To: Mr. Max Stern, Chairman, Joint Overseas Commission; From: Dr. Samson R. Weiss; Subject: London Meetings. In keeping with our discussion of Tuesday, May 15th, I set up a series of meetings in London. Haham Dr. Solomon Gaon checked with Chief Rabbi Brodie as to the best available dates. It was determined that my presence in London at the occasion of the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Chief Rabbis' Conference would be advisable and should be combined with the purpose of my trip. Accordingly, I left for London on Saturday night, May 26th and arrived in time to participate in the afternoon session of the Standing Committee. This committee is in charge of carrying out the resolutions adopted at the Bionnial Chief Rabbis' Conferences which Dr. Brodie initiated six years ago. Three of these conferences have taken place. The fourth one is scheduled for May, 1963 in Basel, Switzerland.Participants in this conference were: Dr, Brodie, Dr, Gaon, Rabbi Grunwald (Hamburg), Dayan Dr. Lew (London), Grand Rabbin Schilli (Paris), Chief Rabbi Schuster (Amsterdam), Oberrabbiner Taubes (Zurich), Chief Rabbi Toaff (Rome), and Rabbi Rose, the Secretary of Chief Rabbi Brodie.Of interest to us are the following issues, given here in condensed form(A) Calendar ReformIn view of a recent statement in the Osservatore Romano that the Pope favors Calendar Reform among other reasons for the purpose of obtaining a fixed day for Easter, there is great danger that such a reform may be introduced through the United Nations. When Calendar Reform proposals earn up last in 1954, it was the resistance of the Catholic Church which played a great role in the defeat of these proposals.The Pope now agrees to a reform which would divide the year in four equal quarters of 91 days each, a total of 364 days. The last day of the year, and in Leap Years the two last days, would be uncounted, unnamed "blank days." Thus, each year would begin with a Sunday as would each quarter. Accordingly, the Shabbo…

My dear Cardinal: On behalf of my colleague Rabbi Norman Lamm and myself I beg to express to Your Grace once again our profound appreciation for the gracious reception accorded to us yesterday when we had the pleasure and privilege to call upon you. We are confident that through the understanding created by this and similar meetings to explore common problems in the light of the new challenges of our time, we may succeed in strengthening our religious ramparts against the threatening inroads of communism from without and secularism from within and in promoting the blessings of harmony and cooperation among those who cherish the supremacy of religion in life.With cordial greetings, I am,Yours very sincerely,Dr. I. JakobovitsRabbi

Upon the recommendation of Rabbi Abraham N. AvRutick, President of the Rabbinical Council of America, I am pleased to notify you of your appointment to the Joint Communal Relations Commission of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and of your designation to the Committee on Interreligious Activities of the National Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC) as a representative of our Joint Commission. You will receive the meeting notices of the above committee directly from the NCRAC. Meeting notices and any other communications of the Joint Communal Relations Commission will, of course, be mailed to you directly from the Orthodox Union. I shall greatly appreciate your sending me a brief summary of the proceedings of the meetings attended by you.

Dear Abe: I just received a note from Samuel Brennglass informing me that upon your recommendation I had been appointed to the Joint Communal Relations Commission and to the Committee on Interreligious Activities of NCRAC. Thank you for your confidence, and I hope to do the best I can. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Rabbi Dr. J. B. Soloveitchik has read and approved of the text of the enclosed statement and will gladly confirm it to you if you so wish. Kindly let us have back the enclosed copy of the statement with your signature for our files. In my article in the recent (December 1962) issue of Midstream I made mention of a visit paid to Cardinal Spellman by two New York Rabbis and reported what I had understood to be the substance of their conversation. I have now been authoritatively informed that the visit was of a purely private nature (following prior consultations with national Jewish communal and rabbinic authorities), and that the facts were not as reported. In the conversations, there was not the slightest attempt made to deny or apologize for any Jewish organizations or attitudes. There was no mention whatever made of the Lord's Prayer or any other religious exercises in the public schools, and no promise was requested or given to issue any statement or pursue any policy with regard to public issues, as alleged in my article. In view of the above, I readily withdraw my erroneous statement, and express my deep regret for any distress or misunderstanding caused as a result of this report. In my article in the recent (December 1962) issue of "Midstream," I made mention of a visit paid to Cardinal Spellman by two New York Rabbis and reported what I understood to be the substance of their conversation. I have now been authoritatively informed that the visit was a purely private and unofficial nature, and the facts were not as reported. The content of their conversation was completely unlike that which had originally been conveyed to me. I regret any distress which may have been caused to the Rabbis in question as a result of this report.

Dear Rabbi Lookstein: I really and truly appreciate the time and effort you take to concern yourself with my recent entanglement. I therefore thank you very much for your letter of December 27th and the clipping from The Jewish Chronicle. As a matter of fact, I had already seen this clipping from our friend [redacted]. Your suggestion, "read it and smile," is accepted by me with gratitude. Perhaps when you read the enclosed photocopy of an article by Leo Pfeffer in the recent *Midstream* you will think I ought to howl uncontrollably...As I told you when we met at the wedding, I would like to tell you the whole story and perhaps you will appreciate how a project conceived in good will and executed in what was supposed to be the greatest confidence has been betrayed and maligned in a manner so grotesque as to make the whole thing seem a trifle surrealistic — as if I were living in a world created by a Kafka.At any rate, with regard to the article by \[name omitted], she has far surpassed the malice of which I thought she was capable. The fact is that some three weeks ago I called her and informed her of the real facts in the situation. This means, quite clearly, that she is not only not interested in the truth, but is actively engaged in creating vicious falsehoods in a manner consistent with the feline of the species. But, as you say, "read it and smile." In the future I suspect it will have to be an either-or choice: either read or smile...I am still awaiting that long-promised talk with you which will be, of course, at your convenience.Fondest regards to Mrs. Lookstein.Very cordially yours,NL\:ffRABBI NORMAN LAMMEncl---**Midstream***A Quarterly Jewish Review*December 1962Articles:* HERBERT WEINER – The Case for the Timorous Jew: Reflections on Church and State in America* LEO PFEFFER – Counterreflections on Church and State* SH. YIN'AM – Nehru — Portrait of a Neutralist* NISSIM REJWAN – Israel's Arab Citizens* HENRY KATZEW – Jews in the Land of Apartheid* RONALD S…

Dear Norman: In the December issue of MIDSTREAM, I read some disturbing matters by Leo Feffer concerning your visit to Cardinal Spellman. I would very much appreciate hearing from you as to the truth of this statement and the negotiations which you carried out. With best wishes, I remain, Sincerely, Rabbi Meyer J. Strassfeld

My Dear Dr. Rabinowitz: I just received this morning from Mrs. Max Stern your letter and the enclosed article you submitted for TRADITION. I do regret that we have not had the opportunity to communicate with each other as much as I would have liked to. Hence, as long as I am writing, let me be a bit elaborate, at least sufficiently to clear up certain misconceptions. You mention that you are in touch with my activities through the press, and hence are aware of my visit to the Cardinal with Rabbi Jakobovits. It seems, unfortunately, that in our mortal and imperfect society the impressions a man makes bear but little resemblance to the actual nature of his activities. The visit you speak of was quite innocuous. I was promised that not a word of it would be breathed to the public. Regretfully, and to my great disappointment it was "leaked" by a source whom I never would have suspected. Both Jakobovits and I were deeply distressed. The visit was magnified beyond all proportions. The report you refer to is, no doubt, the one contained in the Jewish Chronicle in the article by [redacted.] Her report is, to put it mildly false in all its main of truth la the fact of the visit. Everything else that she mentions is a complete and hair raising distortion. what complicates the injustice that she has done is the fact that I personally called her some weeks in advance of the articled appearance to inform her of the actual facts as they occurred. But the lady was so passionately interested in condemning Rabbi Jakobovits for a variety of reasons, all quite emotional, that I do not believe she paid attention to what I told her. fey I assure you, therefore, that the report was pernicious, and a conscious distortion and fabrication. I had considered writing to the Chronicle (I had even originally thought of action in the courts against Leo Pfeffer, the first source of these mendacities), but I thought the better of it. Experience has taught that the more you deny, the more the origi…

Enclosed is copy of minutes of a meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee of the Synagogue Council of America and the National Community Relations Advisory Council, together with a plan proposed by Rev. Charles L. Borgognoni, Chaplain of Catholic Students of Syracuse University, for religious education in the public schools. Please let me have your comments. M.I.F. Released time Proposal – Syracuse. The committee gave extended consideration to a proposal advanced by the Rev. Charles L. Borgognoni, on behalf of the Catholic community of Syracuse for a staggered released time program. Copies of the plan, attached to these minutes, had been mailed in advance to committee members. It was recognized at the outset that the JAC stands in opposition to released time. While this would not necessarily place us in opposition to the Borgognoni proposal, it was stressed that this proposal seems to be a dangerous extension of current released time arrangements, for reasons herein after expressed.A) The release of a student ”according to a schedule satisfactory to himself, the school, and the church” dur-ing any free study period of the week probably would create serious adninistrative and curriculum problems.B) Certainly we cannot and do not object to the er-ection of a released time religious center in the vicinity of a public school as recommended in the Borgognoni pro-posal. However, the ”principle" of parallel public and religious institutions suggested by the proposal might well affect both public school site selection and scheduling. Members of the committee considered this principle a dangerous departure.C) The teaching situation in the religious center would very likely be quite inadequate, so much so that it is reasonably certain the public school would soon be asked to rearrange its schedule to make the work of the reli-gious center more effective.D) Many reservations were expressed in regard to part III of the Bor-gognoni plan. It was recognized that this section of th…

Dear Moe: This is in answer to your three recent memos. 1. I had no idea that Label Katz was to meet with Vatican officials. I do know that I don't like the idea. If an innocuous meeting with Spellman caused such a furor, then this meeting should cause a riot. 2. I agree that the prognosis is worrisome with regard to the visit of the Israeli Rabbis to Bombay, however, I don't know if it is possible for me to be there at that time. There is a serious question of how I can get away for a visit whenever it is the Rabbis expect to come, and also whether the Union will be able to afford to sponsor such a visit by myself. 3. The Borgognoni proposal seems to me to be quite fair. I am out of sympathy with the allergic reactions of the Jewish Agencies. I would accept Rabbi Klavan's amendment, and thereby satisfy the devotees of the Absolute Vail. The only real fear that I can accept is that this may introduce an additional pressure point whereby the Church will be able to direct the areas where new schools will be built. However, this is cancelled out by the fact that also envisioned in the Borgognoni proposal is the kind of building which will be shared equally by all three faiths. If anything, I would encourage the Jewish community in Syracuse, especially the Orthodox community, to make clear use of the released hour possibilities. I certainly would refrain from voicing any vocal objections, and use my influence, if I were you, to keep these other Jewish groups from making a cause célèbre of this issue, I too admit, however, to having one very serious reservation, and that is the advisability in general of "mixing" religions in one building. In this Army we cannot help it; but in civilian life I don't think it's good, from an educational point of view, to impart Torah instruction on premises shared with other faiths, thereby giving the impression that the building is some kind of a super-sectarian institution.Sincerely, RABBI NORMAN LAMM