There is a “new determination” among Jews to counteract the effects of growing intermarriage and continued assimilation, according to Rabbi Norman E. Frimer, international director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations located on college campuses.
Addressing the Hillel Commission’s annual meeting here recently, Rabbi Frimer said that as the “sentinel” for the Jewish community on the campus, Hillel is attempting not only to reinforce and enlarge its programs, but also to reach out to those students “who are still opting” about their Jewishness. In remarks opening the meeting, David M. Blumberg, B’nai B’rith president, described Hillel as the responsibility of both B’nai B’rith and the total Jewish community. Blumberg said that many federations are already providing substantial support to Hillel.
Dr. Seymour Martin Lipset, of Stanford University, commission chairman, reported a renewal of left-wing activism on campus but said, so far, few Jewish students have participated. However, he likened their inactivity to a tinderbox that could be easily ignited. Dr. Lipset said that the issue of Soviet Jewry unites Jews and non-Jews alike on campus.
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