Page 55 - Satan in the Sanctuary

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue—A Halfway House? 57

morally," but the synagogue is another matter entirely. Dr.
Jaffe is very realistic about the Temple obstacles—"The last
thing we want to do is go knocking down mosques"—but he
is extremely enthusiastic about the synagogue: "We are doing
everything possible to make this the most beautiful Syna-
gogue in the world, for Jerusalem deserves nothing less." 1
There was confusion when the first announcements about
the synagogue came out; a reporter utilized the term temple
in describing the proposed structure. An Associated Press
release ran under the headline "Second Coming Linked to
New Jewish Temple," and of course it raised quite a stir.
However, the term Temple is used commonly throughout
Reform Judaism today to refer simply to a house of worship.
Dr. Jaffe stressed the similarities and the differences between
the Great Synagogue and a rebuilt Temple of God in a July
1974 interview with Associated Press writer George Cornell:

SECOND COMING LINKED TO NEW

JEWISH TEMPLE
By GEORGE W. CORNELL the Temple," says Rabbi Dr.
NEW YORK (AP)— An aura Maurice A. Jaffee, president of
of mystery surrounds the idea of the Union of Israel Synagogues
restoring the Jewish Temple in which is sponsoring the project.
"But there are parallels."
Jerusalem. Both for many Chris-
tians and Jews, it's a longed-for For one thing, the prospective
dream, a Messianic sign. It is new "Jerusalem Great Syna-
not yet. But something like it is gogue" is planned as a central,
happening. representative sanctuary to which
Construction is due to begin Jewish pilgrims from all over the
on the first large, central Jewish world may come to pray—just
house of worship in the Holy as they did in the Temple of old.
City since the destruction of the In another respect, every Jew
Temple 1,904 years ago. everywhere is being encouraged
"NO ONE IS SUGGESTING to contribute something to the
that this means the restoration of building of the new edifice, even