A series of proposals for an “urgent revision of synagogue services and the Jewish liturgy” were advanced by more than a score of French and Swiss rabbis and lay leaders at a colloquium on “The Community and the Indifferent Jew” at Strasbourg.
Among those participating were some 20 of the leading rabbis of the two countries, including the Chief Rabbi of Paris and the grand rabbis of the French Eastern provinces. Lay leaders included Marcel Greilsammer, president of the Liberal Union of Paris, and Georg Brunschwig, president of the Swiss Jewish Communities. Orthodox, Conservative and Liberal rabbis attended.
The rabbinical and lay leaders devoted a full day to discussion of the conditions which estrange Jews from participation in religious services. The colloquium was organized by the Alliance Israelite Universelle and the American Jewish Committee.
The rabbis proposed a number of major changes in religious materials, including printing and distribution of prayerbooks with clear transliterations and translations of the Hebrew language services, a clear plan of the structure of the religious service and the seating of the choir in the congregation to encourage participation in the services.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
