Agudath Israel Protests to German Envoy, Mrs. Meir over Sabbath Auto Races

Rabbi Moshe Sherer, executive president of Agudath Israel, said the group’s administrative board met in emergency session this morning to deal with the scheduled international automobile race scheduled for Saturday in the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The board sent a wire to Rolf Pauls in Washington, D.C. the West German Ambassador to the United States, urging him to use his “good offices” to influence the German firm sponsoring the race to postpone it to a weekday “thus avoiding world-wide outrage at insensitivity to religion in the Holy Land.” A wire was also sent by Agudath Israel to Israeli Premier Golda Meir urging the government to stop the race to avoid “inflaming religious controversy during sensitive times which cry out for unity.”