Jewish Life October 1962 by Jewish Action

ÜÜ

J E W IS H ID E N T IF IC A T IO N A N D T H E S U P R E M E COURT D E C ISIO N CHURCH - ST A T E : R E E V A L U A T IO N OR R A T IO N A L IZ A T IO N ? M Y C O N G R EG A TIO N ON “TH E H IL L ” C A N W E N E G LEC T T H E TALM UD T O R A H ? B L A N K A • T H E P O IN T OF D E C IS IO N • T H E R A IN S C A R E E R S I N L IB R A R Y SC IE N C E

ANNOUNCEMENT

64thAnniversary Biennial National Convention OF THE

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America will be held |||jN AT THE

Sheraton-Park Hotel in

WASHINGTON, D. C. on

Wednesday, November 21 — Sunday, November 25,1962 Cheshvan 24 to Cheshvan 28, 5723 • PLEASE RESERVE THESE DATES Thanksgiving Week . . . in the Nation1s Capital

Vol. XXX, No. 1/October 1962/Tishri 5723

EDITORIALS IN FULL PROPORTION...................................... THE ANTI-SHECHITAH PROGRAM .......................

4 5

ARTICLES Saul B ernstein , Editor M. M orton Rubenstein Reuben E. Gross Rabbi -S. J. Sharfman Libby K laperman Editorial Associates Judith B e n -H illel Editorial Assistant JEWISH LIFE is published bi monthly* Subscription two years $4.00, three years $5.50, four years $7.00, Supporter $10.00, Patron $25.00. Editorial and Publication

Officer 84 Fifth Avenue N ew York 11, N . Y . ALgonquin 5-4100 Published by U n io n of O rthodox Jewish Congregations of A merica M os’es I. Feuerstein President Benjamin Koenigsberg, Nathan K. Gross, Samuel L. Brennglass, M. Morton Rubenstein, Harold M. Jacobs, Vice Presidents; Edward A. Teplow, Treasurer; Herbert Berman, Secretary ; Harold H. Boxer, Financial Secretary. Dr. Samson R. Weiss Executive Vice President Saul Bernstein, Administrator Second Class postage paid at N ew Yofk, N . Y.

October, 1962

JEWISH IDENTIFICATION AND THE SUPREME COURT DECISION/Reuben E. G r o s s ............... 9 CHURCH— STATE: REEVALUATION OR RATIONALIZATION?/Herbert Berman . ............ 13 MY CONGREGATION ON ‘.‘THE HILL”/ James I. G o rd o n ........ ........................... 22 CAN WE NEGLECT THE TALMUD T O R A H ?^ Zalman D isk in d ........................................... 28 BLANKA/Gershon Kranzler .............................. 38 CAREERS IN LIBRARY SCIENCE/W alter Duckat . . 46 THE RAINS/Leonard Oschry ............................ 52

FICTION THE POINT OF DECISION/Kadish G old berg ........ 41 POETRY DARWIN VS. GENESIS/Lillian O t t ...................... 27

REVIEW ARTICLE HIRSCH FOR OUR TIME/Ralph P e lco v ltz............ 55 DEPARTMENTS AMONG OUR CONTRIBUTORS ........................... 2 HASHKOFAH: The Human D im en sio n ................. 36 ON THE JEWISH RECORD: Synagogue Choirs Here and Abroad ........................................ 61 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ................................ 68 Drawings by Norman Nodel Copyright 1962 by UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS

among our contributors

RABBI JAMES I. GORDON is the editor of the 1962 edition of the Rabbinical Council of America Sermon Manual. He received Rabbinic Semichah at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theo logical Seminary and B.A. degree at Yeshiva College. Spiritual leader of Congregation Shomray Hadath in Elmira, N. Y., Rabbi Gordon has also served for several years as Chaplain at the New York State Reformatory, whose Jewish inmates form the subject of his article in this issue. REUBEN E. GROSS, an attorney by profession, is prominent in orthodox Jewish affairs on the national scene as well as in his home community of Staten Island. He is Chairman of the Commission of Regions and Councils of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Mr. Gross served in the U. S. Army during World War II and, during Israel’s War for Liberation, in the Israeli Air Force. His several previous articles in Jewish Life have attracted wide attention. HERBERT BERMAN, a rising lay figure on the national orthodox Jewish scene, holds the office of Secretary in the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. He is also President of the Central Council of Yeshivoth and Secre tary of the Synagogue Council of America. An attorney, Mr. Berman took the LL.B. degree at Harvard Law School after graduating from New York University. He served as managing editor of the Harvard Law School Record and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He lives in Forest Hills, N. Y. KADISH GOLDBERG, an American settler in Israel, lives on Kibbutz Tirath Zvi and earns his living driving a tractor. He recently returned to the United States to get married and plans to return to Israel shortly. His writings have appeared in a number of American and Israeli periodicals. RABBI RALPH PELCOYITZ, the Rav of Congregation Knesseth Israel, the “White Shool,” in Far Rockaway, N. Y., is a former president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America and has served as editor of that organization’s publication, “Perspective.” DR. GERSHON KRANZLER’s varied published writings in clude several Jewish textbooks and numerous articles, short stories, and poems on Jewish themes. Among his published works are “The Golden Shoes”—a volume of short stories, and “Williamsburg”—a definitive sociological study of the, unique orthodox community. RABBI ZALMAN DISKIND, a practicing Jewish educator, is now preparing his doctoral dissertation at Dropsie College, Philadelphia. His article “Humane Slaughter in New Jersey” appeared in the Nisan 5722 ApriI/1962 issue of Jewish Life. He is a musmach of Mesivtah Rabbi Chaim Berlin. RABBI LEONARD OSCHRY, a native of South Africa, is a graduate of the Hebrew Theological College in Chicago. Active in Religious Zionism, he is a former director of Hapoel Hamizrachi of Chicago. He now resides in Israel where he will be serving for the next two years with the Torah and Culture Department of the Jewish Agency. LILLIAN RESNICK OTT, a present Californian and former Chicagoan, has won recognition as one of today’s leading Jewish writers of poetry. JEWISH LIFE

Order now for yourself

—

your friends — your congregation THE UOJCA

Fits Into Pocket or Purse

POCKET CALENDAR-DIARY FOR 1962-63/5723 Combines a wealth of Jewish information of every day usefulness. Contains the Jewish and secular calendars, a full daily diary section, explanations of the holidays, candle-lighting times, weekly Torah and Haftorah read ings, Yahrtzeit date record, Tefillath Haderech, Jewishpopulations of the major cities of the United States and Canada, information on the program of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. HANDSOMELY BOUND IN BROWN LEATHERETTE

UOJCA/84 Fifth Avenue/New York 11, N. Y. Please enter my order (s) for ................... UOJCA Pocket Calendar-Diaries for 1962/63—5723, as follows: .............. individual copy at $.70 each .............. congregational bulk order at $.65 each plus $3.50 per order. (Minimum order, 25 copies.) Send to: NAME............... ..................... . ................................................................. ....... ADDRESS......... ........ ............................................................................................ CITY............................................I......... ZONE.........STATE............................... All orders must be prepaid. October, 1962

In Full Proportion HE year 5723 opens on a world in the throes of change. One by one, at ever-increasing pace, the landmarks of ages are disappearing. The frame of reference of world society is pro foundly altered. Alike in political configuration and in social composition, in the ways men produce and distribute material goods and in their moral, cultural, and spiritual orientation, in the means of communication and in the relations of nation to nation and man to man, in the relation of man to his entire en vironment—in all of these, the one consistent, dominant note is revolutionary change. The adult finds himself in a world totally different from that in which he was born. The youth gropes in a new world for new values. Man is a bewildered stranger to his world and himself.

In this setting of transition to an uncharted future, where does the Jew stand? It is true enough that the House of Israel has many times ex perienced the transformation of society. We have endured, as Through Jews, through many revolutions in the cycle of emerging and the dying civilizations. In each instance, we have been exposed to Eras upheavals of tremendous scope and force, and have surmounted the challenge. But has any previous test been so decisive, so allencompassing, as that of the present era? And, are we geared to meet it? While good sense dictates that a planned approach to the contemporary challenge is to be desired, it would be a mistake to assume that a complex of blueprints can be the formula for shap ing Jewish destiny in a changing world. The very might and depth of the challenge makes it clear that no combination of laboratory-contrived devices can cope with that which confronts us. No schemes for “adaptation to the environment” will serve us; the environment is itself in upheaval; such schemes could but 4

JEWISH LIFE

adapt us out of existence. There is but one way for us today, and it is precisely the same as the way of the ages—the way of Jewish belief. HERE can be no understanding of the Jew, of his past, and of why the Jewish people has lived to this day, without the realization that Jewish belief is its key. There can be no Jewish life except the life of Jewish conviction. There can be no building of a Jewish tomorrow except on the foundation and with the creative force of Jewish faith, purpose and observance.

The story of the House of Israel is one continuous exposition of the truth that the Jew who is fused with his Torah is a force of invincible strength. Invincible, that is, not in worldly conquest The but in mastery of himself. His purpose rises above the forces Jewish which surround him and imprints itself thereupon. The Jew has Stance lived—lived, not “survived”—by adapting not to the environ ment of transient conditions but to the environment of the eternal Torah. So it has been through all the changes of the past, so too must it be through the changes of these days and the days to come. If, as an elemental fact of today, the force of contemporary change is more profound, more sweeping than ever before, then the imperative for the Jew is: strengthen the armament of Jewish belief in full proportion. Whatever we do, howsoever efforts and energies be disposed, all must be geared to the objective of strengthening the ramparts of Emunah. If we but find and cleave to that which makes the Jew Jewish, we shall find our true way through the labyrinthian dilemmas of the new epoch.

The AntùShechitah Program N England, the Humane Slaughter Association and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have spon sored the introduction in the House of Lords of a bill to completely ban Shechitah. This action, culminating a series of steps over a period of years, will come as no surprise to those who have de tected in the agitation for “humane slaughter” legislation a pri marily anti-Shechitah objective. To others, who have leaned on the hope that the originators of the agitation may in fact be humanitarian-minded, the move will come as a shock. It is to be feared that there are more such shocks in store.

The trans-Atlantic development can leave no further illusions as to the aims of key elements among the humane-slaughterites, October, 1962

Step and demonstrates unmistakably their step-by-step, stage-byby stage formula. The formula is being pursued consistently in Step different countries. The American wing of the movement is a stage or two behind the British segment, which in turn is hasten ing to catch up with that in Switzerland. The initial step in the anti-Shechitah program is to propagate in broad terms and in high tempo the good cause of humane slaughtering of animals. This easily attracts a popular following, for what decent person can resist the call to help minimize cruelty to animals? A wide base of public support being secured, the move for legislation proceeds with maximum chance of suc cess. At this stage, the anti-Shechitah theme is more openly in troduced, but with a measure of calculated discretion. The tactical objective is to get some kind of legislation passed. At tempts to achieve immediate banning of kosher slaughter, in the face of overwhelming scientific testimony that Shechitah is the most humane of all slaughtering methods, would frustrate this purpose and would be self-exposure. Hence support, at this stage, of bills which designate Shechitah as one of the approved meth ods of humane slaughter. There follow, with constantly mount ing and increasingly anti-Jewish agitation, moves to surround the practice of Shechitah with restrictions. In turn, with the public mind saturated with poisonous slander, comes the open, all-out move to ban Shechitah completely. Pursuant to this program, initial Humane Slaughter legislation in Britain a number of years ago was promptly followed by agi tation against the methods used to bring animals into position for The kosher slaughter. To meet this situation, there was developed in W einberg England a device called the Weinberg pen, which eliminated any Pen possible humanitarian objection, as the humane-slaughterites themselves conceded. The Weinberg pen was thus put into gen eral use and hence it was to be assumed that humane slaughter advocates of good faith could no longer take issue with Shechitah, since they had in turn conceded the humaneness of Shechitah as such and of the Weinberg pen as pre-slaughter method. If anyone actually did so assume, he was quickly disillusioned. No sooner was the Weinberg pen in use than the humane-slaughterites, un abashed, proceeded with the most blatant and most ugly antiShechitah—and anti-Jewish—stage of their program. Now they are ready for the decisive stroke. ERE in the United States, and likewise in Canada, the domestic humane-slaughterites are hard on the heels of their British colleagues. Passage of Federal legislation in both Following countries has given them the requisite foundation. With the Suit legislatures of fifty states and nine provinces multiplying their opportunities, they are working diligently. In the large majority

JEWISH LIFE

of states, their efforts have been unable to withstand mounting opposition, but they return),to the attack unceasingly. Here too their fire is centered on pre-slaughter handling. U. S. and Canadian Jewish community agencies have fol lowed the example of the Anglo-Jewish community in seeking new devices for preparation for Shechitah which would obviate objections on humanitarian grounds, real or supposed. The Wein berg pen is not applicable to the abattoirs in this country, which function on different lines from those in England. As yet, no pre-slaughter device has been perfected which can be used in American slaughterhouses for both large and small animals and Which meets the requirements of both Halachic authorities and Federal authorities. Much progress has been made in this direc tion, however, and it is probably but a matter of time before a completely suitable device has been perfected, after which will come the process of getting it into wide .use. But, whatever the merits of such a device, let there be no illusion as to its consequences. Notwithstanding that the spokesThe men of the domestic humane-slaughterites have poured forth N ext assurances, to Jewish leaders, to legislators, and to the innocents Stage among their own followers, that such a device will satisfy them, once it is in effect they can be depended upon only to set in mo tion the next stage of their anti-Shechitah program. T is worse than folly for any element of the Jewish community and the U. S. and Canadian publics at large to hide from the implications of the “humane slaughter” movement. The move ment is a facade for attack upon Jews through attack upon Shechitah. It is a growing menace to authentic humanitarianism no less than to religious freedom. It must be brought to book.

October, 1962

troducin

Two Articles on Implications of the Supreme Court “ Prayer” Decision The twin issues of religion in the public schools and Federal aid to religiously controlled schools are symptomatic of the mounting pressures on the established pat tern of American life. Under these pressures, rising from the need to adjust to major turns in history, comes the demand to accommodate primary tenets to the changed and changing makeup of American society. Since the above-mentioned issues relate directly to a pivotal American tenet, separation of Church and State, their resolution can have decisive effect on the life and character of the nation. Together with all Americans, the Jews of this country have a large stake in the outcome of these historic issues. But beyond the common area of concern, we are deeply affected also by its impact on both the Jewish position on the American scene and on the internal Jewish scene. It is no exaggeration to say that American Jewry is faced with a crucial problem in determining its stand on these questions. The Supreme Court decision on the “Regents’ Prayer” case, and even more so the reactions to the ruling, have brought home to all the import of the situation, which received editorial discussion in the previous issue of JEWISH LIFE. As was noted in the editorial, opinions among American Jews are sharply divided both as to the merits of the court decision and as to the related questions. This applies no less in the case of the orthodox Jewish community than in that of the non-orthodox. The two articles appearing in sequence on the following pages are each characteristic of a particular point of view on the problem to be found among responsible circles of traditional Jewry. Readers desiring to contribute their own thoughts to the discussion of this topic .are assured that their letters will receive special consideration for publication in our pages. 8

JEWISH LIFE

Jewish Identification and the Supreme Court Decision By REUBEN E. GROSS

HE issues tendered to the Jewish community by the school prayer decision of the Supreme Court reveal a split that cannot be bridged by dis cussion of matters such as separation of Church and State. Support for reli gion is so imbued into the American system that its elimination would re quire a complete revamping of our schemes of taxation on the national, state, and local levels. The armed forces would require a complete reor ganization of their morale services. Laws in regard to perjury, matrimony, education, and much that passes for morality would have to be revised. Most schools of higher education and most hospitals, being denominational, could not survive true separation. Pro cedures in courts and legislatures would have to be radically altered. Many of the concepts engendered by the Declaration of Independence and the Mayflower Compact would have to be excised from the American way of thinking. In brief, complete separa tion of Church and State can exist only

October, 1962

by the complete secularization of all thinking and doing on the public level —in the school, in the courtroom, in the legislative chambers, in the public housing project, and in the publicity supported private housing project. . What then is the real issue between an increasing number of orthodox Jewish thinkers and the so-called Jew ish (really, secularist) organizations? The key to the issue is in the rising interest in and appreciation of Torah values and the growing self-respect felt by the younger generation—a gen eration that is more completely at home in the American milieu than its forbears. HE problem faced by the Jew in relation to the Gentile world is steeped in emotion, rather than logic or philosophy. The immigrants who came here from eastern Europe left countries in which religious discrimi nation and open and public antisemi tism, reinforced—in some cases ac tually nurtured—by a state church,

were the rule. It is no wonder then, that they welcomed the non-denominational format of life which they found open upon arrival in America. As a result of their European experi ences, the immigrant generation tended to equate a publicly supported church with restrictions on economic as well as religious freedom. Jews, therefore, vigorously and consistently resisted re ligious coloration in any part of public life. With this outlook, on the part of many, went an objection to being marked out from the rest of American society, even, among some, a fear of identification as a Jew. There was a craving for anonymity in the New World; a desire to be lost in the melt ing pot—to be considered an Ameri can like all Americans, to be nothing more nor nothing less. The open classification of the Gen tile as a Christian by means of public prayers or released time in the schools confronted the Jew of this type with a dilemma: to identify or not to iden tify as a Jew. To fail to identify himself as a Jew entailed guilt feeling. To identify, was to expose himself to the stigma that the world has sought to fasten on the name “Jew.” Either alternative was uncomfortable. The doctrine of “separation of Church and State” thus became a veritable fetish, a slogan of escape from the need for Jewish identification. Prevention of religious identification on the census questionnaire, in the public school, and in public affairs generally, enabled these Jews to side-step their dilemma. The New York Times editor who pas sionately endorsed the Supreme Court decision in the school prayer case, summarized it as holding “that a school child should not only not be compelled to say such a prayer but that he should not be stigmatized for not being willing to say i t ” In putting the matter this 10

way, that writer displayed an uncanny sensitivity to the Galuth psychology of peripheral Jews who sense stigmatiza tion in any move to identify them as Jews. Law cases of the Witnesses and the Adventists involve only their free dom to practice their mode of worship. However, the cases promoted by the secularist Jewish organizations and the atheists involve limitations on other faiths. They say, we want the right to practice our minority faith, but we insist on doing so anonymously. In effect, they are claiming a constitu tional right to be Marranos. It is interesting to note in passing that the objectants to the use of public school property for any religious pur pose are quite unanimous in demand ing the use of school and public prop erty for anti-religious exhortations. Whenever a Communist or Fascist seeks a forum in any of the colleges or universities, the issue is then “free dom of speech.” However, when the schools are sought for pro-religious exhortations the issue switches into “separation.” Why they do not urge the barring of anti-religious propa ganda in the name of “separation,” or why they do not urge liberty for pro religious exhortations in the name of “free speech,” is a dark mystery. Thus becomes intelligible the range of emotional reactions to the Supreme Court decision. The rejoicing in the councils of the secularists and the pul pits of the Reform can now be under stood. At first blush one would have expected strong support for the non-denominational prayer from the exponents of brotherhood and accultu ration. The truth is that the Supreme Court decision served a deep emo tional need for those elements. Unable to shake off their Jewishness and ac cepting it but gingerly, impaled on the horns of a dilemma, they are now JEWISH LIFE

informed by the Supreme Court that they need not make any decision, publicly.

up to this issue? To him the most pre cious gift of democracy is the right to practice his religion freely and openly. Being positive in his sense of Jewish HE Gentile world is also emotion identification, he does not fear being ally upset. Being unacquainted with recognized as a Jew. By observance of the nuances of Galuth psychology, certain particularities of dress and they are completely baffled, confused, usage, he often points up his own and irritated. They cannot understand Jewishness with pride. To protect this how members of the mother religion kind of freedom for religion, the best of mankind’s great religions can take strategy is to advocate a parallel privi such an uncomprehensibly secularist lege for others. Torah-true Judaism is position. They are puzzled at the sud safest in a democracy in which all den about-face of the pulpit swappers religions enjoy all freedom of practice. and brotherhood advocates in refusing More important than any such stra to join in reciting an innocuous, non- tegic considerations however, are the denominational prayer. They are trou dictates of Halochah in regard to the bled that such a refusal comes at a Noachide commandments. We have a time when the world is being split into duty to promote observance of these two camps, whose respective philoso commandments by everyone— at least phies stem from the issue of religion not to interfere with such observance. versus secularism. They are frustrated The prayer before the Supreme Court and angry because they see their chil was a simple, straightforward acknowl dren growing up in a world of rapidly edgment of dependence on G-d, declining morality, even as educational untainted by any denominational nu and material standards rise. If in their ances. Some Halochic authorities con bafflement and frustration they have sider it quite permissible for our own taken the trouble to advise us that children. Can we then oppose its re they feel these blind emotions seeking cital by others? Are we not rather release in the form of resentment and duty-bound to facilitate its recital by hatred (which is quite understand all people and thereby foster perform able), we, for our part, might do well ance of one of the Mitzvoth that were to consider this advice in good faith. given to all mankind? Is it not one of Unless we are in a position to show our Messianic aims, as stated thrice them a rational solution to their prob daily in the Alenu, that all men shall lems—which is not likely—we might acknowledge their dependence on G-d? do well to have some second thoughts And if such aims must be abandoned, about our role as constitutional David. because that, too, gives expression The Gentile Goliath has been pinned to another Messianic aim—universal in the secularist clamp between the peace—how silly can we afford to be! policy of no aid to the parochial A SOUND philosophy of American school and no religious teaching in the public school. This needless build jl\ life reinforces this position. The up of secularist pressures against him Court decision is consistent with the is an invitation to an explosive reaction outmoded “melting-pot” theory of which bodes ill for the continuance of Americanism so popular in the era of a healthy climate for religious freedom. immigration—avoid any show of sec How does the Torah-true Jew face tarian difference in the public domain

October, 1962

—create a monolithic form of Ameri canism on the level of the lowest com mon denominator. It is also a vote of no-confidence in the ability of the pub lic school to teach respect for dissent ing minorities and denominational differences. The crux of the case of the Jewish plaintiffs was that they didn’t want their children embarrassed by leaving class when a prayer in which they couldn’t join was recited. Is not such a situation an ideal oppor tunity for an object lesson in genuine democracy? Is not that the perfect time for the teacher to point up the importance of respect for dissenters? The truth is that the very parents who send their children to public school

in preference to yeshivoth because “they must learn to get along with everybody,” have no genuine confi dence in the ability of the public schools to teach tolerance. Otherwise, they, the Jewish secularist organiza tions supporting them, and the edi torial writers crusading for them, would not be so terribly afraid of the “stigmatization” that might arise from a refusal to join in the prayer. “Stig matization” does not loom so large among the worries of Torah-true Jews, nor of Americans who are no longer starved for “acceptance.” Such fears and insecurities can be safely left with the American Jewish Congress and the New York Times.

JEWISH LIFE

Church—State: Réévaluation or Rationalization? By HERBERT BERMAN

T has been suggested in certain orthodox circles that the policy of the Jewish community in general, and that of Orthodoxy in particular, be re evaluated with regard to their respec tive positions in favor of maintaining the separation of Church and State in the United States. The thesis herein presented is that the suggestion is a spurious one; that réévaluation is synonymous with rationalization; that a change of position is, in effect, a compromise of principle; that the motivating force is not ideological, but financial; and, finally, that the entire approach is inconsistent with orthodox Jewish tradition and training. The principle of religious liberty in the United States is one of our most precious and cherished heritages. It is in this atmosphere that the Jews in the United States have had a unique op portunity to develop their religious institutions, practice their religious be liefs, and concurrently enjoy the same

October, 1962

rights, privileges, and obligations ex tended to citizens of different faiths. The preservation of religious liberty in the United States was deemed of prime importance by the founders of our country. Accordingly, specific provi sion was made in the Bill of Rights to insure its protection as a fundamental concept of our democratic tradition. Succinctly enunciated in the case of Everson v. Board of Education by Su preme Court Justice Black: The ‘establishment of religion* clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or pro fessing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attend ance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any 13

religious activities or institutions, what ever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or prac tice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jeffer son, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect ‘a wall of separation between Church and State.’

schools. During the course of both public and Congressional debate, a number of interesting points were de veloped. Again to quote the New York Times: The Catholic stand on this issue has stiffened. Possibly, the reappraisal of Catholic strength may be the result of the Presidential election, which put an end to the political theory that a Cath olic could not win. Ironically, this has put the first Catholic President into direct conflict with the church leader ITHIN the past two years several ship on the issue of aid to sectarian events have occurred which have schools . . . President Kennedy said on March 1 (1961): There isn’t any room put a severe test to the principle of for debate on that subject. It is pro religious liberty as maintained by the hibited by the Constitution and the separation of Church and State. Most Supreme Court has made that very significant have been the candidacy clear.’ . . . Today the insistent Catholic demand for aid is quite simply based and election of a Catholic as President on the complaint that Catholic parents, of the United States, the introduction confronted with rising costs of a rapidly of legislation to aid parochial schools expanding parochial school system, are and, most recently, the Supreme Court subject to what amounts to double tax ation. Those who oppose their demands decision in the case of Engel v. Vitale reply that the public schools are avail outlawing the so-called Regents’ Prayer able for all children regardless of their in the New York State public schools. religion, and that the freedom to use non-public schools does not imply the The problem of analyzing, asses state’s obligation to support these sing, and interpreting the inter-rela schools . . . Most striking in the present tionship, effect, and significance of debate is the apparent change of mood these facts has been made difficult and and stiffening of attitude among the Catholic leadership. all but impossible at the present time In November, 1959, the Rev. Neil by the stream of current events. The G. McCluskey, S.J., education editor recent defeat of the College Aid Bill of the Catholic monthly America, by the United States House of Repre wrote in his book ‘Catholic Viewpoint on Education’ that ‘the Catholic laity sentatives was attributed by the New and clergy are fully aware that direct York Times to the following: support by the government to A major factor in the bill’s rejection I basic parochial schools is out of the ques was widespread opposition . . . to tion.’ He offered four reasons: grants to educational institutions sup (1) The United States Supreme ported by the Roman Catholic Church. Court would interpret such action as The news story quoted the execu un constitutional. tive secretary of the National Edu (2) Almost all state constitutions rule out the support of sectarian cational Association as having declared schools. in a telegram sent to all members of (3) Government support would en the House that the bill “imperils Ame danger the parochial school’s free rica’s traditional concept of separation dom. of Church and State.” (4) Most of all, the rancor and strife set off by organized Catholic A similar sequence occurred in con efforts to obtain such aid would nection with proposed Federal legisla poison community relations for years tion to aid public and parochial to come. 14 JEWISH LIFE

HE Protestant community has con sistently and vigorously opposed Federal aid to parochial schools. The following excerpts from a statement issued by the National Council of Churches are particularly pertinent: . . . These churches are not calling on tax funds, local, state, or Federal, to assume or assist with the costs of these schools. They regard these institutions as extensions of teaching min istry of the churches, an obligation to nurture in the Gospel, persons within and without the household of faith. They regard this holy trust as one fall ing clearly within the responsibility of the denominations themselves. They see the ‘general public service argu ment’ as being wholly inapplicable to these schools. Churches, Sunday schools, church-youth societies, church camps, and all the rest of the educa tional efforts of American Protestant ism and Orthodoxy, established as they see the matter in response to Divine command, also make contribution to the common good; they educate, they form moral character, they teach the civic virtues and their efforts, there fore, advance the common weal. To say, however, that because these activi ties are socially desirable or that they strengthen the moral and social fiber of the republic and to proceed from that declaration to the assumption that therefore they should receive tax funds seems to us to be both novel and con trary to the American tradition. . . . Let me make it perfectly clear that we are not speaking at this point of public aid to public schools, and of possible public aid for Roman Catholic schools alone. Nothing is more clear than the likelihod that if substantial grants or loans to church-related elementary and secondary schools were made possible, many religious denominations would come to the conclusion that they too should step forward to the public treasury and claim what they would consider their share of Federal funds. If this should happen we believe that our American democracy would be impaired by the increasing frag mentation of education with its inevit able result of cultural segregation. The public schools would be undermined and a cultural schism would develop

October, 1962

which would tend to impair our de mocracy. The denominations of the National Council of Churches do not believe that such a development would be for the good of our beloved America, no matter what church or synagogue our people worship in and no matter what schools their children attend from Monday morning to Friday afternoon. Let all our schools be strengthened; the public schools by the increasing support of all our legislative units, local, state and Federal; our religious schools by those who believe in them, govern them, and support them by loyalty, gifts, and prayers. Let us, how ever, keep these two types of support, both of tremendous importance to the welfare of the nation and its free in stitutions, separate and uninvolved, one with the other. The totality of the Jewish com munity, both secular and religious, encompassing every major national Jewish organization and all of the organized local community councils, and the orthodox, Reform, and Con servative groups, has consistently and unanimously united upon the position that in order to preserve and protect religious liberty in the United States, the wall of separation of Church and State must be scrupulously maintained. The Joint Advisory Committee of the Synagogue Council of America and the National Community Relations Ad visory Council (the Union of Ortho dox Jewish Congregation of America is a constituent member of both organi zations) published the following Decla rations of Principle: DECLARATIONS OF PRINCIPLE!

These declarations constitute a statement of principles from which the positions of the many Jewish agencies on various specific practices are derived. Religion has always been and con tinues to be the central core of Jewish life. We urSe. ah religious groups to unite in an intensified national pro15

gram, designed to enroll all the chil dren of our country in religious educational institutions of their respec tive faiths. We urge the religious bodies to avail themselves of all media of mass communication for this program, such as the press, radio, motion pic tures, speakers’ platforms, and special dramatic projects. The American democratic system is founded in large part upon ethical and moral concepts derived from the great religions of mankind. The preservation and fostering of these concepts are essential to the fullest realization of the American ideal; and their growth and development as major forces in American life should be the deep con cern of every citizen. Religious liberty is an indispensable aspect of democratic freedom; indeed it is the very foundation of American democracy. As a nation of people attached to many different religious faiths, or to none, we owe our sur vival and our unity to the universal acceptance of the uniquely American concept that the relationship between man and God is not and may not be subject to government control or regu lation. The growth of democracy in the United States is in large measure a product of that unique principle in our basic law that puts religion outside the jurisdiction of the state. Any impair ment of that principle threatens re ligious liberty and brings other basic freedoms into jeopardy. The maintenance and furtherance of religion are the responsibilities of the synagogue, the church, and the home, and not of the public school system; the utilization in any manner of the time, facilities, personnel, or funds of the public school system for purposes of religious instruction should not be permitted. . The public schools must recognize the realities of religious differences in the community and among their pupils. They should continue as they have done throughout their history to teach pupils that acceptance of and respect for such differences are basic to Ameri can democracy and contribute toward harmonious living in a free society. This implies no need, however, on the part of the public schools to teach re 16

ligious doctrines or to teach about religious doctrines. N discussing these Declarations of Principle, a number of statements of position were enunciated. Briefly summarized, these statements cover the following areas: 1. Religion and Public Education— Under this heading, approval was given to the sharing of responsibility on the part of the public schools for the gen eral teaching of moral and spiritual values providing that no sectarian or theological sources were used as the basis for such values. Likewise, no objection was raised to the objective presentation of the role that religion has played historically when such teaching is intrinsic to the regular sub ject matter being studied. However, opposition is voiced to the teaching of the doctrines of religion. In addition, opposition is voiced to the use of school premises for religious education, meetings, or worship during school hours. Likewise, released time and dis missal time and governmental aid to religiously controlled schools are con sidered objectionable. Specific opposi tion is voiced to any religious practices and observances or joint religious ob servances in the public, elementary, and high schools which include the reading or recitation of prayers. In this connection, the teaching of a “common core” of principles, beliefs, or concepts supposed to be representative of the essential principles of several or all religious faiths is objected to. In furtherance of the principles and positions enunciated above and, in particular, the last-stated position, the Joint Advisory Committee of the Syna gogue Council of America and the National Community Relations Advis ory Council submitted a brief amicus

JEWISH LIFE

curiae to the Supreme court of the United States in the case of Engel vs. Vitale, which case involved the ques tion as to whether or not a non-denominational prayer prepared by the Board of Regents of the State of New York for use in public schools may be constitutionally used in the public schools. Incidentally, one of the attor neys who participated in the prepara tion of this brief and whose name appeared Of Counsel, was Samuel Lawrence Brennglass, one of the Vice Presidents of the UOJCA. In this case, the Supreme Court, in a 6 to 1 deci sion, held that the so-called “Regents’ Prayer” in New York State was un constitutional.

breached, it is easy to perceive that the ramifications of associating religious observances with the activities of our Federal, state, and local governments would give rise to many difficult and complex problems which can serve as a source of great embarrassment and hardship for the Jewish community in general and the orthodox Jewish com munity in particular.

AT the last National Biennial Convention of the UOJCA, in Novem ber, 1960, the question of reviewing the position of the Orthodox Union with regard to its opposition to Federal aid to religiously controlled schools was debated. The UOJCA determined to 2. Religion and Public Policy— reexamine its position and, in order to Under this heading, opposition is ex assemble information on which to base pressed to the enactment or expansion its decision, an all-day conference was of Compulsory Sunday Observance held in April of 1961, at which repre Laws; to the placement of religious sentatives of the following organiza symbols on public property; and to the tions were present: inclusion of questions with regard to Torah Umesorah religious affiliation or belief in any Joint Advisory Committee of the Federal census. The question of clos Synagogue Council of America ing public schools on the Jewish High and the National Community Re Holy Days is considered to be an lations Advisory Council administrative question. However, it is Jewish Community Council of recommended that no Jewish organi Greater Philadelphia zation or leaders should request the Jewish Community Council of Wash closing of schools, but it should be the ington, D. C. legitimate concern of the Jewish com Committee for Furtherance of Jew munity that no Jewish child or teacher ish Education be penalized for observing the Jewish National Council of Jewish Women High Holy Days. American Jewish Committee The foregoing should, although by National Council for Torah Educa no means a complete outline of the tion positions of the Joint Advisory Com American Jewish Congress mittee or the Jewish community with Anti-Defamation League of B’nai regard to a number of collateral mat B’rith ters involving the question of separa Poale Agudath Israel tion of Church and State, give some Agudath Israel of America indication of the importance of a con During the course of this confer sistent approach based upon principle ence, many of the points hereinabove and not expediency. Once the wall is stated were made by the speakers in October, 1962

favor of maintaining the position of the Jewish community in opposition to Federal aid to religiously controlled schools. Those who spoke contrarywise have taken the position that be cause o f: the growth of the Day School Movement; the importance of the Day School Movement to the Jewish com munity; the impossible financial bur dens placed upon particular segments of the community in supporting and developing day schools; and the failure of the Federations and Welfare Funds and other fund-raising arms of the Jewish community to support the Day School Movement, they have no alter native but to seek Federal aid for religiously controlled schools in gen eral as a method of securing financial assistance for the Day School Move ment. Perhaps the position is best summed up by quoting Rabbi Moshe Sherer of the Agudath Israel of Amer ica who made the following statement at the Conference: I don’t want you for a moment to think that we don’t have fears. Fears about the usage of Federal or State aid in the form of loans and grants. This is a difficult problem to face. And I say to you gentlemen again, as an Orthodox organization, we must have the assistance where we can get it. We have to be free to secure aid in the growth of- Jewish education. N speaking of the Released Time Program at this Conference, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht of the Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education set forth the important accomplish ments of his group under the program. In presenting his position, he made the following statement: We are attempting to influence in this sense the children and the parents in their whole life. We have tried to get this done in the public schools, to get their attention to these problems. We feel that we have accomplished a great deal if we are able to get one 18

child who ordinarily would not attend a Jewish day school or a Talmud Torah or a yeshivah to do so. We feel that we will bring to the Jewish chil dren a taste of Judaism, and it is for this that we are laboring. In dealing with the question of Federal aid to Parochial schools, he stated as follows: If we were to get aid from the Federal or State government into the Yeshivos, it is a question if it would be in the proper spirit to do so. It seems that, to me, Judaism would benefit from it. Without taking it, and without having any money, the Yeshivos would undoubtedly have a difficult time. If the Yeshivos were free to continue on in a certain way, without interference, and it is under stood that the government has no right to do this, that is to interfere, there can be some good. The statements above quoted clearly indicate the position of those favoring Federal aid to religious schools and the Released Time Program, namely, on the grounds of expediency and based upon a pragmatic approach, they feel it would benefit the orthodox Jewish community to have Federal and state assistance with regard to aid to religious schools and Released Time Programs. This approach is based upon need and the immediate results to be obtained. Apparently no effort has been made to assess the long-range effects of breaching the wall of sepa ration of Church and State in terms of its damage to the religious liberty of Jews and others in the United States. Neither has any attempt been made to determine the damage which may en sue to members of the Jewish com munity in areas which will not benefit from aid to church-related schools or the Released Time Programs. Little thought has been given to the Halachic problems involved, and even less atten tion has been paid to the effect of the position advocated on other programs JEWISH LIFE

supported by the Jewish community in general and the orthodox com munity in particular, such as the attempts to amend the Sunday Law to exempt Sabbath observers; the fight for the preservation of the right to Shechitah; the rights of Jewish chil dren not to participate in religious observances of other faiths in the pub lic schools; the rights of Jews to ob serve their Sabbath and Holy Days; and a host of other matters involving the religious liberty of the American community in general and the Jewish community in particular, which can only be protected through maintenance of the principle of separation of Church and State.

Program, in many areas of the United States the only faiths engaging in a Released Time Program are Catholic and Protestant. In those comriiimities where the Jewish community does not support a released time program, a child attending the public school is faced with tremendous pressure in terms of social embarrassment and ostracism if he does not participate in the Released Time Program. This, in effect, may assist in the efforts of other faiths to proselytize the Jewish child. The advocacy of this type of a program, therefore, poses another Halachic question. 3. The fact that the Day School movement, •without Federal or State aid to Parochial schools, has been able, HE following will illustrate some in the past ten years, to develop a of the unanswered or undealt-with network of almost 300 schools with questions: over 60,000 students, raises serious 1. In view of the fact that in 1961 questions about the validity of the there were approximately 6,239,000 position that day schools cannot suc elementary and high school pupils in ceed or flourish without Federal or non-public schools, of which 5,240,000 State aid. are in Roman Catholic schools and 4. If Federal and State aid is made only approximately 60,000 in Jewish available to religiously-controlled day schools with the balance being in schools, it is conceivable that the Con Protestant religious school and reli servative and Reform movements will gious schools of other denominations, develop a day school program of their the overwhelming proportion of funds own. Conservative day schools are would be distributed to support reli presently being organized in some gious schools sponsored by other faiths. communities. In many areas outside The Halachic question posed is of the centers of Orthodoxy, the re whether or not the Jewish community sult of the establishment of day schools can advocate a program which would, by the Reform and Conservative move in effect, involve the use of tax moneys ments will be to deprive existing day raised from Jewish citizens for the schools in these communities of both propogation and support of other faiths the financial support and the attend since it is unquestioned that the per ance of Jewish children in the com centage of tax moneys raised from munity who would be attracted to the Jewish community is far in excess these Other schools. The consequence of the proportion of tax moneys which might be the destruction of the Day would be given to the Jewish Day School movement outside of large Schools. centers of Orthodoxy. 2. With regard to the Released Time 5. During the course of history, the October, 1962 19

most difficult problems which the Jew ish community has had with other faiths are those involving its relation ship with the Roman Catholic Church. During the period of the Crusades, through the Inquisition in Spain, down to more modern times in terms of problems in Poland, Italy* Latin Amer ican countries, and in other areas, the most delicate and difficult problems of the Jewish community have arisen be cause of the fact that the Catholic Church either was the official State religion or was the dominant religion in a particular country. To deprive ourselves of Protestant support in the United States on the question of sep aration of Church and State and to expose the Jewish community to an effort on the part of the Catholic Church in the United States to secure a dominant role in many areas of governmental activity might be to po tentially create the same type of prob lem in the United States. S evidence of the fact that “it can happen here,” it is of interest to A note that on August 28, 1962, America, a weekly Catholic Jesuit magazine, issued a press release calling to public attention an editorial scheduled to appear in its September 1 issue entitled “To Our Jewish Friends.” This edi torial attacks the position of the Jewish community in support of the separation of Church and State and contains a threat that the continued efforts of the Jewish community in the United States to preserve religious liberty may lead to an outbreak of anti-Semitism. The editorial concludes: The time has come for these fellow citizens of ours to decide among them selves precisely what they conceive to be the final objective of the Jewish community in the United States—in a word, what bargain they are willing to strike as one of the minorities in a 20

pluralistic society. When court victories produce only a harvest of fear and distrust, will it all have been* worth while? The unanimous response to this editorial on the part of the Jewish community is, in a measure, a reaffirm ation of the position of the Jewish community with regard to the preserva tion of religious liberty through sep aration of Church and State. It is important to note that in Common weal, a magazine which is published by Catholic laymen, the following ob servation was made with regard to the America editorial: If there is any real danger of antiSemitism among Catholics, then it is Catholics who ought to be warned. Indeed ‘warned’ is too mild a word: They ought to be told as sharply as possible of the sin of any form of anti-Semitism. UGGESTIONS have been made in some of the same quarters that favor the adoption of a new Jewish position toward the separation of Church and State which would paral lel the Catholic position, that the America editorial should serve as a further reason for a reexamination of the Jewish position. If anything, the contrary would be the case. The Joint Advisory Committee, in responding publicly to the America editorial stated as follows: The idea that any group in this land must barter its right to free speech in exchange for its security is offensive to everything for which our country stands. Whatever differences there may be among American Jews on any issue, there is complete unanimity among us on this score. The American community is made up of many groups, each with its own convictions as to what is right and best for the whole society. Each of these groups, regardless of numbers, is equally entitled to give public support and expression to its convictions. Out of the interplay and competition among

JEWISH LIFE

the variety of viewpoints thus advanced emerge the standards and criteria by which our society is governed. This process is indispensable to democratic decision. The editorial in America can only have been intended, it seems to us, to impede that process. It plainly seeks to persuade Jews to cease their ad vocacy of a view antagonistic to that of the editors of America by warning that their continued advocacy of such adverse views will invite dire conse quences. We reject the idea that we— or any group—must remain silent in order to be tolerated . . . N an essay written by Rabbi Sam son Raphael Hirsch, translated by IDayen J. Grunfeld, Rabbi Hirsch pointed out the problems in the Jewish community which can arise where the community is subject to governmental regulation. He points out the particu lar dangers which can confront ortho dox Jewry when the Government is dealing with leaders of the Jewish com munity who have no foundation in the traditional beliefs of their fore fathers and who have no appreciation of the Halachic requirements which must be observed by the community. He points to the following example: . . . For instance, a Government may have found it requisite to issue a regulation dealing with the communal religious affairs of its Jewish subjects. In so doing it may have followed the views of certain Jews whose wide cul ture and high character seemed to them to guarantee a proper under standing of Jewish matters and a proper respect for Jewish law. It may, therefore, have neglected to make it self acquainted beforehand with the peculiar regulations which form the constitutional basis of all Jewish re ligious communal life, and so have brought the Jewish religious organiza tion into conformity with other systems without reflecting that every organism,

October, 1962

especially one so peculiar as the Jew ish, can flourish only on its proper soil, and that therefore the same treatment Was not good for everyone. Thus, with the best will and the best intentions in the world it may have finished by forcing Jewish communal life into a mould which, though perhaps out wardly suitable, in reality and quite unknown to its authors, suffocated it. This condition We call the unlegal ized rottenness, because it has never sought its formal justification in the regulations laid down by the Jewish religious law for communities . . . Under the circumstances, it must be obvious that the orthodox Jewish com munity which for thousands of years has martyred itself in defense of and in insistence upon the observance of the Oral and Written Torah, and has made untold sacrifices to maintain its religious ideology, cannot be placed in a position of sacrificing principle for financial assistance or for a temporary gain. To do so would be inconsistent with the standards of Orthodoxy, which places principle in primary posi tion and ideology before any material gain or reward. Accordingly, although a réévalua tion of a position is always in order, no cogent reason appears for any change of position with regard to the use of the wall of separation of Church and State to preserve religious liberty in the United States. On the contrary, it must be concluded that the welfare and continued existence of the Jewish community and its institutions in the United States depends upon maintain ing inviolate the principle established in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, namely, that “Congress shall make no law respect ing an establishment of religion, or pro hibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ”

My Congregation on “The Hill” By JAMES I. GORDON

HE average rabbi strives each week for a larger attendance of congre gants at services. At my congregation on “The Hill,” I look hopefully each week for a diminishing congregation. The Hill refers to twin institutions— the New York State Reformatory and Reception Center, built on a steep in cline in the northwestern comer of Elmira, New York. The Reformatory is a rehabilitative correctional institution designed pri marily for the 18-25 year old age group. It has excellent educational and vocational facilities and is regarded as a medium security institution. Serving the entire state of New York, its aver age population is about 1,400. The Jewish Group—as my congregation of Jewish inmates is designated—aver ages between twenty and thirty youths, who are almost always from the Metro politan New York area. In my eight years of service, I have had only three boys from upstate communities. The Reception Center is primarily a diagnostic center. New York State

law provides that young people under twenty-one years of age not be given a definite sentence by the court. The judge, instead, may propose an inde terminate sentence of 0-3 years or 0-5 years, depending naturally on the grav ity of the offense and past history. If the young man is between sixteen and twenty-one, he will be sent to the Re ception Center at Elmira. For a period of eight weeks, he will undergo a bat tery of tests and interviews in the medical, psychiatric, psychological, educational, vocational, physical edu cational, custodial, and chaplaincy de partments. At the end of the eight weeks a board made up of men repre senting each area discusses all the find ings and decides upon which institu tion or camp this young man will be sent to and the amount of time needed before meeting the Parole Board. The Reception Center was founded in 1945. During the month of July, 1962, num ber 25,000 passed through its portals. Usually, there are between 300-400 inmates at one time. JEWISH LIFE

BEN SORER UMOREH

HE grasp of juvenile delinquency marked by the full discussion of the incorrigible and rebellious son, the ben sorer umoreh, as found in the tractate Sanhedrin of the Talmud, took almost twenty centuries to become part of modern society’s thinking. The insight of our Talmudic sages con cerning the mitigating circumstances of delinquent behavior is now gen erally conceded as conclusive. Inter preting the verse V’thofsu bo oviv v’imo— “Then shall his father and mother lay hold of him” (Devorim 21:19), the teachers of the Talmud indicate quite clearly that where the dttitude, outlook, and concern of both parents are not the same, anti-social behk^viOr may result. Where a parent might be missing altogether, we had b^st concern ourselves with the situa tion. A true ben sorer umoreh does not feast, say our Sages. Somewhere there must be some unfortunate con tributing circumstances. ! A careful analysis of today’s juvenile delinquents will reveal that an over whelming majority are victims of the three D’s—DEATH, DIVORCE, DE SERTION. While the last is not com mon among the Jewish Group, a sig nificant substitute is intermarriage, which I will discuss more fully later. In the fewer cases, where the home

may not be broken and both parents might be living, I have found the Rabbinic warning of enenu shoveh— “not equal” in their concern and out look—most certkinly to be true. Lack of a healthy home life, poor parental guidarice, and weak ethical example, coupled with the natural tendency toward independence by the adolescent, become the combination of ingredients that creates a “blow out” of anti-sqdi&l behavior. Our news papers do not lack for any copy in this area and, as we move more into leisure time with its philosophy of pleasure and accent on material gain, the problem becomes infinitely more acute. The young men I meet on The Hill represent a pitiful lack of social responsibility, • civic understanding, and ethical being. They are required to take a course called “Successful Living” and there, perhaps for the first time, they are actually made aware of their own worth to society and of their responsibility to the community. Many of these young minds are al ready twisted in their outlook as to what constitutes proper values, and the office of the chaplain plays a vital role in assisting the various depart ments of the institution in their re habilitative program.

THE JEWISH INMATE

ET us turn now specifically to the members of the Jewish Group. As has already been indicated, the broken home is always a factor. In the Jewish Group, however, an inter esting statistic has appeared. While

October, 1962

my group has been as low as fifteen in number or as high as twenty-nine, approximately one third always seems to come from an intermarriage situ ation. As rabbis, occasionally called into the heart-rending task of prevent23

ing intermarriage or discussing its con sequences, rarely do we think of it in terms of its being a contributor to delinquency. Certainly we have here a prime example of enenu shoveh. My interviews with these youngsters are particularly sad, for they are in evitably, one and all, very confused young men. Victim of marital discord, with the additional handicap of two faiths throwing a wedge between the parents, the desperate youngster strikes out against society. Oddly enough, when I explain the Halachic ruling that we regard his official status as ac cording to the faith of his mother, there is a feeling of relief. It is a relief that comes with the knowledge that “I am definitely something”— Jewish or non-Jewish; even if my explanation meant he was not officially a member of the Jewish Group. He is usually in vited to remain as a visitor, since he chose the Jewish Group upon arrival. He participates in the classes and at tends services but performs no religious observances. One third of our Jewish Group is made up of this category wherein one of the parents is of nonJewish faith. The figure does not rep resent anything in formidable num bers. Nevertheless, in my eight years of service as a correctional chaplain, I have found this to be a constant figure. Something that repeats itself from year to year is certainly subject to preventive measures. Would that

our hasty young people become more conscious of this fact. N even more significant factor is the religious educational back ground of these inmates. Forty per cent were never in any kind of re ligious school setting nor did they undergo the experience of Bar Mitzvah. Of the remaining sixty percent, at least half became Bar Mitzvah by a hasty private arrangement within the year prior to age thirteen. The rest may have gone to some school from one to three years. There is always a sprinkling of young men who are knowledgeable in fundamental observ ances, either by witnessing a limited amount in their homes or having lived with grandparents. This group, how ever, has always been a distinct minority. In the rabbinate, we constantly meet parents who advocate minimal standards in Jewish education. Some times we have to fight for that extra hour or additional day in Talmud Torah. Yet, I have never met in the institution a boy who has completed a full six- or seven-year curriculum in a bona fide Talmud Torah or attended a number of years in a Yeshivah. We think too lightly of the correlation between religious education and ethi cal behavior but the child who has spent a good number of years under the influence of a devoted rebbe or dedicated teacher is rarely found in an institution of this kind.

RELIGIOUS PROGRAM

E are fortunate in having our own chapel in Elmira and for mal religious service is held once a week. I selected Thursday, so that a

W 24

Torah reading could be included. It is truly a beautiful sight to witness the pride on an inmate’s face when he has mastered the B’rochoth and has been JEWISH LIFE

accorded the honor of an aliyah. With the exception of the sermon and the Torah reading, the service is com pletely inmate-led. A good number learned to read Hebrew during their stay in Elmira. Special services are held also during the week of each of the Yomin Tovim. Special parties mark events like Tu B’Shvat, Purim, and Chanukah. While attendance at these services is voluntary, the total average has always been about ninety percent of the group. Weekly services in a chapel cannot be expected to provide adequate re ligious indoctrination, nor can it in any way complete the inmate’s knowl edge and understanding of his faith. It must be augmented by other in struction „and, for this purpose, a study course, with sessions one evening each week, takes place from September to June. While this is also voluntary, the attendance at this course is usually one hundred percent. It is here that the inmates learn about the tenets and customs of their faith, and gain a knowledge of Jewish history and the ability to read Hebrew. The desire to read Hebrew has been quite popular and success in this area has enhanced our formal worship. Hebrew school texts are used, with regular assign ments and with outlined goals for study and achievement. Parts of these sessions are also de voted to discussion of contemporary problems of the Jewish community. I am happy to say that the most popular Jewish periodical is Jewish L ife and many a discussion has begun by an inmate’s comment or query on “some thing I read in Jewish L if e .” The interest engendered in this area is so keen that these discussions are almost impossible to bring to a close. In prac tically every case, participation in this activity has brought a completely new October, 1962

insight to the individual as to his responsibilities to himself and to his community. Y own synagogue, Congregation M Shomray Hadath of Elmira, has been most generous with the loan of a Torah for services and a great deal of audio-visual materials for our classes. The New York Board of Rabbis provides the inmates with pamphlets and literature for each holiday and is also responsible for providing a full supply of Passover food for the week of Pesach. The in stitution arranges for the annual Seder which is held, by special permission, in the Officers’ Dining Hall. Here, too, the inmates have learned to conduct the procedure themselves and to join in the many songs of the Haggadah. It is truly amazing and woefully sad, how often this turns out to be the first Seder experience for most of these young men. The work of the Chaplain is rounded out by personal counselling sessions for which I devote one, and sometimes two, mornings each week. The inmate is given to understand that the Chaplain stands ready to assist with any religious or personal problem that may be affecting him. I manage to make three visits a year with families of inmates, which helps immeasurably in the understanding and attempted solutions of their prob lems. In this area, I am also indebted to the Jewish Family Service (for merly New York Board of Guardians) of New York City for their valuable assistance. Since an inmate may not go out on parole without ready em ployment, the Jewish Family Service has been most helpful in securing jobs for young men ready to return to society. 25

Through a full-scale program of religious services, education, and per sonal counselling, the office of the Chaplain supplements and reinforces the other professional treatment with

in the institution. By helping the in mate to understand the meaning of religion in human relationships, he is given a base upon which to build a better life.

HOW SUCCESSFUL?

committed to support the drug habit. Narcotics is the most heinous and widespread area of demoralization to day and it has gained entry to a gen eration that has become easily bored, continually seeking new forms of joy and entertainment. Perhaps it may be trite to state this—but certainly the best antidote to a life of ennui is a life whose daily regimen is crowded with mitzvoth and in which the dis cipline of Torah living creates a won derful system of checks and balances. If crime is to be found less among Jews than among the populace at large, and devotion to education greater, it is because the influence of the Jewish home is a factor of great significance. In Judaism, the home with its daily experience of Yiddishkeit is the most effective power toward ethical living. Signs of erosion and disintegration are apparent in those areas where the home has not retained its supremacy. The traditionally Jew ish family, by reason of its character, still presents the most effective chal lenge to the annihilatory forces of life. “Except the Lord build the home, they toil in vain that build it.” (Psalms, 127)

JEWISH LIFE

T is somewhat difficult, without adequate follow-up, to determine the success or failure of our program. Recidivism to Elmira is small, since the commission of a new crime would probably mean State Prison. Never theless, I have a steady correspond ence with many young men who made good. In every case, it has been the religious experience they recall as the only fond memory of an unfortunate encounter of incarceration. It is most heartwarming to read of their success in business, marriage, raising a family, and membership in a synagogue—the latter interest coming only from time spent in Elmira. The young men whom I taught to put on Tephilin, who did so in their cells each morn ing and continued to do so after leav ing—these have provided some of the most rewarding sensations of my Rab binic experiences. The records of Elmira’s Jewish in mates include a wide variety of of fenses. Rarely, though, are crimes of violence among them. Their wrongdo ing springs mostly from the restless ness of our times and the desire for “kicks.” They go from skylarking with stolen cars to robberies and burglaries

Darwin vs. Genesis By LILLIAN OTT

r hat can it matter to him who has no yesterday to remember and no tomorrow to anticipate, whether his ancestor’s dawn reverberated with bark or grunt? If from his transitory valley of the moment he envisions no infinity, what can it matter to him whether in the beginning he was wriggly spore slithered out of the ooze, or mutant, freakish ape wandered away from his fellow? Now, when his twilight is nearer than his dawn, when with unheeding perverseness he would ignite his own soul while seeking to retain the image of a star in his mind, what difference can it be to him whether he was once worm or lizard or jellied bubble on the ocean floor?

I f fish or fowl or ape was father to a breed of men, let these be proud who have retained their ancestral ideals and norms, but let those who remember that they once conversed with their Maker, be prouder still in their memory of Genesis. October, 1962

Can We Neglect The Talmud Torah? By ZALMAN DISKIND

HE afternoon Hebrew school has been accepted by American Jewry as the main vehicle for teaching Juda ism to their children. For better or for worse, the Hebrew school will probably long so remain as the domi nant Jewish school in the United States. The large majority of American Jewish parents are still not ready to send their children to a Jewish day school. At the present, 10% of the over 550,000 American Jewish ele mentary school population attend Jew ish day schools. This percentage, which has been slowly but steadily in creasing for these past several years, will probably continue to rise in the future. However, we may still expect that in the foreseeable future, the large majority of the American Jewish school population will continue to be served by the afternoon Hebrew school or Talmud Torah system. It therefore behooves us to study this school system more closely and to pay more atten tion to its numerous problems.

It is common knowledge that one of the American Jew’s main reasons for joining a synagogue is his concern for the Jewish schooling of his chil dren. Most synagogues today provide these educational facilities for their members, so that the congregational Hebrew school has supplanted the communal Hebrew school as the pre vailing form of supplementary Jewish school system. The children attend Hebrew school from two to four after noons a week and Sunday morning, for a period of approximately one and a half to two hours each day. The average total of school hours for the youngster per week is approxi mately six hours. He attends school for approximately forty-four weeks a year. His usual length of stay at He brew school is five years, from age eight to Bar-Mitzvah. In Jewish communities throughout the United States (excluding New York City), afternoon Hebrew school attendance is slowly but surely beJEWISH LIFE

coming universal, increasingly displac ing the Sunday School and the “pri vate Bar-Mitzvah teacher.” Every ideo logical segment now provides Hebrew school facilities for elementary age children. There can be no doubt that the American Jewish community has fully adopted the afternoon Hebrew school as the basic school pattern for the Jewish education of their children.

Thus, the American Jewish com munity is currently spending sixty million dollars annually for the Jewish education of its elementary age chil dren, of which the largest part is ex pended for the afternoon Hebrew schools. This large investment by American Jews bespeaks a commit ment to Judaism which should not be underestimated.

NON-ORTHODOX FORCES IN AMERICAN JEWISH EDUCATION

HILE the orthodox Jewish com munity is by far the dominant force in American Jewish day school education, it is not equally dominant in afternoon Hebrew school education. In this area, the sectarian segments of the American Jewish community have concentrated major effort. Per haps in the eager desire to enhance and enrich the day school system, orthodox Jewry has been guilty of neglect of its numerically much larger afternoon Talmud Torah system, which system exists wherever there are orthodox synagogues. T h e C o n s e rv a tiv e g r oup has achieved a strong foothold in the educational life of the Jewish com munity through highly-organized, wellfinanced activity in the afternoon Hebrew school field. In a number of cities where there exist various Jewish denominational Hebrew schools, the Conservative school outranks other Hebrew schools in numbers of stu dents. In some communities, continu ation on a Hebrew high school level is greater in the Conservative Hebrew school group than in any of the other groups in the community. This is primarily due to the fact that the Conservative group has been paying

October, 1962

considerable attention to this major form of Jewish schooling. Thus, they have organized the United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education, which serves as the coordinating body for all Conservative Hebrew schools throughout the United States and Canada. This commission provides guidance and direction to all of its affiliated synagogue schools and pub lishes numerous texts and publications for them. They also provide their affiliated schools with Hebrew school teachers and educational directors, through their placement service and their professional arm, the Educators Assembly. The result of this highly organized activity has been a consider able rise in educational standards in many Conservative schools throughout the country. In addition to these on going services for Conservative con gregational Hebrew schools, the six Camps Ramah throughout the United States, provide Conservative Hebrew school students with a valuable sum mer experience in Hebraic and Jewish living. (See Jewish L ife , August 1961, pp. 20-21.) The Conservative group has grown strong as a force in American Jewish education for a variety of reasons. 29

Their assimilation of various tradi tional standards of Jewish education combined with adoption in toto of Zionist philosophy as part of Conserv ative ideology and school curriculum, has been attractive to a wide segment of the American Jewish educational community. In their educational stance, they very often resemble that of traditional Jewry to a considerable degree, what with their incorporation of Kashruth, Shabboth, and Eretz Yisroel into their curriculum. And the numerous young men who are per sonally observant, and who were trained in orthodox yeshivoth, and nevertheless serve as teachers and principals of Conservative schools, have given the Conservatives a ready reservoir of traditional-minded Jewish educators for their schools. These young men, most of whom would rather teach in orthodox-sponsored schools, feel themselves forced, be cause of economic considerations, to seek employment in Conservative schools and temples. HE Reform Movement also has become very active in the after noon Hebrew school system in the United States. They too have created a national coordinating body, the Commission on Jewish Education of the Union of American Hebrew Congfegations. This agency employs several full-time professionals, and produces a great many texts and audio-visual aids such as film strips and records, and provides other valu able, material and information for Re form schools. The activities of this department are geared towards the production of committed Reform Jews, reared with a good knowledge of Reform ideology and practice. They too have set up a network of summer camps throughout the coun

try, where children from Reform re ligious schools are indoctrinated with Reform ideology and purpose during the summer months (ibid). While in the past practically all Reform schools were of the Sunday School variety, today many Reform synagogues have instituted one or two weekday after noon per week Hebrew school pro grams, with considerably more em phasis on Hebrew language in the curriculum than has been the case in the past. In recent years the various Zionist bodies have made intensive, large-scale attempts to infiltrate and to capture American Jewish education. Zionist activity in American Jewish educa tion is not limited to the Hebrew school. It has influenced the day school as well. Mountainous streams of pedagogically and educationally good-quality curricular materials flow into Jewish schools throughout the country every year. These materials, which are usually provided free of charge, emanate from the Jewish Agency, Jewish National Fund, Histadruth Ivrith, Hadassah, and the Zionist Organization of America. A Jewish educator could indeed be con sidered foolish were he not to utilize this curricular material to enrich the presently anemic Hebrew school cur riculum. As a matter of fact, he would probably lose his credentials as a Jew ish educator were he not to utilize these attractively constructed texts and booklets, which are printed in Hebrew and English. Needless to say, these materials leave much to be desired from a religious point of view. The shining luminaries of Jewish history cease to be the Rambam, the Vilna Gaon, and the Chofetz Chaim. In stead, they become Theodore Herzl, Henrietta Szold, and David Ben Gurion. JEWISH LIFE

O a great extent, American Jew ish education today is Zionist Jewish education. Since most of the leaders and molders of supplementary Jewish education in America today have forsaken traditional learning and observance as the raison d’être of Jew ish education, they have been forced to substitute something else in its stead. Zionism and Israel have filled this void. There is no doubt that Israel holds great attraction as a curricular element in the Jewish school, for this presents the child with a living, visual presentation of contemporary develop ments. The Zionist groups are capital izing on this natural interest, to the fullest possible degree and authentic Torah education has lost out in the process. With seemingly endless funds at their disposal, through the Materials Claims Conference and through U.J.A. subsidies, the Jewish Agency and other

Zionist groups are making a grand play for control of American Jewish education. The latest move of the Zionists in their attempt to control the American Jewish school system, and through it all Jewish education the world over, has been the con vening of a World Conference on Jewish Education in Jerusalem, by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, head of the World Zionist Organization and of the Jew ish Agency for Palestine. Interestingly, the only organized non-orthodox American Jewish educational group which refused to participate in this Zionist-sponsored World Conference was the Conservative United Syna gogue Commission on Jewish Educa tion. All others—and also some ortho dox groups—capitulated, sending rep resentatives to this Jerusalem Confer ence, which promises to solve nothing, either in American Jewish education or world Jewish education.

THE ORTHODOX CONGREGATIONAL HEBREW SCHOOL

ERHAPS the most sadly neglected Jewish school in the United States is the orthodox congregational after. noon Hebrew school or Talmud Torah. Except for several of the large cities, where there exists some form of orthodox Hebrew school organization (such as in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Baltimore), the orthodox Hebrew school labors under the handi cap of lack of direction and common purpose. New York City’s orthodox Jewish community with its 1,000 orthodox synagogues has no Educa tion Bureau of its own; the Metro politan Commission on Talmud Torahs,

October, 1962

which undertakes to service some of New York’s orthodox Hebrew schools, is a department of the “non-denominational” Jewish Education Commit tee of New York, conducted in cooperation with Yeshiva University. There exists no single unifying and coordinating body or agency in the United States to offer guidance and counsel to orthodox schools with re gard to curriculum, fiscal policy, pedagogic standards, etc. There is no overall national orthodox agency to provide sorely needed textbooks and curricular material for all orthodox congregational Hebrew schools, as is 31

done for other Jewish denominational schools. Very often, orthodox schools are forced to use textbooks published by non-orthodox educational agencies, which ofttimes present concepts to the children that are not in consonance with orthodox Jewish belief and ide ology. Very few orthodox synagogues employ full-time administrators or edu cational directors, to properly super vise and administer their Talmud Torahs. As a result, there are numer ous orthodox schools which do not even have a proper system of records for their school population. The prob lem of dropouts after Bar-Mitzvah in orthodox congregational Hebrew schools is at least as acute as in Con servative and Reform schools. A great many orthodox Talmud Torahs suffer from comparatively small enrollments, often less than 100. This small enroll ment results in a greater financial burden for the sponsoring congrega tions. The orthodox school does not provide summertime camping experi ences in Jewish living for the students of their Hebrew schools, as is the case with other synagogue groupings. HY are we neglecting the ortho dox Hebrew school? As stated previously in this article, this may well be due to our extreme preoccu pation with the Day School movement. There can be no doubt that qualita tively, the day school produces a child with much more Jewish knowledge than does the afternoon Talmud Torah. Yet we must not lose sight of the fact that 90% of the American Jewish school population are presently enrolled in the supplementary type of Jewish school, including Sunday schools. Whether we like it or not, most American Jewish parents are still a long way from accepting the idea

of day school education. Many of our own orthodox brethren in communi ties across the continent do not s^nd their children to Jewish day schools. Many leading orthodox rabbis, edu cators, and laymen, who reside in New York City and one or two other large metropolitan areas, act and speak as if all of the American Jewish orthodox community was created in the image o f th e N ew Y o rk C ity o rth o d o x communities of Boro Park, Crown Heights, and Williamsburg. Not com prehending the unique religious and social problems of out-of-town Jewish communities, they are prone to down grade the afternoon Hebrew School and to consider it a waste. They point to the superficiality of the Hebrew school curriculum and to the child’s comparatively short stay in the He brew school. This attitude and ap proach has inflicted much damage on the orthodox community and the or thodox Talmud Torah outside of New York City. By putting all of our eggs in one basket, the Day School, and by proclaiming the Day School as the one and only solution for the survival of Yiddishkeit in America, Orthodoxy has been guilty, by default, of sac rificing countless thousands of young American Jews to alien ideologies and to other formulations of our Jewish religious creed. Sensing a lack of in terest in their educational welfare, they became easy prey for any group or organization which shows more in terest in their educational and social needs. While Orthodoxy is gaining on one battlefield, we are losing out on a much more massive battlefront, where the casualties are exceedingly high. S it indeed true that the Hebrew school cannot educate children to be good, religious, conscientious Jews?

JEWISH LIFE

Can any educator agree to the proposi tion that five years of elementary-age schooling leaves no impress on a child’s mind and heart? Have we fully utilized all of the educational poten tial that inheres in Talmud Torah edu cation? The answer to these questions is, in my opinion, an emphatic NO. Many of our present-day orthodox rabbinical leaders and lay leaders had no more than a Talmud Torah educa tion in their early youth, before they entered a yeshivah in their teens. Many of the most devoted adherents of our faith had no more than a He brew school education. (Some had no formal Jewish education at all!) There is no valid reason why, with a proper curriculum and with suitable teachers, the afternoon Hebrew school should not be in a position to be a dynamic, positive force for the per petuation of Torah-true Yiddishkeit in America. It remains for the ortho dox Jewish community to harness the tremendous potential for tradi tional Judaism which lies dormant in the orthodox congregational He brew school. NE of the major problems con fronting us is the fragmentation of educational forces in the orthodox Jewish community. There exist at present several orthodox educational agencies. None of these agencies de votes itself to the problems of the He brew school. Torah Umesorah deals ex clusively with the problems of the Jew ish day school. The Vaad Hachinuch Hatorani of Mizrachi has neither the personnel nor the funds to deal with this area of Hebrew school education. (They have, however, published some very good Hebrew texts, which can be used in the afternoon Hebrew school.) The Merkos Leinyonei Chi-

October, 1962

nuch of Lubavitch is perhaps the most active group and apparently displays somewhat more interest than the other organizations in the welfare of the Hebrew school. However, because of their form of organization and their distinctive Chasidic philosophy, they cannot hope to influence more than a small segment of the orthodox syna gogue community. Neither Yeshiva University nor the major yeshivoth are providing for the needs of the or thodox congregational Hebrew school. The Education Commission of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congrega tions of America does not as yet appear to be making a meaningful contribution to this need. If the above-mentioned organiza tions could unite for the purpose of solving these critical problems relat ing to Hebrew school education, then there would be created a new and mighty force in American Jewish education. This united force would be in a position to mobilize the tremen dous latent strength for Orthodoxy which resides in our far-flung ortho dox congregational Hebrew school system. Petty rivalries aside, and with a firm resolve to meet these vexing and festering problems, much could be accomplished.

E must not procrastinate any longer. For every day that we tarry, we are causing much irreparable and irreplaceable loss to the educa tional forces of traditional Judaism in this country. While we sit idly by, other groups and forces in American Jewish education are busily at work, filling the existing void in this area of Jewish education. These groups are making giant strides in the direction of capturing a very large segment of

the American Jewish school system. The opportunities are endless for any orthodox group which shows any in terest in the educational and pedagogic problems besetting the afternoon Talmud Torah system. It is nothing short of criminal on our part to stand by with folded hands, while our own Hebrew schools flounder because of lack of organization and coordination and for lack of a clear purpose and rationale. It is unpardonable for us to allow orthodox Hebrew schools, because of lack of better textbook material, to use history texts which teach concepts which are contrary to Masorah and tradition. It is disheart ening when orthodox congregational Hebrew schools ofttimes suffer from comparison, in numbers of students and in pedagogic standards, with non orthodox schools in the same area and the same community. It is unfortunate

that numbers of orthodox-trained and orthodox-reared young American men and women have to seek employment in non-orthodox Hebrew schools, be cause our own orthodox Talmud Torah cannot offer these people the means of a decent livelihood. It is sheer waste of educational potential, when the orthodox Jewish community does not provide for our congrega tional Hebrew school children a sum mer camping experience, in which they could live, for two full months, the type of Torah-true living about which we talk to the children all year in the Talmud Torah. We must formulate a plan of action at once. A national orthodox Com mission should be estabished immedi ately, and should set itself to the important tasks at hand. The following is a proposed prospectus for the cre ation of such a Commission.

PROSPECTUS FOR THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON ORTHODOX CONGREGATIONAL HEBREW SCHOOL EDUCATION

1. To improve the standards and techniques of Jewish education in or thodox congregational Talmud Torah schools in the United States and Canada. 2. To coordinate and centralize the Jewish educational activities of all or thodox congregational Hebrew schools and to give a traditional rationale to their common educational activities. 3. To publish syllabi and textbooks which are in harmony with the prin ciples and tenets of orthodox Judaism. 4. To mobilize the many young men of traditional orthodox upbring ing trained as Jewish educators and to make of them a dynamic resource for the perpetuation of orthodox Juda 34

ism in this country, and for no other creed. 5. To serve as an agency for the referral to orthodox Hebrew schools of prospective candidates for teaching and principalship positions. The Commission would engage in the following projects: 1. Organization of association of orthodox educational directors. 2. Placement Bureau. 3. Establishment of high standards to which schools must adhere in order to be recognized as orthodox and thereby to be entitled to the rights and privileges attendant upon such recognition. 4. Educating orthodox synagogues JEWISH LIFE

6. Publication of textbooks, written to the need of engaging full-time pro fessional educators for their schools by leading orthodox Jewish scholars, and of the necessity of paying them for use in all of our schools. 7. To make the educational activi a respectable living salary. 5. Establishing of summer camps ties of the department the instrument to fortify and integrate the teachings for the renaissance of authenic Torahof the Hebrew school, during a two true Judaism in the United States and Canada. month period of Torah-true living.

October, 1962

H a s h h a fa h The Human Dimension By SAMSON R. WEISS

“In the beginning the Almighty created the heavens and the earth” “B’reshith—at the beginning of timeg in the first moment which was in divisible, for no time preceded it. “Boro”*-He made nothingness into sub stance, and in this process time does not intrude at all.” (Rabbenu Obadyah Seforno, Commentary to the Torah)

HE Jewish year, beginning with the majestic overture of the Yomim Noroim and followed by the joyous Sukkoth Festival bespeaking the confidence of a people anchored in eternity, though living in fragile, temporary abodes, settles into its rhythmic cycle on Shabbath B’reshith. Wherever Jews congregate for prayer on this Shabbath, the first portion of the Torah is read and the chapters of creation unfold anew. Though the Talmud relates (Megillah, 29b) that there once existed a custom to divide the reading of the Torah over a three year cycle, “the custom accepted by all of Israel is to complete the reading of the entire Torah in one year/’ (Rambam, Hilcoth Tefillah 13,1). Ordained by Mosheh our Teacher (ibid. 14,1), the weekly reading of the Law has be come part of the ever recurring sign posts which mark the flow of time, the

same as the Sabbath and the Festivals. The human mind cannot possibly conceive of the nothingness preceding existence, nor can it comprehend true eternity, which is not simply neverending time but rather the status of complete freedom from time and thus outside of its categories of beginning and end, past, present, and future. Creation, as Rabbi Obadya Seforno states, is simultaneously the evoking of existence and its being placed into the dimension of time which, too, is a creation. All that once was not and is now, needs the “now” in order to be and is conditioned by it. True eternity is, therefore, reserved for the Creator Who alone is unconditioned in His existence. His ineffable Name is expressive of His sovereignty above all time. When we pronounce in prayer and blessing the permissible utterance of this Sherri Hcivayoh, calling him Master, we reflect in our thoughts that JEWISH LIFE

He was, that He is, and that He will be—the closest we can come to the concept of His eternity.

understand it, is the permeation of our limitations and their transcendence with eternity and infinity. The Divine precept, addressed to man and his con dition, makes him an extension of the Divine will, above all time and space. In the recurrence of Shabbath and Yom Tov and in the observances which connote for the Jew the daily passage of morning, noon, and night, he becomes identified with that Divine constancy which envelops him and all other beings. Setting aside places and objects consecrated to His service, he stretches out towards that Divine Infinity which shelters all the worlds.

H r HE great thinkers of our people -I- have stressed the permanence of Creation behind the facade of an apparently independent and consistent nature, seeing in the very fact of exist ence the portal to the knowledge of G-d. They have gone further. Beyond the miracle of Creation and its per manence vouchsafed in the continuous creative will of the Almighty “on Whom everything constantly leans in its very being” (Rambam, Yesodey Hatorah, 2, 19), they have found in existence a supreme revelation of the HE “Kedushath Yisrael” is based Divine Omnipotence. This omnipo on living within this enveloping tence is not only manifested in the and sheltering Divine presence, on works of Creation and their grandeur. regulating one’s existence by the guide Humble and astonished, man stands lines of such identification and exten before, the power of Him Who could sion, and on thus walking the ways make Himself known to His creatures of this world towards immortality, in the vessels of time and matter, in (comp. Seforno to Sh’moth 19:6 and the cloak of finiteness and limitation. Vayikroh 19:2). “I keep the Almighty Revealing Himself in these vessels, He ever present before me—this is a bridges the immeasurable gap between cardinal principle of the Torah and His Eternity and Infinity and man the distinction of the righteous who who is bounded by time and the re walk before the Lord.” These are the straints of space. This is the higher words with which Rabbi Moshe Issermiracle of Creation, the higher evi les, in the opening paragraphs of his* dence of His omnipotence. “Said Rabbi famous Glossary to the Shulchon Yochanan: ‘Wherever you find the Oruch, lays down the foundation of greatness of the Holy One, blessed be all Jewish observance. He, there you also find His modesty’ ” Only he who knows of B'reshith will ( Megillah, 31). That He can be found see in the human boundaries the chal by man, that in itself is discovery of lenge and the promise. Only he who His grace, a glimpse beyond the con knows that time flows from eternity fines of our boundaries toward the will fill the span of his life with the majestic source of all existence. Divine radiance of meaning and The sanctification of life, as the Jew purpose.

October, 1962

Blanka By GERSHON KRANZLER

r p H E friendship with Blanka, the J . renowned Israeli painter, had started quite accidentally—or, by the lore of Safed, the ancient seat of the mystics, where we met, our destinies crossed to create a deeper depth and a wider canvas for the experience of our sojourn in the Holy Land. We stepped out of the bright sum mer sun into the balmy semi-dark of the Artist Center of Kiryath Tzayarim, the quaint artist quarters arranged down the steep hill of Safed, in former Arab villas. We entered the modern exhibition hall, and our eyes were immediately caught by a heavily blue painting that roused our interest and did not let us go for a long, long time. There were a number of other fine paintings, water colors, oils, gouaches, and extraordinary sculptures by trans planted European artists and gifted young Israeli natives. Yet we kept coming back to this picture that seemed to have caught the mystic quality of Safed, with its overcast of layers of history, of meditation, inspiration and piety, that fills the incredibly blue, blue of the skies opposite Meron. A few strokes of bright focused the painting, 38

like the dancing sunlight on the once graceful, rusty balconies, bay-towers, and spiral staircases of the old city. We had to meet the artist who signed herself Blanka, to see more of the work of such a powerful brush. The brown wooden marker bearing her name pointed down the steep cob ble path. Our excitement rose as we made our way between the narrow walls, graceful arches, and terraced levels, where each house serves as the summer studio of a noted artist. E almost missed the door to Blanka’s study, because the sign above the entrance was overhung with lush vine that covered the high wall. It seemed as if the artist were trying to hide behind it. Our determined knocking finally produced results. Light footsteps of a sandal-clad foot approached and a woman opened the door, eyeing us suspiciously. We had expected anything but the simple, heavy, naive, ruddy peasant face, framed by black straight hair, pulled back severely. We assumed that she was the scrubwoman, or a servant of the artist. A spark of amusement lit

JEWISH LIFE

up in the deep-set, jet-black eyes of the woman when she saw our sur prise. “ ‘B’vakasha,’ please, come in, I am Blanka,” she said in her me lodious, high voice, with the obvious accent of the Hungarian, that we came to appreciate in the long hours that we spent subsequently in the magic artist heaven, which she had created with her own gifted hands from a debris-filled, ramshackle old villa. A Gan Eden of precious flowers, lus cious grapes, and other fruit trees and bushes, populated by cute kittens, lizards, and other pets, led to the covered patio that served as her ex hibition hall for the curious tourists that pass from studio to studio, with ahs and ohs, rush on to the next, and once in a while pick a painting to match the size of the walls back home in the Bronx, Oshkosh, or Miami. We won Blanka’s favor when we declared that we had time, and were in no rush to make a bus, or join our group, but wanted to see more of the work of the artist who had done the painting in blue. At first our eyes were caught by the colorful array of pottery, mosaics, and the graceful architecture of the place. But all this fell by the side when she introduced us to her paintings, set effectively along the walls, on stones, into niches, and on large urns, which she had pieced together painfully from frag ments found on her daily scrounging trips through the rubble heaps and debris of the old city. ONE of Blanka’s paintings was light-hearted and gay. Each one N was different and significant, like cob bles and markers along her way from elegant Budapest, to Bohemian Paris, back to the Hungarian village that had once been home, and then Israel. But between was the violent break, the October, 1962

collapsing world of war, persecution, and the shame and death of concen tration camp. We had of course no ticed the number etched into Blanka’s forearm forever. But this was nothing unusual in Israel. When she took us up a fragile, high staircase to her studio, and showed us the best of her past and current work, we were shocked out of our curiosity and tour ist complacency by one of her char coal and crayon pictures, that we chanced across, hidden behind a pile of other unframed paintings. It showed a woman, hunched over, her upper body bare, in a gloomy, cage-like structure, eyes spying down from above. It was then that we realized the abyss of shame that had broken the spirit and body of this highly ar tistic woman, who had been one of Ferdinand Leger’s most talented stu dents. “This picture is not for sale,” she said quickly, when we—in typical tourist manner—asked for the price, and placed the picture back behind the pile. Blanka, who had won Israel’s most coveted Dizengoff prize with a paint ing which she submitted, while still working in a factory, to earn enough for canvas, paint, and bread, adopted us as friends. She took us on a tour of the scenic views of Safed, and of the aged, poor, and decrepit, who were not only her models but her personal charges. She cared for these forsaken old women and men, as for her pets, bringing each one what he needed or liked most. Her entrance brought a ray of light into the hovels and bare basement rooms, behind rusty gates, doorways, and collapsing walls. We felt frivolous, with our cameras and tourist manners, next to this angel of mercy, with the radiant smile on the ruddy face beneath the huge straw 39

hat, who had a bag and a kind word for each of her pathetic charges, some of whom she did not even understand because they spoke some oriental dialect. Blanka taught us her religion of kindness and the sanctity of life, when she took us on this tour, or when she went with us on a trip to the north, and picked up a dying plant and watered it, or stopped us from killing an ant. EFORE we left Safed reluctantly, we spent the last few hours in Blanka’s studio. A number of the usual tourists swept through her exhibition in the patio, and went on. Only one tall, handsome young man still re mained with us to share our reverie before our friend’s pictures. To our amazement we discovered that he was a German instructor of arts and crafts, in charge of a group of German youngsters, sent to Israel to promote friendship, when one of these came in, clicking heels and informing the Herr Lieutenant respectfully that the group was waiting for him. We were as surprised by the instructor’s fluent English and halting Hebrew as he was by our native German accent, though

he seemed not a bit embarrassed by the fact that we were refugees. The German and we were waiting a long time for Blanka to ccfrne out and spend the last hour with us. He waited because he was interested in a small picture that he wanted to buy at any cost. He appreciated and understood art, as we discovered while waiting for Blanka. “I am trying to see the artist the second day already,” he re marked rather ruefully. “Our bus is leaving soon for a kibbutz, where we shall spend a week working and living together with the chevrah. I can’t wait much longer. I wish she would come out.” Joe, our travelling companion, and I went out to search for Blanka. We found her in the low hovel that served her as living quarters, with an iron bedstead, a primus, and a rigged-up shower. She was standing behind the wire-covered screen door, looking over the patio, where our wives were wait ing with the German. Tears were streaming down her face. “Please, please,” she pleaded, “take Putzi away, or I must kill him.” We thought of the picture of the bare-bosomed woman in the cage. Somehow we understood Blanka.

JEWISH LIFE

A .

S t o r y

The Point of Decision By KADISH GOLDBERG

HO is the biggest tzadik in town? shuster cannot bear to see a torn pair Depending on which citizen of of shoes—he has to fix them. And here W Smolnik you ask, you will receive a your Beis Hamikdosh lies so long in number of answers. The most logical candidate of course, is the saintly Rebbe. Or perhaps Reb Nuteh the melamed, whose talmidim keep the world going with their kometz, aleph, vov. Or maybe even Reb Oiser the merchant who enjoys the fruits of this world, but who has accumulated a large keren kayemes for the world to come with his charity. These three would be the most obvious (though unwilling) candidates for the title—but Berish the shoemaker? Berish!? Who would have thought . . . Three o’clock every weekday morn ing, the glow of a tallow candle an nounces to the empty streets that Berish has risen and washed. Impatient with the tikkunim which he cannot understand, he sighs deeply and says simply,' “Tateh in Himmel—even a October, 1962

ruins. Fix, Tateh, fix.” Then, tacks between his teeth, he sits down amid a pile of shoes and leather scraps, and begins his work. In his hands (themselves tough and black as the leather he works) the pieces of leather magically take shape —a new sole, a heel, stam a loteh-—an entire shoe. Cut . . . stitch . . . tap . . . he sits hunched over his dimly lit table until dawn. Then he takes time out for Shacharis, a piece of dry black bread and a cup of tea, and back to his bench. Cut . . . stitch . . . tap . . . and so on throughout the day. Ah, you’ll say, Reb Zalman is also a shoemaker, and he eats a good deal more than tea and black bread for breakfast, and he manages to get up at six. A better shoemaker? Chas v’sholom—a good shuster—but not 41

better. I see you still don’t know Berish. Wait a second and watch. T’S February. The snow has melted somewhat into slush—you know, the kind that always manages to get into your shoes despite all your pre cautions. A beggar comes into Smolnik (don’t all beggars?) and moves from door to door, testing the charity of our rachmanim b’ney rachmanim. He opens the door to Berish’s shop, ad justs his eyes to the dark, and silently holds out his hand. Berish does not look at his hand. He looks at his feet —two soaked, shapeless, rag-covered lumps. Without a moment’s hesitation Berish takes the shiny pair of boots he has just finished and hands them to the beggar. “Reb Oiser can afford to wait a little longer.” Now do you see why Berish cannot afford to get up at six and eat buttered buns and herring for breakfast? What does Berish do for a little Olom Hazeh, for a little enjoyment in this world? Berish’s Olom Hazeh revolves around Shabbos afternoon and the Rebbe. After heroically wak ing up from his cholent-induced sleep, Berish rushes to the shteibel for Minchah. Berish sits with all the other men at Sholosh Seudos, that herring and chaleh banquet for the departing Queen Shabbos. The last golden rays of the setting sun gleam through the window to illumine the departure. Then sun and Shabbos disappear, and the dark ness merges all into one, and Berish is one with all, with Reb Oiser the mer chant, with Nuteh the melamed, with the Rebbe, even with Reb Zalman his competitor. The Rebbe speaks. He speaks of worlds gone by and of worlds to come. He speaks of secrets of the soul and of the soul of the world. Berish does

not understand. But he listens patient ly, intently, waiting hopefully for a single spark which he might catch. Understanding or not, this hour is for Berish the happiest and the holiest. He is prepared for another week of c u t. . . stitch . . . tap. How does one repay the Rebbe for such a treasure? Once every year, Berish washes his hands, picks out a few prime pieces of leather, says “L’shem Mitzvah,” and slowly and carefully makes the best pair of shoes he can. He finishes them Erev Pesach, polishes them until they sparkle like glass, and gives them to the Rebbe. “A good thing the B’ney Yisroel who left Egypt didn’t have boots like this,” the Rebbe would say. “With these they could have walked eighty years in the midbor!”

LUL.

The shofor sounds its warnings, and the whole town lives in dread of judg ment. Debts are repaid, apo!og:es of fered, charity is given—and Berish gets up at two o’clock to make an extra pair of shoes for the poor. Havdolah was over. Berish walked slowly and fearfully down the street. He thought of Sholosh Seudos—how thankful he was for the dark, else he would have feared to look at the Rebbe’s face. The Rebbe’s words that evening were harsh and painful. He spoke of the severity of judgment, of the horrors awaiting those whose souls were uncleansed. Berish trembled. “Oy vey,” he mumbled, “oy vey. What will become of a sinner like me? Where is there a greater sinner than Berish? Ai, ai, ai . . . ” Tortured, his head shaking from side to side, and his fist uncon sciously beating his chest, he moved along the dark mud path. JEWISH LIFE

He stopped. A figure stood before Berish. Berish stepped aside to go around him, but the figure would not let him pass. “Why are you so sad, Berish?” Berish’s eyes slowly pierced the dark to make out the figure’s face. The white bearded face was unfamiliar. “How do you know my name?” A smile appears on the stranger’s face. “That’s not important, Berish. Tell me, why are you so worried?” Berish finds the stranger easy to talk to. “The Rebbe spoke about Yom Hadin—what terrible punishments the guilty must suffer.” “And you’re worried Berish?” 5fOf course.” Berish was surprised to note a twinkle in the stranger’s eyes. “Berish, don’t worry too much about the punishment. I have something else to discuss with you. How would you like to have a wish fulfilled?” Berish is startled. “What kind of wish?” “Any kind of wish.” * Berish searches the stranger’s face closely for a sign of mocke y, but he finds none. On the contrary, the stranger’s face is kind and gentle, and invites trust. But Berish is confused. “But why me? I’m only Berish the shoemaker.” “You’re not at all the sinner you think yourself to be. I bring you a gift. Please, Berish, make it easy for me and accept it quickly. What is your wish?” Berish blushes with embarrassment. He is sure that a mistake has been made. But he sees that the stranger is in a hurry, and he doesn’t want to inconvenience him. “Any wish?” “Any wish.” Berish thought for a few moments. “Well, the Rebbe spoke of the wonderOctober, 1962

ful treasures waiting for the tzadikim and of the terrible punishments wait ing for the reshoim. If it’s possible and if it isn’t too much trouble for you— could I maybe see Gan Eden and Gehennom?” “Close your eyes,” the stranger com manded. ERISH closed his eyes. He began to hear a distant rumble, like the thunder which echoes across the river on cloudy spring days. Then the rum ble grew louder and closer, growing to a piercing howl. Suddenly he felt the stranger’s hands on his shoulders, and he began to whirl around and around. He felt himself hurled down ward at impossible speeds. He dared open his eyes for a moment and saw himself surrounded by swirling spirals of blazing color. Blinded and dizzied, he shut his eyes and kept them shut tight until the movement and the noise suddenly ceased—as suddenly as they had begun. “Open your eyes, Berish.” Berish opened his eyes. Blinded by the intense light, he shut them quickly. Cautiously he opened them. Slowly they grew accustomed to the aurora of light around him. He rubbed his eyes and they began to focus on the brilliant scene before him. Wonder of wonders! Who would have believed such things could be! Before him was a tremendous hall, so long that he could not see the far end. The great gold pillars soared high to a ceiling hidden by lace of pure white clouds. The walls were panelled with incredibly intricate carvings. (“My, even Yankele the carpenter couldn’t do that—and Yankele did the Oron Kodesh in the Big Shool!”) From nowhere came music—music the likes of which Berish had never heard or imagined. (Even the klezmorim from

Pshemeshyl whom Reb Oiser brought for his daughter’s wedding didn’t play like this!) And filling the massive hall were countless feast tables, surrounded with myriads of people. “Come take a closer look, Berish.” He started to walk, but hesitated. The floor is under water! And in the water are fish! But still, there are people and tables . . . Gingerly, he puts his foot onto the floor. Wonder of wonders! Not water at all, but cry stal—clear crystal and in the crystal, models of all the wonders of the deep fashioned in gold and diamonds and precious stones. The stranger led Berish to the tables. And what tables! On cloths of shim mering fabrics lay dishes of gold and silver and crystal. And in the dishes, a feast to put Achashverosh to shame! Sizzling meats and poultry swimming in rich sauces, mouth-watering soups, fish served in a dozen tantalizing ways! And kugels! Raisin kugel, noodle kugel, potato kugel! Fruits and wines in every color of the rainbow! Berish could not contain himself. Even his Dvoshe, her soul rest in peace, even his Dvoshe never made a meal like this. His mouth watering, he clapped his hands and exclaimed, “Wonderful! Wonderful! How right the Rebbe was! How wonderful Gan Eden is! If people only knew what is waiting for them here, they would never sin. And these people are the tzadikim, the good and holy . . .” The smile left the stranger’s face. “No, Berish, these are the sinners of the world.” Berish is stunned. “The sinners?” “The sinners. This is Gehennom.” “Gehennom?” A few seconds of choked silence passed, and Berish was on the verge of tears. “But . . . but . . . the Rebbe said . . . the Rebbe promised that the bad people would be punished 44

. . . would suffer terribly . . . and here they have banquets and music . . . the Rebbe . . .” The stranger put his hand to Berish’s* lips. “Wait, Berish, there is justice. Watch carefully how the wicked try to enjoy themselves.” Berish held back his tears and watched. At first he noticed nothing. But then . . . something strange . . . their arms . . . their arms were straight and stiff . . . their arms had no elbows! He watched a sinner jab his fork into a piece of juicy meat—but unable to bend his arm, he could not bring it to his mouth. Another sinner filled up his crystal beaker with ruby red wine, but could not bring it to his lips. A smile appeared on Berish’s lips. In relief, he began to chuckle. “The Rebbe was right! What a punishment! To have all the good things right in your hands, yet not to be able to enjoy them. The Rebbe was right!” “Of course,” smiled the stranger. “Come, Berish, I’ll show you Gan Eden. Close your eyes again.” Berish took a final look at the scene before him, his face glowing with joy —-but his heart not a little sad as he watched the futile contortions of the wicked trying to enjoy the feast. But G-d’s ways are just, he admitted, and he shut his eyes tight. HE magnificent music was im mediately replaced by the deafen ing howl as again Berish felt himself spun round and round and propelled upward as out of a cannon. He felt himself going up . . . up . . . through all the seven heavens of which the Rebbe spoke. And as before, the noise suddenly ceased and all was still. “We’re here, Berish.” Berish opened his eyes and blinked. Funny, he was exactly where he was before. The same golden pillars, the

JEWISH LIFE

same music, the same light, the same tables with their millions of feasters . . . even the same crystal floor. “Are you sure we . . . ?” “Yes, Berish, this is Gan E den^H Slowly it dawned on Berish and great joy filled his heart. “Aha, now I understand. Here in Gan Eden the good have exactly the same as the sin ners in Gehennom. But while the sin ners cannot enjoy the good things, the tzadikim do enjoy them. Can I tell the Rebbe . . . ?” “Wait, Berish, you haven’t seen it all yet. Let’s move to the tables and look at the people very carefully.” Berish moved across the crystal floor to the feasters and was puzzled. What was different? Exactly the same as be fore, except that here the tzadikim . . . Suddenly Berish froze. His heart skipped a beat. He looked closer to make sure he had made no mistake. But it was so . . . the tzadikim were not different from the sinners. Here too in Gan Eden the righteous had no elbows! Tears came to Berish’s pleading eyes and rolled down his rough cheek. The tzadikim . . . the Rebbe said the tza dikim would be rewarded . . . the Rebbe was wrong . . . for nothing we keep the Torah . . .” “Berish, Berish—wipe your eyes, and you’ll see the difference.” Berish swallowed, bit his lip, and with his coarse sleeve wiped his eyes. And he watched. He watched a man at the table pick up a piece of meat with a fork but

October, 1962

instead of trying to force it into his own mouth, he brought it to his neigh bor’s mouth. Another man poured a glass of wine and brought it to the lips of the man across from him. And so every one fed someone else—and all enjoyed the feast of the righteous. Again tears rolled down Berish’s cheeks. But this time they were tears of joy. He wanted to speak, to cry out how wonderful and just are the ways of the Almighty—but words would not come. Unashamed, he both laughed and cried. The stranger put his hands over Berish’s eyes and again all was a dark spinning void. When he opened his eyes again, he was on the dark mud path—alone.

HOLOSH SEUDOS.

The men sit shoulder to shoulder, hunched over, ears reaching to grasp and hold every syllable. Like gentle dew the Rebbe’s words drop into their hearts. Every ear is strained—every mind waits eagerly for the revelation. “They are one and the same . . . one and the same. It is we who decide which is Gan Eden and which is Gehennom.” The Rebbe is silent. In the silence, many minds, sensing themselves on the brink of a deep and basic truth, strug gle to understand. Berish alone smiles. For once he understands.

Careers in Library Science By WALTER DUCKAT

EW categories of people contribute more to the education, inspiration, and entertainment of our country than professional librarians. These trained men and women play a more important role in our lives than is commonly known.

Most people picture the librarian as someone collecting, arranging, or stamping books. The range of duties and skills of a professional librarian, however, is far more complicated, and depends on the size, nature, and budg et of the library.

braries have at least several reference librarians as well as others who per form a variety of specialized tasks. The precise duties of the profes sional librarian depend on his or her specialty. He may purchase suitable books or other library materials, help readers to find information, recom mend books or other materials such as records or audio-visual aids. The li brarian may also prepare bibliog raphies, talk to parents, children, and other groups, review books, lead dis cussions, publicize various aspects of the library, arrange exhibits, and en gage in other related duties.

Trained librarians perform a wide range of functions in various settings. Most public or college libraries have specialized librarians such as refer ence, circulation, and children’s librar ians and cataloguers, etc. Small li braries must content themselves with one or two librarians who combine many of the tasks performed by the aforementioned specialists. Larger li-

HE antecedents of librarians and libraries date back to hoariest antiquity. From the earliest times, man sought to record his thoughts and deeds. He began with crude inscrip tions on stone until centuries later he learned how to write books.

D r . D uckat is supervisor of the Guidance D ivision o f the Federation Employment and Guidance Service. H e also serves as vocational consultant for Stern College for W omen.

In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia there were temple and palace libraries. Even the names of early librarians

JEWISH LIFE

have been found at Thebes. It is be lieved that Egyptian nobles had li braries in their palaces as early as 2.000 B.C.E., which contained works written on papyrus sheets— a highly perishable material. Libraries in Babylonia and Assyria contained durable clay tablets and dealt with works of history, grammar, poetry, religion, and science. About 22.000 clay tablets of the Assurbanipal library are now in the British Museum. The Greeks were the first to establish and support public libraries. The most famous library of ancient times was founded in Alexandria near the end of the fourth century B.C.E. and is said to have contained more than 700.000 manuscripts. The establishment of libraries in medieval churches was an important development. Each monastery copied manuscripts rescued from ancient li braries which had been destroyed. In time, libraries were established in cathedrals and in a few larger churches. With the rise of universities there were additional collections of books. During the Renaissance, kings, noblemen, and clergymen collected books. The invention of printing in the fifteenth century created new in terest in learning. Books became more widely available, leading to the de velopment of the modern library. The private libraries of kings and nobility later became the foundations of many of the great national and university libraries of Europe. Even after the establishment of libraries only few people could read books. Yet, books soon became power ful vehicles for disseminating ideas which autocratic government began to fear and suppress. Books were written to defend the ruling power. October, 1962

TEW S became identified with writJ ten literature early in their history. Love of learning was so deeply rooted among Jews that from earliest times they gathered educational materials. There is however, scant definite data concerning how the early Jews col lected and preserved books. It is be lieved that there were royal archives in Jerusalem during Biblical times. The scrolls of the Torah appear to have been kept in covers of leather, metal, glass, or bone. All of these ma terials appear to have been used by Jews as early as the third century. The Talmud, commenting on Psalm 112:3, “Wealth and riches are in his house and his merit endureth for ever,” declares that it applies to those who “buy books and lend them out.” No religion save Judaism made it ob ligatory to collect books. Each Jew was required to write a scroll of the Torah for himself or have it written for him. The scroll could be sold only in order to marry, to study the Torah, or to redeem captives. From medieval ethical wills such as that of Judah ibn Tibbon (12th century) we learn that much care was taken to collect and preserve books. Frequent expulsions of Jews, however, made it virtually impossible for them to maintain libraries. It was not until the sixteenth century that they devel oped substantial libraries, mainly in Italy and later in the Turkish empire. The author of the ethical work Sefer Chasidim (13th Century) coun sels his readers to pay careful atten tion to their books and urges them to lend books to the needy since books were scarce and expensive. In early times, Jewish libraries were a part of the Battey Midroshoth, the academies, a practice which continued down through the Middle Ages. The 47

contents of the school libraries dif fered in various countries. In the medieval French and German schools, Jewish libraries are believed to have contained almost exclusively Talmudic literature which constituted the cur riculum of those schools. In Italy and Spain, however, Jewish libraries con tained, in addition to Talmudic liter ature, works on such secular subjects as mathematics, natural sciences, and philosophy, which were studied in those schools. While the leading theo logical seminaries in the United States and elsewhere have accumulated large libraries, the largest collections of Judaica are to be found today in the national and public libraries of such countries as Israel, the United States, England, and Russia. URNING to the origin of libra ries in the United States, we find T that the first library was established in 1683 when John Harvard be queathed 400 books to Harvard Col lege. Today that library boasts of some six million volumes. The first circulating library was organized in the United States in 1731. In 1883 the first tax-supported public library was established in Peterborough, N. H. Today there are about 8,000 pub licly owned libraries in the United States, not counting their 3,100 branches. Besides this, there are over 20,000 libraries in elementary and high schools. There are also huge col lections in colleges and universities. The Library of Congress, the biggest in the country, has over ten million volumes and millions of other items. There are also more than 3,000 special libraries in the United States. Throughout the world, there is a critical need for more libraries, libra rians, and books. Even the United States, which leads the world in pro 48

viding public libraries, has inadequate libraries and insufficient librarians. About one fourth of the nation has no access to any public libraries. In creasingly, however, “bookmobiles” carrying a wide variety of literature, are bringing their precious cargo of books to smaller communities which have no library facilities. Readers may also send for literature found in other libraries. One cannot overemphasize the seri ous shortage of librarians in the United States, which is expected to continue for a number of years. Vacancies for librarians exist in all parts of the country in both public and private libraries. Most urgently needed are school librarians, children’s librarians in public libraries, and special libra rians for scientific and technological libraries. Also needed are librarian documentalists and bibliographers. Some schools have as many as forty jobs for each graduate. About 60,000 men and women work in our country’s libraries. They serve in public and college libraries, special libraries, in industry, hospitals, muse ums, and other private institutions, in our Armed Forces and in govern mental agencies. About 16,000 li brarians work in elementary and high school libraries. A S for Jewish librarians, most are women and they work in both public and private libraries. The Shomer Shabboth sometimes encoun ters difficulty because many public and college libraries prefer persons who are available for at least occa sional Friday evenings and Saturday hours. However, the shortage of pro fessionally trained librarians is so great that generally the qualified Shomer Shabboth can find a berth for himself. It is expected too that with jl \

JEWISH LIFE

the growth of the Jewish day schools, there may be opportunities under Jewish auspices. Experts in the field assert that the best opportunities for Sabbath observers may be in the pub lic schools, for which they would also be expected to take courses in educa tion. There are also opportunities in special libraries where hours may be more easily adjusted. r | ^ HOSE who plan to become liJL brarians should possess aboveaverage intelligence, good physical and mental health, the ability to get along with others, resourcefulness, and adaptability. They should also like books and people, and possess the ability to organize facts and ideas, direct subordinates, and have a sense of social responsibility. Most professional positions in this field require college graduation and the completion of a professional cur riculum in an accredited library school. Librarians should possess a knowl edge of history, American and English literature, and a working knowledge of German, French, or Spanish, and of research methods. One should also be familiar with a broad range of information in the social sciences and the physical and biological sciences. Following gradua tion from college, applicants must attend a school of library science where they would attend a year and semester or a summer session in some schools. It is also possible to com plete this course by attending school five or six summers. Most schools prefer that students take courses in reference work, cata loguing, classification, book evaluation and selection, history of library, school libraries, library organization and ad ministration, children’s work, com munity relations, and special business October, 1962

libraries. After this course is com pleted, those who reside in certain states are required to become certified. The cost of professional training in library science may run from about $850 to $2,500 a year. Some scholar ships are available to qualified stu dents. For details, consult individual library schools or Boards of Educa tion; for librarianship—the American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago 11, Illinois. Scholar ships are also offered by the Special Library Association and by other library associations. A number of library schools offer work-study pro grams combining the academic pro gram with the opportunity of paid work in a library. There are about three dozen library schools in the country. Most offer the M.S. degree in library science. A few of them also offer courses leading to a doctorate degree. After completing professional train ing, the librarian can select one of many jobs. Most public or college libraries have specialized librarians such as reference librarians, circula tion librarians, and cataloguers. Small libraries usually have at least one or two librarians. ARGER libraries usually have at least several reference librarians as well as others carrying out a variety of specialties. The reference librarian usually knows how to find desired information. The cataloguer classifies printed and other material so that it is easily available. He or she prepares a card catalogue for books, classifies new books under the proper subject headings, and gives them a correct classification symbol. The circulation librarian, another specialist, directs the lending of books and other library property, helps

readers to select books, prepares bibli ographies and presents book reviews. Most public libraries also have one or more children’s librarians who sug gest books suitable for children. Others prepare book lists, give talks to parents, conduct story hours, re view books, and engage in related tasks. Another specialist is the Readers Advisor who may help individuals or groups with written or other material. She may lead discussion groups or help adults in their reading prefer ences. Large libraries also employ special ists in particular subjects such as science, art, music, etc. These special ists are needed by public, college, and special libraries. Another specialist is the order librarian who spends most of his time reading new books, ex amining publishers’ lists, and selecting a balanced number of books of vari ous types. Large libraries are also increasingly hiring public relations counselors to publicize their activities. The top official of large libraries is the chief librarian, who is responsible for both managing the library and publicizing its facilities. He engages personnel, supervises finances, man ages the building, and carries out the policies of the library. Many high schools have school librarians who work with children, teachers, and parents. All states re quire that school librarians be certi fied. Other, trained librarians teach in schools of library science. The city, state, and Federal governments em ploy librarians. One of the largest governmental libraries is the library system of the Veterans Administra tion, which consists of patients’ libra ries, general reference libraries, and medical libraries. 50

NOTHER very important figure is the special librarian who serves the needs of industry, business, education, etc. Special libraries are operated by many advertising agencies, financial institutions and business cor porations, medical and pharmaceutical concerns, nursing schools and hospi tals, newspapers and magazines, and geography and map departments of the Federal government. The greatest shortage of special librarians is for science graduates who can supervise a technical or scientific library and for specialists in financial and business subjects. The medical records librarian, still another specialist, has totally different duties and responsibilities from those of the medical librarian. The latter is responsible for the library and works with books and other materials but not with the patients’ records as does the medical records librarian. The medical records librarian is re quired to maintain complete and cor rect records of patients’ illnesses and treatments. These records are basic aids to the physician in diagnosing ill ness and in prescribing care. Among the additional uses of these health records are training medical personnel, developing and testing new treatments, and helping medical administrators to evaluate their services. The duties of the medical records librarian include collecting and cataloguing medical and surgical information such as reports on operations, X-rays, etc. These rec ords are checked for accuracy, coded, indexed, and abstracted, and the case histories are transcribed to permanent records. Inquiries must be answered and reports prepared. Some hospitals, clinics or other health organizations can boast of two or more medical records librarians

JEWISH LIFE

who may supervise patients’ records. Generally, one qualified medical rec ords librarian is in charge. The chief medical records librarian may repre sent the department at staff meetings and participate in major decisions in volving the efficiency of the hospital. While a small number of medical records librarians work in clinics, large industrial firms, medical research cen ters, and in the medical departments of insurance companies, most work in hospitals. The great majority work in or near metropolitan areas where most hospitals are located. Although some men have begun to enter the profes sion, it is still overwhelmingly a female career. A number of approved schools offer a twelve-month hospital course leading to a certificate in medical records library science. Prerequisite for en rollment in a certified course is two years of college or graduation from a high school of nursing. Some approved schools offer a four-year course to high school graduates. Other schools offer a twelve-month course for those with three years of college. The course of study usually includes anatomy, medical terminology, physiology, and medical science. Applicants are also urged to become proficient in typing. Entering salaries for registered med ical records librarians average about $5,000 a year. There is the possibility of promotion with accompanying in crease in salary. ALARIES for librarians have risen steadily and are expected to con tinue to rise. Currently professional librarians start at about $4,500 to $5,200 and can rise to about $6,000 in several cities. Head librarians in small cities and small colleges earn from about $5,000 to $8,000 a year.

October, 1962

In large cities and in the major uni versities, librarians earn from about $12,000 to about $20,000 a year. Directors of school librarians in lar ger school systems earn from about $10,000 to $15,000 a year. (School librarians do not work during the summer.) Some chief librarians of special libraries earn up to $25,000 a year. Most professional librarians enjoy periodic pay increases, steady employment, annual and sick leave with pay, pensions upon retirement, and other benefits. As in other fields, library science has its advantages and disadvantages. Among the former are job security, opportunities for advancement, pleas ant environment, and the respected nature of this useful vocation. Among its disadvantages are the inevitable routine of the job and the understaffed condition of many libraries. The fact that library work is predominantly a female occupation may be discomfit ing to some males. Yet, top adminis trative jobs usually go to men and more men are entering the profession annually. The librarian’s job is com plicated by the avalanche of books published annually—more than 8,000 —added to the vast numbers of pre viously published books from which selection must be made. The librarian is governed by professional judgment, the preferences of the community, and the budget. The qualified person who loves working with people and books, how ever, will find the advantages of library work most persuasive. The religiously observant Jew will wisely seek employment in those public or private agencies which will permit him to observe Shabboth and Yom Tov. In the current market for librarians, this is not too formidable a task. 51

The Rains By LEONARD OSCHRY

T was a hot summer day in Natanyah. Soon clouds with black linings gathered in the sky. The sun became obscured. The weather cooled off perceptibly. To the visitor, newly arrived in Israel from America, the prospect of a shower seemed quite evi dent, especially when, only a week earlier, he had seen the enormous crowds disgorged from the New York skyscrapers suddenly drenched by a torrential downpour. Yet he was un able to discern any change in the be havior of the leisurely groups around him. No one carried an umbrella. No one looked up at the sky. No one hurried. Not a single woman seemed to worry about her clothes—despite their fantastic cost as compared with the normal earnings of an Israeli fam ily. All strolled about unconcernedly. Nor did they seem either relieved or disappointed when, an hour or two later, the clouds dispersed and the burning sun beat down on the streets below once more. This characteristic scene was a re minder that the rainfall in Israel is confined to the winter season—an ele

mentary fact manifest to anyone who is even superficially acquainted with the Siddur. For no matter how far he may be from Eretz Yisroel, and irre spective of the climatic conditions of his country of residence, the Jew re cites “Mashiv Horuach Umorid Hagoshem” between Sukkoth and Pesach. He adds these words in the second blessing of the “Shemoneh Esrey,” the b’rochah dealing with the Gevuroth, the might of G-d. In characteristically Jewish fashion, he finds the Divine might more strikingly expressed in G-d’s power to sustain life, to heal the sick and revive the dead, than in his capacity to tear the universe apart or destroy its fabric by a nuclear explosion. T would seemingly have been ap propriate to introduce the Mashiv Horuach on the first day of the Sukkoth festival, since several of the rites of the holiday are connected with water and vegetation. However, to the Jew dwelling under the flimsy roof of his Sukkah, rain on the festival would be a rather mixed blessing. The Mishnah

JEWISH LIFE

looks upon such an occurrence as a rejection of our observances, “As if a servant had handed his master a bowl of water only to have it dashed in his face.” The same logic was applied to the commencement date for the direct peti tion for rain which is inserted in the ninth b’rochah of the weekday Amidah. At first sight, it would appear fitting to begin reciting the Tal Umotor on the first weekday after Shemini Atzereth. But no! our Sages were so licitous of the welfare of the enormous throngs of pilgrims who had under taken the long and arduous journey to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. They waited for the last stragglers to reach the River Euphrates (where the largest concentration of Diaspora Jews lived) before ordering the recital of the prayer. Since the pilgrims should have returned home within two weeks after the holiday, the date was set for the seventh day of Cheshvan. Nor was it changed even after the Temple had been destroyed, the sacrificial service abandoned, and the commandment to visit the Temple was no longer in force; for large groups of Jews would still gather in and around Jerusalem on the festivals in memory of its past glory. The custom persisted long after wards. Hundreds of years later its ob servance was still attested to by the great Spanish Rabbi Nissim of Gerona in the fourteenth century. And the date of Cheshvan 7 is still followed in the present day customs of the con gregations of Eretz Yisroel. UTSIDE of the borders of the Holy Land, the worshippers wait until December 5th to commence in serting Tal Umotor into the b’rochah. Originally this date was set to con form with the conditions prevailing in Babylonia. Living near the broad

October, 1962

rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, the Jews of those communities could afford to wait much longer before entreating Heaven for special favors. They waited until sixty days after the Tekufah, till the very late autumn. Since this date is set to accord with the advance of the seasons, it always falls on the same day of the sun year, the year of the secular calendar. In this respect the date is unique among all Jewish observances. As for the rest of the Diaspora, there seems to be little justification for following this schedule. The habit is probably a carry-over from the days of the Babylonian Geonim, when the great heads of the Academies exercised undisputed control over the entire Jew ish world outside of Israel. Already Rambam in his Code prescribed the December 5th commencement date for Tal Umotor only for “the inhabitants of Babylonia, Syria, Egypt, and their environs and for lands with similar climates.” Later on we encounter the efforts of Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel, the greatest authority of his time, who emigrated from Germany to Spain, to change the prevailing custom. Other wise a formidable foe of innovation, he attempted to introduce the petition for rain at a time appropriate to the climatic conditions prevailing in his new home. He was met by the fierce resistance of the local communities, and his efforts were in vain. For once, the Rabbi tried to introduce changes and his congregants fought to preserve the past. In one community, however, the Babylonian date never held sway. Down to the present day, the inhabi tants of Djerba, a small Mediterranean island off the Tunisian coast, and the communities of southern Tunisia have followed the custom prevailing in Eretz Yisroel. It has always been a source of 53

great pride to them that their climate is similar to that of the Holy Land. They are also happy that they are able to express their deep love of Eretz Yisroel by commencing the daily re cital of Tal Umotor on the same day as the Holy Land communities. But they go one better—since the occasion is one of rejoicing for them, they, un like the Jews of Israel, omit the sombre Tachanun supplication both on the seventh of Cheshvan and the preced ing afternoon. Having exhibited such love for the land of Israel, it is not surprising that half of the Jewish popu lation of those regions have left their homes and voluntarily settled in the

new state. AST year the rains here in Israel I began early and fell steadily throughout the winter. The resulting harvests were good, and fruit and vege tables were in plentiful supply. But soon the new season will be upon us and its crops will have to feed the population. This being a land that “drinketh water as the rain from heaven cometh down: a land which the Lord thy G-d careth for . . . the eyes of the Lord, thy G-d are always upon it,” the prayers connected with rain, beginning once more b’ezrath Hashem, in just a few weeks from now, will be offered with true fervor.

FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FRIENDS A PRECIOUS GIFT two years for only $4.00 (twelve issues)

JEWISH LIFE, 84 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 11, N. Y. Send gift subscription, with gift card, to: My name ............................................................................................ Address _ .......... ................................................ . ........ . ......... ............. City ............................................. Zone.......... State .........................

r-, . , . □

i . .. include my own subscription K

□ New . , □ Renewa

Check enclosed for $ . .......................

JEWISH LIFE

Hevietc Article Hirsch For Our Time By RALPH PELCOVITZ

HOREB, by Samson Raphael Hirsch, translated by Dayan Dr. I. Grunfeld, Soncino Press, London, 1962. Two volumes, clxii +• 644 pp. $17.50. the twelfth century Maimonides IhisNsystematized the laws of Torah in “Yad Hachazokah,” also entitled “Mishneh Torah.” In the sixteenth century Rabbi Joseph Caro composed, and Rabbi Moses Isserles amended, the Shulchon Oruch, the standard au thoritative code of Torah law. Both of these works are primarily codes, written for the express purpose of “Halochah l’maaseh”—law in action, guiding and disciplining the observ ant Jew in every aspect of his life. History has already recorded the Rambam’s magnum opus as the out standing digest and interpretation of written and oral Torah. The role of the Shulchon Oruch has also been secured by history as the definitive authority in all Jewish law applicable in our exilic existence. October, 1962

It was not until the nineteenth cen tury, however, 125 years ago, that a giant intellect arose to compile the laws of Torah, not as a code or as an all-embracing encyclopedia of Torah, but as a companion of Jewish laws and observances with their un derlying ideas. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, a rare and unique individual, combining within himself the wisdom of Torah and a deep comprehension of science, philosophy, and language— blessed with an original, incisive mind, coupled with a passionate loyalty to Torah — wrote his epoch-making “Horeb,” a philosophy of Jewish laws and observances. The subtitle given to this classic by the author, “Attempts to Clarify Israel’s Duties in the Dias pora to Israel’s Thinking Sons and Daughters,” indicates the audience for whom he intended this penetrating analysis and exposition of the cate gories of Jewish law. The times in which Hirsch lived cried out for such a spiritual presentation and explana55

tion of the underlying philosophy of Jewish laws and observances. Torah Judaism was under incessant vitriolic attack by the Reformers led by Geiger and his colleagues. The emancipated, cultured, university-trained young men and women were ignorant of authentic Judaism, often due to no fault of their own. This great need to explain and in terpret Torah in a language and manner which they could understand and appreciate was felt by Hirsch and nobly met in his famous “Igroth T’zofon—Nineteen Letters of Ben Uziel,” published in 1836. This inspir ing elucidation of Torah-true Juda ism, presented in classical German, reasoned, logical, and yet filled with passion and fervor for Yiddishkeit, was the forerunner to the more elabo rate and detailed “Horeb,” published two years later in 1838. With the publication of “Horeb” the intelligent Jew who was honestly seeking for an elucidation of the Torah and its Weltanschauung, found therein the principles and teachings of Judaism presented in a systematic, ordered, disciplined manner. HIS brief description of the back ground and the need for a book such as “Horeb” may sound a familiar ring in the ears of the present-day reader, and well it may, for it is in many ways a reflection of our own time. We live in a society and environ ment very similar to the Germany of Samson Raphael Hirsch in temper, attitude, and dynamic change. His works therefore are most meaningful and timely for us today. “A century and a quarter has passed since the first publication of Horeb . . . 125 years of Jewish life full of vicissi tudes in the inner and outer history of our people,” as Dayan Grunfeld

so aptly puts it in his introduction to the English version of “Horeb,” and this passage of time has enhanced rather than diminished the importance and significance of the “Horeb.” We are, therefore, deeply indebted to Dayan Dr. I. Grunfeld for his out standing contribution to the perplexed of our time in translating the “Horeb” into English and to the Soncino Press for publishing it in an attractive, pleasing, and dignified two-volume set. Our gratitude to Dr. Grunfeld is a twofold one, for in addition to his masterly, beautiful translation, he has also contributed a fascinating scholar ly introduction on the entire Hirschian philosophy which is an important work in itself. The 140 pages of this introduction and its eight pages of bibliography attest not only to the time and effort expended by him in re search but what is fa r more impor tant, we find presented here an allembracing and exhaustive exposition of Hirschian philosophy ranging from humanism and the ideas and reasons of the Mitzvoth through symbolism and the Kabbalah, and of course the famous “Torah Im Derech Eretz” approach to Judaism. Through judi cious selections from Hirsch’s writ ings, especially his commentary on the Chumosh and Psalms—Hirsch’s two outstanding works—Dr. Grunfeld has succeeded in presenting a lucid, scholarly analysis of the man, his time, his philosophy, and his lasting contribution to Israel. HE central theme of “Horeb,” which also represents the heart of Hirschian philosophy, is the treat ment of the Mitzvah as the unit of Judaism from whence there emanates the philosophy of Judaism. From thé action, the deed, which is ordained by G-d, comes the impetus to thought and

JEWISH LIFE

contemplation. It is the trigger of ideas, the key to understanding. The thought comes from the deed—not the reverse! “Meditation on our religious laws means to search for their under lying ideas, their conception and rationale, in order to make them a spiritual force in our life.” It is not that we seek a reason for obeying G-d’s commandments, for naaseh, “we will do,” must ever precede the nishmah, “we will listen.” There must be a commitment of deed without qualifications. Obedience precedes the conceptual understanding—“first do, then meditate” is the maxim. We must, however, search for wis dom in the Mitzvoth; a spiritualizing and deeper apprecation will be ours, a fulfillment through fulfilling, when we use our minds and intellect to mind the deep treasures which lie hid den in the Mitzvoth. This is the crux of the “Horeb,” which is the finest example of the Torah-oriented scien tific scholar using the observance of the Mitzvoth as the basis of his re search, rather than observing the Mitzvoth as a result of his observa tions! This approach is all-important, for it grants us a proper point of departure—developing outward from Torah, rather than coming to Torah with views and opinions formed out side of Torah, demanding that it fit our preconceived ideas. “The divine law must be the soil out of which your intellectual and spiritual life is to grow, not vice versa. You must not, from your intellectual and spirit ual life, produce the basis on which to establish a divine law.” The view, the idea, the perspective must come from the law—from the Halochah. That Judaism must be explained “from within itself,” is a cornerstone of Hirsch’s Weltanschauung. The be lief in the divinity of Torah must perOctober, 1962

force lead us to examine not the “why” but the “what,” and the science of Judaism, so dear to the hearts of Hirsch’s contemporaries, should be built out of its own sources. In this respect Hirsch was far more modern in his scientific approach, for he ap plied both the inductive and deductive method to his analysis of Judaism. Hirsch constantly stressed that neither outside criteria nor precon ceived hypotheses can be applied to Judaism for it must always be com prehended from within. It was in their denial of this vital point that the Reformers had deviated from tradi tion and launched their attack upon Torah and traditional Judaism. Hirsch wisely saw the great need to defend this fundamental idea valiantly and without compromise. He resisted with skill and vigor the concept of bring ing a moral system from external sources and imposing a priori de mands upon Judaism. T is interesting to note that al though Hirsch was a serious stu dent of secular studies, he was not an adherent of the school of specula tive philosophy. His world view was based on a philosophy of Jewish historical experience, much closer to the ideas expounded in Yehudah Halevi’s “Kuzari” than to Maimonides’ “Guide of the Perplexed.” From their historical experiences as a peo ple, Israel’s role and mission become clear—that of bearing witness to events observed by them and carry ing to all mankind that Law revealed to them. G-d is revealed through his toric events as Torah is revealed at Sinai. Since Israel alone has perceived this revelation, just as they alone ex perienced certain events, they must in turn give testimony to all mankind. This twofold revelation is the special,

unique treasure of Israel, In addition to the concept of Mitzvoth revealed as G-d’s will and G-d revealed through history—both ideas being entrusted to Israel—there is one other important consideration that is fundamental in the structure of Hirsch’s “Horeb.” This is the unity of religion, law, and life. The artificial separation between religion and law, the setting up of religious and secular spheres, is both unnatural and danger ous. Thi« division has disrupted the harmony of moral man in a moral universe and destroyed that unity which is the very foundation of Judaism, the unity of G-d, man, and the universe. G-d, in the Torah view, is not alone the Universal Creator, bringing into existence, but also the Universal Law Giver, limiting every force and setting bounds for this world, for nature, man, and society. Hence the true conception of Judaism is to be found in the Halochah more than in the conscious delineation and exposition of its theology. The Rambam’s “Mishneh Torah” gives us a truer, clearer, and more genuine guide to Torah Judaism than his “Guide of the Perplexed.” The Reformers’ attack upon Halo chah and their representation of the ethical-prophetic teachings of Juda ism as being counterposed to it thus becomes an attack upon the very es sence and heart of authentic Judaism. A book such as “Horeb,” presenting as it does the laws of Judaism, be comes the most logical vehicle for presenting the philosophy and con cepts of Judaism, which is “not metaphysical speculation or abstract thought but moral action.” IRSCH’S classification of the divine commandments is most in teresting and original. Many attempts

H 58

have been made to distill and classify the scope and breadth of Torah with its admixture of historic narrative and ritual, civil, criminal, moral, and ethical law into a systematic group ing of clear categories. Saadyah Gaon, Yehudah Halevi, Ibn Ezra, Albo in his “Ikarim” and most famous of all, Maimonides’ “Yad Hachazokah” are the best known of these classifications. Hirsch has divided the command ments into six categories: Toroth— Instructions or Doctrines; Mishpotim — Judgments; Chukim — Statutes; Mitzvoth—Commandments; Edoth— Symbolic observances; and Avodah— Service or Worship. To better compre hend and appreciate this arrangement, one must understand that each of these categories is elucidated in a brief subtitle which indicates the rea son for this grouping. Toroth, for example, are “fundamental principles relating to mental and spiritual prep aration for life” and therefore range from such seemingly diversified sub jects as G-d’s sovereignty and unity to judging one’s neighbors! Edoth are indeed symbolic observ ances but as the name implies they testify to many historic events, serv ing as reminders and “representing truths which form the basis of Israel’s life.” This category, more than any other, by its very nature demands re flection, thought, and understanding so that its purpose may be served “to elevate the human soul and give life a deeper meaning.” It is in this grouping that the “Horeb” serves an invaluable and priceless purpose. Since it deals with so many familiar daily articles and observances, such as tephilin, tzitzith, mezuzah, etc., this section should prove to be of in estimable interest to the reader. The subheadings of the other categories and their contents are of equal logic JEWISH LIFE

and reason, serving to instruct and inspire the reader, be he novice or accomplished scholar. One must also realize that these six categories are in turn expressions and reflections of what Hirsch considers to be the three great principles of Torah. These are: Justice, Love, and Education. The chukim and mishpotim, which are always coupled in the phrases of the Torah, belong to the first of these principles. Mitzvoth are to be considered as command ments of love, but in a purely unique Jewish definition of that word. These include such obvious laws as Tzedokah and kind deeds, as well as repent ance, marriage, divorce, and even the study of the Torah! Under the head ing of education are the other three categories, for they all serve to train, school, and develop the character of man, refining and ennobling him. This order and classification is open to question and debate, of course, as would any arbitrary arrangement of mitzvoth. We must however admire Hirsch’s classification, distillation, and interpretation of the law pre sented as it is in a most exciting, imaginative, and stimulating manner. This should have special appeal to the modern intellectual Jewish audi ence. The fair question, however, is how extensive is that audience of “thinking Jews” for whom Hirsch wrote his “Horeb” and how effective and meaningful can it be today? N a broader sense one may ponder as to the efficacy of the Hirschian presentation in our' time, similar though it may seem to his period. Upon further reflection and observa tion one notes a number of differences and dissimilarities. One may also de tect certain shortcomings in the Hirschian structure which have be

October, 1962

come apparent in light of recent his toric developments. In addressing ourselves to the first reservation, namely the scope and extent of an audience today for a book such as “Horeb,” one may be so bold as to question one of our popular present-day postulates—the intellectualism of our younger gen eration. In general, our current crop of Jewish intellectuals is of doubt ful description and dubious distinc tion. We will grant that there has been an increase in the number of intelligent men and women who are Jews but they present us with a dif ferent challenge from that of the thinking sons and daughters of the 19th century. The problem is how to bring them from cocksure ignorance, JeWishly speaking, to doubtful uncer tainty. Toward this end we must first gain the ears and minds of those who have no idea of the fundamentals of Judaism and lead them slowly back to a willing affirmation of Jewishness before the Mitzvoth even become part of their lives. To capture this doubt ing yet uncertain and even seeking element, it is possible that “Horeb” will prove to be as strange and cryptic as the Talmud or the Shulchon Oruch. Although in certain circles today there is an obsessiop with intellectualism we submit that this may not be the key to the heart and mind of the modern Jew. The emotional ap peal of Chasidism, for example, the ethical, moral, and humanistic disci pline of the Mussar movement, or the fervor, warmth, and the zeal of the eastern European-oriented yeshivoth, and certainly the magical allure of Eretz Israel may well prove to be of far greater magnetic power and value. The scholarly, disciplined, scien tific, Germanic approach will not necessarily answer our needs or cap59

ture our minds in America today. It has a tendency to become over-formal ized, pedantic, heavy, and dull, unless handled by a true master such as Samson Raphael Hirsch. This mid twentieth century generation is not as receptive to conceptual thinking and philosophy as was the generation of the 1830’s. They are not attuned to such detailed, analytical, and complex types of presentation. In sum, Hirsch dealt with the effect of enlightenment but we, in our age, must simply— enlighten! N this continuing effort for Jewish enlightenment Hirsch’s monumen tal works will certainly play an impor tant role, although not with the same impact of a century ago. It will be part of a rich tapestry which will also include the important forces of Chasidism, Mussar, “Lomduth,” and the national spirit of Israel men tioned above. In this context one may take issue with Hirsch’s open dis pleasure for the “pilpul” (dialectical) approach so popular in European yeshivoth. Although these institutions of Torah were admittedly deficient in the study of Jewish history and phi losophy and short on “scholarship,” yet they did succeed where the Hirschian school failed, namely, in the development of true Lomduth, the profundity and originality of Torah study. This in turn has proven to be the prime prerequisite for practical

Halochah and for the shaping of a viable Torah outlook. This critique should, however, in no way diminish the lustre of “Horeb” nor discount the great debt Jewry will ever owe to that giant of the intel lect—Samson Raphael Hirsch. Per haps we are as the midget standing on the shoulders of a giant who can see even farther but must not lose sight of whose stature is responsible for his enlarged horizon of vision. For this is certain—the “Torah Im Derech Eretz” philosophy is as fresh and meaningful today as ever. We are indebted to Dayan Grunfeld for his succinct definition of this famous fundamental of the Hirschian school —it is the “application of the values of Torah to a given civilization, the sovereignty of Torah within any given civilization.” With this noble concept every Torah Jew cannot only concur but he can also use it as a guiding principle in an ever changing world. Although Hirsch’s style may seem to the modern eye and ear a bit flow ery, ponderous, and overlong, yet if one allows himself to be carried along there is a moving, passionate, per suasive eloquence which stirs the heart and inspires the soul. Above all, one must realize that Hirsch cannot be tasted or sampled, he must be studied, savored, and assimilated. In conclu sion, we can subscribe to Dayan Grunfeld’s assertion that “Hirsch’s con tribution to its (Judaism’s) strength to survive was great and continuous.”

JEWISH LIFE

TheJewish Record

Synagogue Choirs Here and Abroad

By ERIC OFFENBACHER

HE orthodox Jewish congregant who happens to be a music lover may long have accepted as a sine qua non this premise: The traditional American synagogue frowns upon a Choir, even were it all-male, unac companied, and composed of religious musicians. It smacks of Reform, or at least, so one hears, of an innovation bearing the hallmark of Conservative aberration. On the other hand, a dis cerning student of Jewish history ought to know that such arguments are ill-founded. A choir consisting of Levites sang at the Temple Service (Divrey Hayomim Beth 29: 28-30) and their num ber was fixed at a minimum of twelve, report our Sages in the Talmud (Mishnah Erchin II, 6). After the destruction of the Temple the Rabbis, as a sign of mourning, temporarily

DR. ERIC O FFE N BA C H E R has been a devotee of Jewish music for many years. H e contributes to this department from time to time.

October, 1962

suspended all music. But this decision was eventually modified. According to one source, a choir took part in the 9th century ceremony for the instal lation of the Exilarch in Babylonia. During the Renaissance period syna gogue choirs began to be introduced. It is not within the purview of these introductory remarks to trace an ex haustive chronology of the history of these musical embellishments in the Houses of Prayer. Suffice it to state that during the early 1500’s chazonim in Ashkenazi communities were often accompanied by a bass and a boy’s voice, the so-called meshorerim, sing ing alongside of them during the Tefiloth. However, it remained for the 19th century and the great innovator and organizer of synagogue decorum, Salomon Sulzer of Vienna, to write polyphonic music of high artistic caliber for a well-schooled synagogue choir. Notwithstanding later abuses, Sulzer’s intentions were of the purest, and it might be of interest to quote 61

now . . . it’s KOSHER!

Origins! Crispy PIZZA The only pizza with a crispy crust and authentic Pizzeria

flavor.

At food

stores

everywhere.

A Iso in Ju m bo Tw in Pak an d Hors d’O eu vres

ORIGENA PIZZA CRUST CO., INC. • 1393 Blondell Ave., N. Y. 61, N. Y.

I'VE i I GOTA I I SECRET*/'

Yellow pike m akes the ta stie st gefilte fish — and M other’s has it! That’s the delicious secret of Mother’s Whitefish and Yellow Pike... the new gefilte fish with the precious yellow pike that mothers and grandmothers always used in homemade gefilte fish. Now, when you buy W hitefish and Pike, make sure it ’ s YELLOW Pike! Kosher ® Pareve Also yours to enjoy: Mother’s All Whitefish De Luxe, and Mother’s Old Fashioned Gefilte Fish. From the spotless kitchens of Mother’s Food P ro d u c ts , In c ., N ewark 5, N. J .

Mòiher's JEWISH LIFE

from his introduction to his standard work “Schir Zion” : The institution of a regular choir in the Synagogue has proved to be a sacred and fruitful one, and has become a well-established, general practice. . . . Yet this institution is still young and needs sympathetic support and aid on the part of the communities. . . . I made it my duty to give maximal consideration to those tunes which have come down to us from antiquity and to restore their archaic and revered type in its original purity, cleansed from later flourishes of dubious and taste less character. . . . I cultivated espe cially the traditional tunes of our Nestor Maharil which I often used as the basis of my compositions... .* Rabbi Joseph Breuer, the linear successor to the heritage of his grand father, the renowned Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, defends fervently the continued existence of a male choir in his synagogue. It was introduced, he explains, by “the great Rabbinical leaders” representing Western Euro pean Torah Jewry, “to intensify the atmosphere of sanctity and dignity” (Mitteilungen, Shevat/ Adar 5719). This leads us, as we will see, to the first of the two imported records under review: J U E D IS C H E G E S A E N G E — VOICES OF ISRAEL, sung by the Chorale “Oratorio de Paris” con ducted by Max Neumann. Soloists: Ernst Kozub, Aladar Fuchs, Elie Taube. Renee Fleury, piano, MarieLouise' Girod, organ. 1-12" LP Rec ord (Monaural). Deutsche Gramophon Gesellschaft. No. LPEM 19140. List Price $5.98. ASIDE from its considerable musical x \ . merits to be evaluated, this unique disc, alas, cannot escape its sentimental aspects. It stands as a tribute and as a last testament, as it were, to the late Max Neumann * Translation quoted from the reissue of Sulzer’s works by the Sacred M usic Press.

October, 1962

whose untimely death, shortly after completing this record, is mourned by many of his former students and admirers in this country. And the manufacture and issuance in the new West Germany of a recorded com pilation of many facets of Jewish musical output and creativity, banned there during the Nazi period, serves as a kind of retribution though by no means a repayment. Max Neumann served for many years as choirmaster in the Frank fu rt Synagogue of the “Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft,” as well as in structor in Music at the Hirsch School. It was here, some four decades ago, that some of the works on this record were first performed under his direc tion. He maintained his interest in and ardent efforts on behalf of Jewish music throughout the dark years of exile, returning to Germany with a group he had formed and coneertized with in France, the “Oratorio de Paris.” Apart from some edgy mo ments and an occasional slip in into nation, this male vocal ensemble is heard to advantage on the present recording. As fa r as the collection of music goes the listener could not wish for larger variety. Here he finds typi cal synagogue choir music of the 19th century (such as discussed above), chazonish display pieces, Yiddish character studies and, finally, two short Israeli songs. To review them in this order: and Naumbourg are the composers representing LtheEWANDOWSKI first group. The well-known Ma i

Tovu of the former acts as a curtain raiser—only to be truncated in half! Kol Nidre, in the Neumann arrange ment, also follows pretty closely the setting by Lewandowski. And the Se’u Sheorim by the Frenchman Samuel 63

Naumbourg receives a rather erratic rendition. In the familiar Neumann interpretation we hear sudden dynamic changes and excessive ritardandi. Puzzling to this reviewer is also the use of an organ accompani ment at the beginning and end while during the middle portion a piano serves the same purpose. Finally, it is a pity that in this performance the Se’u Skeorim (as on the record analyzed below) ends on a fortissimo high A chord, omitting the final Selah which in Naumbourg’s original score is marked pianissimo! By-passing one of Neumann’s own compositions, a Hodu-al-Eretz in drinking song style, ending almost on the familiar German “hoch soil er leben,” we come" to the second group. They are plaintive display pieces, Sh’ma Kolenu by Rumschinski, and Mekimi Me’ofor Dol and Uvfnucho Yomar, both by Rosenblatt. Which of the soloists performs is not indicated. In any event, they are beautiful, deeply felt renditions tastefully ar ranged by Neumann. Rosenblatt’s compositions were vehicles to exhibit a remarkable voice, his own, and they make great demands on the singer. In some instances, though they are set to liturgical texts, the solo parts are so operatic in character as to seem far removed from synagogue worship.' In the responsive dialogue the accompanying chorus ought to be discreet. The small group here per haps tries to make up with breathpower what it lacks in manpower. A sheer delight are the two Yiddish selections, both by the indomitable Sholom Secunda. Especially in the delicious “Chazonim oif Probe” (not to be confused with the better known “A Chazen’dl oif Shabbes”) we de light in the satire of a “German” candidate whose vowel pronunciations October, 1962

reflect the eternal struggle of “au” versus “oi.” A superb characteriza tion. Two Israeli songs complete the albums. They are sung with such gusto as if the entire “Oratorio de Paris” were a band of sabras. Unfortunately, the jacket notes do not give the texts or translations nor do they inform about the nature of the pieces. Instead they do contain Neumann’s biography in four lan guages and a dubious essay on the history of Jewish music. Completely incomprehensible—and no feather in the cap of the usually “well-re searched” Deutsche Gramophon Ge sellschaft—is the added commentary of one Gerhard Krause (inserted on a separate sheet) which spells noth ing but confounded nonsense. Ex ample : Less opposed to change were the Polish/ Russian cultural group, who made most worthy decisions in ques tions of taste bearing on matters of worship, not influenced by Chas idim, which produce a great many outstanding Ashkenazim, the Chazanim, produced by the Palestinian Slav and Germanic communities, in contrast to the Sephardic of the Arabian and Spanish groups. * * * ❖ L’SHANAH TOVAH.—Music of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Can tor: Hans Bloemendal, Tenor. Male Choir: Antoon Krelage, director. Shofar: B. W. de Jongh. London Records, International Series. 1-12" LP Record. TW 91254 (Monoraul), SW 99020 (Stereophonic). List Price $4.98. WONDERFUL import from the Netherlands which may be un qualifiedly recommended. The male choir, performing a cappella through out, exhibits rare refinement and the

HOT-AS-FIRE

SNOW-WHITE

& BEET-RED

HORSERADISH

P &L B$rsera4$!! 66

Hotter and thicker because it’s made cold by our “chillmill” process. Sold nationally.

Tulkoff’s Co., Baltimore 2, Md.

conductor, Antoon Krelage, leads an extremely disciplined ensemble. Dr. Hans Bloemendal, soloist and com poser on this recording, is F irst Cantor of the Netherlands Jewish Main Synagogue in Amsterdam. How ever, his chief vocation (or avocation) is chemistry, in which faculty he holds a doctorate. His cantorial talents are considerable, his dedication even more apparent in some very efficiently-pre sented High Holy Days melodies that are only slightly marred by some strained notes on the top of his vocal register. The selections are well or ganized, falling into three patterns: Music for the Services of Rosh Hashonah, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur. There is a short and sensible resume on the jacket covei explaining the highlights of the High Holy Days season to the uninitiated. Two numbers on this disc duplicate those heard on the one reviewed above. Naumbourg’s Se’u Sheorim and Lewandowski’s Kol Nidre. In the former a novel attempt is made at improved accentuation of the text. But here Krelage takes license with tempi much as Neumann did. He slows down markedly where the score ex pressly specifies molto animato! He also denies the composer his desired pianissimo ending, replacing it with a rousing - ff. The traditional Dutch melodies with their pleasing harmo nies in major keys fall easy on “west ern-oriented” ears, and all arrange ments may be commended for their precise execution. As outstanding pieces on the record this listener would like to cite Lewandowski’s Zocharti Loch in impeccable performance. Were it not for the al tered ending from the original score

October, 1962

this beautiful rendering could well have been termed the definitive ver sion. Another highlight, and new to probably most of us, is the tremen dously well-constructed Hallelukah by Anton Berlijn. The Dutch mastercraftsman was a contemporary of Lewandowski, and there is much simi larity in the composing style, both having thoroughly assimilated the German romanticism of the period. Berlijn (whom the annotators treat with silence although he might be considered one of their national giants) was a prolific and successful composer of operas, symphonies, chamber music, etc. His real name was Aron Wolf. The present Hallelu kah, taken from his collection Shirei Beis Elokim, reveals an exquisite tenor solo entrance, floating on the same high G with which the soprano voices end their part. A similar device was used by Mozart in a Laudate Dominum (K.339). The fugal treat ment later on also shows the masterhand. Other of Berlijn’s outstanding compositions, like his Vayehi Binsoah and Uvfnucho Yomar (not performed on this disc but perhaps included in a future project of the group) used to be in the regular repertoire of the Neumann Choir in Frankfurt. *

N conclusion, the writer of this column hopefully expects many of his readers to listen to some of this choir music without “malice afore thought.” He then hopefully expects to have gained zealots who will argue positively the case for a Choir in their respective synagogues following the examples long-established abroad.

Letters to the

THE ARABS IN ISRAEL Brooklyn, New York We visited Israel last year, and are familiar with the internal contem porary problem vexing the govern ment of Israel and its people. The Arab population in the country’s midst is a dominant source of concern. Therefore the article entitled “The Arabs in Israel” appearing in your August/Av issue caught our attention. Helen Fried, the author of this essay, has an arresting claim on those of us who are interested in the subject. She presents the question in its vari ous complexities and comes to grips with it with head and h6art. It is to her credit that despite her Jewish origin, she does not yield to the temp tation of supporting the government’s position at the expense of the Arab citizens. She projects both sides of the unpalatable truth, adhering unrelent 68

ingly to the integrity of the situation. Let’s hope, the solution she suggests will come to pass. Anne and Sol Gelfand New York, N. Y. I just finished reading the August issue of J ewish L ife and thought I should express my appreciation for a job well done. All the articles were excellent but I especially enjoyed “The Jewish Community in Chile” by Jacob Beller, and “The Arabs in Israel” by Helen Fried. This latter article I found most in teresting as I recently spent two weeks in Israel under the auspices of the American Jewish Congress. Not having the opportunity that Helen Fried had to go into the m atter so thoroughly, I still found that the situ ation does exist and I hope that Israel will soon be able to make a better ad justment with the Arabs in their country. JEWISH LIFE

The article on Chile was most en lightening and I hope someday to pay a visit to this country. Gertrude Cantor New York, N. Y. An article entitled “The Arabs in IsraeT, which appeared in the August/ Av issue interested me. The writer, Helen Fried, it seems, unlike the aver age tourist of the fledgling state, took the trouble of getting at the bottom of things rather than limiting herself to selected sight-seeing. In her search for the facts she has come up with an important observation as regards the feeling of the resident Arabs toward the government. Her findings disclose an unpleasan try which must be taken seriously. This is not to be taken as an indict ment of anyone; it’s simply one of these after effects of a harrowing ex perience. But the government is to be credited for its genuine effort to inte grate its “enemies,” employing pa tience, compassion, and understand ing. G-d willing, there will one day be a meeting of the minds. I do hope that those who visit Israel will, like Mrs. Fried, resort to “grass roots” living and thereby get to know what really goes on in the country. Jack Greenfest New York, N. Y. As a Zionist group we are deeply interested in the numerous facets of Israeli life. Last night at a general meeting of our group, an article en titled “The Arabs in Israel” authored by Mrs. Helen Fried, appearing in the August edition of J ewish Life was read. The impact and the interest this article created among the members of the group was terrific and stimulated a heated discussion, pro and con the subject matter in the article. October, 1962

As president of the above group always looking for subjects of inter est to put before her members, this was very gratifying. Mrs. Louis Gordon, Pres. Van Cortlandt Group of Hadassah PEACE—WITHIN New York, N. Y. Will the New Year bring us peace or destruction? Will man destroy G-d’s world? Is there a genuine for mula for peace? We believe that the Torah has the formula for peace. We have the Torah for guidance and inspiration. Let us use it. Our belief is that there can not be peace in the world until there is peace within our families, organiza tions^ Jewry, and Israel. We must foster the ideal of peace through in tegrity of relations between man and his fellow-man. The brotherly ideal of “Kol Yisroel Chaverim” must be prac ticed if we are to survive. Torah-true Jews must set an example of peaceful living among themselves. Let there be an end to cold wars and civil wars within Or thodoxy. Let there be an end to pub licity-seeking motivations. Let there be an end to the un-Jewish instincts of envy, jealousy, and opportunism. Let us always conduct ourselves in such a way as to impress our youth and adults that Orthodoxy is the high est quality of human behavior. What good are all the sacrifices and contributions of millions of hard earned dollars spent for education if we do not teach our youth to respect every fellow Jew? There should be a united agreement by all of the Rabbinical organizations and Roshey Yeshivah to foster peace within Israel. 69

GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES OF THE SEASON To Our Many Friends, Patrons and Employees

THE GREAT ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC TEA COMPANY INC.

J U S T P U B L IS H E D !

First in Synagogue, Jewish Community Center

“ With Perfect Faith”

Federation and Yeshiva

. . . a new book of sermons by Rabbi Abraham Kellner,

campaigns . . .

author of:

“A Rabbi’s Faith”— 1944 “ My Pulpit"— 1951 “Strangers at the Gate"— 1954 “ Tomorrow’s Religion”— 1957 Purchase Price $5.00 Please make check payable to

ACADEMY BOOK FUND Box 3009 University City 30, Mo.

Complimentary conference on request M em ber Firm , American Association of Fund Raising Counsel A ccepted for listing by the American Hospital Association

JEWISH LIFE

Thus we shall contribute to change the frightening atomic-charged clouds into a brighter life for ourselves and children and save Jewry, Torah, and the world. Charles Rubenstein Michael Levi

DESECRATION OF SACRED SITE Brooklyn, New York I was shocked to learn that Pan American World Airways is planning to build a hotel on the Mount of Olives, in the Jordanian sector of Jerusalem. Such unthinkable desecra tion of the sacred site must not be permitted. I urge all readers of Jewish Life to voice their protest, and ask you to publish the enclosed copy of a letter I have sent to Pan American World Airways, so that many others will be prompted to take like action. Edith R. Klein (The following is the text of the letter —Editor) Mr. Roger Lewis, Executive Vice President Pan American World Airways, New York, N. Y. Dear Mr. Lewis: My reason for writing this letter is to call upon Pan American World Airways to drop its plan to build a hotel on one of the worlds most sacred sites, on the Mount of Olives in the Jordanian sector of Jerusalem. To us of the Jewish faith, this is an intoler able desecration, for on the Mount of Olives lie buried Biblical Prophets and Kings, saints and sages, and entwined with this site are a host of sacred religious associations. October, 1962

It was my understanding, which I am sure many others have shared, that Pan American Airways is one of the greatest of the world’s airways services, run with concern for the wel fare of the public. Service, to my mind, means consideration for the needs and interests of all the peoples to whom the facilities are offered. If, however, Pan American is not such a public service, but rather considers itself a narrowly commercial enter prise governed only by the objective of garnering the maximum monetary benefit to its ownership, then the an nounced plan can be better under stood. The business potential of a hotel on that site is obvious. Also ob vious would be the fact that your company would in this case care little about the results of such action, the sole consideration being financial gain. However, I find it difficult to believe that your company is governed by this sordid attitude. I am sure, in any event, that the interest of Pan Ameri can lies in giving the best possible service to the public. And as the pub lic you seek to serve consists of peoples of many faiths in many lands, any action which affects their relation ships affects Pan American, directly or indirectly. Especially so in the case of developments which contribute to religious and political tensions. It is imperative therefore that Pan American not entertain plans which would trample upon religious sancti ties and would add yet another area of turmoil to the troubled world scene. Rather, it is to the interest of Pan American to do its best to promote the good of the peoples to whom it offers its services, and the betterment of relationships among them. Very sincerely yours, Edith R. Klein 71

A n Ideal G ift fo r Y ou rself and Y our Synagogue

A R eco m m en d ed T e x tb o o k

TORAH AS OUR GUIDE

A TREASURY OF JUDAISM

by WALTER ORENSTEIN and HERTZ FRANKEL

by DR. PHILIP BIRNBAUM

gives the gist of Jewish ethical thought within an easily readable compass. It con tains meaningful selections from the entire Efible, the Talmud, the Midrash, and a rich variety of works by the best known Jewish teachers and philosophers. This is a book for all, the scholar included. Nothing has been spared in making it a joy to the eye as well as a treasure for the heart. Youth and adult study groups will find Dr. Birnbaum’s Treasury of Judaism readily de signed for their needs. The spirit of Juda ism at its best breathes from its pages.

In addition to chapters on all the holidays and fast days, this book contains chapters on Yahrzeit, Visiting the Sick, the Jewish Calen dar, and the Siddur.

$5.00

$ 2.50

The most recommended textbook for teaching the laws and customs of the Jewish Tradition. It was written with a primary concern for pre senting to youth the Jewish laws, customs and traditions without apologetics and rationale. It is a textbook that can be used from cover to cover without having to skip pages because o f references that contradict the Jewish herit age and tradition.

A vailable at all bookstores or HEBREW PUBLISHING CO.

•

Milady F ood P roducts, I nc.

MILADY’S BLINTZES .® Potato Pancakes • Pirogen Corn Fritters • Waffles

HAVE YOU MOVED? Send us your new address and your old address clipped from your Jewish L ife envelope.

79 DELANCEY STREET

•

NEW YORK 2 , N. Y .

A W N O E W C E M E IV T The UOJCA Kashruth Division announces that effective immedi ately, the Union of Orthodox Jew ish Congregations of America no longer supervises and endorses the Lombardy Hotel of Miami Beach, Florida. The hotel is under new management that has termi nated the arrangement for ® su pervision. Similarly, the Asbury Ambas sador Hotel for Senior Citizens, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is also no longer supervised and en dorsed by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

JEWISH LIFE

Viceroys got the taste thats right! Some filter cigarettes taste too strong-just like the unfiltered kind. Some taste too light-and they’re no fun at all. But Viceroy tastes the way you’d like a filter cigarette to taste. Smoke all seven of the leading filter brands, and you’ll agree: some taste too strong . . . some taste too light. . . but Viceroy’s got the taste that’s right. That’s right! That’s right! ©1962, BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOBACCO CORPORATION

<yftarkof

•# a .

"mayyou be~hS5«f*bed-fp ¿good yeat/’

the fruitful haiyest of geace, of

Igfi;.- •

flllll^^

' , <( 1^0si€$and $* health.

tbek. labels

O F A ^ lE R iC A