World Peace and Disarmament

45th Council
November 1959
Miami Beach, FL

As President Eisenhower has eloquently reaffirmed, the United States of America is deeply committed to the goals of enforceable disarmament and the reduction of the crushing burden of armaments which weighs so heavily upon us and other nations of the world.

We warmly commend President Eisenhower for his bold initiative in arranging personal exchanges with heads of states toward the end of achieving a lasting world peace.

We, therefore, reaffirm the following Resolution passed by the 44th General Assembly of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations meeting in Toronto, Canada, in 1957:

"One of the most sacred of our Jewish religious teachings is the messianic vision of universal peace. In this nuclear age, this vision has become a sheer necessity if total world suicide is to be averted. With undimmed faith in man's capacity to establish God's Kingdom on earth, we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of lasting peace with justice. Accordingly, we:

  1. "Commend the efforts of the United States, Canada, and other governments toward the achievement of universal, enforceable disarmament, and we urge that all such efforts be carried forward with the utmost urgency, imagination, and flexibility.
  2. "Call upon our congregations and social action units to continue earnest study of the problems threatening world peace. Such active concern is incumbent upon all who seek to translate religious principles into action.
  3. "Urge the Union of American Hebrew Congregations to join hands with other religious groups in strengthening the United Nations and advancing the ideals of universal peace.

"Believing that the achievement of an enduring and just peace is the paramount moral issue on the agenda of mankind, we pledge our energies and our resources to this indispensable task."