Rabbis Ask Pres. Nixon to Restate U.S. Position in Support of Israel

The Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia asked today Pennsylvania’s senators and congressmen from the Philadelphia area to join it in obtaining from the White House a “restatement” of the American position in support of Israel. The Board sought their support in a request it made last week to President Nixon to clarify the apology he made to President Pompidou of France for the pro-Israel demonstrations during the course of M. Pompidou’s visit to the United States. The letter, signed by Rabbi Elias Cherry, president of the Board, defended the demonstrations as an expression of American opinion and declared that “in view of the fact that the apology by the President of the United States to the President of France may be misunderstood as having implications detrimental to Israel, we should welcome from your Administration a restatement of the traditional American policy toward Israel.” Rabbi Cherry declared that “justice would require that such a statement would attract the same attention from the press as did your unprecedented flight to New York to assuage M. Pompidou’s ruffled feelings.”