President John F. Kennedy was urged today to submit proposals to Congress for revising the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act as further proof of “our fervent desire to eliminate international tensions.” The plea was made by Rabbi Edward E. Klein, of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, at an all-day Leadership Conference on Social Action sponsored by the New York Federation of Reform Synagogues, representing 93 temples in the New York area.
“The time has come for the President, who has frequently expressed the American tradition of humanity and compassion in pleading for a better immigration policy, to bring to the Congress specific proposals which will bring our immigration practices into harmony with our nations democratic concepts of equality and mercy,” Rabbi Klein declared.
Referring to President Kennedy’s foreign policy, Rabbi Klein stated: “Agreements must now be reached to assure the neutrality of the new African states, guarantee the integrity of the borders of Israel and to bring the Arabs to the peace table with the Israelis.”
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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.