A Southern rabbi last night told the 58th annual national convention of the Rabbinical Assembly of America, national association of the Conservative rabbinate, that there “must be no pussyfooting” by rabbis on the question of integration.
Rabbi Paul Reich of Norfolk, Virginia, declared that “we must show its relevance to the problem of Judaism. Undoubtedly, ” he continued, “a goodly number of Jews, members of our congregations, favor segregation. But on the principle of the free pulpit, no one will deny the rabbi permission to speak his mind.”
But, he stressed, “it is not enough that a rabbi should speak about integration. He must do something about it. ” He suggested specifically that a “rabbi may invite Negroes to attend services. He may arrange for inter-racial meetings and break down any form of segregation within the precincts of his synagogue. The rabbi must make himself available to colored groups, religious or otherwise. His personal life should not be segregationist.
“The rabbi should align himself with every bonafide organization interested in ameliorating the problem of the Negro, “he insisted. At the same time, he proposed that “rabbis living in Southern sections” try to urge the local authorities to proceed with integration “at a realistic rate.”
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