American Jewish youth was called upon today to reject the “bagel and lox” concept of Judaism and to seek the deeper meaning of their heritage. The call was made by Rabbi Maurice Pekarsky, founder and director of the Hillel Foundation at the University of Chicago, addressing the Conference of Jewish Youth of the United States and Canada now being held here. Delegates from 19 Zionist and non-Zionist national youth organizations are anticipating in the three-day parley which is being sponsored by the youth department of the Jewish Agency.
Citing the various characters of the different groups represented at the conference, Dr. Pekarsky urged the delegates to consider the unifying factors of Judaism in their deliberations. Rabbi Norman Frimer, New York regional director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations, urged the delegates to accept the obligations of leadership in the ethical field.
Discussing the moral failings of the older generation of Jews and non-Jews, Rabbi Frimer urged the 150 delegates to formulate “ethically-laden programming” and to establish “cells of dedicated people in every organization, to serve as examples d ethical and moral leadership.” He suggested that such dedicated youth resolve to give one year ‘s service with some movement or to spend a year in Israel in work or study.
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.
