogue

An effort to have Prime Minister David Ben Gurion intervene in the Reform synagogue issue which has deadlocked Jerusalem’s Municipal Council was made today by a noted Orthodox leader, Rabbi Yekutiel Halberstam, the Klausenberger Rebbe. The rabbi was received by the Premier, after which they conferred privately.

Rabbi Halberstam reportedly told Mr. Ben Gurion that Orthodox Jews here will go all-out to prevent the introduction of Reform services into Jerusalem–even to the point of “open war”. Plans for the introduction of Reform worship are centered around the opening of a School of Archaeology sponsored by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, American seminary for the training of Reform rabbis. The services are to be held in the School’s library, but thus far various maneuvers have prevented the granting of a building permit for the School.

The rabbi told the Prime Minister that he plans to bring his own Yeshiva to Israel, and reportedly asked him to weigh the question of whether the disciples of his Yeshiva would not be a greater benefit than a Reform synagogue. He is said to have argued that the Reform synagogue would bring no benefit to the State, but only harm, and that it would alienate both observant and non-observant Jews who want to see Israel as a bulwark and fortress of traditional Judaism.

Later, Rabbi Halberstam conferred here with Mayor Gershon Agron for an hour in a effort to persuade him to withhold his approval of the building permit, scheduled to come before the Municipal Council’s meeting today. The rabbi was reported to have pleaded with the mayor against taking any step which would give offense to Orthodox Jewry.