Orthodox Rabbi Appeals to Israel to Declare Moratorium on Religious Problems

The head of the largest Orthodox Rabbinic body in this country issued today an appeal to the Israeli government to declare a moratorium on all inner conflicts with the religious community and Chief Rabbinate. Speaking before more than 500 delegates assembled here for the 35th annual convention of the Rabbinical Council of America, Rabbi Bernard L. Berzon also issued a warning that the modern American college campus poses “a threat of frightening proportions” to Jewish survival. Rabbi Berzon, president of the RCA, called upon the Orthodox Jewish community to establish 10 colleges in major cities under the auspices of Yeshiva University to counter “the campus environment with its emphasis on agnosticism, self-autonomy, sexual permissiveness, drugs and experimentation with exotic ideologies.” He stated that this environment is “alien and hostile to the traditions and moral values which the Jewish student received in his home atmosphere.” Rabbi Berzon asserted that “liberal arts colleges exercise a generally destructive influence on the religious convictions and identity of Jewish students.”

He observed that only by creating academic institutions of excellence in both secular and religious fields, could the Jewish community hope to combat “this critical threat to meaningful Jewish survival.” Rabbi Berzon contended that establishment of 10 new colleges would make a powerful impact on the complexion of Jewish life in America. “It is our firm conviction that Orthodox Judaism has a powerful message for modern man who no longer feels comfortable in the secular city,” he declared. Referring to the recent statement of Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan that he would urge civil marriage in Israel, Rabbi Berzon stated that Israeli government officials must realize that “Israel is a result of thousands of years of religious prayer and that its concept was kept alive by the pious Jews who adhere to the principles of the Torah. To relegate this vast segment of the Jewish world to an inferior position would be a betrayal of our history.” He concluded, “Israel’s problems, like those of any dynamic state are many, but they will be resolved through debate and discussion, not through pressure or threat.”