Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 March 1967 — Page 3

ESTHER SUNDAY Coincidence Of Holidays INDIANAPOLIS — The coincidence of Purim and Easter falling on the same day led Rabbi Maurice Davis, of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation to suggest calling the day, “Esther Sunday.” Pointing out that the story of Easter Purim and the story of Easter have absolutely nothing in common, the Reform Rabbi said, “We could, however, make some gesture toward the ecumenism that everywhere abounds. Perhaps we might give March 26th a special name that would keep the meaning of Purim, and yet recognize what else is happening that day. “How about calling it Esther Sunday!”'

Halt Asked For CIA Millions For Friends Of Middle East

Could Bar Synagogue Council Participation Ecumenical Meets To Be Restudied

RABBI PAUL LEVOVTTZ Expelled

the National Conference of Catholic Bishops to discuss, “Hie Role of Religious Conscience.” In another development Rabbi Paul Z. Levovitz, presides! of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), was expelled from membership in the ultra Orthodox Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (UOR) for a letter on dialogues

which Levovitz sent to RCA members. In the letter, Levovitz approved of interreligious discussions on “universal religious problems. . . by religionists from a religious perspective” and differentiated such problems from those which are “theological in essence.” But he added, “There is no doubt that every problem discussed by men of the cloth will have religious and perhaps theological o v e rtones. The real difference is in the starting point.” Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Dean of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, and Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky, Dean of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, were among the 28 members of the UOR Executive Committee who condemned Levovitz’s policy as a violation of halachah and asserted that it was the intention of Christians to use ecumenism as a tool for missionary efforts among Jews. Four other Orthodox organizations joined the UOR in a meeting protesting Jewish participation in interfaith dialogues. They were the Rabbinical Alliance of America, the New York Metropolitan Board of Orthodox Rabbis, Agudath Israel, and the Union of Chassidic Rabbis.

STUDY MISSION IDEA GOES TO THE CAMPUS

WASHINGTON - President Johnson was urged last week to end American anancial support to the American Friends of the Middle East through Central Intelligence Agency grants. The appeal was made by Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. THE APPEAL, addressed also to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, pointed out that leaders of AFME have opposed economic and military aid to Israel while supporting such assistance to the Arab states. Rabbi Bernstein said the initial protests five years ago were believed to have resulted in termination of such aid. “We were dismayed to learn that this was not the case, that the CIA was, in fact, continuing to subsidize the American Friends of the Middle East through the use of philanthropic foundations,” he wrote. The committee, the rabbi said, questioned the wisdom “of any secret subsidies to American organizations engaged in public action or propaganda on the Amerkan scene.” He said there is no better example “of the unwisdom of this practice than the grants to AFME.” THE COMMITTEE stated that AFME “disseminated anti-Is-

Members of the rabbinate this week continued the “Great Debate”— Vietnam, in the Jewish community, Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn of Boston spoke on Vietnam at a press conference be shared with other members of the clergy. Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf of Congregation Solel in Highland Park, III., disucssed the issue from the pulpit. BOTH DENOUNCED U S. participation. Rabbi Israel Kolelr of B’nai B’rith Temple at Santa Barbara, Calif., supported the war as a moral issue. Rabbi Gittelsohn volunteered for the chaplaincy in 1943 and served in combat duty with the Fifth Marine Division on Iwo Jima. Today, he said, he loves his country no less, "hut this does not preclude or excuse me from

rael and anti-Zionist views prejudicial to the State of Israel,” had slandered a large segment of the American people, and was a major supporter of the Organization of Arab Students “which abuses the hospitality of the United States by prosecuting a propaganda campaign against American support for Israel.” Rabbi Bernstein said the committee has always favored a strong policy in the Near East “which offers friendship to both Israel and the Arab states.” “We have never accepted the ‘either-or’ ultimatum of the Arab states that we must choose between them and Israel and that we must diminish our support for Israel to win their favor,” he said. “We believe that our position is in accord with U.S. policy, but AFME criticizes the support which American Jews extend to Israel.” THE NEAR EAST REPORT, edited by I. L. Kenen, asserted that a study of Internal Revenue returns, AFME’s annual reports and other sources, reveals that AFME received almost $2 million between 1952 and 1957 from the Dearborn Foundation in Chicago and the San Jacinto Fund in Houston, and that eight additional foundations gave AFME at least one-half million dollars from I960 through 1965.

pointing to its moral deficiencies.” “BOTH MY AMERICAN patriotism and my Jewish faith impel me to cry out in anguish against the current polkies of my government in Vietnam,” the rabbi said. “I can accept a moral double standard no more in international life than in the sex ethics of men and women. What is ethically wrong for other nations is no less reprehensible for my nation.” Rabbi Gittelsohn said it is morally wrong to interfere aggressively in the lives of other peoples. “This is precisely what we have done in Vietnam,” he said. “On any scale of accuracy and justice, it is we who have aggressed up to this point in Vietnam — far more than either the Russians or the Chinese. My conscience compels me to

NEW YORK — The Synagogue Council of America, under fire from some Orthodox circles for participating in p three-faith conference (P-O, Feb. 24) in Boston, may be prevented hereafter from such participation. Such an eventuality could develop if a reassessment of the situation planned by one of the consistent members of the SCA should decide against future ecumenical meetings. The reassessment was approved by the board of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, which first voted down a resolution offered by its officers not to participate in the Boston conference. The vote was 17 to 14. Any member group of the SCA has power of vote. The SCA is made up of rabbinkal and lay groups of each of the three wings of Judaism. A request from the Reconstructionist Movement to join the SCA, made months ago, has not been acted upon. The Boston meeting follows guidelines set down by Rabbi Joseph Soloveichik, halachic leader of the modern Orthodox, permitting discussion of universal and humanitarian subjects with Christian groups, but banning discussion of theological subjects. The Boston meeting, scheduled for May, will bring together delegates for the National Council of Churches and

protest that armed interference in the Uvea of others is no less condemnable when perpetrated by us than when others are guilty.” RABBI ROLLER took a different viewpoint. He believes freedom is the moral issue involved, “There’s something worse than war and that’s slavery,” he said. “And I think this is the crucial moral point of Vietnam.** As he sees it, the United States is protecting the freedom of the South Vietnamese against aggression. The rabbi sees two goods — one the cessation of the fighting, the other the obligation of a strong nation to come to the aid of people who are being bullied and intimidated by agents of another strong power. “That is a moral issue and (Continued ' "•ii ’.page)

NEW YORK — The United Jewish Appeal will extend its most successful device — the study mission — to the university level. A mission takes a leadership group abroad to learn at first hand the work of the UJA, ending in Israel where the results of the UJA efforts are examined, and Israeli leaders interviewed. ONE WOULD think that the UJA would bear the cost of these missions. But that is why this is the most successful of UJA activities. Not only do the members of the mission pay their own way, but as usually happens, under the emotional sway of what they have seen, an almost spontaneous fund - raising session takes place and the mission members make their pledges for the succeeding year. Max Fisher, general chairman, said the mission will accept a maximum of 40 men in the 18 to 24 age range, from campuses throughout the nation. The successful applicants for the 26 month mission will be chosen for qualities of leadership on the campus and for leadership

potential in their home communities. The group is scheduled to meet in New York City for briefing sessions on Monday, June 19. They will depart the next evening and return on Sunday, August 13. THE FIRST MONTH will be spent in Morocco, France, Germany, Poland ."aid Austria, with the second mo ith devoted to Israel. Among the cities included on the itinerary are Casablanca, Marrakech, Marseilles, Nice, Paris, West and East Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Vienna, and all the major cities of Israel as well as immigrant settlement towns, farm cooperatives and archeological excavations. Hie mission program will include meetings with the leadership of Jewish communities overseas, dialogues with youth groups and intensive surveys of Jewish welfare, rehabilitation and educational programs in the various countries to be visited. The schedule will include social evenings, recreation and general sightseeing.

Our Right In Vietnam Great Debate Goes On

Why Does The POST and OPINION Carry More Advertising Now Than At Any Time In Its History? The Answer Is Simple. OUR ADVERTISERS GET RESULTS! . ■>