Jan. 5, 1968
From an editorial titled “Praise for Today’s Young People”
The younger generation, despite the rebellious activities of some of its members in San Francisco and elsewhere, has a staunch defender in Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations [now the Union for Reform Judaism].
He spoke his views before 3,000 delegates attending the recent Union convention in Montreal. Acknowledging the validity of youth’s disillusionment with “a fossilized establishment of government and religion,” he lauded the “honesty and idealism” of today’s young people, asserting that their “creative force” must not be repudiated but must be harnessed top the social needs of the day. “We should learn honesty from our children,” he said.
He appealed for “a massive urban coalition to remedy Negro frustration by producing better housing, education and jobs, and wiping out the ghetto slums which now scar the spirit of American life.”
Pointing to a need for social revolution “to save the country from chaos and despair, the president of the UAHC declared: “Surely it is a perverted sense of values in America which gives priority to the material needs of Vietnam rather than to the hunger and desperation of our own people in our own cities.”
Concluding with further references to youth, he called for a strengthening of its ties with Israel and greater support of the exchange program whereby American young people are sent to Israel for study and Israeli students come to this country for similar purpose.
Feb. 18, 1994
Gas masks were issued in Israel beginning with the 1991 Gulf War. But secular bearded men had to sue for special masks.
Secular Jews with beards may soon be entitled to receive the special gas masks that have been issued to observant bearded men.
The High Court of Justice has ordered the State Attorney’s Office to explain within 45 days why only religiously observant men may obtain gas masks with electric blowers.
Lawyer and former Knesset member Akiva Nof described the decision to give only religious men and special masks with blowers as discrimination and a serious breach of individual rights.
In his petition Nof argued that the special masks should be given to all bearded men, regardless of their religious observance. He accused the state of endangering secular men just because they have beards.
The representative of the State Attorney’s Office, Malkiel Blass, argued that there is no reason for the state to spend millions of shekels on hundreds of thousands of men who grow beards “for decorative purposes.”
