Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 January 1981 — Page 3

Leadership, Organizations Castigated

As Jewish Agenda Off To Good Start

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The New Jewish Agenda got off to a better start than anticipated as almost 700 attended the sessions here of the new progressive Jewish organization. No final actions were taken, and some 30 workshops took up questions such as the Middle East, labor, parenting, etc. Their proposals will be considered and if adopted become part of the program of the organization. THE ATTENDANCE was broken down fairly evenly between males and females and a number of rabbis were in the audiences. Although the New Agenda has the support of a group of influential backers, they did not attend the conference, but only lent their support. They included Rabbis Roland Gittelsohn, Leonard Beerman, Eugene Borowitz, Arthur Hertzberg, Joachim Prinz, Balfour Brickner and David Saperstein and Michael Robinson among others. Ed Asner, the TV star, is a supporter. One of the workshops was devoted to Jewish Sources for Social Action and another to Jewish Theology for Social Action. There seemed to be two age groups represented, those in their early 30s and those over

SO.

ASKED ABOUT any connection with Peace Now, Jay Rothman, the paid executive of New Agenda, discounted such an idea. He said the New Agenda has the backing of Leonard Fein, who was the principal in the American Peace

Now movement, but that this was the only tie between the two. Fein, who is editor and publisher of Moment Magazine, addressed one

of the workshops.

Sam Norich, a vice president of the World Jewish Congress, was unsparing in his criticism of the Jewish leadership, and he did not fail to take a swipe at the Council of Jewish Federations which he said “would like to be regarded as the parliament of American Jewry, (but) it is not.” AVIVA CANTOR, editor of Lilith Magazine, did not mince words either. She said “It is not coincident that American Jewry is dominated by a small group of wealthy assimilationist men, aided by their hired male hacks.” She added, “They speak and act in our name without our

having selected either them or their policies... There is no such accountability, no democracy; there is no concept of ‘loyal opposition’, or open criticism of policy or poli-

tics!”

As a closing haymaker she said that “The majority of American Jews, men and women, are disenfranchised — deprived of selfdetermination in their own community.” There were four plenary sessions, one on Israel, another on the American Jewish Community, a third consisting of Personal Statements as Jewish Progressives and the fourth a business session. > Financing of The New Agenda has come from personal gifts and awards from Founda-

tions, but a dues system will be devised and it is expected that the main source of income

will be from the membership.

NEW AGENDA hopes to work for changes in the Jewish community, and is addressing itself to the unafilliated who feel they are disenfranchised presently, thinking and research

on Jewish issues and social action.

The Unity Statement adopted at the conference took a dim view of the quality of Jewish life in America. “American Jewry is fragmented, lacking leadership, eroded by assimilation,” the statement asserted.

Continuing the statement read: “Israel is

besieged, its economy collapsing, hopes for peace fading. Anti-Semitism is everywhere on the rise. America remains a deeply troubled nation, with inequalities and confusion. Its new administration seemingly is preparing for another era of repression, unlimited arms race, and destruction of the environment...We are committed to Jewish survival. Jews must have the rights to which every people is entitled...We believe that society can be improved, that human cooperation can be achieved, and that we not only reflect Jewish ideals but enhance Jewish

security by working for social progress.” THE STATEMENT affirmed “the validity

and vitality of progressive Jewish values at a time when many have lost faith that the goals

of justice and peace are attainable.”

Dry Bones

— Court*sty Of The Jerusalem Post INDESTRUCTIBLE — Prime Minister Begin’s many narrow escapes from his government being overturned was the inspiration for this “Dry Bones” by Israel’s top cartoonist. If his Liktid Party were to lose the vote in the Knesset, elections would take place this spring instead of as scheduled in November, and the Labor Alignment, led by Shimon Peres, is expected to win a victory.

Wean Jewry Away From Fajse Judaism Orthodoxy To Go On Offensive

ZURICH — Switzerland — Orthodoxy is strong enough to

|go on the ofensive “to vean away arge masses of Jews from the purveyors of a false Judaism who are/ [leading them down tiie road

Sherer of spiritual ob-

livion.”

This was the substance of the message of Rabbi Morris Sherer at the city-wide receotion here tendered the recent-ly-elected chairman of the Agudath Israel World Organization. He told the overflow audience that “While in the past decades Orthodox Jewry struggled on the defensive to

How Services Cut To 1 Hour MOBILE, Ala. — Concerned with apathy in Temple attendance, The Springhill Avenue Temple (Reform) will cut Saturday services to one hour by alternating between a Torah service and a sermon.

prevent the flood waters of deviationism from overwhelming the traditional Jewish home and its values, today the situation has drastically changed. Orthodox Jewry has developed strong bastions of Torah study which have produced huge cadres of informed, dedicated Torah activists the world over, and is powerful enough to go on the offensive to wean away large masses of Jews from the purveyors of a false Judaism who are leading

them down the road of

spiritual oblivion. ’ ’

He pledged the new leader ship of the Agudath Israel World Organization to launch a global effort to build coalitions of Orthodox Jews to achieve these new goals. The Zurich meetings took place after a series of successful gatherings sponsored by the Agudath Israel World Organization in Paris and Strasbourg, France, with the participation of Rabbi Sherer.

Many Jews Members Of Moral Majority

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A large that a "real mix" of Jews and number of Jews are affiliated Christians are among Moral

with Moral Majority chapters in New York City and on Long Island, it was stated by Donald Siegel, who told The Buffalo Jewish Review that two or three chapters might be formed in Erie County. “We want the Jewish community to participate in our lobbying activities,” he said. Moral Majority is not composed exclusively of Jews, Siegel, who is a Getzville businessman, said. He stated

Majority members around the country. He said the chapters around New York City are heavily if not majority, Jewish. The first meeting here drew about 75 persons and was held in the Buffalo Christian Center. Siegel said the Christian site was chosen because other places were all committed because of the holidays, but that future meetings would be held in a non-religious place.

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