National Council of Young Israel - excerpt from Lee O'Brien, American Jewish Organizations and Israel, 1986

This page is an extract, reproduced with permission, from Lee O'Brien, American Jewish Organizations and Israel, Washington DC: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1986. 
This page is reproduced by permission of the Institute of Palestine Studies, granted on 25 February 2014. The Institute retains copyright of all material.
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*Year established: 1912 
*President: Harold Jacobs 
*Executive Vice-President: Ephraim Sturm 
*Address: 3 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 
*Publication: Young Israel Viewpoint (monthly newspaper) 
==General Background, Structure and Role== 
The Young Israel movement was initiated in 1912 with the aim of strengthening Orthodox Judaism in America by making it more modern and relevant. To this end, certain changes were introduced in religious practices, such as communal singing and sermons in English; however, the movement was and remains strictly Orthodox, with a constitutional mandate committing all member branches to the standards of Halachic law. 
The base of the movement is the Young Israel synagogue, which is comprised of hundreds of branch congregations, mainly in the United States but also in Canada, Mexico, and Israel. Each synagogue is seen as ‘the vital first step in building or rebuilding any successful Orthodox community.’ Community is the key word, since Young Israel is not a rabbinical body or mere grouping of synagogues, but a movement to create and maintain an Orthodox way of life in America, especially in the face of the ‘threat’ posed by Conservative and Reform movements. NCYI, The National Council of Young Israel: Experience, Leadership and Accomplishments in the American Jewish Community Since 1912, ca. 1982-1983 
The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI or National Council) is the national body and coordinator of the movement. Branch members participate in the NCYI through their delegates, who elect officers at the national convention. Branches also help support the NCYI-a religious tax-exempt organization-with fundraising drives. In return, the NCYI provides leadership and a wide range of services covering much more than religious issues. A partial listing includes an endowment fund for interest-free loans to branches; health insurance programs; a travel department; youth and athletic clubs; a Senior League that provides kosher meals and trips to Israel for the elderly; a Torah tape library and Torah retreats; a Women's League; and a campus program whose main aim is to combat cults and missionaries recruiting Jewish students and to provide kosher meals on campus. 
==Political Positions: Israel and the Torah== 
The NCYI is characterized by its ‘strong consensus in favor of vigorous support of the State of Israel and encouraging Aliyah,’ to a degree that stands out even within the extremely pro-Israel stance of American Jewish religious organizations. In relation to current events in general, the NCYI seeks ‘to champion the Torah point of view on the critical public policy issues of our time.’ 
The person who does most of the ‘championing’ at NCYI is Harold Jacobs, president of the National Council, member of the U.S. Naval War College, and former member of the Jewish Agency's Executive, now on its Actions Committee. In February 1982, for example, Jacobs demanded that President Reagan ask for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. He claimed that Weinberger had a conflict of interest because of his past connection with Bechtel Corporation and ‘has consistently demonstrated a bias against Israel even in issues far beyond his direct responsibilities.‘ The Jewish Press, 26 February 1982 Following the Sabra and Shatila massacre, at a time when many American Jewish leaders deplored the killings and supported the call for an Israeli inquiry, Jacobs declared that: 
Israel had nothing to do with the massacre. It was hot blood on the part of Phalangists who took revenge after seven years of the killing of Christians. It was people out of control. It is not in the Jewish nature to kill people. I don't believe there was any conspiracy on the part of the Israelis to let the Phalangists into the camps to kill. New York Times, 21 September 1982 
In November 1983, Weinberger invited the NCYI to meet with him and other Defense Department officials at the Pentagon. The fifty member NCYI delegation was led by Jacobs, who also brought with him the heads of Emunah Women of America, AMIT (Mizrachi Women), the national commander of the Jewish War Veterans (who is also president of Young Israel of Canton, Ohio), as well as New York City controller Harrison Goldin. The discussion focused on U.S. military policy and the security of Israel, with special stress on why the United States declined Israeli help following the September 1983 attack on the Marines in Beirut. The Jewish Press, 11 November 1983 
In a December 1982 message, Jacobs warned American Jewish organizations and individuals not to endorse the nuclear freeze and ‘not to allow themselves to become unwitting tools of communist propaganda.’ He also urged the Jewish community to endorse, on a bipartisan basis, the Reagan administration's efforts to rebuild U.S. military power ‘to protect the freedom of our people and our allies throughout the world, including Israel.’ Jewish Week, 3 December 1982 
In a rare positive statement issued in January 1984, Jacobs praised Reagan's warm reception of Israeli Prime Minister Shamir as ‘a refreshing and long overdue change.’ NCYI, Young Israel Viewpoint, January 1984 
(Their talks had focused on formation of a joint study committee for increased U.S.-Israeli cooperation.) 
According to a February 1984 article in NCYI's monthly newspaper, Young Israel Viewpoint, Jacobs strongly and publicly ‘condemned the rejection by Americans on the Jewish Agency Board of Governors of the nomination by Israeli government leaders of Ariel Sharon to the chairmanship of the World Zionist-Jewish Agency Aliyah Department. He decried the 'continuing persecution and character assassination directed against a great Israeli leader.' He went on to say that Sharon's policies have been proven correct, and that even U.S. officials regret that Israel is not following the same course. However, according to Jacobs, the most important aspect is that: 
the prestige of Ariel Sharon among those Jews who are seriously considering Aliyah is higher than ever. He represents a vision of Israel which is both proud and idealistic. In the post of chairman of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Department, Sharon would rally many idealistic Jews to the cause of Aliyah, and inspire them to devote their lives to building and living in Israel. By sabotaging the appointment in an effort to scapegoat one of Israel's modern heroes, those who voted against Sharon have done a disservice to the cause of Zionism, Aliyah, and the future of the State of Israel. NCYI, Young Israel Viewpoint, February 1984 
==Israel Support Work== 
An important aspect of NCYI's pro-Israel work that permeates the entire organization is the inevitable use of its member synagogues (which claim to reach half a million people in the United States and Canada) as a forum for propagating NCYI's position on current events. Congregations are also a ready-made vehicle for mobilizing members to carry out concrete tasks or hook into national campaigns. The NCYI plays an active role in the Presidents Conference and supports the work of AIPAC; when telegrams need to be written or delegations sent to members of congress, Young Israel congregations are active. Judging by reports in the Young Israel Viewpoint, branches fully share the positions of the national body; for example, when the Young Israel of East Brunswick, New Jersey organized a series of lectures for its Adult Education Program, the first speaker they invited was JDL's Meir Kahane (described as a candidate for the Knesset and the only Jewish leader coming out against the candidacy of Jesse Jackson). 
Most of NCYI's pro-Israel work in the United States is carried out by the Public Affairs Committee of the National Council, whose chairman is Matthew J. Maryles. A NCYI summary of its 1983 activities includes this item: 
Young Israel Mobilized Support For Israel-In the aftermath of deepening American involvement in Lebanon, the National Council has redoubled its efforts to reinforce support for Israel both within and outside the Jewish community. Its Public Affairs Committee, comprised of representatives from branches throughout the movement, is organizing an instant response network and has opened a telephone mobilization hotline to help individuals respond more effectively in support of Israel and other Jewish issues. NCYI, National Council Highlights for 5744 
In January 1984, Maryles and Fred Ehrmans, chair of the Israel Committee of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, issued a joint statement calling for the formation of an international tribunal to bring Yasir Arafat and ‘PLO terrorists’ to justice. The statement also castigated the United Nations for supervising the PLO evacuation from Tripoli in December 1983, criticized the United States for assessing the subsequent meeting between Arafat and Egyptian president Mubarak as positive, and said that the PLO should be treated like the Nazis at Nuremberg. 
The Public Affairs Committee also sought to mobilize members to register to vote in the 1984 primaries and general elections: 
At one time, 90% of the Jewish community was registered and voted in every election, making it a potent political force which has been of vital importance to Israel, politically and economically. With the increased reliance of Israel on U.S. government economic aid, it is doubly important for the Jewish community to maintain its political credibility and clout. Mr. Maryles also noted that every single Jewish vote can take on national importance. For instance, in the last election, an arch enemy of Israel, Congressman Paul Findley, was ousted from his seat by a margin of only 1,400 votes. Maryles also noted that registering to vote does not entail any increased risk of being called for jury duty, or any other penalty. 
*A footnote to NCYI's pro-Israel work in the United States can be illustrated in a series of ads that appeared in the New York Times during and after the war in Lebanon. One ad showed the picture of a young Palestinian girl over the headline
: ‘Thanks to Israel, she won't grow up to be mutilated, flogged or beheaded,’ 
followed by text stressing how democratic and pro-Arab Israel is, in contrast to the repressiveness of the Arab states. The ad was placed by Americans for Peace and Democracy in the Middle East, Faye Katz and Joel Kessler, co-chairpersons, but the address for this group was given as 3 West 16th Street, New York, NY, the headquarters of the NCYI. The same group placed a series of full-page ads (see New York Times, 12 August 1982) that simply listed hundreds and hundreds of names under the headline
: ‘We Americans wholeheartedly endorse the Israel Government's Peace for Galilee campaign; express our appreciation to President Reagan for his efforts to remove all foreign armies and terror groups from Lebanon; hail the extraordinary measures taken by the Israel Defense Forces to limit and avoid civilian casualties.’Following the massacre in Beirut, another ad appeared in the New York Times (9 November 1982) under the heading: ‘Mr. President.’ The text stated
: ‘It is in the highest national interest of our country to provide maximum support for Israel. Strategic considerations require it. The moral values our two countries share demand it.’
This time, however, the ad was placed by American Friends for Israel, Faye Katz, coordinator, but the address again was 3 West 16th Street, New York, NY.
==The Young Israel Movement in Israel== 
Primarily as a result of its policy of strongly encouraging aliyah, the Young Israel Movement has become increasingly active in Israel itself, where it now has approximately thirty-five congregations. The NCYI supports its Israeli branches with its Eretz Israel Commission, whose work includes national membership, the annual dinner (fundraising), and encouraging American Young Israel branches to adopt Israel branches. Also involved is the Israel Activities for the National Council, whose director is Isaac Hagler. 
Young Israel clearly enjoys support and recognition from the Israeli state on both the political and religious levels. In February 1982, President Yitzhak Navon received the Young Israel Shofar Award at a banquet in Jerusalem, an event that was also a fundraiser for the growth of Young Israel in Israel. As NCYI leader Harold Jacobs noted in his speech, 
: ‘The participation of President Navon is an indication of the rapid growth of the Young Israel movement in Israel, and its rapidly expanding influence in Israeli society.’ The event also marked the opening of a Young Israel branch on the campus of Haifa University. 
The next year Young Israel opened an international center in Jerusalem in the Yeshurua synagogue. The center's programs include the Young Israel Institute for Jewish Studies, which offers daily lectures on the Torah and cultural topics; a young adult congregation; a youth center for students and young singles; and the Resource Center for Americans in Israel, ‘providing referrals and arranging Young Israel visitations for Americans visiting or studying in Israel.’ 
From the United States, the NCYI promotes travel to Israel with programs such as its Achva Summer Mission for youth and special tours for senior citizens, and it encourages members to make aliyah, now facilitated by the Young Israel branches in Israel. Also advertised in NCYI's Young Israel Viewpoint is Mishab Housing Construction and Development Co., which offers to ‘build your home in Israel’; Mishab's offices, according to the ads, are located in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and at 3 West 16th Street in New York, the headquarters of the NCYI. 
==Notes==
Category:American Jewish Organizations and Israel-extract