Jewish Life April 1949

The become my

Lord

is my strength and song, and salvation (S h e m o t h , X V :2 )

Havdalah, Israel

5709 By AVBAHAM BEN DAVID

The Quartermaster pours the wine, The cook prepares the braidecl light. A bearded seaman opens now his book; He takes the cup, the others gather round And brace their feet. The little ship, Chassidic-like, sways and trembles in the sea. Hineh, kel yeshuathi: Evtakh v’lo efchad . . .

I will trust, i will not fear; the Lord's my strength, My song, Azi v’zim’rath. His voice ascends: The ship plows down the furrows of the sea. The Persian Bo’s’n shields his face and sighs. With wide blue eyes intent, the fair-haired Finn Looks upon the spice-filled silver box. No such company the waves have born before Or since His hands formed that Leviathan To sport therein, or even ere He broke The ships of Tarshish with an Eastern wind. This has no precedence, and Solomon the King, Though he sent forth navies, must give place. Not gold or ivory do our new ships bring; We have done with apes and peacocks. A way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters Do we guard for argosies of human souls. For she who was barren has bom at last and dwells, A joyful mother of children, in her house; Nor darkness sees, but light, and spreads her hands.

VOL. XVI, No. 4 April, 1949

Nisan, 5709

S a u l B e r n s t e i n , Editor L eo S._ H i l s e n r a d , Associate Editor

Editorial Associates: S ol

W i l l i a m B . H e r l a n d s , R a b b i G il b e r t K l a p e r m a n N o del , Art Director E v e l y n M a r s , Editorial Assistant M . M orton R u b e n s t e in ,

Chairman, UOJC Periodicals Committee

CONTENTS HAVDALAH, ISRAEL NAVY, 5709 (a poem) .......... .... Avraham Ben David editorials

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cover

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THE SONG OF SONGS (a poem) ...................Lillian Resnick Ott THE NATIONAL TORAH TOUR ..... Israel Tabak THE STORY OF THE EXODUS .... Moses Jung 10 THE REMNANT OF THEIR SCRIBES ....A. A. Davidson THE NEW LAND POLICY ... I Halevy Levin DILEMMAS ON THE EDUCATION FRONT ................................... Barnett Hirsch FREDDY TELLS A STORY (a story) . Dena Wenger A PRAYER BOOK THAT EXPLAINS ITSELF ...... Morris Max THE ORAL TORAH Kurzweil TUNNEL (a story) ... A. Leo Levin 52 MY MEN'S CLUB ..... Nathan Drazin A PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM FOR ORTHODOX JEWRY...Sam Hartstein A POST-HITLER APPRAISAL OF JUDAISM (Book Review) ^ ...Israel Gerstein STUDENTS UNDER STUDY (Book Review) H B ^ f l K j o s e p h Kaminetsky INTER-YESHIVA ESSAY' CONTEST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR M . J b H B L p a s s o v e r f o o d g u id e ........

4 521 26 34 40 43 47 56 62 66 68 71 73.

WtKtKBKKKtm 95

Picture Credits: Photos on pages 28, 29 and 32 courtesy Zionist Organization, Jerusalem'; page 31, United Palestine Appeal, New York; on page 12, from Bailey and (Kent ’s t l History of the Hebrew Commonwealth11-{Charles Scribner ;s Sons, New York, 1920); on pages 14-15 from *1Light From the Ancient Past 11 by Jack Finegan (Princeton University Press, 1946). EXCERPTS SELECTED AND TRANSLATED BY NATHAN DRAZIN

PLEASE NOTE: Products which are Kosher for Passover are so desig­ nated in advertisements contained in this issue. To avoid misunderstanding as to Passover use, the UOJC (G) Kashruth Directory is not included in this issue. A list of Kosher for Passover products will be found on page 95, UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA 305 Broadway, New York 7, N. Y. BEekman 3-2220

E D IT O R IA L TOWARDS A BASIC PROGRAM FOR AMERICAN JEWRY AM ERICA N JEWS, slowly absorb­ ing the reality of the Jewish state of Israel, have become sharply aware of the need for integration of their own community. We have become conscious of the need for its definition as community. In con­ trast with the positive character of the Israeli State, pur own segment of Jewry appears painfully incoherent. Thus from several sides there ap­ pear new programs and blueprints for an all-embracing communal struc­ ture for American Jewry. These projects have some persua­ sive qualities. Each of them presents a comprehensive formula, under w h i c h established organizations would be duly and neatly fitted into the all-embracing whole. Nobody is to be left out in the cold—certainly not the organization or group offer­ ing the proposal. If the latter hap­ pens to appear in the very center of the plan, that is of course not due to normal bias but to strictly objec­ tive reasoning. We are not disposed to take issue with the details of current proposals of this kind. What is disturbing, though, is a common deficiency in their basic concepts—the complete a b s e n c e of an all - compelling

p u r p o s e taking the plans of­ fered by such distinguished organi­ zations as American Jewish Congress and the Menorah Association as bright examples, it would appear that the shortcomings of American Jewry arise merely from faulty or inadequate organization, or from incorrect emphasis. Revamp the structural design, and matters will take a happy turn. The questions: "Why are we Jews?”, "What does being a Jew truly imply?”, "How shall we fulfill ourselves as Jews?”, seem to have been scarcely consid­ ered in the deliberations from which the ambitious projects were born. Q U IT E INEVITABLY, plans for ^ an all-in-one American Jewish Community which are the product of mechanical synthesis must lack the one quality which could assure their success—-the will to live Jewishly. An enduring Jewish community can­ not be built upon the assumption that Jewishness is a spare-time inter­ est. The basic problem is one of spiritual evaluation and a philosophy of life rather than organizational techniques. To offer a role to "The Syna­ gogue” in a Jewishly half-hearted

JEWISH LIFE (successor to the “Orthodox Union*’) is published bi-monthly except August (five times a year). Subscription $1.25 one year; $2.25 — 2 years; $3.00§§- 3 years. Published by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 305 Broadway, New York 7, N. Y. Officers: William B. Herlands, President; Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, William Weiss, Dr. Samuel Nirenstein, Honorary Presidents; Benjamin Koenigsberg, David Levine, Samuel Mellitz, M. Morton Rubenstein, Vice-Presidents; Joseph Schlang, Secretary; S. Bendheim, Treasurer; Leo S. Hilsenrad, Executive Director; Saul Bernstein, Assoc. Executive Director.

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community, even if it be a central role, is meaningless. The Synagogue, as distinguished from an institution where quasi-religious rites are pre­ sented as tableaux, derives its exis­ tence only from those whose reli­ gious Jewish spirit flows freely. It is a fallacy to assume that the Syna­ gogue can serve as the nucleus of a community when such a community is—according to true Jewish stand­ ards—non-religious. The proposals made in disregard of these facts are offered as formulae for Jewish development in harmony with our American environment. A deeper understanding of both Amer­ ica and the Jew is called for, how­ ever. The very air of this country proclaims that American wants and needs the essential contribution of every group and element. Yet, para­ doxically, America, in its vast im­ petus, will make place for group patterns only to the degree that each element may seek to fulfill its distinc­ tive nature. The mighty drive of America, the tremendous compulsion of its culture, cannot be channelled by superficial devices. An integrated American Jewish Community can be shaped only with passionate Jewish conviction as its motor power arid with the aim of true Jewish living as its motif. QBVIOUSLY, American Jewry as ^ a whole is still far from appre­ ciating the far-flung implications of a valid program for its future. The building of an American Jewish Comiiiunity conceived in Jewish terms is a task comparable in scope only with the making of the Jewish state. Yet those who unite dedicaApril, 1949

tion to Torah with faith in America believe that it can and shall be done. For the lessons of Jewish history, the character of American society, dictate that either American Jewry become a cohesive body or else—dis­ integrate. Tempting though the occasion is, we shall not emulate the spokesmen of the American Jewish Congress and the Menorah Association by of­ fering a blueprint in which the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congre­ gations is pictured as the hub of the universe. But we do envisage an American Jewish Community which is no other than the collective body of orthodox Jews, organized and equipped in rational accord with their varied interests. The Synagogue, by its very nature and not by some process of forced deduction, will be the heart of this community, a com­ munity characterized by an abund­ ance of educational, cultural and social institutions growing naturally from Torah roots. We assume such a community be­ cause it is inconceivable that ortho­ dox Jewry can fail to endure—and it can endure on no other terms. We assume that only this form of Jewish community will survive, because no other concept of Jewishness has the ultimate means of survival—no mat­ ter how elaborate and all-inclusive may be its program for self-perpetu­ ation. Avoiding illusion, let us plan, work and build for a sound Ameri­ can Jewish future, using the W ord of G’d as our foundation and the tested truths of American and Jew­ ish history as our guideposts. 3

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A s p N G .-Qf SONGS' By

^ ;v.: LILLIAN REZNICK OTT

What shall I say about Zion, Of Israel, what shall I tell; Who among us Will leave untold, For ages that will count Our own age, old, •The glorious tales Of a prostrate folk Who rose up inspired To break the yoke. Who among us Through pen atid tongue Will leave its epic deeds unsung; Who, aye who will fail to note These idylls in legend And anecdote, Or to etch them eternally In record and verse, To adorn the archives Of the universe? And yet would I, Of Zion sing As of a lovely rose In Spring, As of a blossom Lush in bloom, Released from winter’s Icy-, tomb. I would speak of Israel so, As of a lithe and graceful doe, Or a sapling, spruce and straight Rooted fast in heaven’s gate.

I would describe this tiny State, Among nations but a precious con­ centrate, As a sun-beam playing In crystal dew, As a delightful dream Come true, As a pastoral symphony Serenading a tropic sea. Of bloody tales I’ve wearied long, Of painful burdens, of mankind’s wrong — I fain would sin and sinner eschew For themes more worthy of review, For nobler thoughts And deeds more fair, As faith vanquishing despair, As hope defeating Might and brawn To lift the misty shroud from dawn. Ah, by far more potent talents Than mine Shall vie to adorn this garden divine And voices Far more sweetly articulate, To embellish, extol, And to consecrate. And yet would I Of Zion sing Like youth Its joyous song in spring, A hymn to Homeland And G d, our King.

. . . We must put Orthodoxy on the March/'

THE NATIONAL TORAH TOUR B y ISR A E L TABAK p O R A LONG TIME American displayed their glittering trinkets Orthodoxy was guided by the and have pretty nearly convinced Talmudic dictum, “the Torah is many of them that they were in enshrined in a sacred corner, possession of genuine jewels. They whosoever wishes to gather divine are not content with the corrosive inspiration will seek it out.” It was effects of the assimilatory process, believed that the discriminating which has already taken its toll would know the difference between in terms of loyalty to tradition genuine Jewishness and its spuri­ and Jewish distinctiveness. These ous CQunterparts, and that the groups have embarked upon a cam­ anti-Torah propagandists would not paign of assimilating not alone the prevail. We trusted th at the intu­ individual but the Synagogue pro­ itive wisdom of our people would per. By a steady process of emas­ bring them back to that “Keren culation and watering-down they Zovis” of the Torah, notwithstand­ have exposed Jewish life, particu­ ing the systematic campaigns of larly in rural areas, to the very danger of extinction. the anti-orthodox groups. The Rabbinical Council of America has recently been made ^ H E NATIONAL TORAH TOUR which the R. C. A. has launched aware of the great danger inherent in this policy. It has become in­ at the Philadelphia Conference in creasingly evident that non-ortho­ January represents our new strate­ dox sects have taken full advantage gy; it is the strategy of active of our non-resistance policy; they resistance. This policy, too, is have gone out to our people and based upon Talmudic precedent, “In time of danger, the Torah is to be taken from the Ark and car­ Rabbi Tabak is President of the Rabbinical Council of America and the Rabbi of Congreried out into the street, Lirchovah ‘ jgation Shaarei Zion, Baltimore. He is the au­ shel i r ” At a time when the very thor of “Judaic Lore in Heine.” April, ,1949 £5

future of the Jew is in jeopardy, "DEFORE their departure, the we do not wait for the people to " s e v e r a l teams met and carefully | look for the “Keren Zovis,” but mapped out their campaign. Agree­ we take the Torah to them. The ment was reached in advance on 'Torah goes on Tour. All respon­ the manner of presentation of « sible Jewish leaders are now con­ material and on the general psy­ vinced that we must put Orthodoxy chological approach. This resulted on the March. This is the •chief in good audience reception. Follow­ ing are some interesting comments " aim of the National Torah Tour; The Committee we appointed on public reaction in various com­ consists of an Eastern and Western munities: group, and is headed by Rabbi From New Castle, Pa.: “I was highly proud of their Emanuel Rackman of F ar Rockpresence that evening. Each one away, Long Island, N. Y., and presented the subject with keen Rabbi Simon Dolgin of Los Ang­ diplomacy and tact . . . the as­ eles, California. According to plan, sembly had “key people'' attending the tour was to be launched on an that evening." experimental basis in the State of Pennsylvania and vicinity in the From Cleveland, 0 .: East and in the State of California “The audience reaction was ex­ in the West. The appraisal of the tremely positive. Everyone I spoke initial effort is extremely encour­ to from the officers down were aging. Letters are pouring into truly impressed and felt we need­ the office of R. C. A. testifying to ed more of the same thing. Par­ its effectiveness. The following ticularly heartening was the fact letter from Shamokin, Pa., is typi-. that several young people express­ cal of the layman's attitude: ed to their friends how enjoyable “I am taking this means to let you the program was.” know about the team of the three From Mount Carmel, Pa: Rabbis . . . You may not know it, but “All in all, the Symposium was a j you have struck oil, if I may phrase thorough success and is still the it that way, in having these fine men talk of the town.” go out amongst the people and re­ From Williamsport, Pa.: awakening the people to the finer way “Best program we ever had; of orthodox Jewish life. I attended most useful evening; smart men the meeting with my friends, who are these Rabbis; it was a shot in the <, like me, American born, about 35 arm.” years of age, and with just about a 50 per cent interest in our Syna­ ■PHE ATTENDANCE, according gogue. When the meeting was over, * to the reports, was very gratifywe honestly were changed people, and ing, both with regard to quality -so was everyone else. Everyone's in­ and quantity. Community leaders terest was throughly aroused and and intellectuals were present a t a number of gatherings, and the dis.they were definitely enlightened.',

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Jewish LIFE

RABBIS ON TOUR IN NATIONAL CAMPAIGN Rabbinical Council of America members who visited many communities 'òri the Torah Tour, First Row—left to right: Rabbis Leo Jung, Israel Miller, Emanuel Rackman, David B. Hollander. Second row—Rabbis Herschel Schacter, Theodore L. Adams, Aaron Greenbaum, Solomon Sharfman. Third row—Rabbis Morris Berman, Samuel Chill, Benjamin Morgenstern, Jonah E. Caplan.

cussions that followed the presen­ tation were stimulating and en­ lightening. In a certain community the attendance represented “a larger crowd than we have for any­ thing except the High Holy Days.” The reports invariably echo the same sentiments concerning *the success of the tours and the urgent need for their continuation. Com­ ments such as these are highly significant: “On the whole, the meeting in itself was a great success . . . A clear and unmistakable message left with the congregation; that orthodox Judaism . . . is very much alive, that it is the Judaism of to­ day and will be the Judaism of Tomorrow.” Or in a similar vein: “I commend the R.C.A. for the splendid teamwork for traditional Judaism. This should have been done years ago . . . These tours are wonderful, keep them alive.” The report by the members of the tour is not yet complete, but in looking over the tentative accounts of the various teams, one finds such comments a s : “There is a definite desire on the part of the people to study and understand the true values of Judaism . . . In each community there was a disturbing and yet challenging inquiry which ran something like this: 'why did you not come ten years ago,?” A letter addressed to the office of the Rabbinical Council by a Rabbi, who served as host to one of the 8

teams visiting his community, apt­ ly summarizes the attitude of our colleagues: “The Torah Tour has come and gone. The appearance of our men was a spiritual refresher and a real tonic for the Congregation in particular, and the orthodox com­ munity in general. To my way of thinking, the Tour was a tremend­ ous success and must be repeated as frequently as possible for as many communities as can be reach­ ed. At the gathering in my Syna­ gogue on Tuesday night, February 15, between 300 and 350 people were present. The audience was, however, more impressive qualita­ tively than quantitatively. A substantial number of younger peo­ ple were present and at least a few 'Jews on the fringe’ came and were impressed.” TT IS NOW evident th at the initial ■ stages of the Torah Tour have been successful, and it must be con­ tinued on a nationwide scale. The pattern has been perfected and we have the benefit of very valuable ex­ perience. Teams who will carry this noble effort forward will be guided by every aspect of a report which the Committee is preparing for the next convention of the R.C.A. The fact that Rabbis and laymen will come to one community after an­ other not asking for funds or f6r anything else, but for an open heart and a willing ear to listen to the word of G-d, will have an incal­ culable influence upon our much neglected brethren across the length and breadth of this land. Jewish LIFE

The fact that the Torah Tour has had the support of Yeshiva University, the Hebrew Theological College and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations is a hopeful sign of the spirit of unity and coordination which the orthodox forces in America are slowly achieving. It is to be hoped that this sacred endeavor will win the support of all Torah-loving ele­ ments in America and th at it will become an instrument for unity and a source of blessing in accor­ dance with the promises given to Abraham. The journey which Abraham was

commanded to make was one of the great efforts in his spiritual devel­ opment. Although the ultimate goal of that Tour was the Promised Land, the various stages of the pilgrimage were highly significant. The Midrash tells us that the com­ mand was issued for the benefit of mankind: “When a flask of balsam is sealed and stored away, its fragrance is not perceptible; but opened and moved about, its sweet odour is widely diffused.” The National Torah Tour, we hope, will have similar providential import.

SELF - IDENTIFICATION In every generation a man must so regard himself as if he had personally come out of Egypt. — Mishnah, Pesachim, 10,5. JOSEPH'S COFFIN 'And Moses took the bones of loseph with him/ How did Moses know where Joseph w as buried? It is told that Serah, the daughter of Asher, survived from that generation and she showed Moses the grave of Joseph. She said to him: The Egyptians put him into a metal coffin which they sunk in the Nile. So Moses went and stood by the Nile. He took a table of gold on which he engraved G-d's Name and throwing it into the Nile, he cried out and said: 'Joseph son of Jacobi The oath to redeem his children which G-d swore to our father Abraham, has reached its fulfill­ ment. If you come up, well and good. But if not, we shall be guiltless of your oath/ Immediately Joseph's coffin came to the surface, and Moses took it. —Mekilta.

April, 1949

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THE STO RY O F THE A fe w com m ents in the light of history and archaeology By MOSES JUNG OF THE most amazing ■ —was a mere* suicidal gesture in the facts in the miracle-studded face of the overwhelming superior­ story of the birth of Israel is the ity in numbers, wealth and equip­ basic similarity in the world situ­ ment of its seven enemies, organ­ ation during the last few years and ized in the Arab League. There was at the time of thé Exodus and sub­ the additional danger that a power­ sequent conquest of Palestine, Yet- ful country, unable to bear the loss ziath Mitzrayim and Kibbush ha- of its ruling position in the Middle Aretz, more than 3,000 years ago. East, would make common cause Then, as now, it seemed utter with Israel’s opponents and place folly to expect a small group of in­ its vast resources at their disposal. Yet, as we all know, the nes did trepid fighters to gain their inde­ pendence in defiance of great world occur. The unexpected support of powers ; then as now the threatened Israel by America and Russia, the danger miraculously vanished ; then two most powerful countries in the as now after overcoming initial dif­ world, removed at one stroke the ficulties, the work of upbuilding the possibility of Israel becoming a homeland could proceed until, fin­ football in the struggle between East and West. Israel was able to ally, independence was won. * * * get its second wind and organize a remarkable fighting force. Profit­ D L L of us have, during the Iasi ing by the lack of unity within the year, followed with bated breath Arab League, Israel overcame its the heroic struggle for existence of enemies and finally gained its in­ Israel reborn. At first it seemed dependence. A dream of 2,000 that all the sacrifices of Israel’s years was realized, a struggle to fighting youth, all the bravery of regain the Jewish homeland has its civilian population—in besieged finally come to a triumphant end. Jerusalem and the settlements alike j ^ T THE TIME of the Exodus, Dr. Moses Jung is Professor of Living Re­ Yetziath Mitzrayim, a start­ ligions of Mankind in Columbia University’s Department of Philosophy. He is the author lingly similar situation prevailed. of ’“A Source Book of Jewish History and The graphic accounts in the Torah, Literature” and other works.

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supplemented by archeological dis­ coveries, enable us to reconstruct the conditions of that time with a remarkable degree of fidelity: Somewhere about the year 1300 B. C. E. a mass movement toward Palestine set in among the Hebrew groups who for centuries had been living peacefully in the land of Goshen, a fertile district in the north-east of Egypt. (They later spread to other parts of the king­ dom.) The Hebrews had come into Egypt from Palestine some centu­ ries earlier during the friendly regime of the Hyksos dynasty, one of whose Pharaos (kings) elevated Joseph to the position of Minister of Food. (See Genesis, XXIX-L) The Hebrews drove their stakes deep into Egyptian earth. They had come to stay. They cultivated the soil, built homes, paid taxes and contributed mightily to the welfare of the country. They were a differ­ ent breed from the many invaders from east of the Red Sea who peri­ odically came to Egypt to plunder and pillage. The Egyptians granted them many privileges; they pros­ pered and multiplied. T H E N a change in the royal house A occurred. A nationalist revival ousted the Hyksos and put a new dynasty on the throne. All kinds of repressive measures were taken against the friends and supporters of the former dynasty, among whom were also the Hebrews. As the Torah puts it: There arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph. (Archeologists say that the pyramids and the store cities of Seti I., predecessor of Rameses, April, 1949

who was the Pharaoh of the Exo­ dus). The Hebrews were made state slaves, forced into labor gangs to be kept at hard work in building the pyramids and the store cities of Pithom and Rameses. (After many years of research it now seems cer­ tain that the Egyptian cities which the Hebrews built under Egyptian coercion have been located; Pithom on a site beautified and furnished with a temple by Rameses I, and Rameses, which is identical with the capital of Egypt in the Delta during the 19th dynasty. The Hyk­ sos capital has also been found at Tanis in the midst of what was once very fertile country.) It is startling to see that the Egyptian government attempted to justify its hostile policy against the Hebrews in terms suggestive of those made !by Israel’s ene­ mies today. The government sud­ denly “discovered” that the Heb­ rews were in possession of the most strategic and vulnerable area in the kingdom, that they had become “too many and too mighty” and that in the event of an invasion they might join Egypt’s enemies. In the time of the Exodus the counterpart to the present tension between East and West existed in the antagonism between Egypt to the south-west of Palestine and the Hittites to the north-east. Be it remembered that this “rishus on a large scale” came not from the people, but, as in many similar cases 'throughout Jewish history, from the ruling power. T H E SUBSEQUENT events—increasing, soul-and body-destroy­ ing opppression, intervention of 11

Moses, eved ha-shem; the unyield­ ing attitude of Pharaoh, the ten plagues, as we all know, culminated in the tremendous experience of the Exodus from Egypt, Yetziath Mitzrayim. The memory of this divine event, which exemplifies hashgachah peratith at a crucial moment in, Is­ ra e li history, mark the birth of Israel as a nation. It is woven into the very fibre'of Jewish religious life, into its prayets, its prophetic messages, the thought of its teach­ ers and mystics alike. The most dramatic occasion for the recital of all the wonders th at took place at the Sea of Reeds (Yam Suf) oc­ curs, of course, at the Seder service which throughout the long range of our history has served as a rally­ ing point of devoted children of Israel who never ceased to hope for the time when all would be free again and all might go up to the city of peace, Jerusalem. To the world at large, too, this event was of such social, political and religious significance that all history has been colored by it through more than 3,000 years. The Hebrew slaves who made their es­ cape from Egypt and established themselves as a free people in the desert became the spiritual seedbed but of which sprang the faith which for the first time in history fused

justice and morality in the worship of G-d. Nowhere in all the world was there such an alliance. By the time the Israelite exodus was com­ plete they had established them­ selves as an independent and or­ ganized nation safely astride the Western tip of the “Fertile Cres­ cent/* The principles they worked out during that experience consti­ tute the rock base of modern demo­ cracy. * * * T H E R E WERE in that far off day two great world powers and perhaps half a hundred small na­ tions. Most of these were no more than city-states governed by local kinglets or desert sheiks. Each of the two great nations lay along the banks of mighty rivers; each had at one time aspired to world dom­ inion; each was fully occupied with internal difficulties about 1300 B. C. E. Up and down the length of the lazy Nile lay Egypt. Her glory was on the decline. Her marvelous cre­ ations in the arts and crafts, par­ ticularly in her colossal architec­ ture, her skill in building canals and water ways and her many con­ tributions to science, astronomy and physics, her success in building a powerful empire, had a sad counter-

Scenes from an ancient Egyptian monument of the Mosaic era, showing slaves making bricks. Note task masters, with sticks, in picture on right. 12

Jewish LIFE

part in her inhumanity towards the worker, her primitive animal wor­ ship and her inability to develop a social ethics. While Judaism stressed man’s humanity to his neighbor as the most acceptable form of worship of one G-d, the Creator of heaven and earth, Egypt was pre-occupied with the worship of the dead, and abject reverence and fear of priestcraft and magic. In the Torah we see a deliberate aim to wean the Israelites away from magic and sorcery, sacrificing to the dead and permitting the priests to exploit their position as guardians of the departed souls. Israel while in Egypt succumbed to a great extent to the harmful in­ fluence of a dying civilization. Only outside of Egpyt was there hope for Israel’s redemption. II T THE TIME of the Exodus do^ mestic disorders were sapping Egypt’s military strength and pre­ vented her from continuing the old policy of imperial conquest. In the past she had successfully extended her domain towards the East. It included Palestine and Syria, which she held against repeated assaults from the Hittites, the Hurrians and the Mittani (the first two nations are also mentioned in the Torah). But now her throne was occupied by a vacillating monarch who was compelled to come to terms with the H ittites in a treaty of non-aggres­ sion in 1280 B. C. E. After that Egypt relapsed into a state of pas­ sivity, unable to control the out­ break of disorders in her Eastern possession. Egyptian foreign policy was virtually dormant. April, 1949

Hundreds of miles away to the north-east lay another cluster of mighty powers along the rich val­ leys of the Tigris and Euphrates, namely the Babylonians, Assyrians, Mittani and Hittites. They also coveted possession of Palestine, the natural bridge leading to the riches , of Egypt, their great adversary, beyond. They were occasionally re­ inforced by hordes from the high­ lands of Armenia who were a con­ stant menace to the settlers in the plains. But in the period of the Exodus Babylonia had long ago lost her lustre. Only dim memory remained of that great conqueror, administrator and lawgiver Ham­ murabi, who as Amraphel appears in the Torah story of Abraham. Babylon was weak now, under the thumb of the Kassites. Foreign enterprises were beyond her ken. The Mittani, an Indo-Aryan group who worshipped the classical deities of Hinduism—Indra, Mithra and Varuna—for a time surged to power and established a powerful empire. But they found their mas- £ ters in the Hittites and were now marking time. ■pHE HITTITES, who occupied * what is at present the central portion of modern Turkey in Asia Minor, also had a brief spell of empire building. They pushed into Syria and Mesopotamia and even reduced Babylon to ashes. But their surge for power was checked by a coalition among her opponents un­ der the leadership of Egypt. After 1400 B. C. E. the H ittites had ceased to be a menace. They were unable 13

Statue of Rameses II, a Pharaoh of Egypt.,

to interfere with events in Pales­ tine. Palestine remained an Egyptian province, nominally at least, until conquered by the Israelites in 1225. B.C.E. It was split up into a num­ ber of spheres of interest. The cities of Gaza and Jaffa were two of the main provincial administrative cen­ ters of Egypt. Other cities were governed by local kings who re­ mained unmolested by the Egyp­ tian administration as long as they paid their taxes and provided their share of laborers for Egyptian royal projects. Their favorite pas­ time consisted in warfare and fre­ quent marauding expeditions among themselves. Under strong Egyptian monarchs this double set of controls worked reasonably well. But under weak 14

rulers corruption would set in, war­ fare increase to an intolerable de­ gree and plundering expeditions by Egyptian troops would result in veritable chaos. The famous Tel el Amarna letters, discovered in 1887 C.E. by a poor peasant woman in the ancient archives of the Egyptian Foreign office under King Akhnaton, tell a dramatic, if typical story of such disorder and confusion ex­ isting in Canaan some time before the conquest. Numerous kings were engaged in enlarging their territorities at the expense of their neighbors. Each accuses others of disloyalty and rebellion. The letters abound with accusations and count­ er accusations whose basis of truth is difficult to discover. One gets the impression that the kings engaged in the adroit game of “making their pile” while anxious to convince the Egyptian lord of their loyalty. It seems obvious that there was no unity or coherence among the small, jealous kingdoms and that they'would fall an easy prey to de­ termined invaders. JT WAS PRECISELY at such a A moment that the Hebrews, steeled by their forty years in the desert and transformed by the inspired genius of Moses from a horde of broken-spirited slaves into a form­ idable army of fighting men, forced their way into Palestine. There a hard-fought campaign established them as a free people under a new social political, economic and reli­ gious philosophy. The world at large is far less interested in the brilJewish LIFE

An Assyrian business contract oi the era of Abraham.

liant military strategy of the Is­ raelites or the dramatic fortunes of their kings than in the great prin­ ciples which they worked out in

their subsequent history. The experiences of Israel in working out its destiny in Pales­ tine of old and the experiences of the new state of Israel in working out its destiny offer a striking parallel. Israel's progress toward Palestine in ancient times was made possible by the impotence of giant contenders, the Egyptians and the Hittites, who were incapa­ ble of thwarting the Divinely de­ termined conquest. In our times it was the affirmative foreign policies of America and Russia which brought about a similar result. Confusion among warring kinglets in Palestine facilitated the inva­ sion then as did the lack of cohe­ sion among Arab league members today. !nf!| We too are less interested in the military exploits of Israeli soldiers, however heroic they may have been, than we arejin the plans of Israel for peace and cooperation with their neighbors. For from Zion shall go forth the teachings of ageold verities and the word of the Lord to all mankind from Jerusa­ lem.

THE STRENGTH OF ISRAEL A classical legend tells of Antaeus, the mighty giant of Libya, who overcame every one who grappled with him until Herakles, learning that the secret of his strength was contact with Mother Earth, lifted him into the air and crushed the life out of him. The symbolism of this legend may be aptly applied to the Jewish people. Its strength can be meas­ ured by the intimacy of its contact, its weakness by the weakness of is contact, with the historical motherland of Jewish life, Palestine. David de Sola Pool, 1930.

April, 1949

15

The Scrolls are still being written . . . not just mechanically contrived, but written . . . by spiritual descendants of the Sopherim . . . like Gedaliah . . .

f

By A. A. DAVIDSON TyrOSES HIMSELF, we know, * 1 wrote out a Sefer Torah, and put it in the Ark of the Covenant ¡¡¡Land this is the last we ever saw of what was, in all probability, the Master Copy of the Chumosh. Did it perish in the first destruction of Jerusalem, or was it carried off as a collector’s item for the library of Nebuchadrezzar, King of Bavel? Of what material was Our Master’s Torah made, so many centuries be­ fore parchment is said to have been invented? We do not know, but the delving fingers of the archaeol­ ogists have uncovered papyri and other records fa r older even than A. A. Davidson’s stories, articles and poems which have appeared in past issues of JEW­ ISH LIFE have gained an extraordinary re­ sponse. Rabbi Menachem Perr, of Congrega­ tion Sons of Israel, South Ozone Park, New York, informs us that he paid this author’s “The Countenance of the Priest” (which ap­ peared in our October, 1948 issue) the signal honor of having it read to the congregation oh the afternoon of the second day of Rosh Hashonah—creating a profound effect upon the listeners. Mr. Davidson is now abroad on a very interesting mission, of which he will tell in a future issue.

16

Moses, so it is not impossible that this first of Sifrei Torah may yet be seen again. One wonders further . . . Did Miriam embroider its mantle, and Bezalel fashion the silver work of its ornaments ? Was Aaroji called up for Cohen, and Moses as L evi? Did Joshua get hagbah, the honor of holding up the Scroll, and did Caleb receive gellilah, the privilege of binding it? Who would not travel far for such an aliyah ? Moses wrote the Scroll, the Kings were commanded to write them, and today, without a Moses, without a King, the Scrolls are still being written. Not merely printed, not just mechanically contrived, but written. The Scribe no longer stands in the midst of the people and exhorts them as they covenant with God. We have no Moses, we have no Ezra, of whom it was said, that if Moses had not given the Torah, Ezra would have been worthy to do it. Yet, without fame, Jewish LIFE

without the solace of press notices and photographs, unpublicized by the Yiddish or the English papers, quietly the Scribe pursues, his an­ cient task. One has heard of pros­ perous Rabbis and high-fee’d cantors, and even of well-paid shock’tim and mohelim, but never of a sofer of whom one could say the same. Theirs is the least re­ munerative of all our “sacred” professions. Even so, it does not lack practitioners—as yet. JN THE narrow reaches of streets which a hundred years ago were the habitation of merchant princes and skippers of packet-ships, the “rearing Sambatyon” of life rushes and swirls. Space seems, scarce and precious in these parts. Here the pushcart make its last stand and here the sidewalks are lined with stalls. Business is transacted on three levels hereabouts. Steps lead down to the shoe-filled window of M. Smolinsky (“Boston Rejects Sold”), steps lead up to the estab­ lishment of Mrs. Ginzberg — “Sheitels”, her sign reads in deli­ cate brevity. And in between, foi those who wish neither to be shot*, nor coiffed, I. Rapaport’s Sons are prepared to “Convert” textiles. From what? Into what? Depend or», it, those who need to, know. What is it you lack? Here life and death, flesh and spirit are cared for. Have you a wife (or a husband) ? G’d grant her (or him) a hundred and twenty years ! Stih —yonder is the undertaker—ever there, the Rabbi to preach the eulogy-gland, up a few houses, the April, 1949

cutter of tombstones. Do you lack a wife (or a husband) ? It is not good for man (or woman) to be alone, and who could fail to see the shingle of Mordecai Lipman, the marriage-broker ? In this house over here, the Con gregation Sons of Salonika, on the first floor, hospitably shares a building with the Congregation Men of Moldavia on the second. On the third floor, nearer to Heaven than either Hidalgos or Chassidim, in the front and lightest room, there lives a Scribe. Rather, one should say, he works at his holy task in the front room; he lives in the rear rooms with his “fruitful vine”, and ten or twelve young “olive plants.” His name is Ge­ daliah, the same as that Governor of Judah on the anniversary of whose death we fast the day after Rosh Hashonah; it is to be feared that there has been more than one “Fast of Gedaliah” in that home that the calendar does not list. But now, Blessed be the Name, things are better. On weekdays Gedaliah writes the Holy Scrolls, and on Sabbaths he reads them in a near­ by synagogue. In addition, he also writes out mezuzoth, and Scriptural verses for the insides of tephillin, and occasionally he is commission­ ed to inscribe a Megillath Esther. If you have been in the neighbor­ hood, perhaps you have noticed a tall spare man with keen, blue eyes, a long red beard, and ear-locks, to match. That was probably Ge­ daliah; if he had in his hands a bundle of uncut quills, it was cer­ tainly Gedaliah. 17

fiT

THE MOMENT, he has finished writing a scroll for a newly established congregation, and is waiting for the delegation that will come to carry it to its new home. He has slipped on his long black Sabbath becki&ha, his black hat is neatly brushed, and his black pumps are gleaming from the re­ cent efforts of a small red-headed Gedaliah. There is already a small gathering in th e 1 room: chiefly superannuated old scribes whose

he could move, there appeared “he” who finished the task!—using for parchment the hide of the wretched and sinful scribe! Al­ though “his” name is not mention­ ed, everyone knows who is meant, and a thrill of pious horror runs through the listeners. There is a clatter of feet on the staircase, and suddenly the room is filled with people. The congregation —or at least a large part of it, so it seems—has come for its new

fingers tremble too much to be en­ Sefer Torah. It is a new congrega­ trusted with the quill, and who love tion and up until now it has been to come and watch Gedaliah, to using a borrowed Scroll. The mem­ talk of old scribes now long dead, bers are all Chassidim, those East and to tell old tales about them. One European enthusiasts whose num­ favorite story is that of the scribe bers once included, it is said, half whose greed for his fee was so of Jewry. This particular group are great that he hurried through his followers of a certain “Rebbe” dead work on a Scroll without pausing these hundred and thirty-odd to be ritually cleansed and change years; unlike other Chassidic sects, his quill before writing the Holy they never accepted a successor to Names. When he came to the last the first Rebbe, and they still speak sheet, he discovered that he had his praises, sing his songs, and run out of parchment, but before read his many pious books. 18 Jewish LIFE

pL A T T E R S of cake.and bottles of “J F I WOULD want to dance like “Government” make an appear­ this at any other time,” explains ance, and the company invite one one Chassid, “I would be afraid, be­ another to “Make a berochah”. The cause the whole world would be Rabbi of the Sons of Salonika looking at us; but now we are the comes up with some congregants, whole world!” ‘And he dances like apd the conversation tolerantly David, King of Israel, when the switches to Hebrew for the benefit Ark of the Covenant was brought of these poor, benighted Turkish to Jerusalem. Jews who cannot even speak Yid­ Then they enter the synagogue, dish. Presently one of the Chas­ two rooms on the second story of a sidim begins to hum a tune. His tenement, one for the men and one voice rises, and is joined by others, for the “wives”. The Scroll is di­ and soon the whole company is vested of its velvet mantle, untied, singing “the Rebbe’s Melody”. The and laid open on the reading desk. Scroll is carefully lifted, and the The President of the Congregation room is emptied. In the street a addresses the crowded room; bare­ wedding canopy is unfurled, and ly fifty, he looks like an old man, four men hold its poles over the and all that he has seen arid endur­ honored bearer of the Torah; the ed in almost eight years in the Nazi rest form in a procession and death camps is engraved in his march through the street behind face. He reminds them of the many him, still singing, Yes, in America, such congregations that once in the midst of a great city, Jews studied the “Rebbe’s” books, and march through the street, singing of the many good Jews who saw to and carrying their Holy Scroll, and it that these precious books were the police hold up their hands to printed. The congregations are stop the traffic until the procession gone, most of the books have been has passed. burned, and the people who studied It is several blocks from Geda- them and who printed them—his liah’s house to the building of the voice falters — have also been congregation. When they reach the burned. He himself, not for his own last block, they see that the other merits, surely, is a brand plucked synagogues in the block have taken from the fire. Now it is the task of out their Sifrei Torah from the those who were spared to see that Arks and come to meet them. More these words of Torah are not lost. people come from the houses and The books must be reprinted, they sidewalks and stores ; they kiss the must even be translated into Eng­ Scrolls, they also sing, and clap lish, to show that there were people their hands. In fact, some of them who lived on the earth whose join hands and dance, the men thoughts were heavenly. He urges dancing in a circle with the men, them all to “buy letters” in the new and the women in their own circle Torah, to supply the funds to re­ with the other women. print the books. April, 1949 19

n LTHOUGH it would be good if all Jews would write out Sifrei Torah for themselves, most cannot. It would even be good if they would write a single letter in a Torah, but most cannot. Thus the custom of “buying letters”, of paying for the privilege of having the Scribe fill in the Scroll. In that way the “buyers” share the Scribe’s good deed of writing the Scroll. The people crowd around Gedaliah, and call out letters they wish him to fill in for them. “Sin Reysh, in memory of my

mother, Sarah Rachel, who died in the Warsaw ¡Ghetto.” “Yod, Mem, for father, Isaac Mayer, killed at Aushwitz.” “Mem, Lamed, for my son, Moishe Leib, who fell a t Anzio.” And many select the letters “Cheth, Yod,” which spell “chai,” which means “life”. Gedaliah dips his quill and writes, and dips it again, and Writes, and writes. The letters glisten even after they are dry; the letters live. The letters live, for they are the vessels of the living spirit.

One day when Rabbi Eleazer, son of Rabbi Simon, com­ pleted his studies at the academy and returned home he was greeted by an ugly crippled man. Rabbi Eleazer, in­ stead of acknowledging the salute, jestingly asked the man if all the people in the town were as ugly as he. The man w as hurt, and retorted: "Go to the Master Who created me, and reproach Him for His work." Rabbi Eleazer, noticing his error, descended from his ass, and walked all the way with the man, praying to be forgiven. —Talmud, 20 a-b

20

Jewish LIFE

• Was the Biblical account of Creation drawn from an­ cient myths? . . . is it invalidated by modem science?

theC REflTionsrofiy* muffì, science &(orali

By JOSEPH E L IA S “■JHIE TORAH begins with the statement that the world was created out of nothing. This tru th forms the cornerstone of the out­ look which the Divine teachings want to build up in us. Upon it there depends all that follows in the Torah.” In these words, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch sums up the vital significance was the fact of Di­ vine creation has for us. To as­ sume the contrary premise of the eternity of m atter means viewing our world as a playball of chance, subject to inescapable accidents and imperfections. It would not even help to admit the existence of a G-d who gives form to existing m atter; that would still not ensure that our present world is altogether the reThe author is Editor of the Jewish Pocket Books. This series, sponsored by the Agudath Israel Youth Council and the Spero Founda­ tion, has won wide popularity because of the excellent literary and intellectual quality, com­ bined with popular style, of the several vol­ umes published. Rabbi Elias studied at Yeshivoth in Roland and Canada and at the Uni­ versity of Chicago, where he received an M.A. degree.

April, 1949

suit of Divine wisdom and provi­ dence. In consequence, it would still imply that G-d has only limited power over the universe and its de­ velopment; it would rob the world and human life of their G-d given character and purpose ; and it would free man of his moral obli­ gations. After all, he could not even be sure that the Divine spark in him could control his body and guide it toward the service of G-d. JN SHORT, the denial of Divine * creation also means the denial of the Divinely appointed goals of world and man. This consideration explains why the Torah account starts with Creation. The Torah takes, for granted the knowledge that G-d is; but it tells the story of Creation in order to set the scene for man’s duties toward G-d. Every Shabboth reminds us, there­ fore, that G-d created the world; and he who desecrates the Shabboth is like one who serves idols. Today, however, the belief in Creation is under heavy attack. 21

Modern scholarship has raised a number of questions about it. In the first place, it challenges the authority of the Biblical account. All nations, it is said, have some creation story or another ; and the Torah merely contains a later and improved version of these primi­ tive human speculations about the origin of the world. It is an interesting undertaking |r-a n d a revealing one—to compare ancient “creation-myths” with the account of the Torah. We realize at once that these myths represent a coarse perversion of the lofty Bi­ blical ideas; for instance, the crea­ tion of heaven and earth is paralleled in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic by Marduk’s defeat of Tiamat and the ¡splitting of her carcass into two halves, one of which became heaven and the other earth. But beyond such absurd distortions of ideas, we also note the complete absence of certain vital concepts. Thus the ancient myths describe man as created from the spittle of the gods, or from the blood shed by them, rather than as inspired by the Divine spirit. Is it likely to assume that such corrupt ideas should have been the source of the Torah account? Even radical Bible critics admit the in­ credibility of such a hypothesis. There are indeed certain similarities which point to some connection. “The right explanation, however, is that ther"Babylonian version goes back to one source which was the common inheritance of all man­ kind, and has been preserved in the Bible in its original beauty and 22

purity. In the Babylonian version, it was corrupted by polytheistic and mythological absurdities . . . Their deformations indicate the de­ generation that befell mankind in very early times.” (Dr. Philip Biberfeld, Universal Jewish History, I). Indeed, some modern scholars, in line with Jewish tradition, have interpreted all available evidence to mean that atHhe beginning of history there stood a basic mono­ theism which gradually degenerat­ ed. Seen . in this light, the later d i s t o r t e d creation and floodmyths of the various creation stories represent a confirmation of the original Biblical account, rather than a challenge to it. But is not the doctrine of crea­ tion disproved by the latest result! of science? Do not these provide the proof that the Biblical report is indeed a human fabrication ? It is true that the sciences have tried to explain the origin and history of our world by announcing that there has taken place a purely me­ chanical process of evolution, re* suiting from the operation of the law of cause and effect. But let us survey the details of this alleged evolution and see how they stand up to closer examination. J ^ T SOME POINT, infinitely re* mote in time, it is said, a stellar nebula cooled off until it be­ came a star—our sun. Through the close approach of another heavenly body, a huge tidal wave twisted the surface of the sun and caused some huge chunks of m atter to be thrown into space; from these the Jewish LIFE

planets evolved, including our and science is furthermore unable earth. This gradually cooled off to explain how higher species arose and passed through a process of from earlier ones (the story of an evolution; various strata of rocks infinite number of accidental being formed one after the other. jumps, mutations, flies in the face Moreover, by chance some peculiar of mathematical possibility). chemical reactions came to produce , <1 life—very primitive organisms con­ does the modern scientist sisting of only one cell but gradu­ work with such unproven hy­ ally developing into a number of potheses? The answer lies in the species of plants and animals and, inescapable limitations of scientific at the climax of this development, thinking. Science, by definition, is man. concerned with the rational ex­ This picture of world evolution planation ¡of all phenomena of has been pieced together from which man has knowledge. It must hypotheses adopted by astrono­ therefore reject any “supernatur­ mers, geologists, biologists. It has al” explanation that may be offered gained a firm hold on the modern —not because of the evidence of mind—but in reality, it is an un­ facts but because of the premises proven speculative theory which of scientific thought. does not solve the basic problems This fact severely limits the valid­ of world and life; which involves ity of scientific theories. They are a large number of arbitrary as­ important as practical guides to the sumptions; and which has broken evaluation of everyday phenomena. down wherever it could be experi­ But the scientist cannot prove that mentally tested. Of course no de­ everything in the universe can be tailed analysis is possible within explained according to the work­ the limits of this essay ; but a few ing of human reason—and the salient points may be mentioned. effort to force the issue produces such shaky theories as those above It is mathematically impossible mentioned. th at a combination of astronomical accidents should have, brought An example will make clear the about all the conditions necessary fallacy of the ¡scientist who over­ for life to exist on earth. The “fos- steps the bounds of scientific com­ s ik family tree”, on the basis of petence. If an Australian bushinan which we date the geological for­ were explained the movement of mations, is so artificial and dubious the hands of a watch^ and were that the only indisputable fact then shown a watch marking three about the history of our planet is o'clock, he would unhesitatingly as­ the occurrence of some major catas­ sert that the watch had been work­ trophes at its birth. No chemical ing for three hours—yet in reality reactions known to science can ac­ it might have been wound up only count for the emergence of life; half an hour before. April, 1949 23

WHY

Similarly the scientist aims to disprove Biblical accounts of crea­ tion by developing theories based on present-day conditions. Thus he ar­ rives at fantastic figures for the age of the world and the length of the evolutionary processes. Yet such reasoning is based on the as­ sumption that the processes of nature have always been constant and there has been no act of crea­ tion—in other words, we have here a bad case of begging the question. Science cannot affirm, deny, or ex­ plain the origin of the world, for any such attempt projects presentday conceptions into a time when basic conditions must have been different. Indeed, the whole concept of “origin” eludes the grasp of the scientist. All theories dealing with world origins, it should be noted, push them back into an ever re­ moter p a st; none explains them B-and none will ever be able to. Since scientific thought depends entirely on the principle ¡of cause and effect, it will always be forced to seek for any phenomenon, an even earlier one that caused it— and so on ad infinitum. MAY WELL ask why scien¥ tists have ever attempted to hunt in fields from which they are barred. It must be remembered, however, that the rise of science and technology greatly stimulated mankind’s confidence in the powers of human reason. The mechanistic evolutionary world view, described 24

before, was not inspired by the facts actually gathered but was born of the desire to explain the entire world in a rational manner, dispensing with all religious, “su­ pernatural” assumptions. As a re­ sult, the old religious conception of a universe, created by Divine Providence and guided towards Messianic perfection, was secular­ ized : the concept of evolution re­ placed that of creation, and the belief in natural progress that in Divine Providence. In actual fact scientific evolutionism merely rep­ resents a secularized version of the Biblical account, much as the Gilgamesh epic represents a polytheistic version. Today, many scientists have comes to realize the limitations of scientific thought and the resulting inadequacy of the geological and biological speculations about the evolution of our universe. They have, therefore, taken recourse to the belief in a G-d who guided the emergence of the world, and in a series of “accidents” that produced the chain of evolution. This view­ point undoubtedly represents a welcome advance over the earlier exaggerated claims of science; but it is little more than a face-saving compromise. Once it is recognized that the scientific “creation myth” must be propped up by the assump­ tion of a Divine Providence, its re­ maining parts, with their forced rationalizations, might just as well be discarded. Jewish LIFE

TXTE MUST REMEMBER that YV the attempt to discredit the Biblical account of creation, and to replace it by a secularized cos­ mogony, has been inspired by man­ kind's desire to get rid of the deeper spiritual implications of the concept of creation: it represents an effort to shake off man's obliga­ tions to the Creator and Master of

the universe. The rationalism of the last few centuries provided the basis for modern man's self asser­ tion. Today the inadequacy of such rationalism stands revealed—in the sphere of practical living as well as in th at of intellectual endeavor —and a return to the never-sur­ passed wisdom of the Torah is surely in place.

(E ditor’s N ote: Space limitations necessarily restrict^Rabbi Elias’ exposition of this important topic to the above summation. Readers seeking further analysis of the them|e are invited to correspond. The same author’s “Science and Judaism” will also be found a useful source of reference.)

ONE AND ALL In the Biblical verse, 'unto thee will I give the land of your inheritance/ the singular pronoun is used at the be­ ginning while the plural form is used at the end. Why? It is because when G-d made the covenant and gave the oath to our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and lacob, to give us the land of Canaan, G-d implied at that time, that the Holy Land would be peculiarly suited to the life of the individual lew. as well as of the national group. —Rabbi Abraham I. Kook, The late Chief Rabbi of P a le stin e ^ THE REAL EXILE The real exile of Israel in Egypt was that they had learned to endure it. — Rabbi Henoch of Alexandria, 1798-1870

April, 1949

25

• British-inspired Arab flight from Eretz Israel opens new vistas.

By L H A LE V Y LE V IN JERUSALEM: JN the course of the past year, as a result of the international sanction of the Jewish State, and subsequent Israeli successes in the battlefield, the land problem in Eretz Israel has been revolution­ ized. From the very inception of Zion­ ist work an acute land shortage has prevailed. Deriving primarily from the smallness of the country and the high proportion of land not suitable for cultivation, but progressively aggravated by the urgency of Jewish need and a hos­ tile political atmosphere, both un­ der the Turkish and the British regimes, land shortage has been a permanent restrictive feature of Jewish settlement. The inevitable corollary, a rising spiral of prices, unparalleled in any country in the world, underOur Israel correspondent is well known there as a journalist and a leader of the Torah V ’Avodah movement. He is an official of the Religious Youth Department of the Jewish Agency.

26

mined the economic basis of farm ­ ing. This gave rise to a situation which the creation of a national land buying agency, Keren Kayemeth L’Yisroel, the Jewish Nation­ al Fund, could no more than mitigate, by centralising Jewish purchases, and leasing land to the cultivator at a reasonable “rental. The metamorphosis that has taken place in this sphere is elo­ quently illustrated by some figures recently released by the J. N. F. In the course of almost half a century it has succeeded in creat­ ing a national land holding of over one million dunams. In the course of the present year, by an arrange­ ment reached between the J. N. F. and the Government of Israel, this area will be doubled. BRIEF account of the events of the past year is necessary for a proper appreciation of the back­ ground to this profound change, its problems and consequences. Jewish LIFE

One of the most remarkable and least expected features of the hos­ tilities in Israel has been the pre­ cipitate flight of the Arabs from the Jewish occupied area. Orig­ inally ascribed to the fear mo­ tive, reliable evidence from Arab sources indicates th at it was to a large extent, deliberate, and con­ stituted a stage in a major AngloArab plan. Jewish resistance, the Arabs had it on the authority of their British advisors, could last no more than two weeks. Arab civilians must be removed from the vicinity of thè Jews, to place them beyond the range of reprisals, and to allow the Arab states unrestrict­ ed freedom of action in launching their total war, unembarrassed by the presence of their compatriots. Any unwillingness on the part of the Arabs to fall in with this scheme was overcome by a subtle appeal to their predatory instincts. Within a space of weeks, they were assured, they would return not only to their own homes but to those of the dispossessed Jews. What was at first a more or less orderly exodus gathered momentum under the impact of Jewish mili­ tary victories, and became a head­ long, panic-stricken flight, in which farms, flocks, houses and shops were abandoned in a blind, element­ al urge to get out of the zone of hostilities. T H E immediate reaction, both in the Yishuv and the^Golah, once the fact of millions of dunams of land rendered vacant by Israeli military action had been absorbed, April, 1949

was primitive in its simplicity. Sovereignty over the country or at least part of it, had been submit­ ted to the arbitram ent of arms. By right of conquest it belonged to the Jew. The distinction be­ tween territorial conquest and in­ dividual tenure of the soil was too fine to be appreciated in the first flush of victory. Gradually, how­ ever, in the course of the months th at have passed, the fact that the Government of Israel possesses no legal nor moral right to nullify title has been recognized. The Arab flight is a political fac­ tor of which any realistic appraisal of the situation must take full ac­ count. The Arabs were under no compulsion to leave. They were dissuaded from doing so by Jewish friends. They were pledged full citizenship and unfettered oppor­ tunity. They chose to reject the offer. Whether they were moti­ vated by fear, cupidity or were led astray by the folly of their leaders, is immaterial today. The fact alone remains. For reasons of elementary na­ tional security, the return of these Arabs to Israel cannot be enter­ tained. The offer made prior to the outbreak of hostilities is no longer valid. Too much blood has been spilt, too much damage done, for Jews and Arabs to take up the thread, as if nothing had occurred since November 29th, 1947. PR ESSU R E, there is. no doubt, will be brought to bear on Israel, on this issue. Forces inimi­ cal to the Jewish State, in the 27

United Nations and elsewhere, per­ haps even some misguided philan­ thropists from our own midst, will urge the repatriation of the Arab refugees. Certain of the Arab States, keenly alive to the possi­ bilities of this development as a bargaining weapon and a means of extortion, especially in view of its international repercussions in any negotiations with the Jews, will exploit the issue to the utmost. For the Jews, however, the choice is clear. Such a step would not only drastically reduce the possi­ bility of providing a home for Jewish refugees. It would intro­ duce an element intent upon under­

mining the very foundations of the Jewish State. *The impasse is less formidable than would at first glance appear. Its bare essentials are as follows. The Israeli Government recognizes the inviolability of individual pro­ perty rights. It is, however, neither in the ultimate interests of the Arabs or the Jews, and cer­ tainly not of the stability of the Middle East, that the Arabs should return. In principle the solution is sim­ ple and its execution presents no inordinate difficulty. In broad out­ line it follows a number of inter­ national precedents, the most not-

"To teach the sons of Judah the bow’'—Samuel L18. Stem necessity turned devotees of book and plough into skilled Israeli soldiers.

28

Jewish LIFE

“His heart is as firm as a stone"—Job 41:24. This devout volunteer is typical of many peace-loving sons of Torah who have battled valiantly in defense of Israel.

able example of which in the Eastern Mediterranean area being the Greco-Turkish arrangement, which after a period of bloody warfare opened up a new era of good-neighbourly relations between the two peoples. The Arabs must be reasonably compensated for the real value of their land, computed April, 1949

according to its productive capa­ city. This compensation money must be placed into a special fund for the purpose of settling them elsewhere. jTVEN in Eretz Israel such a procedure is not new. Through­ out its work of land acquisition 29

the Jewish National Fund has consistently practiced the compen­ sation of tenants and peasants dis­ placed by its purchases, even when under no legal obligation to do so. In the long run such a policy was not only morally just; it proved politically wise. Over a period of decades it enabled the Zionist Organization to refute the slander that it was creating a land­ less peasantry, and to delay, wherç it could not ward off, hostile legis­ lation. For financial and economic rea­ sons, too, the return of the Arabs is not feasible. They have little, indeed, to return to. War has ravaged the Israeli countryside. Little has remained, often, of Arab villages but heaps of rubble. Im­ mense sums will be required for their reconstruction, no less prob­ ably than for new settlement. Why expend so much money and effort to create another irredentist problem, a hot-bed of racial bicker­

ing, liable at any moment to set the Middle East ablaze? Conditions for a more logical solution exist. In Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Transjordan, vast tracts lie fallow, awaiting the hand of the tiller. Moreover, in these countries, to which the Pales­ tine Arabs have fled, they are not strangers. The analogy attempted by. certain sections of the overseas press, between their plight and that of the Jewish D. P.s is false and malicious. They are among their brethren. They speak the same language, profess the same religion, have the same cultural background, their mentality is not appreciably different, they fit nat­ urally into their present environ­ ment. J^DAPTATION to the conditions of these countries is merely a m atter of time and good organi­ zation. The Palestine Arabs have learnt a lot from their former

“Blessed be the Lord my Rock who teacheth my hands to fight"—Ps. 144:1. Men of a religious unit of the Israeli Army in action.

Resurrection of the Land goes forward. Religious chalutzim of Kvutzath Ha-olim start a quarry.

Jewish neighbours. They are an industrious, productive element, and for the neighboring states, one of whose primary problems is under-population, they can prove an accession of strength. Climatic conditions and farming methods in their new places of domicile are no different from those they have been accustomed to in the past. By careful planning the danger of maladjustment can be avoided. The financing of such a project is not primarily a Jewish concern. It is the business of the Arabs themselves, of those States which incited them to loot and kill, and of UNO and other international agencies. The hands of the Jews will be full healing the wounds of a war in which they were not the aggressors, and providing for their own refugees. The contribution of the Jews will be restricted to the extent required to achieve a just April, 1949

and equitable solution of the land problem inside Israel. ■jpHE possibility of the wholesale confiscation of Arab Lands has already been ruled out. The aban­ doned property must be held in tru st and administered in the in­ terests of the refugees, upon the pattern outlined above. The only body, legally and morally capable of acting as such a custodian is, of course, the' Government of Israel. The Jewish National Fund, act­ ing under its charter from the Zionist Organization as the land buying agent of the Jewish people will purchase these lands from the Israeli Government, acting for the previous owners, at a price to be agreed upon. The Government will hold these funds in tru st for the ultimate settlement of the Arab refugees. 31

“Gird up thy loins now like a man"— Job 40:7. Many young Yeshivah bochurim have distinguished themselves in the struggle against the invaders of the Homeland.

There has been, and probably still is, some misunderstanding regarding the role of the Jewish National Fund in this arrange­ ment. The political situation has changed. The people of Israel, it is argued, have a State of their own, with all the attributes of sovereignty including that of levy­ ing taxation and contracting loans. Institutions dependent for their in­ come upon voluntary contributions are today an anachronism. Their f unction, a very valuable one in the past, belongs to another period. Henceforth the Government, by means it will find appropriate, will 32

raise the funds required for land purchase. The clear demarcation of the respective spheres of competence of the Government of Israel and the World Zionist Organization, reached at the August Session of the Zionist Actions Committee, should effectively have dispelled any misconceptions on this score. F ar from their function having come to a close, the Zionist institu­ tions now stand on the threshold of a new task, whose dimensions dwarf all their previous achieve­ ments. In the fundamental respon­ sibility of the entire Jewish people for the resettlement of those hun­ dreds of thousands in Europe and in the Arab and Moslem lands, from the Straits of Gibraltar to the Euphrates, there has been no change. ■PHE ability of the Yishuv to contribute towards such a colos­ sal task, it need hardly be pointed out, has been sorely impaired by the havoc of war. It has suffered untold loss in blood and treasure. Nevertheless, directly or indirectly, in the form of contributions to the National Funds, or in the whole gamut of social and cultural ser­ vices which it will provide gratis for the newcomers, Medinath Israel will strain its capacity to the ut­ most. Whether by increased taxa­ tion—in any case constantly rising to meet the growing costs of de­ fense, or by loans, which must eventually be amortized, too much cannot be expected of the Yishuv. It is idle to speculate today upon Jewish LIFE

the possible course of events had the Arabs acquiesced in the UNO resolution of November 29th, 1947, with the State of Israel making its debut with a forty five per cent minority of malcontents, supported by seven inimical Arab states. The Arab flight constitutes a develop­ ment fraught with far - reaching consequences, transcending any ad­ vantages to be gained from te rri­ torial aggrandizement. Politically it has secured a degree of homogenity not possessed by any other

state in the Middle East. It has reduced the density of population and has correspondingly increased our absorptive capacity. Without the painful operation of agrarian reform, it has -concentrated the ultimate source of all wealth in Israel—the land—in the hands of the Jewish people. It has made possible a degree of urban and rural planning, whose beneficial ef­ fects we can still only vaguely foresee.

ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS The Jew has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendour, then faded to dreamstuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they faded in twilight; now all have van­ ished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his ener­ gies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. —Mark Twain.

April, 1949

33

• Day Schools and the American Tradition.

Dilemmas; On The Education Front By B A R N E TT HIRSCH " m H E free school is the promoter of * that intelligence which is to pre­ serve us. . . . Let us all labor to aid all needful guarantees for the security of free thought, a free press, pure mor­ als, unfettered religious sentiments, and of equal rights and privileges to all men, irrespective of nationality, color, or re­ ligion. . . . Resolve that either the stat^ or the nation, or both combined, shall support institutions of learning sufficient to afford to every child growing up iii the land the opportunity of a good com­ mon school education, unmixed with sec­ tarian, pagan, or atheistical dogmas* Leave the matter of religion to the fam­ ily circle, the church, and the private school supported entirely by private con­ tributions. Keep the church and state forever separate.” ,

This statement, which sounds so contemporary, in reality was utter­ ed in 1875 ¡by President Ulysses S. Grant. Its publication almost- coThe author, a businessman of Long Branch, N. J., is an outstanding and militant exponent of Torah Judaism. Previous articles b$r Mr. Hirsch have appeared in JEWISH LIFE and other publications.

34

incided with the emergence of the “Free Public School” on Ameri­ ca’s educational horizons—a devel­ opment which Mr. Grant vigorously supported and enthusiastically en­ dorsed. In 1876 James G. Blaine intro­ duced in Congress an amendment to the Constitution which echoed the President’s suggestions. But the demand that church and state be separated on more than paper, that sectarian instruction be elim­ inated from the Public School, was more than our legislators of that time would yield, and the amend­ ment failed of passage. Let us keep our dates clear. 1875 was just one year short of a cen­ tury since the founding of the Re­ public. During these first hundred years, and reaching back into the entire colonial period, the educa­ tional system then prevalent was, parochial and private. Each de­ nomination and ethnic grouping maintained its own schools wherein Jewish LIFE

w e r e taught reading, writing, arithmetic and the theological pre­ cepts of the sponsoring faith. This religious and educational democ­ racy Mr. Grant tried to perpetuate and inject into the newly develop­ ing Public School—and failed. V^TE need to bear in mind that there were only about three thousand Jews in America in the Year 1800. There were not many more Catholics. The population w a s predominantly Protestant Christian, of Anglo-Saxon deriva­ tion. It was sectarian only in the sense that some were Methodists, some Baptists, some Episcopalian, others Presbyterian and still others Congregationalist, Quaker, or of other small Protestant sects. The facts stand out boldly that all early suggestions for the inception of the Public School had to be accom­ panied by both oral and written assurances that the status of Prot­ estant supremacy was not thereby being threatened or challenged. In this manner it came to be accepted that non-sectarian teachings en­ compassed that which was common to all Protestant sects. It presup­ posed the acceptance of the Protes­ tant concept of the Deity and the Protestant Bible, and those forms of religious worship practiced in common by the Protestant sects. In other words, non-sectatian in­ struction was consistently interpre­ ted to be that form of education which was in consonance with the religious views common to Prot­ estant Christendom. April,. 1949

If there were those who thought otherwise, or had any doubts in the matter, they were soon put into their places with a decisive thump by the Resolution adopted during the inter-Protestant Convention of the piddle of the nineteenth cen­ tury. It read, in part: “The liberty to worship G-d ac­ cording to the dictates of con­ science conceded to our citizens by the Constitution, by any principle of legitimate interpretation, can­ not be construed into a right to embarrass the municipal authori­ ties in the ordering of their dis­ trict schools.” TF THERE be among us those who A sanguinely would assume that this applied only to a former day, then let them read W. S. Fleming's “G-d in our Public Schools” pub­ lished, in 1944 by the National Re­ form Association. He maintains that the U. S. Supreme Court has held America to be a Christian na­ tion. It follows therefore, he rea­ sons, that the teaching of Christi­ anity in our schools is not sectar­ ian. In America, only those doc­ trines are sectarian with which Protestant Christendom does not agree. Ergo, any objections to the teaching of Christianity in the schools are without valid or legal bases. “No”, declares the author, “Uncle Sam is not an atheist, nor a secularist, but a Christian. Sad to say, he has adopted some pagan practices and must get right with G-d by restoring religion to the schools or perish through secular­ ism and crime.” 35

The number is legion of those individuals and organizations who clamor for the tenacious retention of religious instruction in the Pub­ lic School and of those who directly and indirectly support them. Hard pressed by the irrefutable logic of the opposition, resort is had to a redefinition of religion as “cul­ ture”. It is astounding how many truly great persons, genuinely lib­ eral in other directions, remain un­ yielding on this point. Even Elea­ nor Roosevelt has fallen into the error of referring to a Christian holiday as “our American Christ­ mas”, much as some less informed person would label bacon and eggs the American breakfast food. By inference, it would be consequently violative of something American when a Jewish child refrains from singing Christmas carols or when a Jew does not indulge in the eat­ ing of bacon and eggs. Yet, under whatever guise Prot­ estant instruction in the schools may be introduced and then dis­ claimed, one cogent fact cannot es­ cape our attention. There are in America no Protestant parochial schools * Jews and Catholics are disturbed by a school curriculum the religious elements of which do not harmonize with what is taught their children in the home and in the synagogue ôr church—a dis­ cord which contributes to the chil­ dren’s confusion. This obviously can be rectified only through the m e d i a of denominational day schools. The Protestant communi­ ties of America, how ever,unlike (♦Some parochial schools are maintained by Lutherans in western states—E ditor. )

36

Catholics and Jews, have felt no need to establish such schools. This can be accounted for in but one way. The Public School today is in large measure a Protestant paro­ chial school, maintained and fi­ nanced by the populace at laijge. The Public School is a tax-sup­ ported institution which originally serviced a population preponder­ antly Protestant. During the years which witnessed America’s great­ est increment in population through immigration, Western, Protestant, Anglo-Saxon Europe made an in­ significant contribution to that growth. The Jews today number considerably more than the three thousand of a century and a half ago. What, then, is to be done? Several avenues of action present themselves. We Jews might join with other elements in the population in "de­ manding the total exclusion, in any form, of religious instruction *in the public schools. It may be true that while the Catholics protest the use of the King James Bible and the Protestants would never consent to the Douai version, we Jews object to both. But where would that leave us? It would leave us squarely in the camp of Mrs. Vashti McCollum and the sec­ ularists. As advocates of religious teaching in the public schools right­ ly maintain, while We protest quo­ tations from the Psalms and the Apostles, children will continue to be indoctrinated with an amoral, naturalistic and materialistic in­ terpretation of the social order and of the universe. Jewish LIFE

Let us assume that we do suc­ ceed in wringing a complete sev­ erance 'of religious content from the public school curriculum. Is this really what we want? Will this solve our problem? Will our child, coming out of such a wholly sec­ ularized school, be receptive to gen­ uinely religious instruction in an afternoon Talmud Torah? Will the Hebrew School be in a position to neutralize the adverse effects of official secularization any better than it has until now counteracted the alienating effects of official Christianization and assimilation? In general terms, the advocates of a religious orientation in Amer­ ican education are unassailably cor­ rect when they observe that the intangible values, the concern for the enduring and significant ele­ ments of life, are being maneuvered into a steady retreat before the commonplace, the ordinary, the ma­ terial and the transitory forces. Just as in economics unsound cur­ rency has the tendency to displace good currency, so in the sphere of education there prevails today the tendency to teach our youth to pros­ trate itself before the twin altars of the trivial and the superficial. T H E S E proponents of more, A rather than less, religious in­ struction—whom we Jews who live in the Tradition must come to re­ gard as in a certain sense our un­ witting allies — point with wellfounded -alarm to the frightening results of religious illiteracy, es­ pecially as it threatens to become^ if it has not already become, a public menace. April, 1949

Yet, for reasons which by now are illuminatingly apparent, we dare not out of hand join forces with these elements, since we would then voluntarily be turning our children over to a process of grad­ ual but unremitting proselytiza,tion. For what these people mean when they speak of the need of religious instruction is evangeliza­ tion by Protestant Christianity. There exist other proposals. One such device, the Release Time Pro­ gram, is already being toyed with in a number of municipalities. Space does not permit the listing of all the unfortunate character­ istics which have become apparent through its application. In schools in Illinois, Buffalo, San Francisco, and New York City reports indi­ cate that there are subtle and wil­ ful violation of neutrality by both teachers and principals. There is interesting reading in the exhaus­ tive report issued by the Public .Education Society of San F ran­ cisco (1945) exposing the irreme­ diable pitfalls of this and similar devices designed to introduce reli­ gious instruction in association with regular courses of study. But if we maintain, as we who subscribe to the Torah Tradition must, that religious instruction is indispensable to the proper rear­ ing of our children; if, at the same time, we cannot possibly yield our children to the kind of religious e d u c a t i o n which the dominant groups would like more intensively than ever to introduce into the Pub­ lic School; if, moreover, we bear in mind that an alarmingly vast 37

If the objections to Jewish AllDay Schools and Yeshivoth on the part of non-Jews are almost inex­ haustible, the irrelevant objections concocted by some of our own as yet unreconstructed rebels are ex­ hausting. Thus we have the obscurantists who distort the situation with a great deal of heat but little light by raising the spectre of “Separ­ T ET NO one tell us that the Jew- atism ”. Yet we never hear from *JI ish school is in »any sense un- some of these people anything but American or in any way violative unalloyed praise for the Labor wav of America's cultural tradition. The of life which, as an instance, tht very contrary is true. Prior to the ILGWU is shaping for its member­ reaction which set in subsequent to ship. No one seems to view as the Civil War, American leaders “Separatist” the many-branched and the populace at large thought and highly ramified social, com­ in terms of cultural diversity and mercial, cultural, educational, and ethnic and religious pluralism. In recreational activities which Mr. this connection, .Mr. Justice Rey­ Dubinsky has planned and executed nolds wrote not so very long ago for his union members. These pro­ in a United States Supreme Court jects are so thoroughly integrated, so all embracing, and so compre­ decision: “The fundamental theory, of liberty hensive th at many a keen observer upon which all governments in this of sociological trends has remarked Union repose excludes any general power that any ILGWU member, by avail­ of the State to standardize its children ing himself of these facilities, by forcing them to accept instruction could live out his adult years with­ from public education only. The child out having recourse to any agencies is not the creature of the State; those outside his union. who nurture him and direct his destiny T h e U n i o n maintains clin­ have the right, as well as the high duty, ics and hospitals, Institutes of to recognize and prepare him for addi­ Adult Studies, vacation camps, ho­ tional duties.” tels, old-age homes, orphanages, Does it not then follow that the sanatoria and travel bureaus—all further development of the Jewish of which are models of efficiency. Day School will in no insignificant The members deposit their savings measure contribute to the perpetu­ in union banks which also assist ation of American democracy and them in the capacity of investment those traditional ideas and ideals counsellors. The list of functions e n v i s i o n e d by the Founding is almost beyond count and is con­ stantly being increased. ILGWU, Fathers of the Republic? Jewish LIFE 38

segment of our American Jewish Youth is progressively being es­ tranged from its Jewish roots by both the Public School and the cul­ tural climate created by it outside of its walls, then we inexorably are driven to the only valid and at the same time practical, solution: the continued and intensified develop­ ment of the Jewish Day School!*

to all intents and purposes, is a self-contained social organism with­ in the American body politic. Yet our “progressives” and “liberals” see no conflict between it and Amer­ icanism. And there is no conflict. I^O R IS there conflict between a thoroughly integrated Jewish way of life and Americanism. It is notable that obscurantists of this self-same type, upon acquiring af­ fluence, often disdain the Public School, send their sons to snobbish Prep Schools, their daughters to f a s h i o n a b l e private finishing

schools, and themselves join, or make a superhuman effort to join those sunny retreats called Country Clubs. Is not this Separatism, and of the most dubious and un-Amer­ ican kind? Let nothing, then, discourage and dissuade us in building a sound, and enduring, and above all a dig­ nified foundation for Jewish life in these United States through the establishment and proper support of more and more Jewish Day Schools. Only thus will Jewish life in America acquire the recognition and basic equality which is its due.

THE INVINCIBLE MAN OF FAITH Why do we say: 'Our G-d and the G-d of our fathers'? There are two kinds of people who believe in G-d. One believes because he has taken over the faith of his fathers, and his faith is strong. The other has arrived at faith through thinking and studying. The difference between them is this: The advantage of the first is that, no matter what arguments may be brought against it, his faith cannot be shaken; his faith is firm because it w as taken over from his fathers. But there is one flaw in it; he has faith only in response to the command of man, and he has acquired it without study­ ing and thinking for himself. The advantage of the second is that, because he found G-d through much thinking, he has arrived at a faith of his own. But here, too, there is a flaw; it is easy to shake his faith by refuting it through evi­ dence. But he who unites both kinds of faith is invincible. And so we say, 'Our G-d' with reference to our studies, and 'G-d of our fathers' with an eye to tradition. —Martin Buber.

April, 1949

39

By DEN A WENGER FR E D D Y ’S FACE was radiant, in Hebrew, then in English. I sang and his bright blue eyes were the Beroehah in Hebrew too, ’n* then I explained it. And you shining. . . and you know what else, know what else, Mommy? Tomor­ Mommy? After I got through tell­ row I’m to be excused from my ing the story of Chanukah to the* reading class and I’m going to tell bqy& and girls in my room, I said, the Chanukah story to the first ‘any questions ?’, and there were, t h r e e grade rooms.” Suddenly Mommy, lots of them; I explained Freddy stopped. “What’s the m at­ all about yarmulke, ’n the menorah, ter, Mommy? You look kinda ’n stuff.like that. And then when funny; you look like you’re going we came in from recess, Mrs. Down­ to cry.” “I’ll not cry, son. I look that way ing said, “sit in the chairman’s seat, Freddy.” Then all the second because I’m so proud of you.” and third grade rooms came in, and I put on my yarmulke ’n lit the candles, and told the story all over again. And I sang Chanukah songs for them too.” “You sang them in English, of course, Freddy.” “No, Mommy, I sang them first Mrs. Wenger is a product of the fine Jewish community of Rock Island, 111., where she was born, received her Jewish and general ‘educa­ tion and where she still resides. Married to another convinced Rock Islander, she is the mother of two young sons — who provide the inspiration for the above story and for others she/ has written. Mrs. Wenger plays an active role in the Sisterhood of her congregation and in local units of several Jewish organizations.

40

Jewish LIFE

/ ‘Mommy, when you were in the second grade, did you tell the story of Chanukah to your room?” “No, Freddy, I didn’t.” “How come? Were there other Jewish children in your grade? Did the teacher choose someone else?” Reluctantly Freddy’s mother ad­ mitted that years ago no one in that second grade class was asked to tell the story of Chanukah. “Well, say, Mommy, then you just should have told the teacher that you wanted to. How come y’didn’t, Mommy?” p R E D D Y ’S MOTHER looked at the intelligent, uninhibited little boy before her. How could she tell him about her memory of the sec­ ond grade? Even now, years later, she cringed when she recalled it. It was a day such as this one and she was hurrying home to her moth­ er, as Fred had done today, full of school news the star on her spell­ ing paper, the compliment on her re a d in g -» Suddenly from behind her someone was shouting, “dirty Jew, dirty Jew!” and just as she turned a nine year old bully almost twice her size descended upon her, snatched her blue beret from her head, threw it on the ground, and ran off jeering “dirty Jew, dirty jew !” Hysterical with fright the little seven year old Jewish girl ran screaming to her mother. And that Jewish mother, sorrow and an­ ger smoldering in her soft dark eyes, gathered her little girl in her arms. “Veyn nit, mein kind, er is an antisemit. Come, we’ll find your pretty blue hat.” April, 1949

That was her only explanation — “He is an anti-semite.” What sort of terror was an anti-semite and why did he call her dirty? Why, she was one of the cleanest little girls in her room. Every day she wore a freshly starched dress with a hair ribbon to match; twice a day her brown curls were brushed; each night she polished her shoes until the toes on them shone. How dare he call her dirty—this bully with the matted hair and the knots in his shoe laces; this filthygstupid boy, who at nine was still in the second grade — who was always asked to leave the room because he carried no handkerchief. Why didn’t she turn upon him? Why didn’t she defend herself? Why didn’t she at least have the courage to pick up her hat? T H E TELEPHONE interrupted her unpleasant reverie. It was Freddy’s teacher. “I couldn’t wait to tell you hew proud I was of Freddy today. It was the most beautiful touching 41

picture of childish faith I have ever seen. You have a fine, sensitive boy there. I hope he’ll never be hurt.” And Freddy’s mother answered, “Thank you, Mrs. Downing, but Freddy will be hurt; you see, as yet he knows nothing of prejudice and bigotry. Today his audience was kind, receptive, tolerant. There will be other days in young Fred’s life not as lovely as this one.” At the other end of the wire there was a moment’s silence and then

the teacher spoke, “I know what you mean, but you needn’t worry too much about Freddy. He will have the answer because you’re arming him with faith and with knowledge.” That night, as she listened to her son’s prayers this Jewish moth­ er recalled the words of his teacher P f l “You are arming him with faith and knowledge.” And Freddy’s mother bowed her head. “G-d, please help me to sustain his faith and to give him-riits Courage.”

Yemenite settlers in Israel at a Seder.

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Jewish LIFE

T

I Prayer Book that explains itself By MORRIS M AX THE AUTHORIZED DAILY PRAYER BOOK F irst American Revised Edition by the late Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Dr. Joseph H. Hertz, Bloch Publishing Co., New York, 1948.

faith, that he created a liturgy which has been called “one of the greatest products of the Jewish genius.” Today, however, when 70 per cent of our youth do not receive even a reading knowledge of He­ J^ABBI SIMON was wont to say brew, the time-honored prayer book, the Siddur, which is the basis of “When thou prayest make not the orthodox Jewish Synagogue thy prayer a fixed form but make Service, has become the object of it an entreaty and supplication of criticism on the part of those who love before the Almighty.” (Pirkey know very little about the meaning Avoth, 11:18) of the prayers, and of those who, From the time that daily prayers despite the pains they take to look became statutory the warning was into the English translation of the issued to the Jew th at he take pre­ prayers, fail to grasp their religi­ cautions to prevent that sacred ous essence, the profound emotions duty from becoming a mere me­ of their authors and their rich his­ chanical task. He was bidden to torical background. There was a concentrate upon the profound great need, therefore, for a Siddur meaning of the prayers so that •that could make the prayers of our through their lofty thoughts and ancient people meaningful to our holy yearning he may come closer modern generation. to his Heavenly Father. It was be­ cause the Jew sought to express T>R. JOSEPH HERTZ, the late spiritual yearnings that welled up Chief Rabbi of the British Em­ in him from the living fountain of pire, has filled this need with his splendid edition of “The Author­ Rabbi Max, formerly the" spiritual leader of ized Daily Prayer Book,” published the Manhattan Beach, N. Y., Jewish Center, in the United States by the Bloch is the Executive Vice-President of the Rab­ Publishing Company of New York binical Council of America. April, 1949 4j

City. In his fifteen-page introduc­ tion he succeeds in impressing the reader with the thought that the Siddur is not simply the work of an author whose effectiveness he, the reader, is to judge but that it is the creation of the Jewish peo­ ple as a whole, which has grown throughout the centuries, with­ stood the test of the ages and which, therefore, tests the spiritual de­ velopment of the reader or worshipper. He deals briefly yet effectively with the reason for prayer as a universal phenomenon, •the role of prayer in Israel, the his­ tory of the development of the Jew­ ish Prayer Book, the Synagogue Service, the value of prayers in He­ brew and the development of the different rituals—the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Rites. The Prayer Book includes the complete daily and Sabbath Serv­ ices, the Amidah for the three Joyous Festivals—Passover, Succoth and Shavuoth—and for the Solemn Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and a section for occasional prayers dealing with the milestones of an individual’s life from birth till death, such as the service for Marriage, Brith Milah (Circumcision), Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the First-Born Male Child), Prayer of Thanksgiv­ ing for Women After Recovery from Childbirth, Service at a Con­ secration of a House, Prayer for the Sick and the Dying, Funeral Service, Service in Home of Mourners, Memorial (Yizkor) Service and Service at the Setting of a Tombstone.

44

In this section are included special prayers similar to the Techinoth th at our mothers were ac­ customed to recite. It serves to make the Siddur an important part of every Jew’s life and of every Jewish home. ■ p iE OUTSTANDING contribu­ tion of Dr. Hertz to this Siddur is his Commentary. Every service is introduced by an explanation of its historical background and of its religious motif. The English trans­ lation eliminates the usual archa­ isms that are found in the literal translations of the Bible. In the margin of the English translation appears a phrase explaining the theme of each paragraph and the source-chapter and verse—of each Biblical passage. The worshipper can thus a t a glance obtain the significance of each paragraph and he learns very soon th at this prayer book offers him the prayers of the Psalmist, the Prophets and his ancestors who received the Torah, those who were privileged to behold the revelation of G-d. The Commentary not only clari­ fies the difficult Biblical passages but offers additional thoughts that are inherent in those passages which make the worshipper appre­ ciate Israel’s unique understanding of prayer. He is reminded of the Jewish concept of Morality and Justice and as a result of his pray­ er he is impelled to become a better person. In his commentaries Dr. Hertz brings out the tru th of his statement in the Introduction that ‘‘in Hebrew the principal word for Jewish LIFE

prayer comes from the root “to judge’, and the usual reflexive form (hithpallel) means literally, ‘to judge oneself”. The word tefillah, prayer, has therefore been under­ stood as ‘self examination’—wheth­ er wo are worthy of addressing the Holy One, who demands righteous­ ness and holiness of life from His worshippers”. p*ROM the numerous commen­ taries one can cull a goodly knowledge of the fundamentals of Judaism. His religious yearning nourished by a proper understand­ ing of the prayers, can then lead him on to genuine piety, for once the fog of ignorance is dispelled the fertile soil for the growth of piety become readily accessible. In the first section of the Mor­ ning Service there appear certain omissions which seem to be charac­ teristic of the English version of the Ashkenazi ritual. The prayer for Kiddush Levanah—the monthly prayer that sanctifies G-d as Crea­

tor, when the new moon has made its appearance—also is ommitted. Otherwise the traditional orthodox service is complete. In the past, many a learned Jew­ ish home contained in its library the Otzar Ha-Tefiloth, a volumin­ ous Prayer Book with many com­ mentaries, through which the Jew’s soul was refreshed from time to time so that he could save himself from the numbing effect of a me­ chanical repetition of prayers. Dr. Hertz through the 1145 pages of his edition of the Prayer Book has made an otzar ha-tefiloth—a treas­ ury . of prayers available to the orthodox Jew and Jewess today. Al­ though in the opinion of this re­ viewer it can not be utilized in the average Synagogue because of its bulk, it should be in every home and a few copies should be made available in every Synagogue Li­ brary. It will definitely fulfill the hope of the author that his labors “will lead to a deepening of devo­ tion in the tents and sanctuaries of Israel in English-speaking lands.”

SEDER STIMULANT It is related of Rabbi Akiba that he used to distribute parched ears of corn and nuts to children on the Eve Passover, so that they might ask questions and not fall asleep. —Talmud, Pesahim, 109a

of,

"FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD" This is the Biblical name of Passover used in the Liturgy. It represents the aspect of the Festival that is, since the destruction of the Temple, uppermost in the people's mind. The laws concerning Passover bread have always been joyously observed, and are held, next only to the fast on the Day of Atonement, as an axiomatic sign of Jewish loyalty. — Hertz's Daily Prayer Book.

April, 1949

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be one’s heir. And all who were re­ as Hebraized borrowings from lated at that moment. If one had other languages, marks the first been related but subsequently beginning of Modern Hebrew. ceased to be so, he is eligible!” The importance of the Mishnah Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi’s reluct­ in Jewish religious life can hardly ance to alter the wording of the be exaggerated. It became a strong F irst Mishnah, even where an al­ spiritual bond uniting Jewry teration was fully justified, is throughout the world. “It provid­ proved by the following example: ed,” in the words of a non-Jewish scholar*, “a link between; Pales­ The .g reat Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai apears in another mishnah tinian and non-Palestinian Judaism, in Sanhedrin simply as “Ben Zak­ strong enough and authoritative kai” without the title of Rabbi, be­ enough to endure and to bind to­ cause at the time of Hillel and gether the Jewish people despite Shammai,' when this mishnah was their geographical disintegration; taught, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zak­ it serves as the core of the Baby­ kai ... was still a student, -not yet lonian and Palestinian Talmud and ordained as a Rabbi. Our present for orthodox Jewry it is still, what Mishnah, which is of later date, it has been for sixteen centuries, still calls him “Ben Zakkai”, al­ an essential ingredient in the edu­ though by the time of its final edi­ cation of youth and an object of tion he was already known as the devotional study through life . . . famous Rabbi Yochanan ben Zak­ The Mishnah is, after Sinai, the greatest landmark in the history kai, “Light of Israel”. of Judaism; it is Judaism’s most The final redaction of the Mish­ authoritative formulation of its re­ nah was carried out by Rabbi Yehu­ ligious system at a time when the dah the Prince. Because of his people of Israel, the faith of Israel, great learning, personal dignity and and the land of Israel were as one prominence as a Prince his edition and inseparable. In the most exact has become authoritative and gene­ sense the Mishnah is the final ex­ rally accepted for all times. pression of the Jewish nation’s un­ impaired religious life.” IMPORTANCE OF THE MISHNAH Without studying the Mishnah ■J*HE STYLE of the Mishnah is it is impossible *to know the full content of Judaism or to understand clear and extremely concise. It its religious teachings. It is a book contains many short maxims and second in importance only to the rules originally meant to be learned Torah itself, and its very name by heart. The language is pure He­ “Mishnah” was interpreted as brew,; ".although Aramaic and even meaning just this — shehi shenisome Greek and Latin words have yah le’torah. been assimilated. The Hebrew of the Mishnah, enriched by many new *Danby: “Introduction to the words and technical terms, as well Mishnah.” April, 1949 51

• Story of a student "Kosher-Keeper" in modern vein.

TUNNEL) By A. LEO L E V IN HUDSON is a Rubicon,” A his father had warned, hut Joe felt singularly unlike Caesar as the train pulled into the tunnel to cross under the river. He won­ dered whether the surrounding blackness was to be symbolic of his new environment. He wondered what the emancipated life would be like. All the educational author­ ities he had quoted at great length in the long arguments at home sud­ denly became less convincing and deep down he wondered whether go­ ing to college away from home was such a good thing. Strange. The Yeshivah bochur of thirty years before, who at the age of ten had left home for a Torah center, was now concerned about his son’s living with strangers in order to get an education. Perhaps no so strange. It all boiled down to Yiddishkeit. His father wanted a New York college with Shabbos still A. Leo Levn is a graduate of Yeshiva U ni­ versity and University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is now a Professor at University of Iowa Law School. Professor Levin is actively associated with Hapoel Hamizrachi and is on the Editorial Board of Jewish Horizon.

52

at home, with the gang at Young Israel services still a social func­ tion, with kashruth easy, and with the possibility of even a little time set aside for Torah not altogether foreclosed. What Joe had really wanted in insisting on an out-of-town college was something about which he him­ self was not quite certain. As his train pulled into Newark on the long trip westward, Joe was more confi­ dent of what he had wanted. It was not an attempt to leave the fold. He would observe kashruth, he would — but why enumerate the detail all over again? The year would tell. n T STATE U. everything pro^ c e e d e d according to schedule. Registration was completed with an eye on the holidays and there was a smug satisfaction in having man­ euvered a program with only two hours on Mondays and Tuesdays. Not until Erev Sukkoth did Joe de­ gin to toy—on the theoretical level, of course—-with thoughts of whethJewish LIFE

er it was forbidden just to sit in the lecture hall of a Yom Tov after­ noon. The rushing season was over and he was happy to be settled in the fra t house. “Rule of national that Kosher is available on request, and we always have a couple of Koshers. You’ll feel at home.” Joe knew of the national ruling. He had, of course, inquired about th at long before. Somehow, though, it was not so reassuring to learn th at he would now be denominated as a Kosher. Kosherkeeper was an al­ ternative version, in use by the more learned in Jewish lore, but the amendment out of deference to syntax helped little. And deep down, what hurt most was Joe’s inability to bring himself to really look into the kitchen and go into the fine points of the kashruth. He preferred to live on presumptions— and a diet of presumptions doesn’t always settle well on a sensitive stomach. Joe began to feel a mark­ ed preference for salmon salad and canned sardines. Thanksgiving weekend Billy Sun­ day came to town. His name was Will and he was more of a scholar than an orator, but Will was one of the % men Kierkegaard had sent back to Judaism, and that’s close enough to Billy Sunday for a college com­ munity. Besides, Will’s last name was Dienstag and that made it even closer. Friday night Billy Sun­ day delivered the lecture at the Student Foundation forum and quite a crowd turned out. It was a good lecture — one of the few Joe had genuinely enjoyed. “Pate de April, 1949

pois gras by Billy Sunday,” Joe had characterized it. “You nlean the best some goose has to offer?” No, not that, not at all. Simply an appe­ tizer of elegance which prpmises a sumptuous meal in the grand style "|pif you can borrow what it takes to continue. What it took to con­ tinue caihe in the form of a much appreciated invitation to join the group in Yehudi’s cellar. y E H U D I’S CELLAR is an insti­ tution of sorts. In some respects it’s an intellectual bargain base­ ment B g a Filene’s of the mind. You’re never quite certain what you’ll find nor whom you’ll meet —but there’s certain to be good value. Yehudah — for this was the correct form *— was the advisor to Jewish students and his cellar was an elegant study. Perhaps this cam­ pus terminology needs translation into English — elegant, as applied to Yehudah’s study, simply meant a few comfortable old chairs, a nice looking desk and stacks and stacks of books. There was everything from Shas — a much used set of Talmud — to the latest in higher Biblical criticism (of which collec­ tion one volume was more worn than its brethren — th at was the work of the renonwed scholar B—in which he reduced to print an egre­ gious error of translation such as would have been a good joke in any Yeshivah Ketanah. Yehudah like to show it to the initiated!) When Joe arrived the basement was full. No one had offered him a ride, an appreciated courtesy, but one which still didn’t prevent Joe 53

from being the last to arrive. He surveyed the group from the head of the steps. Almost all faculty. Billy Sunday in the center. Unob­ trusive Yehudah on the sidelines. Certainly ran the gamut of the de­ partments. Psychology, art, law, history — but that was genial, bril­ liant Yehudah — with contacts throughout the University. Jo'e nodded a Good Shabbos to Profes­ sor Simon. He had spent a Friday evening at Simon’s home. One could eat there without presumptions and Mrs. Simon’s zemiros had been more than passable. Funny the stories that circulated about Simon. He never ate at other Jewish homes, but frequently dined with his gen­ tile colleagues: they prepare a spec­ ial menu!

tical beauty. Shadows, too, may need environment, he thought. The d i s e u s s i o n was shifting to the term normative Judaism. Simon got up and bid the group a good­ bye—Good Shabbos. He seemed a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the cigarette smoke. Billy Sunday seemed comfortable enough and Joe took to wondering whether Billy wasn’t smoking because of nico­ tine or because of Shabbos. The hour was nearing tomorrow. The group began to break up. Joe was one of the last to go. He had begun to fear the alone-ness of that walk home—the desperate alone-ness, an oppressive solitude. * * * *

The train slowed down as it rounded the curve into the tunnel. ^■HE ROOM was full of more than He was glad he had decided to come people. It was full of atmos­ home even though the winter va­ phere, of talk, of cigarette smoke. cation was so short, and Chanuk­ Normative Judaism’s view on Zi­ kah was already half over. It would onism was the topic and Billy Sun­ be good to be at his father’s Shab­ day had a long list of citations to bos table. It was good. The gefilte fish, th<^ prove an essentially Agudah posi­ tion. “Wrong! Wrong!” Yehudah not-yet dried out cholent which it would interject and the huge tomes was his special privilege to eat of would come out of their appointed a Friday night. He enjoyed the places as passages were searched Tish-Torah, the family chatter. He out and explained in context. Light enjoyed the good-natured inquisi­ bulbs were turned on and off in the tion on details of Collegetown. He shadow-dimmed room as though made it clear that there was a mea­ they might illuminate the text sure of orthodoxy among the towns­ when at best they could only shed people. Yes, one could be observant. some light on the words. From Joe’s older brother was all ears. where Joe sat, the lamp threw a Should he try for an assistantship black shadow across the Gemora. in the mid-west ? Graduate work in It was an ugly shadow, although physics could get pretty expensive at home Joe had always found in without one and New York univer-1 Sabbath shadows a touch of mys- sities were so hard to crack. An 54 Jewish LIFE

unequivocal yes from Joe. "You will add a lot to Jewish life there,” he suggested. “You’ll get on fa­ mously with Simon, too. Besides, you like sardines.”

mental analysis” had all but be­ come a family game —- with the stakes riding high on all sides. Al­ lan was asking Joe to score a tell­ ing point. Joe paused for a moment. His THEN Allan, just one year mind turned, of all things, to a sur­ ^younger than Joe, Allan the po­ realist picture he had sketched hast­ tential Phi Beta boy, Allan the man ily on the train coming home : who would some day discover a cure Smug Billy Sunday carrying black for cancer, perform wonders in re­ bulbs, out for a walk with a sar­ search medicine, Allan who already' dine. Hovering above was a lighted was virtually assured of a choice of cigarette. “Shabbos-Yom Tov” he college, scholarships, Allan turned had called it. to inquire of the family traveller as Still in surrealistic vein, Joe an­ to just which school he would rec­ swered: “A fish out of water may ommend for him. He was waiting to hear that he, too, could add to find all kinds of black bulbs.” A longer pause. Allan, too, could give Jewish life in Collegetown. much to Jewish life in CollegeInside, Joe ¡smiled. He knew the town or Universityville. No doubt question was not addressed to him. as to that. Allan, like Joe, would Certainly Allan already knew more live on sardines rather than pre­ about every leading science faculty sumptions. But was it time to give than Joe would ever learn. The when there was yet so much to question was for their father who take? Wouldn’t Allan’s training be had with great persistence been the better in an atmosphere with­ pushing Yeshiya University for his out tangential strains? In measured “baby”. It was now father who tones, half to himself, Joe began, had been coming home regularly “It’s not medical school or a Ph.D. with educational journals and mon­ problem, Allan.” Then in a firmer ographs, all pointed to the signifi­ voice “Even the professional edu­ cance of college environment in the cators can be right when Pop’s on developmental process. “Environ­ their side.”

AND

Q U R MEN'S CLUB is, so to speak, one year-younger than I am. I have been associated with the Shaarei Tfiloh Congregation of Baltimore, Maryland as its Rabbi for the past sixteen years. My Men's Club is 15 years old. When I first came to Shaarei Tfilbh, a number of the younger people of the community urged me to organize a Brotherhood immedi­ ately. A few of the other local Syn­ agogues had Brotherhoods and they saw no reason for our Synagogue to be an exception. My answer was that during my first year in office, I would rather devote my time to strengthening the existing organi­ zations. The Hebrew School requir­ ed considerable help. The organiza­ tional set-up of the Sisterhood could be improved, and special classes of instruction had to be organized at oncfe. And so, contrary to the advice freOly given me, I did not attempt to organize the Brotherhood during my first year in the Rabbinate. It is with considerable satisfac-

•tion that I now contemplate these facts. It was certainly fortunate that, although young and inexperi­ enced, I successfully withstood the temptation to rush into a prema­ ture attempt to organize a Men's Club without familiarizing myself with the prospective members them­ selves and their outlook. Time was thus afforded me to learn the qual­ ities and merits of the men in my Synagogue. Many friendships were made and cemented. It was not long before I was gble to select the men in whose hands I could en­ tru st the organization of the Brotherhood, men who would have the complete confidence of the com­ munity. Toward the end of the first year, I called together a meeting of these men and mapped out with them the purposes and functions of the organization, and the methods by which they were to be achieved. This group also served as a nomin­ ating committee to prepare a sug­ gested slate of officers that would be presented at the first meeting.

Dr. Nathan Drazin, Rabbi of the Shaarei Tfiloh Synagogue of Baltimore, Maryland was ósked to offer our readers a concise survey of his outstandingly successful Men’s <Club. This contribution will be of particular interest to existing and projected Men’s Clubs, whose development is so vital an aspect of congregational life. Readers are invited to inform us of their own views upon Men’s Club activity which is now being sponsored on a national scale by Unión of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in cooperation with Rabbinical Council of Amer­ ica and Yeshivah University. —-E ditor

56

Jewish LIFE

IS T THE Kol Nidrey Service of Brotherhood member receives a fine Yom Kippur of my second year, printed notice in advance of the my sermon was devoted to the monthly meeting, with an outline subject of Brotherhood, and I an­ of the program that has been a r­ nounced the plans for the organiza­ ranged. The program generally con­ tion of the new group. The sists of a prominent speaker, response was overwhelming. More occasionally a humorist, a Jewish than 300 men signified their inten­ play or a symposium, some musical tions of immediately joining the talent, and refreshments. Frequent­ Brotherhood, by means of special ly, door prizes are also awarded. cards that had been previously dis­ The Rabbi participates in each tributed on all the pews. The monthly meeting with a short ad­ Shaarei Tfiloh Brotherhood thus dress on a timely Jewish theme of came into being in full bloom with interest. During the holiday sea­ one stroke. sons, he discusses the historic and During the first years of its religious significance of the festi­ organization, my Men’s Club, or, val. This is another arrangement as we call it, the Brotherhood, en­ that affords me considerable satis­ deavored to perfect the program faction. Some Jewish content of and procedure of the regular value is thus assured at these well monthly meetings. Officers and a attended meetings with audiences Board of Governors were elected. averaging now about 300. Two or F r o m these, special committees three times a year, the ladies are with chairmen were appointed. also invited and then our social hall Foremost among these were the is filled to capacity. Program, Social, Membership, and The dues are only $3.00 a year Welfare Committees. The whole and much of the money received Executive Board met regularly each from dues is used for the advance­ month, a week or two before the ment of the monthly meetings and regular monthly meetings of the the other regular activities of the entire membership. All business Brotherhood listed below. matters were transacted at the Board meetings. The cultural and QJINCE the Brotherhood helps social programs for the ensuing maintain the Hebrew School and months were there arranged. also makes grants of various sorts Minutes of these meetings were to other noteworthy causes, one kept by the recording secretary and annual money raising affair is un­ read before the open meetings, dertaken. Originally, it was a dance where they were finally approved. in the hall of a downtown hotel. A In all, my Brotherhood has eight program was published in conjunc­ monthly meetings during the win­ tion with this affair. The net pro­ ter season, from October to May, ceeds of the program and the dance inclusive, generally on the second went for charitable causes. During Wednesday of the month. Each the War, the good healthy instinct April, 1949

57

of my Brotherhood membership, I am glad to note, revolted against the idea of holding a dance, and in its place an annual Donor function was held. This year, in view of the special needs of our Synagogue for purposes of renovation, as well as because of the needs of the newly established State of Israel, the Brotherhood decided to hold twa major annual affairs. A Donor Dinner was held during Chanukah and the dance with the program about Purim. During the years, the Brother­ hood has grown and branched out considerably. New activities have been initiated by the Brotherhood and are conducted under its direc­ tion. Outstanding among these are the “Minyannaires,” the Bowling League, and the Scouting activi­ ties. These meet regularly each week at least throughout the eight month season of the Brotherhood. The Minyannaires meet every Sunday morning at 9:30 A.M. A regular morning service is held in the Beth Hamidrash, and at 10 o'clock the group retires to the social'hall for breakfast and a dis­ cussion of some timely Jewish topic that is led by a member or by an invited guest. The Rabbi usually summarizes the discussion. The average attendance at the Minyans and Breakfasts is about 60. Since the Brotherhood initiated this pro­ ject, many men have come back to the Synagogue to daven and to don their Tefillin, after years of neglect. 58

'p H E SOCIALLY minded mem­ bers of the Brotherhood have stimulated the organization of a Bowling League which meets one evening a week to engage in this athletic recreation. The Bowling League helps to cement Jewish fel­ lowship and good comradeship. The Brotherhood also sponsors a full Scouting program, consisting of several Dens of Cubs, a Boy Scout Troop and an Air Squadron. The Rabbi is the official Chaplain of the Scouts. There are other activities that are conducted by the Brotherhood at less frequent intervals. For the past several years, we had Brother­ hood Sabbaths at the Synagogue, at least twice during the year, once during National Brotherhood Week and at other occasions. The Bro­ therhood members then take over the conducting of the Services in the Synagogue. Men’s Club mem­ bers serve as Cantors, preacher and Reader of the Torah. The Aliyoth and other honors are also reserved then for Brotherhood members, and a special Kiddush is served at the close by the Sister­ hood. In the last several years, the Men’s Club gave birth to a new group. Those who were interested in a more intensive cultural pro­ gram organized the Monthly Dis­ cussion Group. This group meet* once a month to discuss various topics of Jewish interest. A monitor is selected a t the end of each meeting to lead the discussion at the following monthly meeting. The topic is also decided at that Jewish LIFE

time so th at those who are interest­ ed may properly prepare them­ selves for th e . discussion. ^■HESE diversified activities af­ ford ample opportunities for all kinds of interest. The Brotherhood is always alert to sponsor any worthwhile activity for which there seems to be a demand. A committee of some of the interested individu­ als is appointed and a financial sub­ sidy, if necessary, is granted it with instructions to go ahead, with the result that my Men’s Club is one of the most active and live or­ ganizations in the Baltimore Jew­ ish community. It is interesting to noté that for twelve years my Brotherhood con­ tinued to grow and to initiate new activities without adopting any written constitution. The spirit that prevailed at its inception con­ tinued to guide all the activities. About three years ago, a number of members of the Brotherhood, April, 1949

perhaps more legally minded than others, suggested that it would be well to adopt a written constitu­ tion. Thereupon, the president ap­ pointed a Constitution Committee, mostly of legal talent, who prepared a draft that was circulated to all members of the Brotherhood and which later was approved at a general meeting. The adopted con­ stitution is largely a tangible re­ flection of the rules and principles that guided the Brothërhood from its very beginning. An outline of the said constitution including some highlights that have perhaps not been sufficiently treated before is herewith presented. PREAMBLE

The objectives of this Brother­ hood shall be to advance the wel­ fare, interests, and purposes of the Shaarei Tfiloh Congregation and the constituent groups; to disseminate Jewish Religion and Culture among its members ; and 59

generally to cooperate in basic and fundamental Jewish causes that vitally affect the Jewish People and the members of this Brother­ hood. ARTICLE 3—OFFICERS

Section A 1 No officer shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. Section B -IS Election. The Pres­ ident shall appoint a nomination committee of seven members at least one month before the annual general May meeting. This com­ mittee shall nominate one candi­ date for each officer’s position, and nominate candidates for the Board of Governors, and present its re­ port to the May meeting of the Board of Governors for approval. If approved by the Board, the com­ mittee shall present its report to the annual May Brotherhood Meet­ ing . . . An election shall then be held.

shall consist of one person for * each fifteen members in addition to the officers, chairmen of com­ mittees, and past presidents; and shall take office at the close of the final May meeting and hold office until their successors are elected and qualified. Section C — Attendance. Any Board member who fails to attend at least two Board meetings dur­ ing his term of office shall be in­ eligible for re-election. ARTICLE 6—GENERAL MEETINGS

Section A w»- Monthly Meetings. The regular meeting of the Brotherhood shall be held monthly on the second Wednesday of each month commencing in October and continuing through May unless otherwise provided by the Board. Programs of Jewish or general in­ terest shall be presented through the program committee appointed by the President.

ARTICLE 5—BOARD OF GOVERNORS

ARTICLE 8—COMMITTEES

Section A — Powers. The man­ agement of the affairs of the Brotherhood shall be vested in the Board of Governors and all resolu­ tions, contributions, and disburse­ ments of any kind shall be initiated, adopted and approved by the Board of Governors. The general membership shall at the next meeting thereafter, ratify or disapprove any such actions by the Board of Governors. A quorum shall consist of at least one-fourth of the Board. Section B — Members of the Board. The Board of Governors

Section A — How selected. All Committees including the chair­ man 4shall be appointed by the President.

60

^ ^ N E FURTHER observation is in place. A National Federa­ tion of Men’s Clubs could be of help in a number of ways to my Brotherhood and especially to sim­ ilar organizations not so well organized. For one example, the Federation could establish a nation­ al Speaker’s Bureau with good talent both for serious and enter­ tainment purposes. This arrangeJewish LIFE

merit would relieve many of the burdens of the program committee. A federation organized under the auspices of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregation of America in cooperation with Yeshiva Uni­ versity and the Rabbinical Council of America would immediately as­ sure the high quality and motives of its Speakers Bureau. The well

attended monthly meetings of the Men’s Clubs would thus be pre­ sented with the most desirable talent and content. The message of orthodox Judaism when well pre­ sented is always certain of a good reception. The cause of Judaism would thus be served with dignity, not only to a select few, but to the many.

A SUMMARY OF "TEN COMMANDMENTS11 For the Would-Be Organizer of a Men's Club 1. Get a group of men of integrity with you to form the nucleus. 2. Formulate the purposes of the organization. In the beginning these should be chiefly cultural and* Social. The organization should also aim to be of financial assistance to the Synagogue or Hebrew School. 3* Do not try to include all sorts of áctivities at the outset. Concen­ trate on a few and endeavor to conduct them well. 4. Do not plan to burden the entire membership with too frequent meetings. Regular monthly meetings during the months of October to May, inclusive, have proven to be most successful. 5. Each monthly meeting ought to be planned out well in advance. Preferably each membership meeting should consist of at least three parts: a speaker, someventertainment and refreshments. 6. Keep the dues down as low as possible in order to attract more members. The Men s Club is generally limited to the neighborhood of the Synagogue with which it is affiliated. No one ought to feel it a financial burden to belong. There ought to be an Executive Board consisting of the officers and other leaders of the organization, to conduct the arrangements and busi­ ness of the group. Membership meetings ought to have as little business as possible. 8. The Rabbi of the Synagogue ought to be designated as the Spir­ itual Adviser or Leader of the Men’s Club and as such he ought to be con­ sidered an officer of the group. 9. When you are ready to organize the Men’s Club, arrange with the Synagogue for a Men’s Club appeal either on Rosh Hashonah or Yom Kippur. An open appeal for membership should then be presented with an opportunity for the people to respond. If this arrangement is impractical, circularize all the men seat-holders of the Synagogue with a fine, notice con­ cerning the open meeting, inviting them to attend. 10. I tjs best that the Rabbi preside at the first organizational meeting until the officers are elected. In most instances the community will respond most favorably when the Rabbi, is the official organizer of the group. April, 1949

A PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM_ H FOR ORTHODOX JEWRY By SAM HARTSTE1N ■pHAT ORTHODOX JEWRY has failed to evolve a comprehensive scheme of public relations, designed to elucidate its program and prin­ ciples through the use of tried and tested methods engineered by train­ ed personnel, is quite obvious by (a) the dearth of adequate m atter emanating from orthodox groups (b) the proportionate failure of orthodox Jewry to participate in high level educational and organ­ izational affairs pertinent to the welfare of American Jewry (c) the repeated admissions by ortho­ dox Rabbis that “intensified cam­ paigns and actions must be taken to Judaize American Jewry.” Although some of the above points are open to controversy, I am sure that all will agree that the public relations program of or­ thodox Jewry, collectively and in­ dividually, is unsatisfactory, un­ productive and in need of stringent overhauling. Sam Hartstein, a journalist for several years, is now Public Relations Director of Yeshiva University.

62

Although to some, public rela­ tions may mean blaring publicity or mumbo-jumbo undignified for religious groups, in reality public relations means none of these things. Every group has a public relations program—presenting the deeds by which men judge them. Public relations as a science is not alien to Orthodoxy nor for that m atter would its practical applica­ tions be revolutionary. Our sages and eminent thinkers were early practitioners of this ancient a rt and the Bible was their guiding light for its practices and principles. More than any one else, the sages knew well the tem­ per of their times, knowing the limitations of the people they were dealing with and above all under­ stood the need for influencing mass psychology. The techniques have changed but the theory has not. Our problem today involves the presentation of the principles and doings of Torah Judaism and its expounders, its synagogues and in­ stitutions, in such a manner as to Jewish LIFE

gain a better perspective of the subject and workings. It involves the application of skilled judgment and professional technique to the problems of Orthodoxy.

ligently aware of the current mani­ fest in our time. Their beliefs must be cemented and broadened in support of the complete program of their organi­ zation; doubters must be convinced ^"HE TRUE FUNCTION of pub­ and new adherents gained for the lic relations should not be mere­ “cause.” Are we satisfied with main­ ly to get publicity or raise funds taining a status quo or do we seek but to sell ideas in support of the to build a brighter tomorrow for philosophy and practices of the Israel ? If so, the tools- of public ap­ “subject” and engender a truer ap­ proach, so common and effective in preciation of its values. our day, must be utilized. Not for one moment should one think that such a program requires PUBLIC RELATIONS pro­ the sub-standardization of princi­ gram for Orthodoxy means ples. On the contrary, it involves the recognition and cultivation of the projection of a truer and clear­ its values, which become visible ex­ er picture of the aims and doings ternally in its standing with its of Orthodoxy. Simple distortions adherents and the community at and misconceptions can be reme­ large. It is neither a cover-up for died. shortcomings nor a substitute for Notwithstanding all claims to the good work. Public relations begins contrary, we live in an era of with private relations and encom­ “publicity.” People want to know passes a wide range of activity. It what they buy, to whom they give is the character of Torah Judaism their money, and why they do believably expressed so that all may things, at least even superficially. know. Not only should an effec­ This tendency has become to an tive publicity program be main­ increasing extent part and parcel tained but this service should of the upbringing of our youth. encourage the individual groups Our future leaders, if not the pres­ to issue smart literature, make ent spokesmen of Jewry, are and use effectively of radio time, mag­ will be trained in the heritage of azines, the press and other media Judaism and American democracy. of reaching the public. They are and will be men with While a working newspaper­ academic training. Whether Rab­ man, I heard frequent com­ bis, executives or members of plaints from Orthodox groups that groups or congregations, they read the press, only one media, does not newspapers and magazines, listen give orthodox Jews adequate cov­ to the radio, go to the movies, visit erage. My answer to these asser­ the theatre, attend exhibitions, tions was and still is simply that read books and pamphlets, go to these groups do not know how to lectures, and are keenly and intel- reach the press and should they April, 1949 63

pass this hurdle, nine times out of ten the material submitted is so poorly written journalistically that its destination is usually the “spike,” the newspaper offices’ waste paper basket. As an example of what can be done, some time ago the Rabbinical Coun­ cil of America conducted a brief, professionally-guided publicity pro-' gram, with the result that their national convention, hitherto held within the cloistered coniine of ho­ tel rooms, received national cover­ age for three days running with the New York Times leading the parade. Orthodox Rabbis for once received a public hearing. Their plans were laid before the public. They could not be accused of neg­ lecting current issues and living in the past because these Rabbis spoke out and action was taken. But such action is merely a drop in the bucket. A program to be effective must operate 24 hours a day, 365 days in the year. While an individual Rabbi may find it a problem to teach his congregants certain religious laws, the applica­ tion of modern techniques on a col­ lective basis can simplify the pro­ cess. For example, a film on the salting of meat or on the proper ways of performing other common religious practices would be effec­ tive, well appreciated and would create a mood of pleasant accept­ ance. The Yeshiva University film “Faith and Learning” exemplifies the success of this technique. Why shouldn’t we create a nMional mailing list of all orthodox Jewish homes and families for the 64

purpose of sending significant m a­ terial, programs and mutual serv­ ices? The avenues of service are many and an untapped reservoir that can be released to strengthen and en­ hance the growth of Orthodoxy. RECOGNITION of the existence 1 of the problem and a mutual agreement on the need for action is but one aspect of the over-all situation. What is needed is ac­ tion that will lead to results. I propóse the creation of a central news bureau operated under a mu­ tual agreement by all interested groups staffed by experienced per­ so n al. Such a bureau would serv­ ice impartially the needs of all groups contributing to the pro­ gram’s support. Although unity in orthodox life is a much-sought-af­ ter goal characterized by obstacles and pitfalls, functional cooperation to the advantage of all can be real­ ized. It m ayr be difficult for one specific group to foot the bill for an extensive department, but a coJewish LIFE

crdinated service is not impossible. Guided by a policy committee of the groups involved, such a bureau can and would contribute immeas­ urably to the propagation and un­ derstanding of the orthodox Jewish way of life. While the Central News Bureau or Public Relations Office of ortho­ dox groups would serve as an ad­ visory and production center for the dissemination 'and preparation of news, it would, at the same time, guide the activities of its constitu­ ent agencies. For example, while a Central Bureau might service the national needs of the Union of Or­ thodox Jewish Congregations of America, it would, a t the same time, set up and encourage local synagogues throughout the country affiliated with the Union to take advantage of all the publicity me­ dia within its locality. Just as ev­ ery synagogue is called upon to have officers, so shall one of these officers be designated to be respon­ sible for the publicity of that par­ ticular synagogue.

can only reap advantages to Ortho­ doxy in general.

J N ADDITION to the areas which have been described above, the Central News Bureau can provide the stimulant for action in many other fields. As but one small ex­ ample, there are very few history books dealing with the AmericanJewish scene today which give due credit to the role of Orthodoxy in this country. The personalities and leading fighters for Judaism who come from the orthodox fold are often shunned in favor of the more popular and more publicized Con­ servative or Reform leaders. Sim­ ilarly, while a large number of Re­ form and Conservative rabbis have achieved national reputations — on the basis of publicity alone—-lead­ ing thinkers and true scholars in the orthodox Jewish world remain unknown and often disregarded in national Jewish affairs. Recent activities by Yeshiva Uni­ versity, the Rabbinical Council of America and the Union of Ortho­ dox Jewish Congregations indicate CENTRAL BUREAU would that these three major bodies serv­ hold an annual institute to ac­ ing the needs of Orthodox Jewry quaint those local chairmen with are cognizant of the advantages of the publicity possibilities in their employing some form of publicity locality. It would, at the same time, program, the best of which is but send out form releases to ease the a small brick compared to the tow­ task of these local chairmen. Sam­ ers of others. ple radio scripts and audio-visual This problem is by far one of material, etc., would be made avail­ the most urgent confronting Jew­ able to the various local synagogues ish leadership and through vision and in this manner strengthen the and imagination and action it can overall purposes and objectives of be resolved so as to bring prestige the Unioir itself., It is obvious that and true recognition to Orthodoxy an energetic program of this type in this country. April, 1949 65

A POST-HITLER APPRAISAL OF JUDAISM By ISRAEL GERSTE IN THE ESSENCE OF JUDAISM by for they bid man to forsake the Leo B a e c k. Revised Edition, beaten track and reject the usual line Shocken Books Publishers. 1948. *of historical development . . >. Rene­ 288 p. gades have always been able to boast of their understanding of history. In T H IS BOOK on the Jewish religion fact the old arguments against Juda­ by one of the foremost leaders of German Jewry provides the key to ism are (above all based on the sothe great courage and willing martyr­ called results of the history of dom displayed by Dr. Baeck under religion. Against such argument the Hitler regime which evoked wide Judaism has remained steadfast be­ a p p l a u s e . Every line in this cause of its consciousness of possess­ volume vibrates with the author’s ing truth. Whoever believes with his whole soul that the G-d of Israel is passionate love for his faith, based not upon blind acceptance but the the true G-d will remain entirely fruit of profound study and keen in­ convinced that the essence of religion cannot be shaken by any discoveries sight. in history, science, archaeology or What does Judaism teach? What philology.” are the essential ideas and doctrines which constitute the religious philoso­ JLJIS CRITIQUE of Christianity is phy of Judaism? These and similar scholarly, trenchant, courageous. questions are discussed under three Emphasizing that Judaism is a re­ general subdivisions: The Character ligion of the deed in contrast to Prot­ of Judaism, The Ideas of Judaism, estantism which lays so much stress * and The-, Preservation of Judaism. upon the creed, Dr. Baeck points out The author, it would seem, aimed not that in Protestantism “verbal reflec­ so much to enlighten his own people tions about religion will be confused as to answer the detractors of Juda­ with the actual practice of religion ism, from whatever corner they . .. one finds not infrequently a re­ might arise. The “higher critics” of the ligion of mere words, the dominance historical, school he refutes in this of the pious phrase”. If further proof subtle fashion: “Only he who dares is needed, Niemoller’s recent defense disregard so-called historical results of Nazi concentration camp guards, can possess that unflinching courage that they merely carried out their of conviction which does not shrink bounden duty when they shoved in­ even from death . . . Every genius is mates into the gas Qhambers, is suffi­ unhistorical and so is every truth; cient. We commend Dr. Baeck’s con66

Jewish LIFE

victions respecting the unrivaled eminence occupied by Judaism to the self-appointed ambassadors of good­ will who mouth in ignorance sac­ charine platitudes about the sameness of all faiths. Those who wantonly erased from the prayer book all reference to the “chosen people” would perhaps bene­ fit from Dr. Baeck’s discussion of this fundamental concept of our faith. “Only in Israel did an ethical mono­ theism exist, and wherever else it is found later, it has been derived di­ rectly from Israel. The nature of this religion was conditioned by the exist­ ence of the people of Israel, and so it became one of the nations that have a mission to fulfill. That Is what is meant by the election of Israel. Hence this word primarily expresses an his­ torical fact. This statement implies a valuation: it declares the difference justified, the peculiarity valuable, and the resultant segregation of Israel to rest on lasting foundations”. REMEMBERING that Dr. Baeck is identified with so-called “Progres­ sive Judaism,” one is gratifyingly amazed to find in him a stout defend­ er of traditional Judaism, and this sec­ tion of the book was to thi& reviewer one of the most gratifying. Refuting the charge that Judaism had placed “the burden of law” upon its ad­ herents, the author says, “An ex­ amination of Judaism’s history shows that all of the ritual and ceremonial statutes were an element in the com­ munity’s joy of life. Only those who do not possess or know these joys, have spoken so much about the “burden of the law”. April, 1949

It is ardently to be desired that some of the colleagues of Rabbi Baeck who avidly hail every symptom of the weakening of traditional Judaism as a harbinger of progress would take to heart these words from the man whom they recognize as leader and teacher: “We must preserve it (the system of Jewish law with all its minute ramifications) to protect the existence arid thus the task of Judaism . . . ”. Or those who cynical­ ly and callously sneer at orthodox Judaism as a religion of pots and pans, might read with profit such statements as these: “As a result of this selfless devotion to the Torah, that most persecuted and hunted minority which was driven to the status of a people of petty traders, became a community of thinkers”; “it (system of laws) taught gratitude for the hours of life, it made ap­ parent the value of the good deed, it taught willing obedience and selfdiscipline, moderation and sobriety, renunciation and self-conquest, it pro­ claimed the domination of thought over desire. Though it in no way lessened the joy of life, it preached that great truth which is the Special truth of all those who have to fulfill duties on this earth: learn to re­ nounce.” The numerous precepts sought to bind life to G-d with in­ numerable ties of love. “The Essence of Judaism” is a book to read and ponder, one from which the thoughtful reader will draw inspir­ ation and stimulation. The author’s eloquent style in the original German is fully conveyed in the superb rendi­ tion by Irving Howe. 67

STUDENTS UNDER STUDY By JOSEPH K A M IN ETSK Y A STUDY OF THE HOME EN­ V I R O N MENT, BACKGROUND AND ATTITUDE OF JEWISH COLLEGE STUDENTS by Philip Gorodetzer (Mimeographed) Ab­ stract of a M.A. thesis presented to the Graduate School of the Uni­ versity of Houston, Texas—June 1947 There are at least three other fair­ ly well-known monographs dealing with substantially the same subjectmatter as the careful study before us. As a matter of fact, Gorodetzer describes these studies—Meyer Green­ berg^ at Yale, Judah J. Shapiro’s symposium presented in the Jewish Center magazine of September 1945, and Fromer and Rabinowitz’s study at Brooklyn College—in his own pa­ per. Gorodetzer’s study, however, is of special interest to us because of some of the recommendations he makes directly to orthodox leaders and educators. Gorodetzer found an appalling ig­ norance on the part of his subjects— 100 students from seven universities in the South and along the eastern coast—of Jewish history specifically and of their studies in Hebrew School generally.

On page 24 of his study, he throws light on an interesting phenomenon: his subjects expressed a desire to increase the practice of Jewish cere­ monies in their own homes. For in­ stance, while 29% of their fathers said Kiddush at home on Friday night —54% favored such recitation. On page 86, he throws out a real challenge to orthodox leaders. While 44% of the homes of his subjects were orthodox, only 16% of the stu­ dents expressed a desire to continue this tradition. On the other hand, 44% elected Conservative Judaism— even though only 28% came from Conservative backgrounds. One other interesting item: — the third greatest Jew, in the opinion of his subjects, was Theodore Herzl, who received 27 votes. Maimonides re­ ceived only 8 votes. Such distinguished names as Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai, Rashi and the Vilna Gaon are conspicuously absent from the list of 25 who received some mention as be­ ing among the five Jews who exerted the greatest influence on Jewish history. Gorodetzer has, indeed, given us some real food for thought.

"REJOICE NOT IN THE DOWNFALL OF THINE ENEMY" The ministering angels wanted to sing a hymn at the destruction of the Egyptians# but the Holy One# blessed be He# said: 'The work of my hands is being drowned in the sea# and you would sing?' Talmud, Megillah, 10b. 68

Jewish LIFE

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Jewish LIFE

INTER-YESHIVAH ESSAY CONTEST EDITOR'S NOTE: Each school term, the Inter-Yeshivah Student Council holds an essay contest among the 8th Grade students of the Yeshivah Day Schools of Greater New York. Printed below is the first prize-winning essay of the Fall and Winter 1949 school term. ~ •—

ments are known to have high scholastic ratings, and as a Yeshiva student, I can appreciate my ex­ cellent teachers, who strove to make my classmates and myself conscientious citizens—young peo­ ple who are wide-awake in this rapidly changing world. WHAT A YESHIVA EDUCATION One thing gained from my Ye­ MEANS TO ME shiva education perhaps means more to me than anything else. A By TiOHAR GUREWITZ* great Hebrew poet wrote a poem Being a member of our Yeshiabout a deep fountain that has va’s graduating class has given me a splendid opportunity to see in re­ furnished Jews throughout the trospect the eight wonderful years ages with courage and faith to , spent at our school. Words cannot exist despite the terrible agonies express what a Yeshiva education and hardships thrust upon them. means to me. However, I shall try This fountain is the “Torah"—'the to tell you about the many thoughts Bible. I, too, have from this foun­ that flash across my mind as I dation of knowledge drawn faith: think of what this type of educa­ faith in my G-d, and faith in my people. I have not been disappoint­ tion has done for me. ed, for has not my G-d fulfilled his Attending a Yeshiva means liv­ ancient promise to his people, and ing in a friendly and religious given them the land of Israel, and atmosphere that able men and wo­ have not my people proved them­ men have created. It means a few selves worthy of their new state? hours each day, devoted to the How important is this faith to a Bible, the Jewish people’s great­ growing Jewish child? It makes est treasure. However ancient the him secure in -his belief of Judaism. Bible may be, it has taught me, by I have only to thank my parents its incidents, laws and customs for deciding upon a Yeshiva educa­ how to conduct myself as a Jew, as tion for me. My hope is that there a citizen, and what is most im­ will be many Yeshiva graduates portant, as a human being among after me—who will -continue their others. education in a Yeshiva high school I have often heard it mentioned as I intend to do. Only then will that by gaining a full Hebrew edu­ we have fine Jewish American citi­ cation one must be willing to sacri­ zens—who will help bring about fice a fine English one. On the the words of the great prophet contrary, Yeshivoth English depart- Jeremiah, “Yet again will I build thee up, and thou shalt be built, 0 * Crown Heights Yeshiva Teacher: Miss S. Feinberg Israel”. April, 1949 71

A PR IL 1949

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our tens of thousands of Jew­ ish customers, who look to the © seal as a guide. Therefore, in fairness to the Jewish public we make our annual statement. Don’t misread our year-round adver­ tising. We never m eant to im p ly th a t H e in z K o sh e r Foods are also K osher for Passover. We wish the readers of this publication a joyous cele­ bration of the Season of Lib­ eration. Happy Passover! J . HEINZ CO M PA N Y PITTSBURGH, PA. MAKERS OF THE 57 VARIETIES

Jewish LIFE

JEWISH LIFE FILLS A NEED Gentlemen: Your publication is one of high merit, and fills a definite need on the American Jewish scene. I enjoy it immensely and look forward impa­ tiently for each new issue. Keep up the good work ! Max Frankel Bronx, N. Y. FEAR COMPLEX OF AMERICAN COUNCIL Dear Editor: Historians have often said of the Holy Roman Empire that it was nei­ ther Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. So, too, may it be said of the muchvaunted American Council for Juda­ ism, which is neither American, in the spirit of tolerance and fair-play, nor a Council which implies more than a handful of followers, nor ‘for Judaism/ which implies doing something constructive and acting positively f o r the growth and mean­ ingfulness of Judaism, with all of its survival values, instead of making for eventual disintegration of Juda­ ism in America today. If the leaders of the American Council for .Judaism could for a little April, 1949

while forget the self-hate and end­ less fear as Jews which moti­ vate their every thought and action against Zionism and—until May 14, 1948-—the very concept of a Jewish State, they might realize that: 1. The antisémites hate the Jew, whatever he does. 2. The Council is doing irreparable - harm to the future of American Jewry when they are so eager to call to the attention of the American non-Jews the concept of ‘Dual Loyalty’ of Jews (some thing which does not and cannot exist in people), when the ave­ rage American non-Jew is very little, if at all, concerned with the possible ‘Dual Loyalty’ of American Irish, American Poles, American Italians, or American Germans. If, Heaven forbid, the Council should succeed in having , the American non-Jew finally fix his attention on this matter, the results will be as tragic for the -members of the Council, who are still Jews in the mind of the non-Jews, as they may be for Jews who are Zionists. 3. When the American Council for Judaism can prove to American 73

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Jewish LIFE

Jewry its purpose is other than purely negative and that it has ever done anything to promote the positive aspects of Judaism then—and only then—may it take the liberty to speak to and for American Jewry. 4. The American Council for Juda­ ism might take an example from the Agudas Yisroel movement which had steadily fought the concept of a politically estab­ lished Jewish State, but only on s t r i c t l y . r e l i g i o u s g r o u n d s -— not based on any fear-complex— and even then helped to develop the land of Israel at all times and—now, that the State of Israel is a fact—accepts the Jewish State and is working with it—not against it. Perhaps it is not too late for the leaders • and the members of the American Council for Judaism to drop their role of cringing and selfeffacing Jewsf and act with pride in the State of Israel. Rabbi Nathan Wise P ly m o u th , M a ss,

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Dear Editor: In the -February issue of' J ewish Life, there appeared a letter which A p r i l , 949

deplored the lack of “an orthodox institution of higher Jewish learning for girls, a place where they can re­ ceive training as professional com­ munity administrators, teachers and intelligent leaders”. The letter fur­ ther deprecated the Hebrew Teachers Training School for Girls, asserting that it “does not qualify as an in­ stitution of J ewish learning on the college level”, and that girls “have had to turn to the Seminary for want of an institution that fills their need.” Since the Hebrew Teachers Training School was founded by the Women’s Branch of the Union of Or­ thodox Jewish Congregations of Am­ erica, permit me to point out the facts. What constitutes a college? Three factors must be taken into consider­ ation: the calibre of the faculty, the maturity of the students, and the type of curriculum offered. The H. T. T. S. has a faculty of fifteen, of whom ten have the PhD. degree. Three of the others are graduates of European academic institutions of high Hebrew standards, and are re­ nowned as scholars and writers. Of the present student body of 110 (coming from all sections of the country), 50 are attending academic colleges while pursuing their Hebrew studies. A good percentage of the re­ mainder already have their B.A.’s and are working for their Master’s degree. Many of the students have transfer­ red to the H. T. T. S. from other teachers’ seminaries, stating in apply­ ing that they could not find in other institutions the combination of high standards of scholarship and the traditional point of view. 75

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An examination of the curriculum will convince even the skeptical of the level of its attainment. In Bibli­ cal History and Biblical Literature, for example, the students’ knowledge of ,the translation and meaning is assumed; the classwork consists of analysis and discussion of problems which could not be considered on any­ thing but a college level. It is to be noted, too, that all courses are con­ ducted entirely in Hebrew. Measured by the aforementioned standards of faculty, students and curriculum, would it not appear that the level of the Hebrew Teachers Training School for Girls is “college”, and on a high plane at that? A glance at some of the positions occupied by the graduates will suffice as evidence of the school’s ability to train “community administrators, teachers and intelligent leaders.” In St. Louis, one alumna is supervisor of two schools, a Yeshiva K’tana and a Talmud Torah. She has revised the entire Jewish educational system of the city. Another graduate, the head teacher of a Girls’ Yeshiva has an outstanding reputation as a progres­ sive leader in the Kindergarten held; she is the author of the Hebrew Kin­ dergarten Manual, the standard hand­ book which is nationally used. Throughout the nation, alumnae of the Training School are to be found in positions of importance, both as administrators and teachers. The Women’s Branch is proud in­ deed to have had the foresight 20 years ago to establish an institution where girls can receive training for the Hebrew teaching profession as well as for lay leadership, while em­ phasis is constantly and consistently April, 1949

placed on the traditional point of view. We are exceedingly mindful of the fact that today the Hebrew Teach­ ers Training School for Girls still stands as the only institution of its kind, blending a high standard of scholarship with up||viating alle­ giance to orthodoxy. (Mrs. Moses L.) Eli^§|eth K. Isaacs, National President, Jf^m e n \ Branch UOJCA Dear Editor: I was, indeed, astopished when I read the remark of ^Irs. Eva Oles on the Hebrew Teachers’ graining School in your February issue . . . From girls who came from seminaries— here and abroad—to the Beth Hamidrash I heard just the opposite Of what Mrs. Oles writes. They are hhppy to have found there whp,t they could not get elsewhere: a thorough knowledge of Biblical and Post-Biblical litera­ ture, of Jewish life and Law, and an intelligent approach to the problems of contemporary Jewry. Dr. Frieda Fuchs, Woodside, Long Island, N.Y. Dear Editor: As a mother of one of the students of the Beth Hamidrash who is now in Erez Israel, I wonder whether Mrs. Eva Oles has ever seen the Hebrew Teachers Training School at work... My daughter frequently writes about how much she owes to the Beth Hamidrash and how much it helps her in her present activities as a so­ cial worker. To belittle the only in­ stitution of this kind we have here will not help the cause, for which Mrs. Oles seems to care. Mrs. A. Feiber, New York City 77

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It is b e c a u s e m an is half a n g e l, half brute, that h is inner life w itn e s se s su ch a bitter w arfare. — R abbi M oses of C oucy, 1245

The com plete D aily Prayerbook

Translated and Annotated b y P h i l i p B ir n b a u m The Hebrew Publishing Company deems it a privilege to anounce publication of the most exquisite edition of the complete Siddur, long-expected and awaited by many thousands of worshipers and students. Ha-Siddur ha^Shalem, concise and com­ prehensive, has, been especially designed for synagogue, school and home use. Each service is arranged as an integrated unit. Directions are explicit, brief and to the point. The complete traditional text is carefully vocalized and divided Into sen­ tences and clauses by the use of modern punctuation marks. Festival services such as Tal and Geshem, Akdamuth and Hpshanoth, are included as well as the Ethics of the Fathers. The modern English translation is free from disconcerting archaic forms. The running commentary in this edition ex­ plains various points of interest. $3.50 AT ALL BOOKSELLERS

The Finest, Purest Kosher Products Made! Par eve Fat : Oil : Honey Kosher Soap : Kosher Cleanser

\

G a rb e r's M isro c h i P r o d u c ts a re c e r tifie d a n d a p p r o v e d b y th e U n io n o f O rth o d o x J e w is h C o n g r e g a tio n s o f A m e r ic a .

© GARBER'S MISROCHI Kosher Products Garber Eagle Oil Corp. 345 Hewes Street B'klyn, N.Y.

Hebrew Publishing Company 77 Delancey Street, New York

TEMPTING KOSHER RENNET DESSERTS FOR ALL THE FAMILY mm

" J u n k e t" B ra n d R en n e t P o w d e r a n d T a b le t s ... T ry th e se fa v o rite s, to d a y !

JUNKET" BRANDTOODS "JUNKET" is the trade-mark of Chr. Hansen's Laboratory, Inc., Little Falls, N. Y. for its rennet and other food products and is registered in the U.S. and Canada.

80

Jewish LIFE

KOSHER and PARVE

ÿ rv

DREFT SAVES WORK r ON EXTRA DISHES YOU MUST WASH DURING PASSOVER Use it confidently] This m ar­ velous suds discovery—Dreft—... le a v e s no d ish w ater film — w ash e s dish es c le a n e r th an soap . W h at's m ore, Dreft com­ plies w ith the most rigid law s of the Passover.

Ml •

Aproved for meat and dairy dishes by Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America DREFT WASHES DISHES SO CLEAN g THEY SHINE . . . EVEN WITHOUT WIPING.

Procter & Gamble's marvelous suds discovery.

April, 1949

WË

81

The Holy One, blessed be He, is very exacting with the righteous who surround Him, even unto the breadth of a hair. —Talmud, Yebamoth. 121b.

L

i a

,h

0

Passover greetings to you and yours.

AND GOLD'S BORSCHT

from Loft Candy Shops — always ready to serve you with the finest candy

MAKES THE MEAL ...A S A MAIN COURSE OR APPETIZER

that money can buy.

Clear broth conies to a delicious jell after a few hours in the refrigerator. And BIG W m gla3S Jars keep six Portions at the peak of flavor! So inexpensive! Certainly it’s Kosher and Pareve. At your grocer’s now. MOTHERS FOOD PRODUCTS, IN C ., 59 OGDEN S T ., NEWARK 4 , N . 1 .

82

Jewish LIFE

USE THIS BETTER BUTTER KOSHER

(Q)

OCOMA Unsalted Butter Pure - Fresh - Rich in Nourishment

P rep a red u n d e r the supervision of

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

Ocoma Kosher for Passover Butter is now available at your favorite store.

Attention Bakers: Frozen eggs for bakers needs, produced under the super­ vision of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, are now available for year around use.

OCOM A FOODS CO. 96 Gransvoort Street

April, 1949

New York 14, N. Y.

83

"The American people expect

Make PASSOVER festive with

more of a corporation than that it be productive and efficient. They look to large enterprises of the country for examples of good citizenship. They expect industry and business to solve their human problems and to make progress toward 'steady employment. Finally, they ex­ pect them to make a profit.

BARTON'S

"It is my opinion that the Amer­ ican people have now fully ac­ cepted the idea that a corpora-* tion is in a sense a person. But with infinite wisdom, they have added the notion that a person — corporate or otherwise — should have not only rights, but responsibilities, not only privil­ eges but duties, not only a head,

nos

-ibo

CHOCOLATES

Delicious Parve* Kosher for P assover C hocolates, certified ,by R abbi N achum Kornmehl, m em ber of A g u d ath H aRabonim. Buy them a t a n y of BAR­ TON'S 22 stores in G re ater New York, or w rite for order b lan k to P assover Dep't. L,

BARTON'S Bonbonniere 80 DeKalb Ave., Bklyn. U N. Y.

HOROWITZ-MARGARETEN - . . as famous as the word Matzoh! Also Matzoh Meal, Cake Meal, Noodles, and other famous Passover favorites.

but a heart.” F rom an address by F ran k W . A b ra m s, Chairm an of the B o a rd , S ta n d a rd Oil C om pany (N . /.)

STANDARD OIL CO. (NEW JERSEY) AND AFFILIATED COMPANIES "The Matzoh with the Taste"

84

Jewish LIFE

Now, lighter more delicious cakes

Spry withCake-Improver Trythis Banana Cream Cake 2 cups sifted cake flour \% cups sugar 2% teaspoons baking pow­ der (tartrate powder, 4 teaspoons) 1 teaspoon salt

cup Spry 1 cup less 2 tablespoons milk teaspoons vanilla 2 eggs, unbeaten 3 or 4 bananas

ix Spry’s easyOne-Bowl way: Sift flour, sugar, baking pow­ M der, salt into mixing bowl. Drop in Spry (no creaming needed). Add % of milk, then vanilla; beat 200 strokes (2 minutes by hand or on mixer at low speed). Scrape bowl or beater. Add eggs and remaining milk; beat 200 strokes (2 min. on mixer). Did you ever mix a cake so fast? That’s because of Cake-Im­ prover Spry’s special secret. Bake in two deep 8-inch Sprycoated layer pans in moderately hot oven (375°F.) 25-35 minutes. Cool. Put layers together with 1 cup heavy cream (whipped and sweet­ ened with cup sugar) and sliced bananas (sprinkled with lemon juice). Top with cream and ba­ nanas. Serve to a chorus of praise from your admiring family. {A ll S p ry is Kosher and Parve. S p ry is made only from pure , vegetable oils in fu ll conformity with Jewish diet­ ary laws. It contains no anim al fat.) A n o th e r fin e L e v e r Pro du ct

April, 1949

85

For the holiday festivities SHEFFIELD BRINGS YOU KOSHER FOR PASSOVER DAIRY PRODUCTS OF EXTRA CARE AND EXTRA GOODNESS Certified Kosher for Passover by Rabbi S. B. Friedman, N. Y. C,

NOTHING HIGHER THAN THE SYNAGOGUE Every city whose roofs are higher than that of its Synagogue will eventu­ ally be destroyed. —Talmud, Sabbath, 11a.

Sheffield-Sealtest Milk, Sour Cream, Creamed Cottage Cheese, Spring Garden Salad and other dairy prod­ ucts have Rabbinical supervision diiring the entire Passover week.

ENHANCE PASSOVER MEALS! I

BREAKSTONE'S CREAM CHEESE COTTAGE CHEESE FARMER CHEESE SW EET BUTTER SOUR CREAM

KOSHER FOR PASSOVER

SHEFFIELD

And the Entire Year Look for the name

Quality Dairy Products Since 1841

SHEFFIELD FARMS CO., Inc. Division of National Dairy Products Corporation

3keaJUtonetk

'" IP S

On every product

■ > CantScratch MyEâL

New and Improved!

POLISHPOWDER

PA L - L O for Porcelain and Tile Cleaning it foams

PAL PR O D U C TS M A N U F A C T U R IN G CORP. 4606-2nd AVENUE 86

BROOKLYN, N. Y.

Jewish LIFE

BLUE R IB B O N 1

PO TA T O CHIPS

Always Fresh, Crisp, Delicious Because They’re Triple-Sealed Preferred Since 1900

APPROVED for Koshering Meat

Approved by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America for cooking and seasoning food. P ro d u ced by INTERNATIONAL SALT COMPANY, INC. Scranton, Pa. and New York, N. Y.

Beech-N ut FOODS> BABIES A C om plete Line of Beech-Nut Strained and Junior Foods—Vege­ table Soups, Vegetables, Fruits and Desserts. a

‘ACCEPTED”

Beech-Nut high standards o f baby food production and all Beech-Nut baby food advertising have been ac­ cepted by the Council on Foods and N utrition o f the American Medical Association .

April, 1949

87

BEDFORD PURE FRUIT ICES, Inc. 1755 CONEY ISLAND AVE. MANUFACTURERS OF

KOSHER ICES "with that velvety smoothness" Fancy Forms Individual Forms

Heart Rolls Bulk

ICES FOR EVERY OCCASION

EQUALITY OF THE SEXES 'Thou shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old m an/ This Biblical injunction also ap­ plies to an old woman. —Rabbi Yehudah ha-Hasid, about 1200 DIVINE SERVICE Let man strengthen himself like a lion, and arise in the early mom to render service to his Creator. —Shulchan Aruch, 1:1.

Lipschutz Kosher W in es E ndorsed for K ashruth b y L eading R abbis

MONTEREY WINE CO. D E w ey 9-0199

70 Stanton St., New York City GRamercy 5-2881

The garment which you buy from the following firms will be tested by the Shatnes Laboratory . . . if you will demand it from the salesman. The linen which is often found will be removed FREE OF CHARGE. LOOK FOR THIS SEAL OF APPROVAL attached by the Shatnes Laboratory. B. GORDON 11 Allen S t , N.Y.C. ATLANTIC CLOTHING O. 1 Allen St., N.Y.C.

3 “B” CLOTHES J. M. KLEIN 118 Stanton St., N.Y.C. 80 Delancey St., N.R.C. CRAWFORD CLOTHING, Inc. p » pr nTTITER5* Addresses in the telephone book.G- & M- CLOTHIERS S. Gutman MAXIS CLOTHES 1 Union Square, N.Y.C. 385 Broadway, Brooklyn

MARGOLIS CLOTHING CO. 97—5th Ave. & 17th St., N.Y.C. BERKOWITZ & STOLER 168 Stanton St., N.Y.C.

WRIGHT CLOTHES 226 Broadway, Brooklyn

SHATNES LABORATORY OF THE ORTHODOX JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS 110 LEE AVENUE, BROOKLYN 11, N. Y. Tel. EVergreen 7-8520 Phone after 9 P.M. or leave m essage during the day. 24 hour service. Immediate testing Monday and Thursday from 8 to 10 P.M.

88

Jewish LIFE

We, the undersigned no longer furnish Kashruth supervision to the following companies in the preparation of the enumerated products: P ep si Cola Co.: Pepsi Cola and Evervess soft drinks O akite, Inc.: Oakite Cleanser. B est Poods, Inc.: Heilman's Mayonnaise, Nucoa Oleomargarine, French Dress­ ing, Thousand Islands Dressing, Mustard with Horse Radish, Relishes: and Pickles, Sandwich Spread and Tartar Sauce. (Signed) U N IO N OF ORTHODOX JE W IS H CO NGREG ATIO NS OF A M ER IC A ___________________ R A B B IN IC A L COUNCIL OF A M ER IC A

& x t E .n d

ÎB>£±to f tfz£ ±za±on

THE GREAT ATLANTIC & PACIFIC TEA COMPANY

AND THIS PASSOVER Ask for

CARMEL BRAND WINES FROM ISRAEL at your retail liquor store

ZIMMER'S BESTFAT the finest Vegetable Fat for Frying, Baking and Cooking — Strictly Kosher —

Carmel Brand Wines are produced, bottled and sealed in the wine cel­ lars of Rishon le Zion and distri­ buted exclusively in the U. S. A. by the

Under supervision of the

Agudath

Harabonim of U. S. and Canada

PALESTINE HOUSE, INC.

M. D. ZIMMER & CO.

I. M. Kowalsky, Pres. 8 WEST 28th ST. NEW YORK 1

534 E. 6th STREET, NEW YORK CITY _________GRamercy 7-5678__________

STANDARD KOSHER POULTRY, Inc. 807 Washington St., New York City CHelsea 2-4690 Packers & Distributors of finest quality Quick-Frozen Eviscerated Kosher-Made Poultry

U.S. Gov’t. & Rabbinical Inspection Milady Food Products, Inc. B'klyn, N.Y.

HOTEL LONG

WINKLER

B E A C H .

N.Y.

Now Accenting Reservations for the PASSOVER HOLIDAYS

Enjoy the passover Holidays with traditional Sedorim in a delightful atmosphere of complete relaxation. UNDER WINKLER MANAGEMENT

90

Phone: Long Beach 1416

Jewish LIFE

Something new for Passover

ROSEN'S POTATO STICKS Serve the b est—-use R o sen s TAGLACH, KICHEL, MACA­ ROON MIXTURE, NOODLES, SOUP NUTS, CAKE MIXTURE, MAYONNAISE, a n d the very finest MACAROONS & CAKES.

R O S E N ' S

KOSHER PRODUCTS CO. Originators & Mfgrs. Passover Specialties

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Y A R D A IN

WI NE . . . The Wine of Unexcelled Quality Available at your neighborhood store. If your dealer cannot fill your order a call or post­ card to us will assure delivery to him) the next day. Proceeds from distribu­ tion of Yardain Wine devoted to support of Yeshivah education. Kashruth assured by the supervision of a Mashgiach responsible to the Roshei Hayeshivoth of New York. Manufactured under the supervision of CENTRAL ASSOCIA­ TION FOR THE SUPPORT OF YESHIVOTH Inc. 38 W. 32nd St., N. Y. CHickering 4-7293

April, 1949

91

RESTAURANTS, CATERERS and HOTELS "YOUR PARTY TODAY THE TALK OF TOMORROW" • W eddings - Confirm ations D ances - C onventions - M eet­ ings - .T heatricals.

LOU G. SIEGEL, Inc. America’s Largest Kosher Restaurant

209 WEST 38 t h STREET

•

New York, N. Y.

HOTEL RIVERSIDE PLAZA 253 West 73rd Street New York 23, N. Y. SUseqehanna 7-3000 LOUIS T. ROSENBAUM

W isconsin 7-1262 •

Banquet Manager

Under the personal Rabbinic Supervision of

JULIUS H. HIRSCH

RABBI H. H. ORENSTEIN

Promotion Manager

DAVID S. LEISTNER Managing Director

J, Edward Saltzman THE WELL-KNOWN KOSHER CATERER Announces that the Kosher Catering, at the

HOTEL

D I P L O M A T

108 W EST 43rd STREET, NEW YORK

is under the supervision of

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Excellent accommodations for Banquets — Weddings — Bar Mitzvah Parties for groups of 50 to 1,000 people Kashruth is supervised by a representative of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations who is present in person at each function.

Telephone : BRyant 9-2487 - 8 - 9 92

^ **'

Jewish LIFE

RESTAURANTS, CATERERS and HOTELS F o r T h e P e r f e c t S o c ia l F u n c tio n

Excellent Cuisine Close Attention to Every Detail Assures the Hosts of a Perfectly Managed Affair at a Very Moderate Cost • Completely Equipped Kosher Kitchen U n d e r R a b b in ic a l S u p e r v is io n * HOTEL PICCADILLY In Times Square—Just West of Broadway

227 West 45th Street • H o te l P ic c a d illy O ffers a S e le c tio n o f S e v e r a l M o d e rn B a ll-ro o m s a n d P r i v a t e D in in g R o o m s, •

Call Banquet Dept. - Max Dreier Circle 6-6600 or Bernard Feigl

Tel. BElle Harbor 5—5771-1934-1834

WASHINGTON HOTEL Catering for All Occasions 4>7 Years of Satisfying Catering In the Full Sense of the Word

Open All Year Dietary Laws Strictly Observed Under Orthodox Rabbinical Supervision Levine Management

10-12 AVENUE A GRamercy 5-1893 - New York, N. Y. We also Cater Outside Our Establishment Kashruth under the supervision of Rabbi Samuel Singer, member of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada.

April, 1949

124-05 Boulevard Rockaway Park, N. Y.

93

RESORT HOTELS DON'T DELAY! DON'T DELAY!

KING DAVID HOTEL Hurleyville, N. Y. • Hurleyville 320 Is Now Accepting Reservations

FOR PASSOVER HOLIDAYS Hotel newly decorated - Finest cuisine Every room heated - Strictly Kosher - Real traditional Seder * Governesses for children Finest entertainment during Choi Jlamoed. Rabbi Morris Max, who will be one of our guests, has graciously consented to conduct the Sedorim.

LEBOWITZ

PINE VIEW HOTEL FALLSBURG 7. N. Y. Vacationland for Orthodox Jewry from Passover through Succos. •-

New York Phone SCuyler 4-2575

Buses direct to Hotel M anagement-Ownership MAX REISMAN and MAYER ZIEGLER — For Information and Reservations —

Call PLaza 7-8693 Open Sundays 12 to 5 P.M.

HOTEL

BRENNER

Saratoga Springs, N. Y. Open Summer and Winter Completely Steam-heated Elevator Service r Kgshruth under the personal Supervision of Rabbi Charles Brenner G artenberg & Schechter’s

Take ihe Sparkling Water and Bath Cure ivhile you enjoy the traditional beauty of the

Passover Holidays at HOTEL BRENNER Mdke your reservations now] Phones Saratoga Springs 1037-1184

94

PIONEER COUNTRY CLUB Greenfield Park, N. Y.

Sabbath and K ashruth S tric tly Observed,

•

In the Winter C L A R E N D O N HOTEL Lakewood, N. J.

Jewish LIFE

1949 KOSHER FOR PASSOVER FOOD GUIDE Issued by

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 305 Broadway

New York 7, N. Y.

Prepared in Cooperation with the Rabbinical Council (Consumers are cautioned to LOOK FOR THE PASSOVER LABEL on all the food products listed below.) BORSCHT

(0) Gold's Borscht CAK ES

Sussman 's, 206 Clinton St., N. Y. C. Leopold Lederer, 8 Avenue B., N.Y.C. Messing Bakeries Inc., 821 Bergen! Brooklyn, N. Y. (0) Holiday Macaroon Mix Allied Food Inc., Perth Amboy, N. J. C A N D IE S A N D CHOCOLATE

Barton 's Heller Candy Isra Chocolates Mignon Chocolates C LEA N SER S

@ Garb’er's Misrochi Rokeach COSMETICS

ADWE LaboOratory, 297 Cherry St., N. Y. C. ADWE Laboratory, Distributors: Rosy Adler, 515 W. 187 St., N.Y.C. Joseph H. Bachrach, 1449 So. Evers Ave., Chicago, Illinois Blatt Dep’t. Store, 5005 — 13 Ave., Brooklyn, N. Yv s Levine & Borenstein, 125 Lee Ave., - Brooklyn, N. Y. K . Paston, 18 Eldridge Street. D A IR Y PRO DUCTS

Borden — Milk, Sweet Cream Dairylea — Milk and Sour Cream bear­ ing a Passover label. Hanfords, N.Y.C. — B u tter b earin g a Passover label D. M iller — B u tter (F o llo w in g P rod­ ucts w ith P assover lab el only: B aby Gouda, M id get Edam , Gouda Spread, S w isstyp e Gruyere © Ocoma B u tter

Tam-tov Kosher Gruyere, Cheddar Schmerling's Cheeses Sheffield Milk, Sour Cream bearing a Passover label FROZEN S T R A W B E R R IE S

© Streits GROCERIES, JA M S, P R E S E R V E S

California Dried Fruits with Passover Hechsher only

© Garber-Eagle Oil Cofp. Hprowitz-Margareten B. Manishewitz Co. Products (Grocer­ ies, and Gefulte Fish). © Mother’s Old Fashioned Gefulte Fish Palestine House, 10 W. 28th St., N.Y.C. Palestine Candy and Preserves (with the Passover Hechsher of the Eretz Israel Rabbinate) Rokeach Products with Passover Label M ATZOS

Horowitz-Margareten A Goodman & Sons B. Manischewitz Co. Aaron Streit, Inc. R E ST A U R A N T S

Lou G. Siegel, 209 W. 38th StM N.Y.C. Schreiber's, 242 W. 76 St., N.Y.C. R E L IS H E S — H O R SE R A D ISH

© Gold 's Pure Food Products B. Manischewitz Co. SA LT

Diamond Crystal Salt Co. © International Salt Co. (Sterling Cer. tified Kosher Salt) Ohio Salt Co. (Chippewa Kosher Salt) SOFT D R IN K S

Myer — 1890 Club Soda only with Passover label SP IC E S

© Kritz Spice Mills V E G E T A B L E SH O R T E N IN G N utola, 629 W ater St., N.Y.C. P rocter and Gamble, Crisco bearing P assover label

M. D. Zimmer & Co., 534 E. 6 St., N.Y.C. W IN E S A N D LIQUORS

Carmel Wines H- Palestine House Crystal Wines.*— Birnbaum Manischewitz Wines Gáneles — Lenger W ine Corp. Monterey Wines—Lipschutz Rokeach California Wines Streit's Wines Yardain Wine — Central Ass. for the support of Yeshivoth

SPARE-WAY FOOD PRODUCTS Brooklyn, N. Y. Manufacturers of

GOLD CREST MAYONNAISE

PICKLED PRODUCTS <S> Supervised and endorsed by Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

DIAMOND CRYSTAL KOSHER SALT is certified by Rabbi Hersch Kotin of New York

Not Too Coarse, Not Too Fine. 96

Produced and bottled by the MONARCH W INE COM PANY, IN C 8v$h Terminal, Brooklyn, New York

Jewish LIFE

C O L G A T E -P A L M ® L IV E - P E E T C O M P A N Y B R IN G S Y O U TH R EE

KOSHER &PARVi h o u s e h o l d

a i d s

NEW WASHING MIRACLE

FAB WASHES EVERYTHING

I F 4STIK

AJAX CLEANSER WITH . N A M IN G A C T IO N "

For pots, pans, all porcelalr and tile surfaces.

The only suds you need for d airy and meat dishes — cuts dishwashing time in half!

VEL

M arvelous fo r stockings, lingerie, woolens!

THESE FINE PRODUCTS BEAR THE / T !V SEAL OF APPROVAL OF THE UNION OF Vy ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA

Support Our Vital Work Place Your A d G reeting In the

GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR BOOK UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA

Endorse our 50 years of organized orthodox achievement— and help us build an assured future for American Torah Judaism. You w ill take pride in your contribution to tbe success of our work through, the GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR BOOK, Please fill out the blank below and m ail it to us today w ith your check.

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