Jewish Life Nov-Dec 1969

TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS THE JEW AND LIBERALISM TALLITH AND TEFILLIN OVER JAPAN RABBI MENACHEM ZIEMBA OF WARSAW

KISLEV-TEVETH 5730 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1969

CARE

DOES A LOT

MORE THAN FEED PEOPLE

From the time of Israel's founding through the '5 0 's and '60's, C A R E food packages sent by relatives and friends in the United States and Canada helped thousands of Jewish families establish themselves in the homeland.

Food supplies in Israel have now improved sufficiently for C A R E to end its designated food package service. But there is still much to be done and C A R E remains on the scene, to continue its help in the work of nation-building.

Job training, education and community development are among the fields in which C A R E conducts projects in cooperation with the Israeli Government.

Today's " C A R E package" may be a carpentry workshop, sewing machines, technical books for a school. One major C A R E project seeks to equip vocational training centers for young teen-agers, usually children from new immigrant families, who otherwise would have no more than a primary education. They need the skills to become self-supporting adults. Israel needs trained manpower to produce finished goods for world markets.

First food, then the means to feed and support themselves — this is C A R E policy for the people in all the countries it assists, and we are gratified to see Israel at the point where self-help aid can take priority. You can help assure further progress, through C A R E 's Israel Program. Your contribution is deductible for income tax purposes, and C A R E reports to you on how your money was used. Mail your check:

CAKE

Israel Program 660 First Avenue New York, New York 10016

or your nearest office

Vol. XXXVII, No. 2/November-December 1969/Kislev-Teveth 5730

THE E D IT O R 'S V IE W ONE BIG DEAL?............................................................. 2

A R T IC L E S Saul Bernstein, Editor

Paul H. Baris Libby K laperm an N athan Lew in Rabbi S o lo m o n J. Sharfm an Editorial Associates Elkanah Schw artz Assistant Editor JEWISH LIFE is published bi-monthly. Subscription two years $5.00, three years $6.50, four y£ars $8.00. Foreign: Add 40 cents per year.

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TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS/ Jacob W. Landynski...............................................5 TALLITH AND TEFILLEM OVER JAPAN/ Victor M. Solom on........ .....................................12 THE JEW AND LIBERALISM/ Morris Smith......................................................... 26 RABBI MENACHEM ZIEMBA OF WARSAW/ Aaron R othkoff...............................

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BO O K R E V IE W S

Published by

‘NACHAS’ IN PERSPECTIVE/ Manuel Laderman................................................47

U nion of O rthodox J ewish C ongregations of A merica

A MAN AND HIS IDEA/ Philip Biberfeld.................................................... 49

J oseph K arasick

President H arold M. J acobs Chairman of the Board

Benjamin Koenigsberg, Nathan K. Gross, David Politi, Dr. Bernard Lander, Harold H. Boxer, Lawrence A, Kobrin, Vice Presidents; Morris L. Green, Treasurer; Emanuel Neustadter, Secretary; Julius Berman, Financial Secretary.

Dr. Samson R. Weiss Executive Vice President Saul Bernstein, Administrator Second Class Postage paid at New York, N . Y.

OF COMMUNAL CONCERN/ Joseph S. Kaplan.................................................. 50 OLD LIGHT, NEW LUSTER/ Israel Armon.........................................................51

DEPARTM ENTS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR........ .........................53 AMONG OUR CONTRIBUTORS/inside back cover

Cover and drawings by Naama Kitov © Copyright 1 9 7 0 by UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA P R IN T E D BY EASTERN STATES GRAPHIC CORP., N.Y.C.

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 196S

the EDITOR'S VIEW

O N E BIG D E A L ?

T H E December 9th statement of Secretary of State Rogers • on settlement of the Arab conflict with Israel cannot be mistaken for anything other than a capitulation to Soviet pres­ sure. Nor can there be any doubt that the statement, and the subsequent issuance of proposed “peacel5 terms, marks a decisive change in American Middle East policy. In aligning itself with the Soviet move to foreclose direct Israel-Arab negotiations and, in effect, restore the pre-Six Day War situation, our Government has embarked on a strange course.

Whatever may ensue from this turn of events, it is clear enough that the Soviet Union has scored a major victory. The victory is at the expense, not just of Israel, but of the entire Free World. The Kremlin had previously achieved some measure of success in its attempts to turn liberal as well as radical opinion against “Zionist Jewry.” It had gone far towards isolating Israel Soviet among the family of nations. Now Soviet Russia has succeeded in Wedge driving a wedge between Israel’s one ally among the world powers and America’s one staunch ally .in the entire Middle East. The wedge between these two pries open the doorway to Soviet conquest of a vast area.

In the evolution of America’s relations with Israel, the original foundation of moral interest in the establishment and

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security of the Jewish state has been more than buttressed by factors of strategic interest. Events since World War II have demonstrated the importance to America of the one place in the Middle East basically hospitable to American ties and as basically resistant to spreading Soviet imperialism. When the realities of international affairs press hard on moral considerations, the latter are soon enough foregone. But strategic interest is never thus thrown to the wolves. Only when a change in the power configu­ ration comes about and the deck of strategic cards is reshuffled is one or another card exchanged or discarded. Applying this to the present case, it would seem that our country’s policy makers are trading both moral principle and America’s stake in Israel’s security for something they deem more important or more compelling. What is that something? explanation originally given has a notable lack of T HE substance. Are we really expected to believe that capitula­ tion to intransigent demands will be rewarded by Arab friendship for America and a consequent displacement of Russian influence in the Arab lands? Is it not all too obvious that such capitulation will be recognized as a triumph for the Soviet power whose instrument has been Arab intransigence? And must this not then further entrench Soviet power and impel new demands?

With so flimsy a rationale plainly needing reinforcement, a further angle was propagated. At the opportune moment, the New York Times offered the disclosure that what really deter­ mined the change of policy was action by the big oil interests.

The Their top people came to Washington one fine day, this “inside Oil story” reported, laid it down to the Government that the Arabs Trail must be appeased pr else their oil would be lost to America and forfeited to Russia, and overnight came the policy reversal! Case closed. The day after publication of this story, the Times, which has been otherwise so distressed about policy conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union, gave the Middle East policy switch its gratified Hascomah.

The purported revelation was deft. To those outraged at the policy reversal, it offered a recognizable culprit. To others, it offered a seeming justification. But on closer examination, this explanation too fails to adequately explain. No doubt the oil companies are constrained to cater to the Arabs with whom they must deal, and there can be no question as to the powerful influ­ ence of the oil interests on U.S. policy. Yet, as matters stand, America’s need for Arab oil is fully matched by Arab dependency on the billions of American money that pays for it. Since submis-

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sion to Soviet-Arab demands must inevitably weaken America’s Middle East position in general, it must certainly weaken America’s grip on Arab oil. Thus the Times story poses more questions than it answers. great question, in fact, imposes itself: Is the change in ONE policy on the Israel-Arab complex but one-prong of a vaster policy change? For all America’s matchless might, the vista of an endless series of Koreas and Vietnams, coupled with the dimen­ sions of Soviet penetration of country after country, is dismay­ ing. There arises the urge for a radical solution. The theme Radical becomes current: “If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em.” And in those Solution? fastnesses from whence cues are given to policy makers, the alternative to showdown confrontation is seen, it may be sur­ mised, as definitive accommodation. An appeasement program dwarfing Munich may be taking shape; Secretary Rogers’ state­ ment points in the direction of One Big Deal.

If such be the direction of U.S. policy, there can be envi­ sioned a world in which, at best, the Americas, Western Europe, and perhaps Japan alone remain outside the Communist domain.

In such a world, how long could these escape the Communist grasp?

Difficult as is the situation of Israel in light of the turn in America’s Middle East policy, that of the Free World, of the United States itself, is no less problematic. Let all understand that security cannot be purchased. In Israel’s case, her right to exist and to achieve a just peace is not to be subordinated to the ambition of one country or the expediency of another. She will no more succumb to the One Big Deal thrust than to anything which has gone before. What has sustained Israel in the face of the impossibilities of the past will, with the favor of the Al­ mighty, uphold her now. May the peoples of the Free World be inspired by Israel’s staunch course to reclaim their own.

S.B.

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JEWISH LIFE

T A X E X E M P TIO N S FOR RELIG IO U S IN S T IT U T IO N S : a new constitutional controversy

by JACOB W. L A N D Y N S K I OR those who have come to believe th a t ^separation of church and state” is (or ought to be) a rigid constitutional standard, the con­ siderable tax immunities which reli­ gious institutions have long enjoyed in this .country have seemed to highlight a basic and irreconcilable contradic­ tion in American life H a “credibility gap,” so to speak, between what the Constitution ordains and what govern­ ment in fact does. ^ No one can gainsay the impor­ tance of tax exemptions to religious institutions. Tax relief usually takes three forms. Income from businesses owned by religious institutions is tax exempt; exemptions are allowed for property owned by religious groups; and deductions from taxable income are permitted for donations made to religious institutions.

To disallow the exemption, where it exists, on income from busi­ ness investments, may badly hit some religious denominations, but is unlike­ ly to have much impact on Jewish religious life. If property tax exemp­ tions are removed, synagogues and y esh iv o th will continue to exist, though with greater difficulty than before. But many of them could not possibly survive if the deduction on contributions were to be lost.

The outcome of the case {Walz

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v. New York) now pending before the United States Supreme Court, which challenges the constitutionality of property tax exemptions, is therefore of vital concern to the Jewish com­ munity. While this case involves the property tax exemption alone, its implications will doubtless extend to tax deductions as well. If the former is voided, it is difficult to see how the latter can survive constitutionally.

The decision of the Court to review the property tax exemption did not come altogether as a surprise to experienced “Court-watchers.” The Court has in recent years developed an exceptional, and continuing, interest in church-state relations. Significant religion decisions have followed hard on one another’s heels during the 1960’s. Cases questioning the constitu­ tio n a lity of non-denom inational prayers and devotional Bible reading in the public schools, Sunday closing laws, and the governmental loan of secular textbooks to parochial-school children have led to some of the most important, and controversial, Court decisions of the decade. The fact, however, that the Court has agreed to review the property tax exemption does not necessarily mean that it will be disallowed. In fact, as we shall see, the opposite is likely to prove true.

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ONSTITUTIONAL issues can min© the religious “establishments” seldom be profitably studied in which existed in about a half dozen of the abstract. Some grounding in rele­ the states. vant constitutional history and prac­ It will be observed that the final tice is vital, particularly where, as in draft of the First Amendment B B the church-state area, .the Supreme “Congress shall make no law respect­ Court itself usually invokes the “in­ ing an establishment of religion or tent” of the Framers in aid of its prohibiting the free exercise there­ decisions. of. .. .” — appears to accomplish all The Bill of Rights, as we know, three objects. Religious liberty is safe­ came about in response to demands guarded and Congress is prevented from some of the states that a charter from preferring any particular sect of basic liberties be appended to the nationally and, in this manner, inter­ Constitution. The absence of a bill of fering with the state religious establish­ rights in the original draft of the ments. There is not a shred of evidence Constitution seriously endangered the that the language was intended to chances of its adoption, and amend­ deny Congress the authority to assist ments were promised to assure ratifica­ religion or religious activity in general. tion. Is it not reasonable to suppose The extant record shows no debate at that the provision on religion which all — or even expressions of concern m C ongress eventually proposed for on the subject. adoption embodies the ideas which the This being the ease, how did the objecting states had set forth?

Court come upon its view that con­ A careful survey* of the pro­ sistently with the establishment clause, ceedings in both the First Congress “No tax in any amount, large or small, and the state constitutional conven­ can be levied to support any religious tions demonstrates that uppermost in activities or institutions,” because the the minds of those who sought amend­ clause “was intended to erect a wall of ments on religion were three concerns. se p a ra tio n b etw een Church and They feared that Congress might: State”?

1. infringe religious liberty:? 2. estab­ lish or accord preferential treatment to one particular religious sect; 3. underT WILL no doubt come as a *For a study o f the historical evid en ce, see surprise to some readers that my articles, “G overnm ental Aid to Non“separation of church and state,” a Public Schools: The C onstitutional Conflict phrase familiar even to school child­ Sharpens,” in the Winter 1 9 7 0 issue o f ren, is to be found nowhere in the Social R esearch , and “ G overnm ental Aid to Constitution. The phrase comes, in­ Non-Public Schools : A Proposal for an E xp erim en t,” in “G overnm ent Aid to Paro­ stead, from Thomas Jefferson, who chial Schools"'— H ow Far?’^(National Jewish was absent in France during the adop­ Com m ission on Law and Public Affairs; tion of the Bill of Rights, despite the 1 9 6 8 , Ed. Marvin Schick). I am in d eb ted to credit which Justice Black visits on the editors o f those publications for kindly him for having played a “leading role,” perm itting me to reprint here som e passages used in m y previous articles. with ,Madison, in the “drafting and

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adoption” of the First Amendment.

Jefferson’s “role,” it appears, was confined to advbcating, in a number of letters from abroad, a bill of rights which would include a guarantee of religious liberty.

The historical arguments for the Court’s conclusion are marshalled in the 1947 Everson “busing” case by Ju stic e s B lack and Rutledge, in opinions which largely duplicate each o th er in this respect except that Rutledge’s is far the more comprehen­ sive. Simply put ■ and the Court’s reasoning here is very simple — the Justices assumed that Madison, who guided the Bill of Rights through the First Congress, was the author of the establishment clause and that he there­ fore must have incorporated his own views (and Jefferson’s) into the Bill of Rights. There can be no doubt of Madison’s separationist philosophy; his “Memorial and Remonstrance” (1785) was instrumental in sending to defeat a measure to renew a Virginia tax for the benefit of teachers of religion.

One here is reminded of the say­ ing that a beautiful theory can be spoiled by an ugly fact — in this in­ stance, several facts. The Court over­ looks the fact that there is no evidence Madison was indeed the author of the religion clause (Madison’s own draft read simply “ nor shall any national religion be established”); it overlooks Madison’s explanation in the House concerning the modest reach of his own draft (“he apprehended the mean­ ing of the words to be that Congress should not establish a religion and enforce the legal observation of it in law, nor compel men to worship G-d in any manner contrary to their con­

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

science”); and finally, it overlooks the fact that even had Madison harbored such intentions, it is the words of the Amendment, not Madison’s thoughts, that became part of the Constitution.

It is incredible that in neither the Black nor the Rutledge opinion is there so much as a nodding bow to either the state proposals or the pro­ ceedings in Congress.

In his “ Commentaries,” the most authoritative nineteenth century w ork on th e C onstitution, first published in 1833lp Justice Joseph Story concluded that “The real object of the amendment was. . . to prevent any national ecclesiastical establish­ ment, which should give to a hierarchy the exclusive patronage of the national government.” I OR is the Court’s view of the religion clause compatible with American practice as it has developed over the years, for in a multitude of ways the state does cooperate with religion in such a way as to render it meaningful assistance. To mention some of the more conspicuous ex­ amples: chaplains are provided in the armed services; exemption from mili­ tary service is permitted on religious grounds; the use by religious groups of public parks and streets is not only commonly allowed but cannot, con­ sistently with the free exercise clause, be denied. In the field of education, c h u rc h -re la te d colleges and high schools have been aided under a vari­ ety of programs: the G.I. Bill, National School Lunch Act, Special Milk Pro­ gram, National Defense Education Act (N DE A) and, most recently, the Elementary and Secondary Education

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Act of 1965. ;The Hill-Burton Act points of contact between the two — provides funds for the construction jof whether cooperative or hostile — are hospitals operated by religious groups. inevitable. The Court jtself appears to Most i m p o rtan tp erh ap s, are tax have recognized this truth. Taken at exemptions; indeed, can anyone imag­ face value, the - wall of separation” ine a more significant way for govern­ doctrine represents a rigid stance, out ment to assist religion short of grant­ of alignment with the realities of ing outright financial support?

American life. A wall is a wall and any Should we, then, draw the con­ financial assistance which might bene­ clu sio n s from both constitutional fit religion should be unconstitutional. history and American practice that But the wall, if not crumbling, has governmental aid to the religious become a portable partition. Even function would today be consistent within the limits of current Court doc­ with the spirit of the First Amend­ trine, a substantial measure of state aid ment? I, for one, would answer in the to religiously-affiliated institutions negative because such a course would would appear to be perfectly valid. be at variance with the fundamental How has the Court managed to hurdle traditions of this nation. Lest I be the wall? In a word, by seeking out a accused of contradicting myself in the secular justification for the aid which space of a few lines, I hasten to ex­ government grants. plain. The fact is that the Federal Government has never provided direct HE “wall of separation” theory financial support for religion and the made its first appearance in a states have long ceased to do so. For a S uprem e Court opinion in 1875 century or more, the American people (Reynolds v. United States). Neverthe­ have embraced the idea of separation less , a few years later, (in Bradfield v.

B a separation, however, that in prac­ Roberts) the Court sustained a Federal tice is not absolute but relative. There appropriation for a hospital operated may be no difference in practical by the Roman Catholic Church in the effect between a tax deduction and a District of Columbia. The control direct grant; religion is aided in either which the church exercised over the case. But the way in which people hospital was considered immaterial for view such assistance >3- not as depend­ constitutional purp oses; the essential ence on government but as coopera­ function of the hospital ^ the healing tion with government B has important of the sickffir was secular in character. consequences for constitutional law. It And in the Everson case, even while is too late to turn the constitutional erecting the “wall of separation,ff|the clock back to 1791.

Court concluded that for the state to Nevertheless, the marking of provide free transportation for paro­ neat boundaries to contain govern­ chial school children does not violate ment and religion; each within its the establishment clause, since the “ p ro p e r” sphere- is impossible* state lldoes no more than provide a Government and religion alike pervade general program to help parents get our whole national existence, and their children, regardless of their reli-

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gion, safely and expeditiously to and from accredited, schools,” It was out of substantially similar considerations th a t( the Court earlier last year, in Mien v. Board o f Education, upheld the New York State law which author­ izes the loan of secular textbooks to parochial school children.

The proper test, from the stand­ point of constitutionality, ^ then, is whether government is bestowing its favors out of a purposeful desire to promote religion, or whether it is doing so because the aided institution provides a secular service to the com­ munity. To say that government may aid religious institutions insofar as they serve a valid secular purpose is to grant recognition to the fact that in many areas the interest of the state and of religion coincide H what Profes­ sor Kauper calls the “ concurrence of function,” Church-operated hospitals, for example, receive state subventions because they are performing functions which would otherwise need to be performed by the state. The hospitals and the government which aids them have entered into a quid pro quo rela­ tionship: in freeing government from the tasks which they perform, the hospitals are in effect acting as agents of government. With regard to schools, this reasoning seems to be equally persuasive. The Constitution does not forbid aid to religious institutions, only to the religious function.

In some instances aid may even be provided to the religious function itself. The military chaplaincy and fire protection for churches are aids to religion. They can, of course, be rat ionalized without difficulty. To deny fire protection to churches, while

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

making it available to the rest of the community, would be an unwarranted discrimination against religion. “ The chaplaincy can be explained as a sort of religious!, restitution which the government makes to the soldier, who can no longer attend to his devotions with the same ease as in civilian life. In other words, these are aids to religion, but not the sort of aids which the Constitution forbids. The “no aid” principle is not an absolute.

N the light of the foregoing discussion, we can now view the property tax exemption in clearer perspective. In the opinion of some, the exemption is not only constitu­ tional but is required by the First Amendment. The separation principle, it is argued, mandates >that just as government is prohibited from financ­ ing religious activities, it is likewise prohibited from taxing a house of worship. Moreover, it is said, the tax, when levied against a house of wor­ ship, imposes no less a financial bur­ den on the congregation than if it were to be levied against the privilege of religious exercise itself, something that would be in clear contravention of the free exercise clause.

T his argument has been ad­ vanced, and rejected, in the state courts. It is unlikely to curry more favor with the Supreme Court, The fatal flaw in this reasoning, it seems to me, is that it is premised on a far too rigid conception of separation. Despite the distance which the Constitution places between them, government and religion, as I have tried to show, are not mutually exclusive worlds. And there is a difference of no small

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constitutional significance between taxing a house of worship as a house, and taxing the privilege of engaging in religious practice.

But while government is not required to grant the exemption, it does not follow that it is constitution­ ally prevented from doing so ,as a matter of public policy. In fact, tax exemptions for religious institutions have been challenged, and invariably sustained, in the state and lower Federal courts. At the Supreme Court level, Chief Justice Warren (in speaking for four members of the Court) and Justice Brennan have separately indi­ cated that tax exemptions for religious institutions are consistent with the com m ands of th e Constitution.

(Warren in Braunfeld v. Brown [ 1961 ] and Brennan in Abington v. Schempp [1964]) On what grounds? In the case of religiously-affiliated institutions that are not houses of worship for instance, old-age homes, community centers and, I would add, parochial schools the constitutional rationale for exemption is that which I have outlined previously: these institutions bestow secular benefits on the com­ munity and are being partially recom­ pensed in the form of tax relief.

VEN where the exemption is granted for a house of worship, and the above rationale does not apply, a strong case for the exemption can be made on the ground that reli­ gion promotes morality and good citizenship, goals in which government has a legitimate interest and vital stake. As a United States Court of Appeals put the matter in 1957:

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“Congress in granting tax exemption under this statute, like most of the states, was giving expression to a broad legislative purpose to grant support to elements in the community regarded as good for the community** (Washing­ ton Ethical Society v. District o f Columbia, D.C. Cir. 1957). And I be­ lieve that this is what Justice Brennan had in mind when he wrote that, in enjoying tax exemptions,^“religious in stitu tio n s simply share benefits which government makes available to educational, charitable, and eleemos­ ynary gvowps”(Abington v. Schempp, 1964).

F u rth erm o re , on the sound premise that the “establishment” and “free exercise” clause may offer con­ flicting constitutional advice in some situations, a fair interpretation of the First Amendment requires that these provisions be taken in conjunction, and that in some cases government ^ should be allowed to take positive action to protect religious freedom. In the w ords of Professor Kauper, “ exem ptions help implement the express guarantee of religious liberty,” and “the same principle which sup­ ports exemption on religious grounds from military service or from Sunday­ closing requirements can logically be extended to exempt religious activities from the obligations imposed by tax law.” * The words of the Court in Zorach v. Clauson, the 1952 “released *Paul G. Kauper, “The C onstitutionality o f Tax E xem ptions for Religious A ctivities,’’ in “The Wall Between Church and State>’ (Chicago, 1 963, Ed, Dallin H. Oaks), pp. 95, 114. I am indebted to Professor Kauper’s work for som e o f the material contained in the concluding portion o f this article.

JEWISH LIFE

time” case, appear to lend particular cogency to this view. “It would be wrong,” said the Court, to “press the concept of separation of Church and State” to such “extremes” as would forbid a cooperative and accommodat­ ing attitude toward religion on the part of government. “We are a reli­ gious people whose institutions pre­ suppose a Supreme Being.” The state “follows the best of our traditions” when it “respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the p u b lic service to their spiritual n e e d s ... The problem, like many others in constitutional law, is one of degree.” Here, it seems to me, the Court came closest to giving the reli­ gion clause the reading it best deserves from the standpoints of history, sound interpretation, and American practice.

VERY manifestation of govern­ m en tal accommodation with religion evokes the fear of secular-

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minded people that the “ wall” is about to come tumbling down. Here we see at work the same kind of underdeveloped reasoning and over­ developed imagination which, when it is demonstrated in the views held by right-wing politicians, liberals loudly deplore. When extreme conservatives tell us that the welfare state is danger­ ous because it leads to Socialism which, in turn, may lead to Commu­ nism, we properly scoff. Carry an argument to its “logical conclusion” and you often carry it to an absurd conclusion. To continue tax exemp­ tions for religious institutions, as they have existed nationwide for 175 years, will not put organized religion into the State Department, or the government into the pulpit, any more than the election of a Catholic to the Presi­ dency brought the Pope into the White House.

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by V IC T O R M. SO LO M O N Tachikawa, Japan / / / ^ THAT I had wings like a dovef^4 V / mused King David, “Then I would fly away, and be at rest” (Psalm 55:7).

The Psalmist would ^u ndoubt­ edly, be surprised to learn that, as the only Jewish U.S. Air Force chaplain in Japan, I do indeed have wings; if not like a dove, then silvery wings of a jet or an old-fashioned, propellor-driven DC4 or “Gooney Bird?’ in which I soar above the puffs of white clouds, through the azure skies of the Land of the Rising Sun. With me I bring some Torah, friendship, and the inevitable gefilte fish, to make Jewish service­ men, stationed in isolated bases “up n o r t h ,” remember their Judaism, identify with their people and become, if only for a few days, part of k ’lal Yisroel.

As for flying “away to be at rest” — this is a luxury.which a Jewish chaplain in Japan cannot afford. As

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Mendele Mocher Seforim observed many decades ago, “A Jew never has time, he is always on the run.” This applies with even greater intensity to the hectic pace of a Jewish chaplain S let alone a Jewish U.S. Air Force chaplain in the service of a breed of luftmenschen, a term not unfamiliar to old Mendele!

DIGRESS for a moment from the story I was about to tell, to take note of something which inter­ ru p te d my w ritin g only a few moments ago. This is what is called in our home “spare time.” I wanted to put it to good use with these lines when the phone rang. It was a young veteran from Vietnam calling from a distant hospital site in the city of Tokyo. He had a serious problem and hoped that I could solve it for him. As the story unfolded, it turned out that his bag with the Tefillin was left

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the Duty Officer came to my quarters personally to report an emergency. He knew that I do not answer the tele­ phone on Shabboth, and was prepared to make the necessary sacrifice to help me (as he put it) observe my faith even as I try to serve my country and my people. The emergency? An amputee from the battlefield, in transit to a permanent hospital in the States, wanted to see a Jewish chaplain during his brief stopover in the Casualty Staging facilities at Tachikawa Air Base. The Duty Officer graciously offered to chauffeur me to the bedside of the wounded man. I thanked him for his thoughfulness, assuring him at the same time that I have a way in which I could perform my duty with­ out violating the Sabbath.

That Friday night, in the middle of a howling tropical storm, I made my way to the hospital on the other side of the runway, a distance of almost three miles. What happened was certainly worth the effort. The entire ward of wounded men fresh from th e charnel house of war, listened attentively to the strange strains of Yigdal and Adon Olom B b y special request of Staff Sergeant John M cD erm ott, another bachelor ger tzedek. (Why do most emergency situations occur on Shabboth?. . . perhaps there is yet an eleventh trial which might be added to the familiar ten celebrated in the Mishnah and read in the Pirkey Ovoth during the appro­ priate season of the year.)

It is now a year since my arrival HIS is not an isolated instance of the unexpected which is part of in Japan, twelve exciting months filled the “usual” mosaic of experience forwith a exotic experiences and fantastic Jewish chaplain in the Orient. A adventures . True, the decision to month before, on a Friday evening, become a chaplain in my “vintage

behind when he was shipped from Southeast Asia for an emergency oper­ ation. Could he borrow ar pair of Tefillin until the arrival of his own?

I put down my pen, set aside my papers, looked back at my messy desk, reluctantly got into my Air Force uniform and, in a matter of minutes, was on my way to see the young man with the problem. The hospital was a good two-hour drive from Tachikawa.

I was not alone in this mission of mercy. Many tender hands had joined to provide the necessary logistical support for my task. The Tefillin had come from the Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy. Transportation was pro­ vided by theTJ.S. Air Force. My wife (who was a confirmed conscientious objector against baking) had sent along a delicious home-baked honey cake; and several complimentary copies of JEWISH LIFE magazine completed the picture.

Awaiting me at the Oji Hospital was a surprise: the young man who so u nded so concerned about the Mitzvah of Tefillin over the phone turned out to be a neophyte ger tzed ek with a profound love for Judaism. As a postscript I should add that his motive for conversion was not matrimonial. Years of quest and study during his civilian days had led him to the faith which, he assured me, has reshaped his life in the pattern of Mitzvoth and suffused it with a deep sense of mission and meaning.

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years” did not come without painful moments of doubt and trepidation.

The chaplaincy is less than attractive even to young, newly-ordained rabbis.

Where does one begin to describe the predicament of a rabbi who feels called to uproot his family, in the spirit of Abraham, but with schaol-age children, simply to fulfill an old pledge which he offered many long years ago?

The d iffic u lt ste p , though fraught with trial and hazard, has brought redeeming satisfaction and genuine fulfillment. Indeed, there are m om ents of disappointment, even days full of frustration. No one can deny the occasions of chagrin bor­ dering oh disillusionment. But, in the end, what really matters is the fact that I am on the scene of action where I feel that I am most needed — and o cc asio n ally appreciated. I really meant every word of what I said du rin g th a t first Rosh Hashonah sermon when I pledged before my military congregation that the Lord is not only my shepherd, but, ultimately, also my C.O. (Commanding Officer)!

Chitóse, in the v i c i n i t y of Sapporo the capital of Hokkaido. Such trips can be inspiring for one who appreciates history and geography. During this missibn I traveled to the very fringe of the democratic world, a short distance from the “Workers Paradise” which, if current information is accurate, has become a vast prison for three million fellow-Jews. On a clear day I can see Soviet-held Sakhalin Island. Siberia is to the left. How frustrating to be so close to my brethren The Jews o f Silence and yet, so far away.

HE SUN slowly climbs over the distant horizon. Remember, this is Japan where the sun performs many tricks! My staff car takes me to the air terminal. “Show time” is an hour and a half before take-off — just long enough to make the necessary arrange­ ments, check in my baggage and recite the preliminary part of the morning service in a cozy, hushed lounge which, on a previous trip, I discovered above gate No. 1. This was certainly more private than an earlier experience when I dawenned with Talith and UESDAY morning before dawn. Tefillin in the busy, bustling plaza of I awaken to a new day, a special Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport on my way to Hong Kong where I was day struggling into existence against the recalcitrant Kanto Plains smog scheduled to perform a B’rith Milah. It which makes us feel a part of Greater is worth mentioning in passing, that I Tokyo. An extremely active week is felt exceptionally comfortable and at about to begin for me. I am setting out ease in that sea of busy humanity.

Day has fully dawned by the for my quarterly visit to the frigid far north. My itinerary includes a call at time I board the ancient, tired-looking Wakkanai Air Station, the northern­ “Gooney Bird” which takes me, hope­ most point on Hokkaido which is the fully, to my scattered military congre­ northemmgst island of Japan. There gations up north. The aircraft belongs will also be stopovers at Misawa Air to an outfit named “Air America,” but Base on top of Honshu Island and at more appropriately and affectionately an Army Post, Kuma Station near known as “Scare America”®- and for

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JEWISH LIF E

good reasons. The flights are invariably noisy, shaky, bumpy, and full of surprises, not the least of which is the fact that we reach our destination.

Each flight is marked by grave doubts about the plane’s ability to “make it.”

Sometimes we almost don’t ! But surprisingly, we usually do — even if we land on one wheel. However, there are also those other times when snow­ storms and a variety of tricky weather c o n d itio n s conspire to keep us g ro u n d ed o r, m ore colloquially, “socked in.” Then there are the occa­ sions when we do reach our frigid northern destination only to discover that it is impossible to land. Then, almost within sight of our goal, (but not quite because the clouds are so thick) we “turn tail” before our limited fuel supply runs out. Can you believe me that I was once against flying? My favorite remark, if I recall c o rre c tly , was “if the Almighty wanted us to fly, He would have given us wings!”

E will leave the exceptions where they belong and address ourselves to the fact that we usually dp manage ^ , somehow — to get th ro u g h to those isolated, lonely frozen men with our supplies, mail and H me, their flying Jewish chaplain who once took a train all the way down to Mexico City because he wanted to avoid a plane ride.

What a rewarding experience to see smiling young faces, though frost­ b itte n , beaming with satisfaction because a Rabbi has come. These are n o t ordinary boys. They form a unique congregation: hand-picked men of exceptional caliber who can be

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

counted on to be on the alert at all times and under the most trying con­ ditions. These people are able to remain in isolated, remote areas with­ out losing their emotional equilibrium.

They are the outer ring of defense which helps keep our country safe. To me they are a wonderful congregation of which I am extremely proud.

The feeling of being wanted and appreciated communicates itself to me and adds to the satisfaction connected with the Service. I bring with me the usual J.W.B.-supplied gefilte fish, bagels _and. lox and “home-baked” cake, together with kosher food avail­ able to us for those determined to keep kosher and others who try to carry on in the tradition of their faith.

Then there are the religious services and educational films as well as “bull sessions” and counseling periods. But my Jewish insignia on the uniform — the only insignia of its kind in all of Japan —is most deeply appreciated by these young men whom I visit, espe­ cially during the seasons of isolation when snow drifts rise several stories high. How do I know this? They tell me so. It is their link with their faith ahd their people. It secures their iden­ tity. It means that they are, after all, not forgotten. As one airman put it, and I purposely jotted it down in my little notebook, “Here I am alone and you come and bring along a little bit of home. This is all I need. Even the frost and the snow don’t bother me now.” /.

OME of my more materialistic congregants find their joy in the matzah or gefilte fish bulging from the sides of my overweight valise. Others

15

look for it in items which do not add t o my baggage: the aylu d ’varirn she ’eyn lahem she ’ur, the religious ser­ vice, the adult education program, the discussions in a cozy, warm lounge with a wild snowstorm piling snow­ drifts as high as the second story of my BOQ (Bachelor Officer’s Quarters).

The armchair philosophers who speculate about the need of a Jewish C h ap lain cy pro g ram sh o u ld be informed that Jewish boys in frozen isolation thousands of miles from home, who stand guard against a sur­ prise nuclear attack which could devastate America and destroy this country which was a haven to our parents, deserve to be remembered and served. I have my questions which do not differ, essentially, from those of thinking people who have their reser­ vations about geopolitical matters.

However, I also believe that there is an eyth la’a sothM a time when debate might interfere with the more pressing matter of urgent action.

The ‘fold crate” touches down on the landing strip at Wakkanai. We are now at the very northernmost tip of Japan. The Base Chaplain, a genial* portly m ant is waiting for me. His ruddy, friendly face is framed in the wolf-fur of his parka headcover. He is breathing clouds of steam into the frozen air. Lutheran by faith, he is a genuine human being by calling. At every meeting, I sense that I am in the presence of a member-in-good-standing of the chasidey umoth ho-olom. It is he who fusses over my accommoda­ tions, arranges for my conveniences and looks after the spiritual welfare of my isolated congregants between my visitations. Our relationship is warm

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and cordial. It is genial and informal. I could feel that he too has been awaiting my arrival with the same eager anticipation. “Don’t worry, Chaplain Solomon,” the Base Chap­ lain, a Lt. Colonel, tells me,: “I have taken care of all the arrangements.*9 And he has. He continues to tell me about a few boys he would like me to see because he feels they are in need of some “Yiddishkeit.” He does not want to mess around with their religious problems, so he keeps them “on ice” (which in sub-zero, frozen Wakkanai does not present a problem) until my arrival.

The drive from the landing strip to Wakkanai Air Station is myste­ riously familiar. In a flash, I remem­ ber: fond memories of relaxation at Pleasure Island on Long Island Sound come back. Those were the days not so long ago when I served as rabbi at C on g reg atio n Ahavath Achim in Fairfield.

Y three days in Wakkanai were filled with activity and left me with a feeling of accomplishment. We held a religious service with a full minyon, the first such quorum anyone present could recall. This was also the northernmost minyon in Japan — perhaps in the world. One young airman made it a point to tell me that if we continued going north a little way we would be going south!

Next came Kiddush, consisting of onion rolls, gefilte fish, and mac­ aroons. (My valise was much lighter by the time the sessions at Wakkanai were over.)

Other important ^matters also needed to be expedited. It was my

JEW ISH L IF E

As for me, it is all too soon that I am back at the landing strip waiting for the one plane which might, hopefully, arrive to take me to the next station in my itinerary.

After a few elongated moments of suspense, we could hear the distant roar of vintage motors somewhere above the clouds. Can the plane make it this time? Or will it be forced to turn back and wait for another day with more favorable weather con­ ditions? These are extremely tense moments. I shudder to think of the job of unpacking and repacking my luggage. More* it here is a timetable which would be seriously affected.

Suddenly, as if in answer to our anxiety, the outline of an aircraft emerges from clouded skies with a thunderous roar. Boruch Ha-skem 9 the plane has arrived.

Moments later the tiny airstrip becomes a beehive of activity with p e rso n n e l em barking and disem­ barking, p jf cargo off,” “cargo on” — and that precious cargo of mail for the im p atie n t lonely boys waiting so eagerly for word from home and a loved one.

We dare not lose a moment boarding the craft. Experience reminds us that landing solves only half the p ro b lem . O ften a plane can be “socked-in” for a day or a week, depending on the mood of the jittery and capricious weatherman. I might mention in passing that a safe landing at the Wakkanai Air Strip is considered a special feat of courage. For this HE three days pass swiftly. reason pilots receive a liberal bonus Sometimes I find it difficult to each time they set down at the frigid air strip. appreciate how slow time really is for Even now, I could sense another the boys who are stationed up there.

responsibility to make arrangements fo r Afpermissive TDY||. (temporary duty) so that Jewish personnel could come down to Tachikawa Air Base and share the Pesach Sedorim with the rest of us at a “kashered” Officers Club.

(This is a story in its own right and deserves a separate article.) Then, of course, there was the second Seder featuring home hospitality with our Jewish families on base. To the homehungry, family-starved airmen from is o la te d , sn o w -b o u n d sites such matters are of the utmost importance.

In terms of Jewish endurance they can loom very large. I am certain that many a young man on his way down the road from Jewish identity was brought back by such experiences.

How does a Jewish U.S. Air Force Chaplain pass his time in an isolated, snow-bound Air Station?

Usual as well as unusual experiences can keep him very busy during and inbetween scheduled activities. First, there is a long list ^of boys who have been waiting for a rabbi’s counseling for a long time. Then there is the occasional non-Jewish youth inquiring about the Jewish faith. My portable ‘|kosher kitchen” was open twentyfour hours a day. A full-hour television broadcast almost rounded out the day.

But not quite. That evening, I became a chef in the Base Chaplain’s home, preparing and serving a kosher dinner for: five (the Lutheran chaplain, his wife and daughter, a newly-arrived Jewish officer and me).

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snowstorm in the air. ‘‘Let’s get going!,” we are urged. It looks like another humdinger is coming in. The plane is boarded; “ on the double.”

Snowflakes are already beginning to fall. The door is closed and the motors begin their cacophony of beautiful music to our ears.

Quick, even violent, weather changes are the rule in this part of the world. A moment’s delay could mean an aborted mission. Quickly the plane taxis into position for take-off. The motors are revved. I can feel the craft straining at the counter pressure of whirling propellors pulling and brakes holding back. Then the brakes let go and the plane rushes forward into the whirling snow. The forward thrust of the craft becomes smoother as the wheels of the landing gear lose contact with the concrete landing strip. Up, up, up we climb into the clouds, and beyond the snowstorm. Down below a raging storm has set in. But I see a bright sun and a glorious blue sky. I look down at the “undercast” skies.

This time we were lucky; we missed a violent storm by the skin of our teeth.

NCE in the air my thoughts turn to more important matters like Shacharith. Above the clouds I see that it is time to dawen. My zeyda would have found it hard to believe th is phenomenon — he who was awakened, by the shammosh in the tiny Polish- village of Drobin. In those days the shammosh would call out in his melodious summons to worship: “Shteht u f tzu avodas haboirei” m arise for the worship of the Creator!

On the otjier hand, how zeyda’s tran­ quil world of simple faith and observ­

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ance seems so remote |§! even impos­ sible for us in this sophisticated meshugenne rat-race we call “modern times.”

I glance hopefully at the familiar curtains separating the forward com­ partment of the plane from the rear passenger section. That is where I frequently offer my prayers in the p riv ate , silent company of those mysterious tons of baggage and mail.

(Once, I discovered an occupied casket just in time to search for a more suit­ able place to offer the prayers.) I considered it a matter of courtesy and diplomacy to check with the steward.

“You wish to pray,” he commented and suggested that I take the unoccu­ pied seats nearby. What does a Japan­ ese steward know about a Shacharith service? He was in for a surprise —and I was on the threshold of an adult education lecture for fascinated Japan­ ese of assorted Oriental religious per­ suasions.

I produced my Talith and Tefillin. Soon I was joined by two steward­ esses and other members of the crew who gathered to watch the exotic proceedings. I hoped that the pilot w ould see fit to remain at the controls!

F irst, I unfolded my Talith which evoked admiring sighs and in­ spired hisses according to the Japanese tradition of aspirated and inspired surprise. But they had not seen any­ thing yet! Next I produced my Tefillin before the astonished group of flying personnel. The Shel Yad passed un­ noticed. But, when I fastened the Shel Rosh to my head, there was a murmur of delight. The assembly came alive with signs of recognition. Now, what

JEWISH L IF E

can Japanese crewmen know about Tefillin?, I wondered. The answer was not long in coming. In Japan there are n u m e r o u s a s c e tic s k n o w n as Yamabushi — “hermit of the moun­ tain” —who inhabit isolated mountain tops and practice a strange religious cult which would delight students of religious esoterica. The Yamabushi is identified with a number of items w hich have been associated with Jewish religious symbols. He wears a phylactery-like box called tonkin on his forehead. He also uses a large shell w ith which he sounds Shofar-like blasts as part of a religious observance.

What is the origin of the Yamabushi?

There are many theories, but few facts. Their story is one of mystery and speculation. A recent article about the Yamabushi by a British expert on Japanese religions left me even more confused. Nevertheless, I hope to investigate their origins further and offer my own theory with the appro­ priate evidence.

My Japanese “audience” did not hide their appreciation for the Tefillin ft or “tonkin” as they called it. It was evident to me that I was now an ac­ cepted member of the group. The steward and stewardesses did every­ thing possible to make me comfort­ able. They shushed away curious passengers who might have disturbed me during my devotions. The Japan­ ese, as I later discovered, revere their Yamabushi. The only price they ex­ acted from me for their interest and helpfulness was a lengthy explanation of Judaism during the remainder of the flight.

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

BEGAN from the beginning: which meant grappling with the w arped and distorted impression among Japanese from Hokkaido in the North to Kyushu in the South that Judaism is a “branch” of Christianity.

(Centuries of Christian missionary activity in Japan have done little to win converts to Christianity. In spite of all their ardent efforts, Christians account for less than 1%, perhaps closer to .5% of Japan’s population.

More, even this tiny minority is some­ what confused by the whole thing.

Many of them cannot distinguish between Christianity and Buddhism. I know of Japanese who have deposited a Christian medal inside a Shinto shrine. However, many Japanese have been persuaded to accept the ridicu­ lous n o tio n that Judaism is the “daughter” religion.) I tried to set the record straight for the attentive crew.

They were politely surprised to learn that Judaism is the honorable Mother Faith. Since that time I have published a Japanese tract which briefly de­ scribes the “yudaya k y o ” or Judaism as it is known in Japanese. I employed the Shinto Japanese idiom and used what I hoped was persuasive Oriental linguistic patterns of conceptualiza­ tion. It is printed in the popular Japanese conji and has enjoyed a wide circulation since publication in June 1969. Since the date of publication m any in q u iries have come from Japanese readers on a variety of levels of interest. Some have gone so far as to v o l u n t e e r to becom e my “disciples!” ..

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N recent years eloquent voices HAT Shacharith service in the have been raised challenging the clouds above Hokkaido may validity of Jewish participation in the impress the reader as a unique adven­ ture. Adventure, yes. But not unique. military chaplaincy. I might possibly Many exotic experiences add flavor have joined the chorus were it not for and satisfaction to the life of a Jewish the experience. I still believe in the old fashioned saw that experience is the Chaplain in the Orient.

Here is one for the record. Last best teacher. And what did I learn? month I was driving to an Ainu village First I discovered that the chaplain can in the vicinity of Chitóse when I count on a wide variety of individuals almost lost control of the automobile and agencies to help meet the religious for a silly reason: a road sign! A word needs of his constituents. Superiors about the Ainu might be profitable at and colleagues alike participate in a this point while the reader waits with teamwork approach to a problem anticipation for the reason why I was which affects all our young people, regardless of religious persuasion, who so excited by a road sign.

The Ainu are an aboriginal group are called to military service. Ques­ tions of church-state separation and occupying several villages on Hokkaido matters of conscience related to war in Island. Anthropologists still marvel at their language, culture, and physiologi­ general or any particular war seem cal appearance which do not conform ridiculously irrelevant to the spiritual needs of our Jewish servicemen. What to conventional Japanese norms.

To return to the narrative. I am counts for the boy in a hospital or the driving along the (unusually) well- young man who yearns for contact paved highway to the Ainu village of with his faith, is the presence of a Jewish chaplain when he is needed.

Sharaoi when a road sign quickens my pulse. There, in bold black letters on a Where can a person turn for a minyon, seek the advice of a rabbi, ask for a gleaming porcelain sign, is the word pair of Tefillin, request instruction in SHADAI in Japanese and English. The Conji character SHA means Jinja or Mitzvoth or simply get a listening ear for a heart-full of troubles occasioned temple, while the dictionary definition for DAI is foundation. Thus, SHADAI by separation from kith and kin. One of our young servicemen has not seen in Conji can be translated as “temple a shool since the day he became Barfoundation.” This word does not fit Mitzvah. There are also those who Japanese linguistic patterns. A mere coincidence? Or is it mere happen­ became “Bar-Mitzvah” at the age of 25 stance? As for the Ainu themselves, a or 30 in a Jewish chapel in Japan! The mysterious race of Caucasian aborigi­ “sky pilot” (an affectionate role-name by which the chaplain is frequently nes surrounded by a sea of 100 million known) enjoys a special measure of Japanese, who can say with certainty respect and cooperation. Ponderous anything about their origins? They doors are opened to him and he is remain an enigma for scholars and frequently the warm, human element writers to ponder.

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JEW ISH L IF E

in a , vast organization which might otherw ise become indistinguishable from a cold, computerized monster.

At one jet airbase in our area the chaplain’s parking space at the Flight Line is labeled “Spiritual Mainten­ ance’fWenablihg it to conform to the regulations.

E return to our story. The plane descends for refueling. Meehanics will also look at engine Number 4.

We almost came in on three engines.

The stop at Misawa Air Base gives me an opportunity to check my baggage with the defrosting salami, pickles, and assorted kosher items expected by servicemen at another base later on in my itinerary.

Back at the aircraft we receive ritualized flight instructions intended for the newly-boarded personnel. No one listens. I fasten my seat belt as the plane taxis into position for take off on the runway. I add an extra Psalm to th e p re v io u sly re c ite d Tefillath Haderech. The sky is overcast, but I feel reassured that “Someone-UpThere” is ;in charge of matters ^ in spite of that engine Number 4. I always feel moved by the implications of that special addendum for airplane trav el a tta c h e d to the Tefillath Haderech: I f I ascend up to the Heavens, Thou art there. I f I take wings o f the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts o f the sea, even there would Thine hand lead me and Thy right hand would hold me. And may it be Thy will our Father in Heaven, that Thou guard us from storm and ¡tem­ pest and grief. And mayest Thou

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

bring forth from Thy store­ houses a propitious wind to carry our aircraft and mayest Thou sustain and preserve those who fly it, that they neither weaken nor falter. And may we reach our destination alive and well, without any trouble and injury. Oh keep my soul and deliver me. Let me not be abashed, for I have taken refuge in Thee. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Hallelukah.

We are airborne again. Turbu­ lence marks our penetration through the curtain of clouds. The aircraft shivers and shudders as it does its loops and tricks. I reach for my augmented Siddur for an extra Kapitel Tehillim. Soon the sun shines forth in all its glory. Now we look down on the clouds again.

My travel in the “great blue yonder” is a spiritually uplifting and intellectually stimulating experience.

In spite of the many distractions I am emotionally involved in the flight. It is over the sea between Hokkaido and Honshu which, in this season, looks like a sheet of rough ice frozen right in the middle of a rough wave, that I recall the 122nd Psalm: “Esa eynay el he-horim. . .’\ “I lift up mine eyes unto the mountains. . .’’ Only at this altitude there is no need to “lift up eyes unto mountains.” It is more a case of looking down at the lovely hills and valleys that give some parts of northern Japan the appearance of a beautiful quilted pattern, sculpted by a gentle artistic Divine Hand. “If I ascend up to the Heavens, Thou art

21

there. . .” v- the words of the prayer return to haunt and inspire me.

At 9,000 feet I tend to become a philosopher. Can this be the problem of our age? I mean the cultural or, m ore accurately, the spiritual lag which is the result of little men toying with sophisticated flying machines, soaring above mountains with a false sense of superiority? Could this be a rerun of the error which dispersed the generation of the Tower builders in Babylon?

The Sages interpreted “Harrim” as “Horim,” parents. Looking up to mountains could be related to a spirit of reverence for and interest in the wisdom of the ages. Does looking down at mountains from an aircraft also give me license to look down at and disparage the heritage of my ho rim?

Then my mind shifts to the verse Ha-shomayim shomayim La-Shem. . .

“The Heavens belong to G-d.” Awe holds me captive each time I descend to the domain of Ha-Shem, above those majestic clouds. This morning the air turbulence delayed our flight.

In spite of our technological prowess, scientific skill — and my prayers —we were forced to learn that man is still, after all, an earthbound creature. A real estate tradition provides a moshol.

Expensive pieces of property which are leased for long periods of time are frequently closed off to the public during longer or shorter periods as a reminder that the owner has not re­ linquished his claim of ownership. I felt that the adverse weather condi­ tions were spiritually good, in spite of the inconvenience1. It kept us grounded for a short period of time, perhaps to

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remind us that the domain of Heaven still belongs to the Almighty and that it is only by His grace and the wisdom that He implanted in His creatures when He created man in His image, that we have the ability to build machines which can raise man above the earth. If only a spiritual elevation could accompany this new technologi­ cal wisdom which has lifted us above the clouds. This troubled world needs, more than ever before, the insights and perspectives distilled from a blend of faith and science to ease the everincreasing burden of woes on earth even as man reaches for the^ moon and stars. It troubles me, high above the clouds, that the first major use df air­ craft was in the human “game” of warfare. Perhaps the time has come to redeem the misuse of this technologi­ cal gift. A chaplain’s flight to an iso­ lated Jew ish congregation could symbolize that redemption. This could also be said of the “blatt gemora” learned between flights into philosoph­ ical or theological speculation.

Time flies when I fly ¿S! especial­ ly when I allow my thoughts to play w ith such p ro v o c ativ e musings.

“Fasten seat belts. . . in ten minutes we will land at Chitóse Airport.”

Y arrival at Chitóse is something of a surprise. Aircraft scheduled for that cold, remote area have been delayed by weather conditions at Tachikawa Air Base where turbine flights originate. The result was a delay,! not of hours, but of several days. As a result, my arrival at Chitóse was flashed over closed circuit TV. The congregation was informed of a schedule o f services and adult

JEW ISH L IF E

education classes. The short notice n o tw ith s ta n d in g , attendance was excellent. Joe heard it at the bowling alley at about the time when his game was reaching an exciting climax. Carl picked it up on the car radio on his way to a Sunday evening party in glam o ro u s S ap p o ro ,y c a p ita l of Hokkaido in the opposite direction.

Mrs. Jacobson saw it on TV while preparing her dinner. In short, my congregants were gathered from every manner of activity — and they came.

Siddurim were distributed and the service began. After Maariv, a lively discussion on “How To Really Live A Jewish Life” (over a can of maca­ roons) did not lose momentum until past midnight. To think that only a year ago the name Chitóse was not even a part of my vocabulary; now, this is my beat! The people in the community are an important part of my flock and they consider me (I trust) an important part of their lives.

That the congregation is aware of my presence is no idle speculation. Young men and women from this remote site and other areas have turned my home into a way station and restaurant as they come through Tachikawa for change of assignment, on leave and for the usual reasons which keep our Air Force personnel on the move.

EST the reader be misled to see the chaplaincy as “lots of fun,” it should be pointed out that it is only in the moments between planning and working that these enjoyable inter­ ludes can be experienced. The daily fare of the chaplain is a mosaic of in s p ira tio n an d disappointm ent, accomplishment and failure, spiritual

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

enrichment and isolation from the mainstream of Torah Jewry.

It is during moments of doubt that something occurs i|® .| something always occurs in the chaplaincy — confirming the wisdom of the chap­ lain’s choice of vocation. True there is a price to pay as a chaplain, especially an o rth o d o x Jewish chaplain for whom Torah and Mitzvoth carry a special price tag. There is the educa­ tion of children, which is a chapter in itself. Shall I mention minyonim, Shabbatoth and Yomim Tovim which lack something of the flavor to which an observant Jew is drawn? Yet, there are those moments of compensation and reward associated with the chap­ laincy. A personal sense of integrity compels me to present a balanced account for those who might contem­ plate a chaplaincy career.

UT, in the final accounting one n c a n n o t forget the beautiful memory of an orthodox G.I. from Vietnam who feasted on his first kosher steak —his first piece of meat that year — at my table. How many minyonim is that worth? With true m esirath nefesh, the battle-weary soldier had been living on canned rations in a .front-line bunker under severe enemy shelling. This was during the heaviest fighting of the war.

Then there is the kosher bake shop at Tachikawa. Delicious challahs, onion rolls, blintzes, and other such delicacies are available to G.I.S who might want to observe Shabboth with traditional foods, or simply conjure up memories of h o m e a n d who can predict what results can grow from such an experience? It is only fair to

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mention that my colleague Chaplaini Lt. Col. Moskowitz was a pioneer in this vital area, as in other cognate fields of Jewish chaplaincy f‘miracles.”

Next we turn to the commissary which has finally become a center for reliable kosher meat and other kosher grocery items for the entire area.

For those who might want to go ¿ step further, w6 offer daily devotions in the Jewish chapel, available to any­ one who feels moved t a davven Shacharith, Minchah, or Maariv.

“June in January” is not an unfamiliar expression. Have you ever heard of a “late Friday night service” on Sunday evening? At Tachikawa Air Base this is a matter of course. We hold, not Sabbath services, but an appropriate Maariv service on Sunday evening when everyone may ride to synagogue to participate in a major religious activity followed by a social hour and an educational program.

Friday evenings, the chapel is arranged for those who wish to come to syna­ gogue for private meditation and re­ flection. A formal service is not conducted at that time. The experi­ ence of this shift of emphasis to a weekday service is representative of th e b o u n d less o p p o rtu n ity and beckoning challenge available to a military chaplain.

WOULD also like to mention the many Japanese students who have associated themselves with our program and our home. These are the finest specimens of Hasidey umoth ho-olam who have visited Israel to serve in kibbutzim or to study at universities^ and wish thereafter to maintain contact with Jews and Jewish

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life. These enthusiastic friends of Israel have added much color and interest to my experience in Japan. For some, it is an opportunity to become reacouainted with the language and the tradition which they wish to preserve and explore in greater detail.

Is there a yardstick which can measure the satisfaction occasioned by a marriage ceremony conducted by a chaplain in accordance with the tenets of our faith? In one case there was an offer of a set of dishes to enable a struggling young military couple to s ta rt m arried life with a kosher kitchen. Then I can recall with deep satisfaction the fe’rith Milah which might not have been were it not for a M ohel-C haplain. Incidentally^the services of a Mohel-Chaplain are avail­ able and have been offered to Jewish c o m m u n itie s fro m T okyo and Tachikawa to Singapore and Hong Kong. Jews who care are concerned about the rising tide of intermarriage.

Need I mention the marriage which never occurred because a Jewish chap­ lain was there to serve as father, mother, and rabbi for the young airman who was about to become an intermarriage statistic.

NY story about a Jewish chap­ lain w ould be inco m p lete without a few words about his most important teammate: the rebbetzin.

Her part in his work defies hyperbole.

It was she who was willing, in the first place, to share the sacrifice of exile from family and friends. She was unafraid to face the rigors of house­ keeping in a strange land and the colossal burden of keeping a Jewish home “somewhere” — on the other

JEW ISH L IF E

side of the globe as it happened to turn out. She works with an unfamiliar military Sisterhood and plays hostess to a different breed of associates. The chaplain’s wife keeps “open house” for stranded war veterans and service­ men of all kinds who share our table and her delicious dishes. After sixteen years of valiant resistance, she finally broke down and became an accom­ plished baker! Then there are those lonesome* “TDY’s” when I pack my valises and disappear for a week of visitations “up north.” During those lonesome exiles it is she who looks after home and children. Not many are able or willing to assume the burden.

For my wife, the “Land of the Rising Sun” is more accurately the land of “raising sons.”

S u rp risin g ly ^ 1 the chaplaincy experience which I share with my wife and children has had a salutary effect on the family. It is responsible for the development of an unexpected esprit de corps. The absence of yeshivah education for our children has, by necessity, converted our home into a little “yeshivah.” The older children check on the younger one with a “Have you dawened^ Minchah? It’s g ettin g late!”! The yarmulka and Tzitzith have become, not forgotten symbols, but marks of distinction Ind badges of courage. On those occasions when we drive past our childrens’ schools and see them playing in the yard with the kipah on their heads, we derive enormous satisfaction. Kashruth is not taken for granted. To be a Jew in the military requires strong deter^ mination and much will power. Our

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

children are receiving an excellent education in what it means to be a Jew under circumstances and in an environ­ ment where the inner strength of an individual is tested to the utmost.

Thus, their Yiddishkeit can survive anywhere if it can survive on an air base in far-away Japan. They will have passêd a unique test which is unknown even to our deeply committed and devotedly observant brethren in the m ost re lig io u s neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the Rockaways. It is now almost two years that they have been exposed to this experience, and I am inclined to believe that if has had a very m eaningful and constructive effect on their character as individuals and as orthodox Jews.

BOVE all, I would like to believe that my entering the chaplaincy at my age and under the circumstances connected with my decision to serve at this time, has taught my children a valuable lesson which will influence their attitude to Torah in the years to come. For a long time they heard me preach sermons from the pulpit about what ought to be done. Now, they are eyewitness to panu derech bamidbar — a sermon of action in a devouring wilderness to which I went, in spite of all arguments and obstacles, to be with young Jews in uniform who need the care and guidance of a rabbi who cares.

A day may yet come when I will want to tell my children — as my parents felt qtialified to tell their children - “FOLLOWME!”

25-

THE JEW AND LIBERALISM

by M O R R IS SM IT H

N modern American society, the Jew is usually a Liberal, or is to be found to the political left of Liber­ alism. This tendency, especially for our intellectual and even for our wealthy Jews, has become progres­ sively more pronounced during the past half century. It is particularly difficult for the non-orthodox Jew to function outside of the Liberal fold.

Jews who are inclined to adopt con­ servative or moderate political values accept the leadership in political and social matters of community leaders who espouse viewpoints and practices which are Liberal. The reasons for this attitude are not difficult to establish.

No matter what the social or economic level, Jews in this country have found their material progress aided by the Liberals, as against entrenched inter­ ests which have tended either to ex­ clude or to exploit the newcomers.

The alliance of American Liberal

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26

Protestantism and secular humanism, with its . doctrines of tolerance and social welfare, provided the shelter n ecessary to perm it the Jewish community to establish and to develop itself; the Liberal respect for the ethical teachings of the Prophets made the Jew proud of part of his origins and sure of his place in American society.

Most of the Jewish people have rapidly and happily accepted the secular humanist culture of America.

The Jewish Reform and Conservative movements acquired many of the features and viewpoints of the host culture out of gratitude and respect.

Following the example of the German Jews of the 18th century, recent generations of American Jews rational­ ized that their ancient problems were being solved by Liberalism, that by a certain amount of adjustment and assimilation, their predicament, like

JEW ISH LIF E

those of other American minorities, could be resolved by Liberal tech­ niques. .

During the past two decades, however, the reliance on Liberalism has been progressively debilitated, on the part of Jews as well as of other groupings. Specifically the questions which are being raised in many Jewish minds are: Are the goals of the Liber­ al, as now identified, acceptable to the American Jew? To what extent and in

what manner does Liberalism have the same ideological roots as Judaism? Are Jews, by heritage and out of selfinterest, necessarily Liberals? Is liberal­ ism necessarily friendly to Jews and Judaism; does it promote the atmos­ phere in which Judaism can and will flourish? And as a member of the general community, does Liberalism and its tenets offer the best solution to this country’s true needs?

P R IN C IP L E S A N D G O A L S T H E answers to these questions Jew more than others since he is [ require approaches from two motivated by a revealed Covenant. points of view, both of which are per­ T H E Jewish attitudes originate in tinent and yet which are not com­ | deep spiritual principles, the pletely distinct one from the other.

The Jew must ensure a future which applicability of which must be con­ will permit him to develop towards his sidered in determining the validity of religious objectives, to promote those standards. Concerning the individual, spiritual and secular goals which are Judaism, according to Saadia Gaon, inherent in Judaism. Concurrently, holds “that man is the most essential since the two aims are mutually sus­ part of Creation; on earth there is taining, he must determine whether nothing superior to man.” Although Liberalism’s programs and principles we posit that the worth of man is are compatible with the health and without doubt, self-idolization by man is considered the most heinous form of welfare of our nation.

Implicit in this analysis is the idolatry. Complementing our high application of Jewish concepts which regard for the individual is the Jewish perceive the significance of history and belief in free will and the necessity for of man’s progress therein from a reli­ man to be emancipated from all gious point of view. We appreciate that earthly domination, to permit him to the Tanach is not history and ethics suitably exercise his free will. The alone, but also provides insights into individual is endowed with freedom the Creator’s relationship with our which no other man should deny him people and with mankind in general, as Uf and yet no man is truly free would world history if it were written “ ...unless he labors in the Torah” with suitable religious understanding. (Ovoth 6:2). This, our concept of Through the medium of true history liberty, is neither nihilistic nor liber­ we could sense that all men instinc­ tarian, in that it recognizes self-cen­ tively seek to know the Creator, the tered freedom to be another form of

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

27

idolatry. Freedom’s value lies primar­ ily in the opportunity it provides to do good and be good voluntarily; as a basic principle it is meaningless and misleading. Similarly our regard for the individual and his right to freedom requires equality of all m en lt all men are formed in the image of their Maker.

To acquire suitable understanding of m an ’s individuality, freedom, and equality, education in the Torah is essential. As the Rambam has stated, the purpose of man on earth is to “know G-d,” and in order to “know Him,” one must be educated in many subjects, both spiritual and material.

The original and primary value of education is to serve man as an instru­ ment of spiritual advancement. We believe that life and the world- have a purpose, that progress toward that goal must and will be achieved by man

in that he i s V . . G-d’s partner in thé process of creation” (Talmud Bavli, Shabboth). The role of the Jew, of all mankind¿*§is accomplished both by individual and community action; no man can be adequately effective work­ ing aione, as is noted in the saying of Hillel^Separate yourself not from the c o n g re g a tio n ” ( Ovoth 2:5). The communityj like the individual, has responsibilities, dutieSigand standards without which its right to existence may be questioned. And although the individual’s; freedom and right to equality are undeniable, the Jew can­ not be an unequivocal believer in democracy, since people are limited not only by their desires ;or their own written constitution but also by their true needs as defined by Torah law for the Jew and by the Noachide laws for the rest of mankind.

THE H IS T O R IC A L B A C K G R O U N D ^ R consideration of the back­ ground of Liberalism is started with the classical Greeks, primarily the S o p h ists, S o cra te s, P la to , and Aristotle, who are generally termed the precursors of modern philosophi­ cal and humanitarian standards. This period of history, which saw the development of classical liberalism, underscored the regard for personal development. The Sophists sparked an era similar to the enlightenment of the 18th century and of our present day.

They stressed freedom and individual­ ism of a humanist cast, and taught that the search for knowledge was a nos­ trum for all social and personal ills.

They preached the importance of independent thought and action, and

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were critical of all inherited ideas, w h ich eventually degenerated into intellectual and ethical subjectivism, and relativism. We should note, how­ ever, that the significance of several of the concepts advocated by the classical Greeks differs from the modern inter­ pretations. Democracy was only for free Greeks, not for slaves and “bar­ barians.” Good was related: to har­ mony and acceptable breedihg. Where­ as for the Jew education was a re­ quired means for seeking the Creator, the Greeks stressed “know thyself.’’

This faith in man qua man spawned the Epicureans (the Apikorsim) and the Cynics — one glorifying the body, the other the mind.

The philosophy formulated by

JEWISH LIFE

Aristotle and his Greek predecessors and transformed by succeeding schools of thought became inadequate for the masses in the chaotic years which followed. In time, the concepts of reli­ gion, first of Judaism and then of Christianity, occupied the minds of men. For several hundred years, simple principles of faith dominated the thinking of the Western world, to the exclusion of intellectual meandering.

During the initial Christian patristic period, the primary objectives were to inculcate the noumena of beliefs and to construct the church institutions which were to support them. There Was little regard for education. Reason was ignored in favor of faith; patristic philosophy was pursued only to pro­ vide a foundation for religion and theology. Subjective human values were denigrated.

At the beginning of the second millenium of the common era, early Greek thought reentefed the intellec­ tu al vworld; Scholastic philosophy attempted to establish a completely rational insight into religion; the re­ sultant methods of education pro­ moted thinking processes which within three hundred years led to the end of scholasticism and initiated the growth of secularism.

NE of the first prominent think­ ers o f this .new breed was Thomas Hobbes, a non-theist, whose philosophy was devised to defend the authority of the sovereign, declaring that the state was independent of church and religion. Hobbes conceived man as being self-centered and basi­ cally unfettered by any responsibili­ ties; he voluntarily assigned his rights

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N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

to his sovereign in order to obtain peace and security. Spinoza accepted Hobbes’ concept of the natural rights of man. Infected with the desire to destroy the distinctiveness which dif­ ferentiated Jew from Gentile, he denigrated Torah since inherent in it is the belief in the uniqueness of Juda­ ism. He was the first philosopher who was both a democrat and a liberal, albeit of a pre-modern type. For him every human being has natural rights, not G-d given, which are the source of all possible duties.

The trend from clerical to secu­ lar dogmatism suffered a short setback during the Protestant Reformation, most markedly with the occurrence of the English Puritan rebellion during the 17th century. The tenets of the Puritans are worth noting here for several reasons — they are evidence of the possibility of reversing a secular course during periods of Liberal weak­ ness; they offer an interesting indica­ tion of the ability of non-Jewish reli­ gious groups to adopt some values of Judaism even though they lack its basics; many of the standards which the Puritans developed were borrowed, sometimes in distorted form, by their non-theistic successors; and they trans­ ported their ideals to this country where they flourished and endured as they have nowhere else in the world.

The Puritans reverted to the Jew ish regard for the value and uniqueness of the individual and his soul, with concurrent *stress on indi­ vidual responsibility. One of their radical sects, the Levellers^? declared that, by the unwritten law of the Creator, all men were born with natural rights, equal and inalienable.

29

This appreciation of individual worth fo ste re d acceptance of individual freedom, not the modern disinterested ideal of freedom, but on the basis of religious value. Although faith was the bedrock of his religion, the Puritan relied strongly upon rational applica­ tio n o f his beliefs; well-educated minivers and laymen were essential for this reason. Education for all was mandatory to insure ability to read and study the Bible, with emphasis on the “ Old Testament.” Puritanism called for a strong sense of social concern and of duty to the commun­ ity. Above all they realized man’s insignificance vis-a-vis his Creator, who was both transcendental and imman­ ent. In many ways they resembled the Pharisees, and have been similarly hated and disparaged by the Liberals, who appropriated, selectively many of their ideals and concepts, while largely denying their contributions to society.

John Locke, who grew up during the period of Puritan rule and whose views reflect many of their ideas, is credited with developing many of the political, philosophical, and moral theories which have influenced the world since his day. Ethically a hedon­ ist, he felt that there were no absolute truths, that pleasure and pain are the great teachers of morality, and that man is fundamentally egoistic. The individual is endowed with “natural rights” proferred by nature, and has a subjective claim to earthly happiness.

He coined the phrase “government by consent” and the corresponding noT tion of majority rule. Men are all in a state of equality of nature and in a state of freedom. Despite the individ­ ual’s basic rights, man is necessarily

30

part of society, an obligation which he cannot escape. Locke evaded the issues which this concept raised (as did Bentham and Dewey after him) by assuming that man’s rights and so­ ciety’s interests are identical. Error and evil stemmed from the environ­ ment and from man’s institutions, and could only be corrected through knowledge. Therefore education is essential to rectify the faults that we inherit. His regard for the individual (and also his middle class background) co ntributed to his acceptance of economic liberalism and laissez faire, the sacredness of property rights, etc.

OCKEAN ra tio n a lizin g has colored secular Western concepts since the 17th century; modifications since that time have been largely in the form of extensions and detail rather than fundamentals. Many of our current problems -stem fr6m the in­ adequacy of these foundations, the impossibility of relating to secular, rational and emotional origins to the exclusion of religious values. In the following 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, Lockean theories were m ost vigorously and radically ex­ tended by the Philosophes of France, of whom Voltaire was the most pro­ minent. Whereas Locke’s philosophy was originally designed to support ex istin g middle class interests in E ngland, th e Philosophes sought primarily to remove the ruling totali­ tarian system in France, including the religious institutions which bolstered it. The Frepch revolt was based on two different, somewhat mutually antago­ nistic philosophies, that of the rational aristocratic Philosophes and that of

JEWISH LIFE

the more emotional mass appeal of Rousseau. Both were alike in placing a high value on the individual and human rights. For the Philosophes freedom was paramount, especially in the intellectual and religious spheres.

T hey stressed the importance of reason and of education for their pre­ eminence in promoting man’s progress.

They opted for laissez faire in the field of economics and for property rights.

Rousseau appealed primarily to the common people; he espoused equality and direct rule by the majority, thus representing the viewpoint of the little man. Individual rights were necessarily subordinated to the needs of the community. He declared that man’s moral nature is more dependable than the claims of reason, and relied on perm issiveness and naturalness as against education. Both viewpoints, espf cially that of the aristocratic Philosophes, influenced many of the early American leaders (Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and others) and, combined with our Puritan heritage,

figured prominently in the formula­ tion of the American Constitution.

The liberal leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries have been effective in advancing the claims Of individual­ ism ^ freedom, and equality, and in releasing man from his ties to his Maker. The Utilitarians propounded a philosophical basis for hedonism in teaching that only pleasure and pain determine not only how we live but how we ought to live. Placing his faith in the social harmony that springs from common understanding of future consequences, Bentham stated that every individual can be permitted to seek his own happiness and that alone, without damaging the social fabric. His disciple, John Stuart Mill, in his famous “On Liberty” defended free­ dom of thought, expression, and action so convincingly that its naive libertarian rhetoric served for more than a century to support the indus­ trial world’s laissez faire principles, yet could be transformed to become the guide for the modern Liberal.

M O D E R N L IB E R A L IS M T H E last eminent Liberal spokesI man, John Dewey/epitomizes the difficulty experienced by Liberal­ ism in developing a viable modern philosophy on the basis of the theories which it has inherited and which it has sought to apply. Here we find the origin of the hesitancy to define the essence of the Liberal program, since, in asserting the relativity of all value judgments, Dewey, like the Sophists before him, denied the merit of tradi­ tional views and questioned the exist­ ence of positive absolute standards,

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

th u s restricting Liberal efforts to establish principles of their own. Basi­ cally he avoided profound moral discourse. The concepts he espoused, w hich include freedom/ the com­ munity, education, democracy, toler­ ance, growth, and science, are inter­ pretable in terms of the courses he proposed: Change and growth as opposed to stability.

*

Inquiry rather than truth, since

31

vidualism so sought does/ not neces­ sarily correspond to the Jewish regard for the individual. It can and does lead to self-centered egoism as against the Naturalistic theory o f ethicsiJ G-d-centeredness of Judaism. the desirable (ought) is the same 2) Equality* ; in the form in as the desired (what is). Thus which it is interpreted by Liberalism, values cannot be defined. His acquires as derivatives the policies of only acceptable value was* “intel­ majority rule and democracy. Its appli­ lectual honesty (sic). ” His postu­ cation however is not necessarily late that morality consists o f straightforward, if\ one undertakes to adjusting to one's environment balance the conflicting desires of the fostered the adjustment theory majority and the minorities, •“basic’’ o f ed u c a tio n . The secular individual rights and the conclusions community “as isik becomes the of social planning and of wisdom and norm. experience.

3) A lth o u g h Liberalism has The e d u c a tio n a l curriculum remained libertarian in principle with sh o u ld arise from the “felt respect to individual rights, especially personal and group needs o f the in matters concerning self-expression children (i. e., relevancy).” Here and personal morality, it has long the reference is not to true, deserted the concept in the economic G-d-given needs but to personal field.

At present, the thoroughgoing desires and fanciesg and this on libertarian is found only in the re­ the other hand conflicts with the actionary and conservative camps! adjustment concept.

4) U niversal tolerance and unceasing criticism are theoretically Social planning based on re­ characteristic of all Liberals, regardless search in the social sciences. of their other differences. The diffi­ summarize* the attributes culty in arriving at practical judgments and of dealing with the fanatic are I which characterize the modem Liberal and which are pertinent to the serious weaknesses of this ideal.

5) Liberalism’s purism in apply-^ questions raised in this paper are de­ rived from the philosophical back­ ing criticism and tolerance precludes ground presented above and from the acceptance of absolute universal other details noted in various current values; only conditional, partial truths are attainable. All conclusions and writings. standards are relative, being dependent 0% the current state of the social, 1) First and foremost, Liberal­ ism asserts a belief in individualism, economic, political, and technological that the human person should be nature of the environment. Since the independent, self-directing, autono­ wisdom of one’s predecessors can mous, free. But this ideal is fraught provide only limited guidance, reason with various ambiguities. The indi­ is of paramount importance, not to the truth is relative and changes with knowledge and wisdom.

32

JEW ISH L IF E

establish specific aims, but for direct­ ing one to the goal of the moment.

Thus John Dewey could say, “Growth is the only moral end,” without defin­ ing the nature of growth. In the absence of truth,i “inquiry directed towards truth” takes its place.

6) In principle the community is highly regarded; essentially the community per se provides the norms for the individual, insofar as norms can be established. One can sense the probability of inconsistencies, the conflicts which occur between the dem ands of individualism and of community-orientation.

7) Education is one of the principal sanctuaries of Liberalism, with a position which is withal ambig­ uous. On the one hand, it should be designed to aid the student tp adjust to his social environment. On the other, it should originate and be regu­ lated by the “felt personal and group needs” of the students, at all age levels. That these two desiderata may be substantially conflicting is obvious; that they can be diametrically opposed to Jewish principles is all too clear.

The potentialities of modem institu­ tions and groupings for both good and evil is nowhere more evident than in the field of education, and constitute one of our most pressing challenges.

8) At all times, the Liberal, including his modern representative, has stressed humanistic principles. At present, as in the past, humanitarianism (having concern for the welfare of mankind) is frequently confused with humanism (the doctrine that man’s obligations are restricted to man and human relations, an idolatrous belief).

The stipulation of what is good for

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

man is no simple task. In the modern world it often is equated with im­ mediate desires, as distinguished from true needs.

9) The Liberal impact on Juda­ ism and the Jew is well presented in the words of the atheistic non-Jew, Jean Paul Sartre ( “AntLSemite and Jew,” page 57): “. . .he [the democrat] fears the awakening o f a (Jewish conscio u sn essi in the Jew. . .he wants to separate the Jew from his religion, from his family, from his ethnic com m unity...

For a Jew there may- not be so much difference between the anti-Semite and the 'democrat.

The former wished to destroy him as a man and leave nothing in him but the Jew, the parish, th e untouchable; the latter wishes to destroy him as a Jew and leave nothing in him but the man; the abstract and universal subject o f the rights o f man and the rights o f the citizen. ” HE Liberal antagonism for the Jew as Jew exists basically be­ cause we are different and particular­ istic; as such, we are a challenge to those beliefs which subject non-con­ formity to universalism, homogeniza­ tion, and integration, and demand assimilation prior to individualism.

The inconsistencies of these demands are manifest.

Implicit in the formulation of these primary concepts of the Liberal are several basic beliefs:

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Man is basically good. Evil stems

33

from his environment or from pathological conditions.

The pursuit o f happiness and the a tta in m e n t o f com fort are primary goals o f the individual, to which he has a natural right.

Man is a creature o f logic who is capable o f solving all o f his prob­ lems by reason alone.

Progress, stemming from man’s m en ta l c o m p e te n c e and/or evolution, is inevitable.

Man’s greatest good is achieved th ro u g h an ever-continuing Progress — a dynamic state in Which change is honored for its own sake and in which stability and tradition are suspect.

Contrary to the Jewish belief in a Divinely imposed world order which is involved in all aspects o f existence, there is Dewey’s antiformalism, which may be interpreted in the recent words o f Sir Isaiah Berlin, “The effort o f men to reduce social change to an o rderly process may produce more chaos than form. M HE liberal movements of the past have invariably served in every era as instrumentalities of cur­ rent or rising systems. Modern Liberal­ ism is the handmaiden of the industrial and post-industrial community. Our economy as now constituted requires a m axim um possible market and a mobile extensive labor force, available without the limitations which tradi­ tio n al relationships would impose.

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Liberal concepts nurture the attitudes which support modern industry, with the consequent incidental but inevit­ able trend towards a materialistic, Vsensate’^jcivilization which has less and less room for spiritual existence.* Such is the future to which thinking Liberals sense their ideology is directing the world.

■ t Considering only the character­ istics outlined in this article, the Liberal temperament faces serious, if not inseparable, handicaps in trying to solve current social problems, both for th e Jew and fo r th e general community. ^ H E tension between traditional I religion and Liberalism is basic.

The definitions of the individual and of individualism, of freedom, of educa­ tion of all the common expressions used by the Jew and the Liberal B | differ markedly and have conflicting aims in many respects. In defending and extending his doctrines and in removing barriers to his goals^the Liberal finds it necessary to subvert or m odify the institutional structures which restrain his progress; religious institutions house the spirit which is incompatible with his principles. The existing religious predicament of th^ *The characteristics ou tlin ed herein have con trib uted to the drift tow ards a Sensate society, (a term coin ed by Pirim Sorokin, as n oted by Kahn and Wiener in “The Year 2 0 0 0 ,” page 4 3 ), th e attributes o f w h ich are given as ^ Em pirical, Pragmatic, W orldly, Scien tific, Skeptical, Tentative* Material­ istic, R elativistic, A gnostic, The Sensate society is lik ely to be transform ed w ith tim e and afflu en ce in to a Late Sensate system , w hich w ou ld be characterized by being Cynical} D isillusioned, N ihilistic, Chaotic, Blase Superficial, A th eistic, M eaningless, A lienated, and A b solu tely R elativistic.

JEW ISH L IF E

Western world, especially of the Jew, stems largely from the corrosion of traditional religious impulses and of religious education, and the ineffectual effort to substitute for them secular beliefs, Man’s fundamental need for reli­ gion has been noted by several Liberal, non-religious social scientists. The modern ecologist, Desmond Morris, wrote (“The.Naked Ape,” page 181): Religion is a feature o f our social life that we cannot do without.

O nly a common belief will cement us together and keep us under control. . . A belief in the validity o f the acquisition o f

kno w led g e and a scientific understanding o f the world we live in, the creation and appre­ ciation o f aesthetic phenomena in all their many forms, and the broadening and deepening o f our range o f experiences in day-today living, is rapidly becoming th e ‘religion’ o f our times.

Experience and understanding are our rather abstract godfigures. . .Our schools and our universities are our religious training centers, our libraries, museums, art galleries, theatres, concert halls, and sport arenas are our places o f communal worship.

THE F A M IL Y ; YOUTH HE Liberal views the family with ambivalent regard. Its usefulness to society is in general recognized; modern sociologists note with distress its decreasing effectiveness and con­ sider this deterioration as one of modern society’s major social prob­ lems. However it is commonly ac­ cepted that the loss of prestige of the family is a necessary prerequisite of civilization’s progress. In 1967, Dr. Greenwald, president of the National Psychological Association for Psycho­ analysis, is quoted as saying that marriage as a legal institution appears to be cumbersome, ineffectual, and u n n ec essary , and recommending “. . .experimentation in varieties of family life which would possibly be more in keeping with the needs of many individuals. .

This attitude re fle c ts th e Liberal feeling that,

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N O VEM BER-D ECEM BER/1969

although the family provides services to the growing child essential for the development of non-aberrant personal­ ities, yet it functions innately as one of the most potent obstructions to the evolution of the Sensate society.

The Liberal and our technologi­ cal industrial society are united in their disapproval of the control main­ tained by the traditional family. Thus the Liberal is confronted with a tri­ chotomy®- his desire to indoctrinate youth with his concepts; his realiza­ tion of family value in rearing child­ ren; and his awareness that Liberal precepts in this matter parallel the desires of self-seeking industry, to the youngster’s disservice. These three disjointing effects prevent the formula­ tion of a clear-cut Liberal course of action.

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A L IE N A T IO N OF YO U TH tion in all these respects, he HE dilemma of Liberalism in trying to cope with problems of , would have died o f grief and youth reflects in part its defects withsorrow. respect to religion and the family.

S ocial scientists have redis­ Chovoth HaVvovoth (pages 281-302) covered the elemental truth that child­ notes further that trust in the Creator hood provides the period during which is essential for the maintenance of the individual should learn to accept b o th religious values and material and trust the world into which he is success.

I n t e r e s t i n g ly , th e L iberal born. Man’s early years are designed biologically to permit introduction to psychoanalyst Eric H. Erikson (‘‘Iden­ life; the education which leads to tity, Youth and Crisis”) also points maturity is provided or guided primar­ out that a sense of trust, first in others ily by the family. This development is and then in one’s self, is a fundamental aptly described in Chovoth Hal’vovoth prerequisite of mental vitality, that (Bachya ben Yoseph ibn Paquda, vol. distrust acquired during the formative period of life will distort one’s entire I, pages 152-153): future existence.

As an adolescent, the individual G-d inspires the parents* hearts faces the transformation from youth with kindness, love, and compas­ to maturity, a period involving numer­ sion for their offspring, so that ous mental and physical changes. The rearing it is not a burden to Liberal requirement at this stage seeks them. . . The solicitude they [the to indoctrinate the youth with Sensate parents] feel on his behalf in­ principles. It necessitates criticism and creases till he reaches adoles­ distrust of his elders, contempt in cence when. . .his physical and many cases where serious changes are mental faculties have become called for. The adolescent constitutes strong enough to acquire wis­ the principal and most impressionable dom and knowledge. . .It is o f in s tru m e n ta lity w hereby Social great benefit to a human being changes may be effected; he therefore that during his childhood he is becomes a major target for Liberal not a thinker and is unable to propaganda. This practice aggravates distinguish good from evil. For the natural gap between the ages and had he, while growing up, been the tensions which beset youth. The endowed with a ripe intellect emphasis placed on the desirability of and mature powers o f percep­ constant change, of denying the exist­ tion and had he been able to ence of stable permanent values, has discern the superiority o f adults its most deleterious effect on our in their ability to manage for youth at a period in their lives when themselves, move freely and stability and security are most urgent­ keep clean, and realized the ly required to permit orderly growth contrast presented by his condiinto maturity.

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JEW ISH L IF E

E D U C A T IO N A N D C A M P U S P R O B L E M S T HE deterioration of the personal | standards of youth is attribut­ able in part to misguided training in th e schools. The guidance which youngsters require has been increas­ ingly curtailed in recent years; progres­ sive tenets inhibit school indoctrina­ tion of pupils with traditional values, since the school should be neutral in order to permit the young to develop their own standards. Topics such as respect for law and the nation’s insti­ tutions, personal morahtyptL industry, sobriety, respect for elders, etc^jare discussed, especially in the uppere secondary grades, and in the colleges, with the neutral spirit ¿fr resulting in neutral or negative reactions. Insist­ ence on the individual as an end item, complete freedom of discussion and criticism, /“know thyself,/^ the entire spectrum of Sensate characteristics, re q u ite the establishment of new values, to be accomplished during a period in which old “outmoded” values must be eliminated. During the interim period in which the new stand­ ards are being created and old ones eliminated — and this state of flux is presumably permanent — no norms can be firmly held. Under such condi­ tions training for meaningful values can be accomplished often only in spite of Liberal methodology in educa­ tion.

The Liberal attitude with respect to values in general, particularly mani­ fested concerning traditional religious attachments, makes it most difficult to maintain, much less to establish and to extend, religious sentiments while in the atmosphere of the higher educa­

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

tional institutions. To the Jew, for whom the primary function of educa­ tion is its application to the develop­ ment of religious ideals and practices, th e perversion of the educational process is most poignant. This is not the education for which we have labored for centuries; a truly thought­ ful parent must seriously question public instruction for his children beyond the elementary grades. Refer­ ring to the previously quoted remarks

by D esm ond Morris |||o u r present educational system is considered by the Liberal, explicitly or implicitly, as the training ground for the new secular religion. Its efficacy in eliminating true religious feelings is then part of its function as conceived by Liberalism, from which no aid can be expected in solving this problem.

AMPUS disorders are the result of the compounding of youth alienation with the limitations of educational institutions. Natural ado­ lescent discontent and rebellion is aggravated by the Vietnam war and the draft, which add to the sense of in se c u rity and uncertainty which pejwades our youth. The resultant perturbations are artificially increased by the concentration of students in the schools (a well-recognized socio­ logical phenomenon) and the practice of progressive educators of demon­ strating to their students (a) the number and extent of the world’s problems; (b) the inability of the adult world to cope with these matters; and (c) the capability and the responsibil­ ity of youth to supply the required 37

solutions — soon. Young minds are readily convinced of the existence of problems, but find much difficulty in providing satisfactory cures, adding to the natural sense of frustration of the age. The very nature of Liberal tech­

niques leads to administrative indeci­ sion and procrastination in cases of campus strife which demand reason­ ably prompt conclusions. Liberalism cannot provide more effective guid­ ance without qualifying its principles.

M IN O R IT Y P R O B L E M S O righteous individual, least of all an intelligent believing Jew, can question the need to improve the lot of the blacks or of any other m inority. With our knowledge of man’s nature and needs, the logical policy under these circumstances is to provide work with adequate compen­ sation to permit meaningful, soul-andb ody su p p o rtin g livelihood^ with family and community life to furnish the stability and social status required by th e individual, plus education geared to spiritual and vocational demands. We realize that there is no easy method of attaining these goals, and that the path will be beset with difficulties both for the minorities and the rest of the populace that must assist in the process. The past quarter century, however, has seen the promo­ tion largely of programs which have stressed a melange of individualism and homogenization, of integrated equality and separatist independence.

Such gains as have been achieved are now confounded with ideological s trife and ex tran eous skirmishes designed more to advance Sensate goals rather than to aid their proposed beneficiaries. In the resultant confu­ sion there is the strong possibility that the programs will (as many have) deteriorate into unprincipled struggle am ong self-seeking individuals and

38

groups, as it did in the French Revolu­ tion. The concepts which the intellec-. tual middle class Liberal seeks to incul­ cate in the minorities Hincluding such disparate aims as integration concur­ rent with separate cultures, and pride in an artificially created culture — are fostering conflicts and frustrations, for both the minorities and those who wish to aid them, which the Liberal, no more than any one else, can neither understand nor contend with.

The Blacks find increasingly jthat the aims proposed by their mentors are too distant, too foreign to their current viewpoints. Minorities are now tending to refuse discursive methods in favor of more direct, more violent means to which impoverished peoples often resort when aroused by intellec­ tuals. In the Liberal the minority mili­ tant faces an ally and an opponent who, entrapped by his own naive faith in critical discussion and communica­ tion as both a means and an end, can­ not fathom the minority mentality, and is inhibited by his training and dogmas from pursuing more suitable courses to either meet the minority needs or restrain their excesses. For the Jew the situation is fraught with increasing peril, since the Black mili­ tant, like the Nazi, realizes that we are a minority with limited ability to defend ourselves. The Liberal Jew has JEWISH LIF E

vacillated for years, reluctant to face the issue, hoping that by more politi­ cal freedom and equality, more inte­ gration, etc., the confrontation would evaporate. To the contrary, Black

militancy will most likely mcrease, as will its animus against the Jew, since it is nurtured by self-seeking individuals and politically motivated Leftists.

C O M M U N ISM A N D TH E NEW LEF T *THIS nation possesses a large [ middle class not overly inter­ ested in intellectual abstractions, which have been adequate to prevent the spread of Communism. The grow­ ing turmoil in this country and the deterioration and ideological confu­ sion of the Liberal movement leaves us with le$s capability of providing an effec tiv e alternative between the forces of the Right and of the Left. At present Communists, who for years have been devoid of any significant effectiveness, have found increasing strength through their support of campus dissension and minority mili­ tancy ip its search for power. It may be incorrect to state that we are wit­ nessing in this chaos a grand Commu­ nist - Black militant - campus dissi­ dents conspiracy; at this time these forces still have purposes and leader­ ships which are diverse, a condition which may persist indefinitely. How­ ever, for the Communists, firm control may not be necessary; increase in organizational membership is much less important to them than ideologi­ cal leadership and command of key positions, increased economic, social, and political instability in the country, and support of the goals of the inter­ national Communist program. One of the several facets of this program which affect Jews directly is the attack on Israel and the associated issue,

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

antisemitism. The growth of Commu­ nist-primed antisemitism has been obvious for years now, with little indication of the development of an effective counter-action, either from the Jewish community leadership or from the Liberal movement. The latter has not been strongly anti-Communist for several reasons, including the reluc­ tance of being classed as witch-hunt­ ers. In addition the Liberal attachment to individual liberties per se and belief in the efficacy of discussion and reasoning has prevented the under­ taking of positive policies to vitiate the anti-Jewish programs of Communist groups. The September 1968 report by an NCRAC conference, which both denies and affirms the resurgence of antisemitism j ; typifies the uncertainty and indecision which exists in Liberal ranks.

IEWING these important con­ frontations in which we are involved b o th as Jew s a n d /a s Americans, we see as futile the ap­ proaches in which we are largely involved through programs proposed and imposed on the basis of Liberal thinking.

It cannot be denied that progres­ sive programs of the past century have had considerable merit, nor can one doubt the kind, high-minded inten­ tions with which they have been

B

39

motivated. One could consider a dozen other problem areas (poverty, ethics, personal morality, crime and deviant behavior, the urban crisis come to mind) for which similar conclusions would be drawn. We can only con­ clude that, in the long run, Liberalism is incompatible with the true needs of both Judaism and of this nation, and with the over-all spiritual and material aims to which we are committed.

UR considerations therefore compel us to the verdict that that philosophy known to modern times as Liberalism, regardless of its beneficent qualities in the past, is over-all detrimental to us and to future generations, that adherence to its doc­ trines, poorly defined though they are, will progressively debilitate our spir­ itual and material existence. For us as

O

40

Jews the prognosis is inescapable; as Americans, it is no less so. It follows, then, that we must seek alternatives.

Happily man usually has the opportunity prof erred by Providence to alter his courses of action. It is not p ro p o sed here to submit specific re co m m en d atio n s; several of the general areas which warrant attention are obvious and are familiar to most of us. The most urgent matter is that religious Jewry awake to our predica­ ment and that our leadership pinpoint the dangers and elucidate our options.

In a recent article- Rabbi Lamm has stated, “The intellectual leadership of modern American Orthodoxy have a Herculean i but exciting^ vital task before them.” The work of defining the alternatives to Liberalism is surely a key facet of this task.

JEW ISH L IF E

R a b b i M e n a c b e m Z ie m b a o f W a rs a w

by A A R O N R O T H K O F F ^ “HE streets of Jerusalem were | lined with tens of thousands of survivors of Polish Jewry when the remains of Rabbi Menachem Ziemba were accompanied to their reinterment in Israel a few years ago. Many had never met “ Rav Menachem” during his life, but all revered his memory and knew that he represented the finest development and expression of Chassidic Polish Jewry.

Born in 1884 in Warsaw, his parents, Elaz^r Lippa and Hannah, were humble Gerer Chassidim who eked out a meager livelihood/ from retail merchandising. His father died when he was only nine, and his pater­ nal grandfather, Abraham Ziemba, then took charge of his education. The influence of his erudite grandfather was to become the most important factor in forging the young scholar’s outlook. His grandfather had been a dedicated disciple of the Kotzker R eb b e, R ab b i Menachem Mendel Morgenstern [1783-1859]. After the K otzker’s death, Abraham Ziemba transferred his allegiance to the Kotz­ ker ■§/relative and disciple, Rabbi Isaac Meir Alter, the author of the Chiddushey Harim and the founder of the Gerer dynasty [d. 1866]. Abraham

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

Ziemba remained a loyal follower of his grandson, The next Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Judah Leib Alter, the author of the classic Sefath Emeth [d. 1905].

Reb Abraham Ziemba imbued his grandson with Chassidic values and instilled a deep sense of loyalty to Ger w ith in him. Although the young Menachem was destined to become a widely respected Godol, Torah schol­ ar, and authority, he always remained a simple Chossid, another individual among the throng that invariably fre­ quented the court of the Gerer Rebbeim.

Under his grandfather’s tutelage, the youngster soon displayed prodi­ gious ability. By the age of ten, he alre ad y knew complete Talmudic tractates by heart. He then started analyzing each portion of his Talmudic studies in depth. Unlike his Lithuanian counterparts who would enroll in their local yeshivoth, the young Menachem continued to study on his own in his Chassidic shtibel. Although there were two great Chassidic centers of Torah Study in Poland at this time, Ostrov and Sochov, his grandfather feared to send him to either location. Both areas focused on the local Chassidic Rebbeim who inspired the youth who

41

gathered to study with them. Appre­ hensive lest the young Menachem lose his Gerer loyalties, Abraham Ziemba decided to keep his grandson in War­ saw. Here he continued his studies while his fame spread among Gerer Chassidim.

A T the age of eighteen, Menachem married Mindele, the daughter of Chaim Isaiah Zederbaum of Praga, a suburb of Warsaw. Zederbaum had amassed a fortune in the wholesale metal trade and he agreed to support his son-in-law for twenty years so that he could devote his full time to Torah study. While alive, his father-in-law faithfully fulfilled his promise. After his death, his daughter continued to run the family establishment at 34 Targowa Street in Praga while her husband continued his studies. The tw o leading rabbinical scholars of Warsaw, Rabbis Yitzchok Feigenbaum and Pethachiah Hornblass, befriended the young scholar and almost daily they discussed Talmudic topics with him.

During, this period, a unique friendship developed between “ Rav M enachem ” and another Warsaw newlywed, Rabbi Abraham Luftbier.

Rabbi Luftbier was the erudite son-inlaw of the illustrious Rabbi Meir Simcha, the well-known gaon from Dwinsk and the author of the Or Same’ach. Residing in Warsaw, Rabbi Luftbier also devoted all his efforts to Torah study. The two young men soon regularly corresponded on Talmudic questions and they exchanged their chiddushey Torah. Upon the untimely death of his young colleague, Rabbi Ziemba published Zera Avrohom in

42

1920, consisting of the correspond­ ence and responsa they exchanged.

Dedicating the volume to the late R abbi A braham Luftbier, Rabbi Ziemba desired it to serve as his late friend’s memorial. A year later, he published Tozaoth Chayyim which discussed the ‘‘thirty-nine categories of labor” prohibited on the Sabbath. This treatise was dedicated to his late father-in-law, Chaim Zederbaum. With the appearance of these volumes which were enthusiastically received through­ out the Torah world, Rav Menachem Ziemba became widely known and revered. The Yeshivah world marvelled at the humble Gerer Chossid who was on a par with the Torah luminaries of the generation.

N his responsa and other Halachic stu d ies, R&bbi Ziemba studied the subject exhaustively before arriving at his conclusions. In his chiddushey Torah on the Talmud and Rambam, he did not altogether avoid the use of the traditional Polish pilpulistic method. Nevertheless, his main approach was that of the analytical method developed in the Vilna and V o lozhin trad itio n . Distinguished Torah leaders who occasionally visited Warsaw or its resort-suburb, Otwock, m et w ith Rav Menachem. Rabbi Joseph Rosen, the Ragotshover Gaon, rejoiced when he could discuss Tal­ mudic topics with him. Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk complained that Polish Jewry did not truly appreciate his greatness. The Chofetz Chayyim spent hours with Rav Menachem when he stayed in Warsaw to supervise the printing and distribution of his pub­ lished writings. The aged Sochover

i

JEWISH L IF E

Rebbe, Rabbi Abraham Borenstein, discussed intricate Talmudic passages with Rav Menachem while tens of Sochover Chassidim hovered in the background. Nevertheless, Rav Menacheip remained a layman and his fellow-Gerer Chassidim did not even grant him the appellation of “Rabbi.”

Although they knew that the Gerer Rebbe greatly honored and befriended Menachem, he still remained a simple Chossid in the court of Ger. With his enhanced status, com­ petent students did gather around Rav Menachem in Praga. Daily, they stud­ ied with him for more than five hours.

U nlike th e Lithuanian Yeshivoth, where the Rosh Yeshivah presented his final ideas which were the result of meticulous preparation in a compara­ tively brief discourse, Rav Menachem’s students experienced the entire se­ quence of preparation and analysis with him. Together, they analyzed the Talmudic text and read the appropri­ ate commentaries. They deduced the basic principles from the texts and formulated their concepts. Ultimately, they arrived at their conclusions and they charted new courses of Talmudic interpretations. Rabbi Ziemba also was one of the mentors of the advanced Yeshivah, the Mesivtah, which was organized in Warsaw after World War I. Here he delivered occasional lectures and he befriended its leading students.

In 1929, he published his Gur Ary eh Yehudah, which was dedicated to the memory of his son, Yehudah Aryeh, who died at the untimely age of eighteen. In this volume, he printed the correspondence and responsa he had exchanged with his late son. This volume also gave ample testimony to

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

his brilliant ability. Particularly illumi­ nating was his responsa on conversion which displayed his intricate know­ ledge of the entire Seder Noshim. He also contributed articles to various Torah journals, and he amassed thou­ sands of sheets of responsa and new interpretations of passages in Maimonides||Mishneh Torah, and the Babylo­ nian and the Palestinian Talmudim.

Unfortunately, most of these writings went up in flames with the fall of the Warsaw Ghetto.

T HE ever-increasing difficulties of Polish Jewry during the interbellum period gradually drew Rav Mena­ chem in to assum ing im p o rtan t communal responsibilities. He served as a lay-member of Warsaw’s Jewish Council, where he helped to represent the 50,000 Jews who resided in Praga.

In his new position, he became a lead­ ing communal spokesman for Ortho­ doxy and zealously guarded its inter­ ests. He succeeded in retaining the independence of Warsaw’s Shechitah, and he kept it outside the jurisdiction of the Jewish Council since irreligious Jews also served on the Council. He also directed the massive efforts which were undertaken by Polish Jewry to avert governmental decrees entirely outlawing Shechitah.

He served on the secretariat of the Moetzeth Gedoley Ha-Torah of the Agudath Israel and became an active leader in the Agudist movement. When Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin an­ nounced his plans for the establish­ ment of an advanced yeshivah in Lublin, he also began a campaign to raise the necessary funds for an ultra­ modern structure for the envisioned

f

43

academy. Many Lithuanian Roshey Y eshivah caustically attacked the grandiose plans of Rabbi Shapiro since his fund-raising interfered with their own. They decried the idea of first constructing an edifice and only then so licitin g students. Traditionally, yeshivoth began with students, and only after there was a sufficient number of pupils was there any at­ tempt to provide suitable housing. It remained for Rabbi Menachem Ziemba to heal this breach and to explain to his Lithuanian colleagues that the idea of a central yeshiyah was revolutionary for Polish Jewry. Rabbi Shapiro there­ fore had to widely publicize and enhance the concept of the proposed school so that it would succeed.

FTER the death in 1932 of Rabbi Chaim Sonnenfeld, the spiritual leader of Jerusalem’s Agudist community, Rabbi Moshe Blau was sent to Warsaw to offer this rabbinate to Rabbi Ziemba. Rav Menachem re­ fused to accept this position, but he did desire to settle in Eretz Yisroel after hearing about the community from Rabbi Blau. He already received visas for himself and his family when he was elected to be a member of the Warsaw rabbinate in 1935. Due to the ominous dark clouds which were then gathering over EuropeanxJewry, Rabbi Ziemba felt he must remain with his people and assent to the call. At the age of 51, the world famous gaon accepted his first formal rabbinical position.

Except for the period between noon and two o’clock of each after­ noon when he delivered his Talmudic lecture for his students, Rav Mena­

44

chem now devoted the major portion of his time to communal problems; The desperate local economic situation and widespread antisemitism were prime concerns of Polish Jewry during these years. Rav Menachem was con­ cerned with these problems and he also exerted much effort in obtaining visas for those who desired to emigrate to the land of Israel. Due to British policies, Palestinian visas were greatly limited, and Rabbi Ziemba rejoiced when he succeeded in helping a family depart for the Holy Land. In 1939, former Polish yeshivah students estab­ lished their own fraternal organization in the-then Palestine. The new group was headed by Rabbi Yitzchak Yedidiah Frankel of Tel Aviv, a former student of Rabbi Ziemba. In a letter of encouragement to this mew organiza­ tion, Rav Menachem remined them of the sage’s comment, “If thou hast done thy fellow much good, let it be a trifle in thine eyes. And if thy fellow hath done thee a slight favor, let it be a great thing in thine eyes.” (Ovoth De-Rabbi Nothon) PON the invasion of Poland by Nazi German forces, Rav Mena­ chem became the leader par-excellence of P olish orthodox Jewry. Many turned to him for guidance and they simply felt relieved and encouraged to be in the company of the gaon during the dark days of uncertainty and fear.

After Warsaw’s aged and venerated Rabbi Shlomo David Kahane managed to emigrate to Jerusalem following outbreak of the war, the major rabbi­ nical responsibility for Warsaw noyv rested on Rav Menachem’s shoulders.

He was assisted by two competent

JEWISH LIF E

y o u n g er members of the Warsaw rabbinate, Rabbis David Shapiro and Samson Stockhammer. Rabbi Shapiro, the son-in-law of the former dean of the Warsaw rabbinate, Rabbi Chaim Joshua Gutshechter, was destined to become the sol$ surviving member of the Warsaw, rabbinical council. When the Gestapo insisted that rabbis also be placed on the Judenraat, Rav Ziemba volunteered to serve. However* his younger colleagues insisted that they be its members, and they spared him from this aggravating task.

Now im prisoned within the confines of the Ghetto, feelings of utter helplessness and terror gripped the surviving Jews. On June 22, 1942, the deportation to death camps began, and within three months, ninety per­ cent of Warsaw’s Jewish inhabitants were liquidated. Those who were not yet selected were exempted because of their occupations. Rav Menachem was registered as an employee of the communal Archives which was headed

by Dr. Hillel Seidman. Other leading intellectuals such as Dr. Isaac Schipper, Dr. Emanuel Ringblum, Professor Meir Balban, and Rabbis Shapiro and Stockhammer also found temporary refuge in the Archive offices. Rabbi Ziemba found solace in his continued studies||and he particularly devoted himself to the topic of Kiddush HaShem, Sanctification of G-d’s name.

On the day his wife was deported to Treblinka, he inscribed on his Chiddushey Torah, “These new Torah insights and elucidations were written with the help of G-d, on the day my dear wife was taken from me. She sacrificed of herself to enable me and my children to incessantly study the Holy Torah.”

IM O V EM B ER -D EC EM BER 1969

AV MENACHEM’S name will ever be enshrined with the epic of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt. At the memorable meeting of the remaining leaders which was convened in the Archives on January 14, 1943, Rabbi Ziemba gave rabbinic approval for the revolt. He stated: Of necessity, we must resist the enemy on all fronts, . .

We shall no longer heed his in­ structions. Henceforth, we must refuse to wend our way to the Umschlag-platz, which is but a blind and a snare | | a veritable stepping-stone on the road to mass annihilation. . . Had we lived up to our presumed status o f a *people endowed with wisdom and understanding, ' we would have discerned ab initio the enemy's plot to destroy us as a whole, root, and branch, and we would have put into opera­ tion all media o f information in order to arouse the conscience o f the world. As it is now, we have no choice but to resist. We are prohibited by Jewish law from betraying others, nor may we deliver ourselves into the hands o f the arch-enemy.

S a n c tific a tio n o f the Divine Names manifests itself in varied ways. Indeed, its special form is a product o f the times we live in. Under the sway o f the first crusade, at the end o f the eleventh century, Halochah - as an echo o f political events o f the times - had determined one way o f reacting to the distress o f the Franco-German Jews, whereas in the middle o f th e , twentieth

45

century, during the onrushing liq u id a tio n o f the Jews in Poland, Halochah prompts us to react in an entirely different manner. In the past, during reli­ gio u s persecution^ we were required by the law “to give up our lives even for the least essen­ tial practice. |P In the present, however, when we are faced by an arch foe, whose unparalleled ruthlessness and total annihila­ tion purposes know no bounds, HalOchah demands that we fight and resist to the very end with unequaled determination and valor for the sake o f the Sanctifi­ cation o f the Divine Name.

Rav Menachem celebrated his last Seder that year in a ghetto bunker.

On Saturday, Choi Ha-Moed Pesach, 5703 / April 24, 1943 , flames en­

46

gulfed the bunker during the battle for the Ghetto. Escaping with the surviv­ ing members of his family, he sought refuge in a nearby cellar. His daugh­ ter-in-law mistakenly signalled him to leave the cellar. Suddenly, Nazi troops appeared and at 4:10 P.M. he was cut down by their bullets. His family ran back to the cellar, and it wasn’t until late that evening that they finally suc­ ceeded in recovering his lifeless body.

On Sunday, after having been im­ mersed in compliance with the rigid Taharah practices of the Gerer Chas­ sidim, the remnants of his household brought Rav Menachem to temporary burial in the courtyard on 4 Kupieca Street, near his final home. Nearly all his children and grandchildren were subsequently murdered during the H o lo ca u st w hich terminated his beloved Polish Jewish community.

JEW ISH L IF E

B ooh R eview s 'NACHAS' IN PERSPECTIVE

by M A N U E L L A D E R M A N THE JOYS OF YIDDISH, by Leo Rosten; New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968, $10.

ANY writers learn to mine a particular field to their profit and the delecta­ tion of their reading public. Leo Rosten, in his fifteenth book,-has done another inter­ esting study, which employs his own good ear for Yiddish speech in a time when an interest in Yiddish manifests itself.

In the last twenty years several signifi­ cant scholarly studies on Yiddish have appeared, beginning with Nachum Stutchk o f f ’s study in 1950, and continuing through the work by the young man who passed away at such a tender age, Uriel Weinreich, in his basic text, on college Yiddish, and his more complete volume on Yiddish language, and also the work by Yudel Mark under the aegis of the Yivo.

These volumes have all gone at the task of studying the Yiddish language scientifically and with careful attention to its sources in RABBI LA D ER M A N is spiritual leader o f C o n g . H eb rew E ducational A lliance in Denver, Colorado.

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

German and Hebrew and Russian and French.

Mr. Rosten has no such ambitious intention. He set out to bring to the E nglish-reading public a considerable number of Yiddish words and expressions, which are handsomely presented in this expensive McGraw-Hill volume of over five hundred pages. He has added the cuteness, the humor, the wit, and the jokes which for some people are the whole of Yiddish, but which also tend to enliven the subject that he has undertaken to make palatable.

It needs to be said that he has in­ cluded many of the vulgar and obscene words which might well have been spared.

Whether it was from a sense that these are less objectionable in Yiddish than in any other language is hard to say.

The author attempts to face the prob­ lem of differences of pronunciation as be­ tween the Russian, Polish, and Litvishe practices, as for instance shul or sheel, kugel or keegel, mutter or mitter, brayt and broit, and such other differences. Seeking to give an English equivalent to these differences is a challenging task, and very often he forgets

47

to offer all of the various pronunciations in each case. If this were a Scholarly work that would be a serious flaw, but Rosten has disarmed all criticism in his introduction by indicating that his purpose is not nearly so ambitious.

One of the facets of Yiddish which is sometimes overlooked is that each country in which Yiddish is spoken tends to add words out of its own language. We American Jews add many American or English words, just as Russian Jews added Russian words, and French Jews added words from their own language. Mr. Rosten has sought to indicate these differences by employing two words that he made up, one YINGLISH, meaning words originally Yiddish or Heb­ rew, which have found a home in English, and their counterpart, which he calls AMERIDISH, English words which have taken on an authentic flavor in Yiddish.

Every commentator on the American scene today is aware of the infiltration of Yiddish words into English, the common exam ples b eing k ib itz e r , chutzpah, shlemiel, shmaltz, megilla, ganiff and such.

This is true not only of individual words but of phrases and of intonations, and the American stage and screen and television are witnesses to this invasion. The book suggests that Yiddish has more expressive words, which indicate emotional states in onomatopoeiaic values. The book contains a longer list of put-down words than it does compli­ mentary expressions.

Yiddish is rich in family words, and words expressing the familial relationship.

The same is true of words related to educa­ tion and institutions of study. It has a great variety of nuance of expressive words, and

48

therefore can find shadings of expression.

(Recently the prominent Yiddish writer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, in a lecture pointed out thaft there were at least fifty expressions for a poor man in Yiddish.)

Occasionally the author seeks ter give some of the scholarly background of certain Yiddish expressions, and has sought to investigate the matter with some thorough­ ness.

ANY will read this book for pure pleasure, and no fault can be found with that attitude. Others will find them­ selves asking the serious question about the future of Yiddish.

The readership of Yiddish newspapers in the United States seems To be dropping off. Volumes of Yiddish fiction, essays and poetry are not in great'demand. Is a book like this a testimony to the vitality of Y iddish or to its passing from the scene?

One can only hope that this will stimulate an interest in the survival of a language in which our people expressed itself in a copious way in all the realms of human thought.

It is interesting today, when Hebrew has become so vital and so prominent, to recall that Yiddish was once the preferred tongue of both the pietists, and still con­ tinues to be among some o f them, and also their opposites, the Yiddishist leftists. It is a reflection of course of the wide galaxy of in terest which our people has always espoused.

That a book like this should have drawn a large, widespread reading audience is significant of the attention the Jews are receivin g in th e w hole spectrum of American life.

JEWISH LIFE

A MAN AND HIS IDEA

by PH ILIP B IB E R F E L D read like a novel but instead requires accu­ rate thinking. However, the faithful student is richly rewarded by acquiring the ability to see for himself and to judge for himself.

Rabbi Reichel has not restricted him­ HO is Rabbi Isaac Halevy? There are self to the theoretical evaluation of Halevy’s so many very learned people who have contribution to Jewish historiography. He also presents the reader with a resume of never heard his name. Some people know that he wrote a profound historical work, Halevy’s views on an era of Jewish history “Doroth Horishonim,” but very few have which he considered of vital significance, bothered to read or study it. Quite un­ that of the struggle between the Sadducees known is the fact that he was the founder of and Pharisees.

As Halevy showed, the Sadducees the Agudath Israel World Organization and were essentially political opportunists with­ its spiritus rector.

We therefore have to be deeply thank­ out any religious conviction. They denied ful to Rabbi Reichel for his book on Isaac the basic principles of the Torah: the Halevy which gives a clear idea of the great­ immortality of the soul, Divine Providence, and Revelation. They persecuted their ness of this outstanding personality.

The foundation of Halevy’s life was opponents, the Pharisees, who were the true the Torah. Already in his youth he was leaders of the Jewish people. When, during known as an ilui. He had a particular ap­ the short time of Queen Alexandra’s reign, proach to his learning. He was not satisfied the Pharisees came to power under the in just finding an answer to a question. The leadership of Shimon ben Shetach, the question itself had to vanish completely. Jewish nation prospered. Their reign, how­ The answer had to be so simple and'self- ever, was short lived and the Sadducees evident that everybody would ask himself regained control of the country. Acting why he had not been able to find it. The selfishly and irresponsibly, they ultimately goal of his learning was the truth and noth­ brought about the decline of the Jewish ing but the truth. state and the destruction of the Temple.

The same method guided Isaac Halevy OR Isaac Halevy, the study of history, also in his historical research. With unerring | in the same way as that of the Torah, judgement he ascertained those facts on which alone he based his conclusions. He was not merely a scholarly endeavor but took his predecessors severely to task for intended for life. His penetrating under­ disregarding the facts or misrepresenting standing of the past endowed him with a them. By quoting the sources extensively, deep insight into future developments. This Halevy forces the reader, to see for himself led to his plan of an organization of the and to recognize the truth. This, of course, Jewish people, whose life was based on the makes his work hard reading. It cannot be Torah and which should represent the Jewish people before the world. This was his RABBI DR. BIBERFELD is spiritual leader idea of Agudath Yisroel. He succeeded in o f Cong. Agudas Yeshorim in N ew York gathering the Torah authorities of his time, C ity , and author o f ‘‘Universal Jewish who recognized him as a gaon, to join hands H isto r y /’ ISAAC HALEVY (1847-1914): Spokesman and Historian of Jewish Tradition, By O. Asher Reichel; New York, Yeshiva Univer­ sity Press, 1969

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in order to establish this organization. Even the name was conceived by him. When un­ fortunately he passed away in 1914, he was rightly eulogized as the soul of Agudath Yisroel.

Rabbi Reichel’s study of this thinker, scholar, and leader is an invaluable resource.

The student of the Torah who wants* to become acquainted with a method of study enabling him to recognize the truth, the Jew who wants to use our experience of the past as the understanding of the present and the future, and especially those who work for the realization of the true concept of Agudath Yisroel, will alike read it to advan­ tage.

The fact that so little is known about this extraordinary man is due to his extreme modesty which prevented him from accept­ ing in public the place which he deserved. It is to the eminent merit of Rabbi Reichel that in his book, based on meticulous study of all available sources, he has brought to light the greatness of the man.

His work shows how deeply impressed he, himself, became by the works and deeds of Isaac Halevy. It displays the untiring devotion of a faithful talmid who has ap­ plied the scrupulous methods of the master to create a vivid and authentic portrait of this giant in Israel.

OF COMMUNAL CONCERN

by JOSEPH S. K A P L A N POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, A Report of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, 1968 NOTHER of the proliferating reports of governmental agencies to the Congress or the President, this one examines the effects of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on the electoral and political processes in the Southern States.

The 1965 Act enabled the Federal Government to wield unique powers in the South in order to speed movement towards the elimination of racial barriers to voting or public office seeking. These powers were MR. KAPLAN, an attorn ey in N ew York C it y , is V ice President o f th e Jewish C o m m u n ity R elations Council o f N ew York, where he also heads the delegation from th e Union o f O rth odox Jewish Con­ gregations o f Am erica.

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justified by the proponents of the Act as necessary to bring about some redress of the almost total absence of black participation in representative government in the South­ ern states. “Political Participation” looks back upon the first three years’ experience under the Act, and provides background to understand the interests advocated by the opposing Sides in the recent Congressional debates on extension of the 1965 Act, whose modification is now being debated in Congress.

The controversy surrounding the law stems from its very real powers of enforce­ ment and its very limited geographic appli­ cability. It permits real interference in the affairs of sovereign states by the federal government, and is in fact discriminatory in that it applies only to ten of the fifty states.

The powers granted the federal government are, in chief, to set standards for and register

JEW ISH L IF E

people as qualified voters, to supervise, interrupt, and nullify elections, and to veto voting law legislation.

The vigor with which the extension of the law is opposed and the preparation of amendatory proposals by the Nixon admin­ istration testify to the strong emotions excited by enforcement of the Act. The election of a black mayor in Fayette, Missis­ sippi, and black county leadership in Greene County, Alabama, for the first time in modern times, testify to its success. The Commission’s report manifests why these emotions are excited, and why local elec­ toral victories of seemingly little national significance are deemed success. “Political Participation” documents a pervasive system of black disenfranchisement. Let alone that extra legal obstacles are presented to pre­ vent the voting registration of black citizens, the obstacles to running for public office are vastly greater. The book’s chapter headings give a hint of how thorough the System is: Diluting the Negro Vote; Preventing Negroes from Becoming Candidates or Obtaining Office; Discrimination Against Negro Regis­ trants; Exclusion of and Interference with Negro Poll Watchers; Vote Fraud; Discrim­ inatory Selection of Election Officials; and

Intimidation and Economic Dependence.

“Political Pariticipation” is the report of the Commission on Civil Rights to the President, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representa­ tives. Ostensibly authored by the Commis­ sioners, it reads more like a staff report. Its many charts, tables, and maps are some­ times projections based upon little informa­ tion, but often are based on solid evidence and truly support the conclusions they are said to demonstrate. The presentation suf­ fers from the paucity of examples cited and repeated descriptions of the same incidents to illustrate the several forms of discrimina­ tion. The language of the Report, although obviously written with the public as a con­ templated reader, is official sounding and sometimes almost unreadable.

Nevertheless, the Report is most worthwhile. It describes in great detail the efforts of the Department of Justice to obtain compliance. More fascinating, it offers to the reader a look at the tremen­ dous problems faced by hitherto disenfran­ chised blacks in organizing themselves with­ in the political structure, and demonstrates the vast moral and political courage of those who have come forth to claim those rights.

OLD LIGHT, NEW LUSTER

by IS R A E L A R M O N OROTH HA-TESHUVAH, by Rabbi A. I. Kook; Translated and with Introduction and Notes by Alter B. Z. Metzger; New York: Yeshiva University Press, 1969.

translator has contended with complex prose, meant to be understood on two diver­ gent levels, as well as with stylistic use of Hebrew language and idiom infrequently encountered in twentieth century writings.

HE innumerable difficulties involved However, what makes this English version of in the translation of “Oroth Ha-Teshu­ “Oroth Ha-Teshuvah” a pioneering work of vah” seem to have been overcome in the its kind is not simply the literary achieverecent work of Dr. Metzger entitled: “Rabbi Kook’s Philosophy of Repentance.” The j ment in itself. Dr. Metzger has actually presented us with a two-fold translation. He has not only rendered “Oroth Ha-Teshuvah” RABBI ARMON of Miami Beach is a noted from Hebrew to English, but he has also, in educator and essayist.

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his Preface, translated the mystical, theolog­ ical English (utilized in the literal transla­ tion) into modern, scientific, psychological terminology. Thus the twentieth century reader is equipped with the wherewithal to come to grips with Rabbi Kook’s philoso­ phy. The Preface unveils the relevant thought system of a modern philosopher, which all too easily could have remained obscured in theological terminology, even after a satisfactory translation had been achieved.

The psych ologica l interpretation, geared primarily to the needs of the present day Jewish-American generation, is in accordance with Rav Kook’s views on education. In religious matters, unlike secu­ lar studies,- Rav Kook states in “Oroth Ha-Teshuvah,” our youth hardly advance b eyon d elem en tary education. Little wonder, then, that they brand religion as a primitive affair — for they have never been introduced to it on any level beyond the naive and the primitive. Dr. Metzger’s Pre­ face has given our generation access to a religious philosophy on a level of psycholog­ ical awareness,, at least equalling the sophis­ tication of other systems of thought to which our present-day Maskilim have been exposed in their higher secular education.

Accordingly, we find what seems a deliberate omission from the Preface of the eentrality of Israel in the process of Teshuvah. This introduction was not Written with the intention of recapitulating Rav Kook’s widely known stand on Israel. Far too many have thrust the centrality of Israel to the fore, to the extent that Rav Kook’s supra­ national religious insights have been over­ looked. This Preface dwells upon those aspects of Rabbi Kook’s philosophy which bear greatest relevance to, and which answer best the queries of our psychology-oriented community.

HE harmony o f Rav Kook’s religious thought with contemporary thought in psychology, as illustrated in the Preface, is at times overwhelming. From his analysis

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of the nature and causes of anxiety — through his realistic, positive approach to human nature and life; from his definition of Teshuvah as a life-pattern inherent in man’s imperfect but creative nature l i t o his expanded concept of selfhood as 5een against the backdrop of cosmos and Creator, we are again and again impressed by the a fo rem en tio n ed harmony. Nevertheless distinctions between psychological theory and Rav Kook’s philosophy have not been blurred in the Preface. These differences of opinion (i.e. page 12, preface) are an inde­ pendent topic of research. Suffice it to say that the unique quality of Rav Kook’s thought has not been sacrificed in an effort to render it identical with psychology.

The Index provides us with Judaic source material, intended primarily to eluci­ date the mystical terminology of “Oroth Ha-Teshuvah.” Dr. Metzger’s definitions in the Index are often aided by allusions to similar concepts in Chabad literature, not­ ably, the Tanya. Only by reading the Tanya can one really see the relationship that the translator attributes. This is no problem for the English reader^ as the Tanya is avail­ able in an English translation.

Undoubtedly, a Hebrew edition of “Oroth Ha-Teshuvah,” including a transla­ tion of the English preface and index to Hebrew, would enlighten the average Israeli reader who has no formal religious educa­ tion.

For I don’t see Dr. Metzger’s work merely as a literary landmark in the history of translation of Semitic works to English, but primarily as an educational mission to the modern, intelligent reader brought up to view Jewish philosophy as archaic, and out­ dated for the twentieth century; Reading “Oroth Ha-Teshuvah” he can realize that the key to an equilibrium between scientific progress and moral stability lies in the real perception of Teshuvah.

This essay is the eleventh monograph in the series of Studies in Torah Judaism published by Yeshiva University Depart­ ment of Special Publications and edited by Dr. Leon D. Stitskin.

JEW ISH LIFE

L e tte rs to th e E d ito r “JUDAISM AND PSYCHOLOGY” E d ito r’s note: In this section in the September-October 'issue, a letter from Rabbi Abraham Amsel appeared, in which an error occurred in the last paragraph on page 63. The sentence beginning on the fifth line should haye, read: “Nor is the concept of ‘Techilotho Be’ones^Vesofo Berotzon’ related to the matter.”

Herewith is other correspondence con­ cerning Dr^ Samuel A. Weisses, review of Rabbi Abraham Amsel’s “Judaism and Psychology,” with Dr. Weises rejoinder to all letters, including that from the previous issue.

Los Angeles, California A review of “Judaism and Psychol­ ogy” by Rabbi Amsel is worthy of inclusion in JEWISH LIFE, since application of Jew­ ish thought to this area is overdue. However, the antagonistic incontinent presentation made by Rabbi Weiss in your July-August issue is both surprising and disturbing, all the more so because the review is replete w ith distortions and misinterpretations which may mislead many who would other­ wise be induced to study the" book. I might state that I also noted several weaknesses in the ideas presented, including those men­ tioned by Rabbi Weiss. However, as Rabbi Amsel points out (p. 21), he does not con­ sider the book to be exhaustive. “Much more needs to be done in following up the implications of this work.” On the other hand, Rabbi Amsel does not indicate or imply that he is attempting to impose his approach in an effort “to reconcile Jewish

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

and [modern] psychological thought” (p.

15). “The purpose of this book is to show that there exists a unique Jewish approach to thè science of . . . psychology . . . (p. 20).

My interest is not to refute or discredit other psychological theories but rather to evolve a Jewish psychological theory.” How­ ever, he concludes with the blunt statement (p. 198): “freudian psychoanalysis is at the root of the evils of our society;” in other words, reconciliation of Judaism is impos­ sible w ith most branches of modern psychology insofar as they have accepted Freudian concepts to a greater or lesser extent.

The denigration by Rabbi Weiss of the book’s ten psychological references is both meaningless and a distortion of the book’ll methodology. Rabbi Amsel statesJ(p. 20) that in his approach he relies on the Bible, the Talmud, and our great Rabbinic sages; in this area he lists twenty-two references. His references to modern psychological works is incidental to his primary approach. How­ ever, of the latter, which are provided by fourteen individuals, we find eleven who are scholarly enough to be listed in Who’s Who in America and/or in American Men of Science. The book by Noyes and Kolb is used by all 140 medical schools surveyed during a study conducted in 1967 (Ameri­ can Journal of Psychiatry, August 1967, n.

217). The same survey indicates that the book by Brenner is very widely used. The works of O.H. Mowrer are referenced in most modern textbooks on psychology; he has been president of the American Psycho? logical Association. Others of Amsel’s refer­ ences are also noted.

C oncerning th e several technical

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comments of the review, a complete discus­ sion o f its inadequacy and partisanship is not practical,in this letter; a few examples are in order, (a) Rabbi Am sel does not state that Freud viewed all human nature as good (we know that Freud’s viewpoint actually was to the contrary)^1he says rather ^(p.

175): “A fatal Freudian inspired error, espoused by nearly all of psychology, is the belief that man is totally good.” Any read­ ing of the popular press 'substantiates this thesis, (b) The “release from repressions” is not a layman*« distortion. Mowrer’s agree­ ment with Rabbi Amsel is perhaps the most authoritative to which I can refer. See also “Psychology,” by Fillmore & Sanford (p.

150): “Psychoanalytic theory tends to trace neurosis to a too-severe superego generated when the individual takes unto himself the harsh conscience of oversevCre parents!;* The stern and forbidding superego, the Freudian, theory goes, brings about á repression of primitive impulses. The individual recovers from neurosis when he can accept his primi­ tive impulses.” (c) The book does not posit the “pole-to-pole” principle as a major cure-all. As noted on page 1877^‘The more moderate method of gradual positive im­ pression accumulation may be resorted Xof* if the opposite pole method is too severe, (d) The review states, “The book astonish­ ingly asserts thai guilt plays at most a secondary role in mental illness because; people always find excuses for their wrong­ doing” (p. 173). The moré appropriate quotation would be (p. 172): “The roots of mental illness are not to be sought in guilt, but in gross untamed ambitions, and in gross fear of its being frustrated.”^ My comments are submitted primarily to concur in the need for the development of a Jewish approach to psychology, for which Rabbi Amsel offers a beginning. I agree with the author that such an approach must attack the basic process of all forms of psychotherapy, inasmuch as they rest, in some degree, on Freudian psychoanalysis, which is basically antagonistic to religion, and would appear to be a promotion of the

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Sabbatian-Frankian heresy (see David Bakan, “Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Mystical Tradition”). This antagonism is recognized by# prominent psychoanalysts, such as Dr. Royden C. Astley, director of the P ittsburg Psychoanalytic Institute (Psychiatry in American Life, by Charles Rolo, p. 238): “Analytic experience sug­ gests that if a patient’s religious beliefs and practices* are intimately connected with his unconscious conflicts, they will be changed by thorough treatment. . . Where thorough­ going treatment of neurosis is concerned, religion is likely to lose many . ^. adherents .. .” A casual review of psychological texts and of scholarly journals Substantiates this thesis.

Morris Smith Brooklyn, New York Please permit us to offer an evaluation of Rabbi Abraham A m sel^ “Judaism an^ Psychology^” differing from that of Dr. Samuel A. Weiss in a recent issue.

The book is undoubtedly .controver­ sial and provocative. It is significant - not­ ably because it is historically relevant. Its author addresses himself to the problems of our dayB^crime, violence, the widespread use of drugs, the breakdown of moral values and standards. He traces the permissiveness of our day to the all-pervasive influence of Freud, or rather Freudianism, as it has, for the past half century, dominated psychoana­ lytic thought and practice, as well as the fields of psychology, social work and educa­ tion, and has become woven into the entire fabric of our society .

The author aligns-; himself with psychologists; such as Mowrer in swinging away from permissiveness itoward discipline and control o f one’s impulses and a recogni­ tion of the importance of sound moral values.

At the beginning of the century, the w orld w a s . revolutionized by Sigmund Freud’s theory of Psychoanalysis — of the unconscious being the storehouse of inhib-

JEWISH LIFE

ited feelings and sexual aggressive repres­ sions. In a way, this was a severe criticism of the restrictive, moralistic society of the Victorian era and its equivalent the world over.

Beginning with the similarities be­ tween Judaism and Psychology, the author sees behavior as the product of two oppos­ ing forces ^ th e evil inclination (id) at birth, gradually joined by the good inclination (superego), and tempered by environment.

Judaism stresses the importance of habit in human behavior. The Judaic con­ cept is that habit is formed first by an act of free will, then the action is repeated and reinforced by the individual’s predisposition and affected by his environment. Psychol­ ogy, on the other hand, considers the un­ conscious over which man has no control, as the principle dynamic of behavior. The author then goes into detail concerning the Judaic concept of free will versus the Freud­ ian! >bio logically oriented, deterministic philosophy as the basic difference between Judaism and Psychology.

Judaism considers free will axiomatic in the moral realm only. Fate or predestina­ tion®- the will of G -d ^ is prevalent in all other matters. The pursuance of the ideal of moral behavior is the pattern of forming good habits and correcting or erasing one’s undesirable habits. A bad habit may be corrected, according to Maimonides, by “bending from pole to pole” —going to the opposite extreme, eventually achieving the desirable golden mean.

After enumerating the bad habits that bring on mental illness, the author comes to the conclusion that fear is the main factor.

However, he declares, “Fear is the illness, not the symptom.” The remedy, according to him, is “Trust in G-d.”

Discussing the twenty “Middos,” or basic behavior characteristics, and their chain reaction, the book states: “One must strike a balance, avoid extremes, and achieve Middos in their proper proportions.”

The author believes there is a correla­ tion between some forms of mental illness

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and sin, and brings many quotations from the Talmud, Sifrey Mussar, etc.f to that effect. The neuroses and psychoses that are functional, not organic, in nature, are char­ acter disorders brought on by bad habits through the chain reaction. J. Wolpe, a modern behavior therapist, too declares neurosis to be a bad habit.

In touching on methods in Jewish psychology, the author maintains that the therapist must acquaint himself with the history t)f his patient. He should allow the patient ventilation of his problems (cathar­ sis), with an attitude of total acceptance (“And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy­ self”) and be non-judgmental (“Judge not thy friend,’1^ etc.). Lastly, the therapist should o ffe r in d irect rebuke, when necessary.

Therapy must include the correction o f th e individual’s distorted habits of thought and action which must be achieved through the exercise of his free will. The therapeutic goal is that he achieve complete faith and trust and reshape his entire value system.

The last chapter, “Implications,” deals with a strong criticism of modern society which is oriented on the approach of psychoanalysis that the individual is a victim of the unconscious. Contemporary culture is amoral and contradicts the theory of free will, thus denying the root principle of all religion. “The Seven Precepts o f the Chil­ dren of Noah” are the basis of civilization for Jew and non-Jew alike. These include the principle of faith and trust in a Higher Power, commandments against illicit sexual relationships and acts of robbery and vio­ lence, and demand the setting up of courts of law and order.

Faith and trust, the author asserts, lead to the elimination of emotional disturb­ ance and the establishment of peace of mind.

The book is written with broad, bold strokes. Its colors are sharp black and white for the most part, though the author recog­ nizes some greys, for example, that “free”

55

will even in the moral realm is not entirely find this book most stimulating and reward­ free, as when a person has allowed himself ing. If, in addition, they are modest enough to become a slave to a bad habit or a com­ to feel that there is room for improvement plex of bad habits that resulted in severe in their work and in themselve%nas human behavior problems or neurosis. However, the beings^'this book might afford them an author makes the point that Judaism main­ excellent opportunity for re-evaluation. tains man can still exercise some free choice, Although a basic premise] of social and can extricate himself from his entangle­ work is that you start where the client is, ments by force* of will and with Divine yet has there been a recognition of the assistance. i m p ortancej of religious^ faith to many For the intelligent layman, this book people? The author’s ' emphasis on the should prove invigorating and refreshing. By supreme therapeutic value of “trust in G-d” accepting the concept, “Everything is de­ would have a great deal of meaning for indi­ creed by G-d, except fear of G-d,” man viduals who are religion-oriented or respon­ recognizes the limits of his power and ac­ sive to spiritual concepts. For if “relation­ cepts reality, thus achieving peace of mind ship” is the great therapeutic agent, helping and -’’contentment, but takes full moral re­ the patient gain a feeling of security and sponsibility for his behavior, for in this area hope, then a person’s relationship with G-d, he can exercise free will. He can develop if it iSqstrong.and genuine, would give him good habits which, in turn, will become a the highest form of ¿security and peace of permanent part of his nature. ^ his charac­ mind.

It would have been intriguing had the teristics. He need not despair if he has de­ veloped some undesirable habitsyifor if he is author examined in greater detail the vari­ willing to change, and makes a sincere ef­ ous solutions formulated by Freud, Adler, Jung, Rank, Horneyt etc., and how they fort, he can do so.

This book should prove of particular compared with the Judaic view. For in­ value to parents and educators, whose, re­ stance, Freud stresses the great power of our' sponsibility. it is to help children develop biological drives. Judaism, too, gives full good habits and values and a positive, trust­ recognition to the strength of human pas­ sions. Freud’s solution is on the one hand ing attitude toward life.

What meaning would this book have that these natural drives should not be un­ for psychologists and social workers? That necessarily repressed because of overly re­ would depend on the extent to which the strictive and harsh moral standards. How­ particular psychologist or social worker is a. ever, since somei control is necessary if we product of our status culture. He might wish to preserve our civilization, this control perhaps judge a book if not by its. cover, may begin to be achieved in the early years then perhaps by the size of its bibliography, through love ^ the love of the child primary which in the case of this book is not too ily for his mother whom he wishes to please. extensive. In reviewing this book he might Where repression of one’s socially unaccept­ focus on its many vulnerable spots which, able impulses (sexual or aggressive) has not irritating as they are to the serious reader, been successfully achieved or has not been are not nearly as irritating as the critic’s complete, these drives would find some dwelling on the book’s imperfections while other outlet — either destructively in a completely overlooking its overall design n eu ro tic sy m p to m , or c onstrUctively through sublimation in a socially acceptable and its many thought-provoking ideas. ; However, psychologists and social activity, e.g., a sadist might become a sur­ workers who are open-minded enough and geon and prove helpful instead o f harmful flexible enough to depart from their, profes­ to society. The Jewish religion, too, does sional jargon and frame of reference will not seek to repress normal instincts. We

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JEWISH L I F E

have no priests or nuns. Man is given laws Ng “V’Chay Bohem,’^>ffl and is enjoined to “live” by them as they are intended to promote life, not to suppress it. It might have been well for the Author to refer to the many treasures of Chassidism with their emphasis on joy. =Man is exhorted to love G-d and is told he may serve Him even with his undesirable traits — “B’Chol L’Vovcho” B ^ W ith all your heart”p f with both your g o o d a n d y o u r e v i l in c lin a tio n .

(Sublimation?)

Social workers of the Pennsylvania School of Social Work, the Functional School, might have appreciated a reference to Otto Rank’s “Will Therapy,’’ with Rank’s emphasis on the ambivalence of the human will and his view that the task of the thera­ pist is to help the patient (through accept­ ance and a skillful use of limits) to learn to exercise his own will freely yet responsibly , and to accept a will other than his own. This other will might be the will o f another human being, or it might take the form of outside forced beyond his control or, in the context of this book, this other will might be the Divine Will. Is not this close to the author’s^ interpretation that contentment comes about if we accept our lot (G-d’s Will), but take responsibility for our actions (our will)?: ^ While there are indeed many similari­ ties between Judaism and Psychology, the differences are highly important, particu­ larly for our day. ; r First, as the author stresses, Judaism emphasizes free will in the moral realm, holding the individual responsible, for the most part; for his actions, while modern psychology generally subscribes to the theory of psychic determinism, which re­ lieves the individual of responsibility for his a c tio n s. Secondly, while Judaism and Psychology agree that the individual must strike a balance between his needs and the demands of society, they differ as to what is meant by “society,” Karen Homey, in “The Neurotic Personality of Our Time,” and other noted psychologists have stressed that

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

neurosis relates to the culture within which an individual lives - the culture of his day.

Therapy would then ordinarily concern it­ self with helping the individual adapt to his environment in accordance with the stand­ ards of his <}ay. Judaism, on the other hand, has a long-range view of society. Its stand­ ards represent the universal, permanent values of Torah Law. A departure from these standards is “sin.”

“Judaism and Psychology” has been referred to as “dangerous” by one of its psychologist-critics because it considers the neurotic responsible for his condition and views him as sinful rather than sick. How­ ever, the Judaic concept of sin does not re­ late to punishment as much as to atonement and repentance. The view would be that a person who made a mess of his life by bad habits and wrong living, resulting in unhap­ piness, nervousness, anxiety and depression, should take responsibility for his condition, for he need not have permitted this accumu­ lation of mistakes and misdeeds as he did have some choice. However, he could still reconstruct his life by force of will, if he accepted the basic human values that good and wise men have lived by for thousands of years, and if he applied himself to building good habits in accordance with those values.

According to the author, the therapist, while utilizing the best methods and skills known to psychology, would have the task of helping the patient in this process of re­ education.

The approach of modern psychology has generally been far different, and its impact on our lives has been such that we view all maladaptive behavior as “sick,” and we now talk of our “sick” society. But as we look about us in dismay at the thousands upon thousands of our young people who have become hippies, drug addicts, and the like, we realize that “there are not enough psychoanalysts’ couches to go around.” Nor is this the answer. For the psychologist’s role of helping the patient adjust to society is of little value where society itself is sick. “ Judaism and Psychology” has a

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message for Jew and non-Jew alike. It brings home to all of us the realization that we can and must take responsibility for our actions; that the permissive, downward trend in our society must now be stopped. * As Freud’sfetheory in his tim%,this book represents a scathing attack on con­ temporary culture. It takes a great deal of courage to hold up a mirror to society and show the moral degeneracy reflected in it. It is reminiscent of the Prophet Jonah as he admonished his decadent generation in Nineveh, , “Return, ye sinners to G-d, for only in His faith and trust will you be re­ generated.”

Eva Barenholtz Abraham Greenberg Rose Zaltsman

RESPONSE BY DR. SAMUEL A. WEISS: In his le tte r (September-October issue) regarding my review of his “Judaism and Psychology,” vRabbi Amsel ignored many of the critical points raised in my re­ view and failed to admit his errors o f fact, as noted in the review. I will not dream an impossible dream to convince an unconvinceable author, but I hope further to clar­ ify some issues raised in the book and letter so that the reader may decide for himself, on the basis of the evidence.

1. The author states that the reviewer has taken issue with the “traditional Jewish views I have presented.” This is not so. It is with the book’s unsound understanding and misinterpretation of the traditional sources that I take issue.

2. In the early paragraphs of the author’s letter there is a most perplexing implication that no more progress is possible in psychotherapy, and the investigation of the soul. What else can we infer from the author’s statement, “To suggest that our Sages were not perfectly knowledgeable concerning the workings of the human mind

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goes beyond naivete, Does not the author believe that more knowledge can be learned or rediscovered?

Does he not believe in the statement o f Chazal (Yalkut Shimoni Ch.34:405): “And G-d spoke these words (Sh’moth 20:1) ‘Even that which a conscientious disciple will ask his teacher’ [in the future was given to Moses on Sinai 3. The author claims that the review­ er ignores “the many leading authorities who fully agree with my views,” a. These individuals could not fully agree with the author’s views. Have they; read the book? b. Of the four authorities cited in his letter, one is unknown and the others re­ present minority views.

4. The author states; “but with only few exceptions he (the reviewer) does not attempt to refute these sources which are the basis for my, conclusion.” To deal exhaustively (and exhaustingly) with the au th or’s naive misinterpretations would require a volume and not a book review. . 5. The author states, “There is only a smattering o f my ideas, mostly distorted or unclearly stated.”

The reviewer was very careful to quote the book at length on some issues so as to reveal clearly the contradictions in the author’s own words. The author’s response in his letter prompts some .additional examples. a. The murkiness and fluidity of thinking is evident as one proceeds from one paragraph to another. For example, on page 106|p ‘One cannot overemphasize this vital principle. For it is extremely important to be cognizant of the fact that, basically, behavior flows from characteristics and not the reverse.” On page 107; -'This is not to say that the case is always one of character influencing behavior and never one of be­ havior (sic) influencing character. There is no question that repeated acts of stealing will incline one’s character in the direction o f selfishness/’ On page 108, t it is to be noted that actions are triggered not only by

JEW ISH LIF E

character traits, but also by other actions as For example, he cites (page 35) the well.” Hi story o f Rabbi Nachman (Shabboth 156b) b. Another example is his listing of whose mother was told by astrologers that the Middoth, The H th item (page 106) is her son would be a thief. In order to protect “Kaas — anger: one must practically root him from this fate she required him to cover out (my italics) anger from himself and his head so that the fear o f the Lord would foster Rotzon, the feeling of reconciliation be on him. One day the boy’s cap fell off and agreement.” On page 108, however, while he was under someone’s date tree. His “Anger is an evil, but complete absence of evil inclinations overpowered him and he anger is far from ideal. There are occasions tore off a branch of dates and devoured in which anger is called for. The same holds them. The author then proceeds, “We are true of other characteristics.” Is this not, at presented here with a clear instance of the best, inconsistent thinking? operation of Fate with respect to stealing — c. The author employs concepts in a of its operation, therefore, in the realm of loose fashion so as to involve himself in good and evil. How is this to be reconciled contradictions. For example, he quotes with the doctrine o f Free Will? Insoluble as Maimonides as advocating a “tolerance this may seem at first glance (italics mine), which stands in the middle between anger however, it is found to present no problem and lack* of shame and bashfulness alto­ at all etc.” Let the reader note the author’s gether” (page 113). Here anger and “bash- approach; he presents a contradiction and fulness” are both extremes which should be proceeds to interpret, re-interpret, or mis­ avoided. And yet in his letter, the author interpret this “source,” failing to distinguish says, “Jews pride themselves as being between a contradiction .of his views and his bayyshonim (withdrawn and modest) — own kneading and mauling the source to psychology tells us that this is a serious adjust the fractured bones of his arguments. behavioral problem.” (Note that the author Elementary logic dictates that a re-interpre­ lumps withdrawn and modest together, as ted source is not an original source. Let us though they were synonyms!) consider another example (page 133). “How 6.

Complaining that the reviewer are we to interpret (italics mine) ‘For a mad­ “further ignores the fact that my views are man we have no cure’ in the light of all the based on Biblical and Rabbinic sources indications to the contrary that we have which are clearly documented,” the author marshalled in evidence (italics mine) of a wishes to convey the impression that the distinct Jewish point of view of treatment.” sources he cites clearly support him. The The author then proceeds to be a darshon. facts are otherwise. Crucial sources are not One may or may not agree with his darunequivocal or else pose difficult questions shanuth but crucial sources are not clear when considered in relation to major prin­ documentations of the author’s views. They ciples of Faith, as noted by Rishonim and are often blatant contradictions.

Acharonim. In crucial issues the author dis­ 7.

The author’s interpretation plays a double-jointed flexibility. Let us “Tinok Shenishbah” is incomprehensible. examine his method: How would this view explain the acts of Step A) He cites a Jewish source children raised by head hunters and canni­ which contradicts his own bals who automatically follow the practice of their captors and do not “exercise their views.

Step B) He then re-interprets it to Free Will in the area of Middos?” The author seems to believe in “Natural Law” as suit his views.

Step C) He then dresses it in his regards Middoth and appears to be at vari­ unique garb as an original ance with an oft-quoted statement by Reb Chaim Brisker, Zal, that the crime of mursource!

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

59

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der, for example, is not inherent in “Natural applies to the other case.” How else are we Law” but^only because the Torah says, to explain such contradictory statements as “Thou shalt not murderi” How the Yetzer (Eruvin 19a): “Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish Tov or the “inclination to believe” can work said «Evildoers do not repent even at the aside from education or Torah is incompre­ door of Gehenna’ ” vs. (Kiddushin 40b), hensible. The “inclination to believe’’ in “Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai said, . . even various cultures has led to belief in the most one who has been an absolute evildoer diverse deities and the most bizarre practices (Rosha Gomur) his entire life and finally as in the Moloch,/and Baal Pe’or. How repents, is not reminded again of his wicked­ rational then is the author’s statement, “The ness etc.’ ” According to the author’s under­ ‘Tinok Shenishbah’ is therefore able to ex­ standing the rosha gomur should never have ercise his Free Will in the area of Middoth, repented. (See also Avodah Zarah 17a.) and is obligated to do so?”

The author interprets the Mishnah 8.

Qüoting Chazal (Yoma 86b), (Ovoth the 4:21) “Envy, Passion, and Honor author says: “When a man transgresses and remove a person from the World” as refer­ repeats his transgression, he deludes himself ring to insanity which follows indulgence in into believing that (what he has done) is these passions. This is an arbitrary interpre­ permissible. Weak impressions of guilt tation and his own darshonuth, and ignores remain buried in his mind, but they are too those of Rashi, the Rambam, and other weak to create emotional stress” (italics commentaries. mine). In his book the author stresses the The author states (p. 145), “In Juda­ fact that people always justify their actions. ism, since insanity is part of sin and evil, The reader may consult his own ex­ man is accountable for permitting himself to perience whether the italicized statement is fall into it.” In his letter the author totally trueS^-Hor ludicrous. The Talmud relates ignored the reviewer’s discussion of suffer­ countless stories of the emotional stress ing and of yesurin shel ahavah (the pains of experienced by individuals steeped in a life­ love) and reiterates his pernicious statement. time of sin who later repented. If the cited The question of suffering and death in­ statement is to be taken in the author’s trigued Chazal who were divided in their over-concrete way , that a twice-repeated act various explanations. Some Sages, notably is deemed permissible in the mind of the Rabbi Ami, maintained there is no death or doer, how will anyone repent after commit­ suffering without antecedent sin while ting a sin two times? The author appears to others, such as Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar, be unaware of the statement (Chulin 90b) maintain otherwise. At the end of this dis­ that the Torah and Chazal occasionally cussion (Shabboth 55a,b) the Gemora conexaggerate, and to have no understanding of cludes£; “There is death (and sufferingthe principle that, unless otherwise noted, a T osofoth) without antecedent sin” and statement by Chazal should be understood “disproved is the contention of Rabbi Ami” as being prefaced by “In most instances,” (“Teuvta d’Rabbi Ami, Teuvta”). Thus, “Often,” or “Sometimes.” Many seemingly insanity (the author employs this legal term contradictory statements by Chazal are instead of the more accurate term “psycho­ often contrasted in the Gemora and are sis”) as a form of suffering, cannot be traced resolved by limiting the generality o f each unequivocally to sin, as the author simplistically, erroneously, and perniciously main­ statement.

Everyone who has studied Gemora tains. Are we going to say that the many will recall instances whére contradictions are Tzaddikim who died in the gas chambers or resolved by the statement “Ka-an B” . . . were tortured to death or into functionally and “Ka-an B.” “This statement applies to psychotic states were sinners? this case and the other (contradictory) 9. The author asserts that Chazal tell

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

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us, ‘Who is strong, he who conquers his in­ clinations’ I I not he who sublimates his inclinations. The Mishnah (B’rochoth, 9:5) says “And you shall love the Lord, your G-d, with your whole heart. .. Your whole heart, with both your inclinations, with the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara.” This Mishnah implies sublimation of the Yetzer Hara to a good aim.

10. The author contests my statement that Maimonides and Nachmanides disagree in their views on sex. The reader is invited to consult the Igroth Hakodesh of Nach­ manides and decide for himself. Nachmani­ des, contrary to the Rambam, inveighs against the Aristotelian views of sex.

11. The letter’s comments on compul­ sions and hypnosis are incomprehensible.

My review described how compulsions often arise suddenly, not as an accumulation of bad habits over a period of time or from one traumatic experience.

12. The author attributes phrases to me which I nev&r made, e.g. “well proven” psychological truths; “How absurd to per­ petuate the myth that Freud ‘discovered’ the science of behavior.” This is misleading.

I was present at the meeting of the orthodox Jewish therapists to which the letter refers and recall no prescription made by any therapist to “send a man back to his six women.” If this were the case, the author of the book should have made an issue of such advice right then and there!

The author states that he has yet to meet “a single psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker who does not subscribe to this wild (analysis, release from repressions) doc­ trine.” Why then does he express his thanks to the psychologists listed in his “Acknowledgements?”

His assertions impugn the professional and religious integrity of orthodox Jewish psychotherapists who are Shomrey Torah Umitzvoth and who daily wrestle with the problems of observant clients and patients, and who certainly do not advocate indis­ criminate “release from repressions.”

13. The author admits that “natural

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

instinct” may at times negate Free Will.

Since patients feel that they are often over­ whelmed by natural “in s t in c t why then does he present disquisitions on Free Will? I should again like to emphasize that in my review I spoke of limitations of the Free Will of patients.

What does he mean with: “That man under compulsion may lose his Free Will, is, however, no proof that when man is not under compulsion he has no free choice?”

One cannot make sense of this redundancy.

The story quoted above about Rav Nachman is the conclusion of a more ex­ tended discussion of the influence of Fate on human behavior. The theme is the ques­ tion of Israel’s being governed by Mazol or Fate. Sages taking the affirmative stand be­ lieve that individuals born on different days or at different hours differ in personality.

According to these Sages, a man may be pre­ destined to be a leader; an irascible person; wealthy and a fornicator; wise or luminous; philanthropic; pursuer of Mitzvoth; or one who sheds blood. While Rav Ashi notes that leadership would apply to that of robbers or of a community and that the shedding of blood could apply to a judge or Mohel, his comment appears difficult of application to the fornicator or, lliavdil, a pursuer of Mitzvoth or other listed traits. Rashi appears to accept this Gemora literally. The difficul­ ties inherent in this Gemora, as contradict­ ing the principle (B’rochoth 33b), “All is in the hands of Heaven except reverence of Heaven,” have troubled many of the Sages, from the Tosofoth and Rambam down to the Maharsha, Tosofoth Yom Tov, and Tifereth Yisroel. What, then, does the author mean when he states in his letter, “I f there is a valid contrary view in Jewish be­ lief let him produce it.” Rashi appears to accept the belief in Mazol literally in various comments on the Torah. While different interpretations are possible, this text is cer­ tainly not a clear source as to the operation of Free Will, Mazol, or predestination. (See Tifereth Yisroel, Kiddushin, Ch. 4, Com­ ment 66.) To Rabbi Amsel everything is

63

REPRINTS NOW AVAILABLE of the following articles from previous issues of JEWISH LIFE: CAN WE NEGLECT THE TALMUD TORAH? ^ Zalman Diskind COLLEGE AND THE ORTHODOX STUDENT Menachem Greenberg THE VOICE OF TORAH IN THE BATTLE OF IDEAS Norman Lamm THE CAMPUS PROBLEM AND JEWISH EDUCATION Shnayer Z. Leiman MIXED PEWS Morris Max NATURE - CREATION OR EVOLUTION? Robert R. Perlman JUDAISM AND FREE ENQUIRY Nachum L. Rabinovitch HEART AND OTHER ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION AND JEWISH LAW Fred Rosner THE DIVORCE PROBLEM Melech Schächter THE PROBLEM OF CONVERSION TODAY Melech Schächter JEW AND JEW, JEW AND NON-JEW Aaron Soloveitchik YOUTH’S POSITIVE REVOLT Pinchas Stolper THE JEWISH ATTITUDE TOWARDS FAMILY PLANNING Moses Tendier REVERENCE: A LOST INGREDIENT Samuil Turk JEWS AND THE WAR ON POVERTY Bernard Weinberger “TO DWELL IN THE SUKKAH’** Bernard Weinberger These reprints may be used to much advantage by study and discussion groups, as well as for distribution for public information purposes to people in your local areas.

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evidently clear, although in his “innovative” book he does not properly discuss even the classic commentaries, often as diverse in view as are different Gemora texts. The author does not discuss the views of the Rambam and his son, Rav Avraham, who maintain that the perplexing Agadoth are not to be taken literally and are merely parables, often obscure in meaning. Yet he maintains that his sources are “clearly docu­ mented^”^.

Some enigmatic Midrashim render our understanding of Free Will problematic. See, for example, B’reshith Rabbah, Ch. 63 and Yalkut Shimoni, Toldoth, Ch. 25, in refer­ ence to the pre-natal struggle of Esau and Jacob. These Jewish sources pose difficult questions. They imply that in some cases personality is predetermined and that moral behavior, arid not merely abilities, have their origin in the womb. The Midrashim on Esau and their references to Biblical texts are especially difficult to understand because-it is implied that Esau was predestined to do evil.

How are such Midrashim to be recon­ ciled with Free Will when the character of Esau is traced to these factors? In his “inno­ vative” book there are no discussions of these perplexing issues, and Jewish sources.

Another indication of the problematic operation of Free Will is found in the discus­ sion of the Tifereth Yisroel of the Mishnah (Kiddushin 4:14). “The best of physicians to Gehenna and the most kosher of butchers is the partner of Amalek.” The reader can see from these sources that the problem of Free Will, Fate, and Mazol requires more serious consideration than that accorded it by the book which paints issues in blackwhite terms. j Even the Rambam (Hilchoth T’shuvah, Ch. 6) discussed the removal of Free Will from Pharaoh and others as a punish­ ment. The author noted this phenomenon but accorded it only superficial attention.

Here another basic, inner contradiction in the book’s thinking is apparent. If, accord­ ing to the author, insanity is a result of sin

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

then, I’taamo, why cannot he conceive of the Lord’s abolition of a patient’s Free Will in certain areas as a punishment by placing him in the grip of his Unconscious or Satan?

The patient would then require treatment until he can return to the choice point where he can exercise Free Will. The Talmud states (Sukka 52a), “The passion of man becomes stronger every day and were it not for the help of the Holy-One-BlessedBe-He, he (man) would not be able to over­ come (his passions) Why should mental illness differ from physical diseases which incapacitate an individual so that all Mitzvoth are beyond him until he is restored to health and able to exercise his Free Will once again?

Anyone with experience in clinical work becomes convinced that in patients, in some areas of behavior, at least, Free Will is seriously, if not totally impaired. Otherwise, and this point is of paramount importance, why is the deranged individual the Shoteh (including the functional psychotic) free of all obligations and not subject to punish­ mentT This question should trouble the author, especially since he believes that functional psychosis is merely a difference in degree, and not in kind, from neurosis.

The author spent considerable space discuss­ ing the Shoteh in his book without realizing that the insane or psychotic individual is a contradiction of his black and white picture of Free Will.

The Malbim in his commentary (B’reshith 37, Comment 14) describes the removal of Free Will in certain instances.

While it is difficult to understand how the brothers exercised Free Will in the act of selling Joseph if “they were as forced be­ cause of their hatred,” the removal of Free Will as regards feelings and actions is amply documented in this comment of the Malbim, and the Midrash he cites, Jewish sources indeed.

It is not necessary to accept absolute determinism or psychoanalysis in toto in order to utilize the most fruitful concepts of psychoanalytic and psychological theories in 65

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the treatment of emotional and mental problems. Throughout his book the author employs " “ psychology” and ‘‘psycho­ analysis” as monoliths, ignoring, or not aware of, the numerous schools who accept and reject different aspects of psychological or psychoanalytic theory. We have come a long way since the 1880’s, 1890’s, and even the first half of the 20th century. In brief, the experienced, competent, and religious therapist or analyst can only clear away the debris that obstructs the client’s growth and his exercise of Free Will.

Of course, if one relies mainly on elementary textbooks or works or idiosyn­ cratic mavericks that lag for years behind the most recent and scholarly thinking one is not aware of reality. Since when have Jews avoided a thorough immersion in learn­ ing, checking of sources and Mekoroth because they feared to become “pseudo­ scholars?”

In the light of our discussion the reader may judge for himself as to the merit of the author’s statement, “I f there is a valid contrary view in Jewish belief, let him pro­ duce it. " The book shows no cognizance of the complexity of the human personality and attempts to reduce practically all behavior to “habit;” it criminally oversimplifies issues which affect the mental health and well­ being of people.

1. Mr. Smith refers to my “antagonis­ tic, incontinent presentation.” The readers of my review will note that: a) my criticism was directed to the contents of the book, not ad homihem to personalities. b) It was with considerable reluctance that the review was undertaken. The consid­ erations of the dangers to Pikuach Nefesh, as previously noted, made this review a necessity.

2. In seeking to explain what Rabbi Amsel did and did not say concerning Freud’s view of human nature, Mr. Smith evidently does not recall Rabbi Amsel’s

N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

statement on p. 151, “While they profess anti-Freudianism, they are actually in agree­ ment with Freud's basic formulations etc. . .. the Freudian definition of the un­ conscious, the belief that the individual is basically good. ” 3. With reference to Mr. Smith’s ex­ cerpt from Fillmore & Sanford, the reader is referred to my discussion above on Free Will.

4. As regards the quotation “The individual recovers from neurosis when he can accept his primitive impulses,” accept­ ance of primitive impulses does not mean acting them out indiscriminately. The Torah says, (B’reshith 8:21) “for the imagination of man’s heart is evilf from his youth” and (Sukkah 52) “He who is greater than his friend has greater desires.” We can accept our having such impulses without acting them out.

5. As regards item 2 in Mr. Smith’s letter, I can say that it is the pole-bending principle that is repeatedly stressed by the author as a major cure-all.

6. Item 3 in Mr. Smith’s letter is un­ reasonable. He evidently wishes to dictate which of the book’s statements should or should not be discussed and which state­ ment is “more appropriate.” Unfortunately for Mr. Smith, the author’s letter negates his interpretation.

7. As regards Mr. Smith’s agreeing with the author “that such an approach must attack the basic process of all forms of psychotherapy etc.,” what then of the author’s statement (p. 20) “My intention is not to refute or discredit other psychologi­ cal theories but rather to evolve a Jewish psychological theory?”

8. Mr. Smith believes that rabbis should not study the disciplines of psychol­ ogy or psychiatry. This reactionary view has caused us much harm. Mr. Smith seems to equate Judaism with all other religions as being subject to the dubious criticism that he cites. I believe that Judaism is different.

9. The letter by Miss Barenholtz, Mr.

67

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Greenberg and Miss Saltzman A careful reading of my review and this re­ joinder will, hopefully, convince the reader that only the Talmudic and Rabbinic sources (free of the author’s distorted interpreta­ tions) cited in the reviewed book are worthy of serious attention. Mr. Greenberg and the Misses Barenholz and Saltzman would have us eat a bowl of oatmeal and ignore the scattered pellets of cyanide.

handwriting as one of John Adams’ mani­ fold virtues). Dr. Meyer’s article in the A.J.H.S. Publication is, to my knowledge, the only other extant printed reference to that letter. Neglect to footnote my source is due to JEWISH LIFE’S policy of presenting information in a popular format and to my own reaction (perhaps over-reaction) to the kind of phony scholarship that encases nonsense in a bibliographical jacket^ to which I adverted once before in these columns.

I hope that I advanced John Adams’ ‘PURITAN, ETC.’ reputation a step or two in this area by showing that Dr. Meyer’s van der Kemp New York, New York letter was not just “a thought for to-day” but was an integral part of John Adams’ Anent the impact of the Hebraic herit­ opinion of Jews and that this opinion age upon John Adams which was presented flowed directly from his philosophy as to in JEWISH LIFE (vol. XXXVI, no. 6 - the centrality of Biblical monotheism (he July-August 1969, pps. 37-41) may I refer rejected trinitarianism) in the scheme of your readers to an article and note on world history. To a thinker on such lofty Adams, first Vice-President and second Olympian heights, garnering votes and President of the United States of America, currying favor was as distant as the lowland which I published several years ago in the marshes. To be sure* his affection was “Publications of the American Jewish His­ purely Platonic, for in the first quoted torical Society,’- entitled John Adams Adams letter he concluded: Writes A Letter (vol. XXXVII 1947, pps.

I cannot say that I love the Jews very 185-2019; and “John Adams: Educator much neither, nor the French, nor the (vol. XLV, no. I, Sept. 1955, pps. 58-60). In English, nor the Romans, nor the the aforementioned article, I reproduced the Greeks. We must love all nations as full text of Adams letter to Francis Adrian well as we can, but it is very hard to van der Kemp, quoted in part by Mr. Gross love most o f them. on page 39 of his article. Incidentally, I In this respect he again paralleled Jefferson consider this letter the greatest tribute paid whose antipathy was purely Platonic. In this to our people by an American president. practical effort of establishing full religious Adams wrote it in his retirement - not in freedom, both were stalwart fighters. Truly, quest of votes before a presidential election. there were giants in those days.

Dr. Isidore S. Meyer Reuben E. Gross MR. GROSS REPLIES:

‘INTERMARRIAGE’

Regina, Saskatchewan Credit is due to Dr. Meyer for having brought the van der Kemp letter from the files of the Pennsylvania Historical Society to the light of day, not only by reproducing the letter photostatically but by printing its text as well (I would not include a legible N O V E M B E R -D E C E M B E R 1969

The problem of Intermarriage is one of the most serious facing us today. In the July-August Issue of JEWISH LIFE, Rabbi Chaim Rozwaski’s article, “Jewish Law and Intermarriage,” was an important collection

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of traditional Jewish opinions about the situation, but little of practical value.

Rabbi Rozwaski writes that the Jewish partner will ask, “What is the Jewish position on intermarriage?” Would that some of our young people would get around to asking that question. The real tragedy is that our young people who contemplate such non-Jewish conduct are not only completely unconcerned with the Jewish position on intermarriage, but are equally disinterested in any other Jewish position.

To speak of Halochah to the average young Jew today is to refer to unknown worlds.

Jewish authority assumes a pitiful mantle of naivete if it imagines we can use terms of reference to our young people which presume education, loyalty, or con­ cern in relation to traditional Jewish stand­ ards. If we dared to make a factual evalua­ tion of the great majority of Jewish students who are now at college, our findings about their attitude to Jewish life might shock us out of our complacency. Traditional or non-traditional backgrounds make little difference and the swift tide of assimilation has developed such an anti-Jewish feeling among our young people, that intermarriage will be only one of the many situations that lead away from Jewish practice and from Jewish identification.

It is hoped that our scholars and leaders will realize the terrible plight of our young people in relation to their religious loyalties. Unless some mass effort can be made to change attitudes, little will be accomplished by piecemeal attention to one or another of our many problems. The situa­ tion screams out for attention and we dare not remain deaf to the growing tide that is already overwhelming.

Rabbi Oscar Fleishaker RABBI ROZWASKI REPLIES:

I am sorry to have had to deduce from Rabbi Fleishaker’s letter that his experience in the rabbinate has been only with unedu­ cated, disinterested, and unconcerned

IM O VEM B ER -D EC EM BER 1969

youth. The fact of the matter is many of our youth are like this; however, there are also many who are concerned, who care and regret that they were not better educated.

My article, “Jewish Law and Inter­ marriage” was based on my personal experi­ ences with both categories, as in fact I indi­ cated at the beginning of the article. That is why I suggested the public should be told what the Jewish law has to say about inter­ marriage.

The fact that our youth is ignorant of Jewish teaching is no excuse for the rabbis to desist from teaching it. On the contrary, it should provide more reason for a greater effort on everybody’s part to teach the Law. Indeed, how does Rabbi Fleishaker propose to inculcate our Jews with a respect for and loyalty to Halochah other than by teaching it in the first place.

I appreciate Rabbi Fleishaker’s call for a mass effort to change the attitudes of the Jews to Jewish law. But, whom does he expect to answer his call? All mass efforts begin with the labor of individuals. I tried to respond to the situation as I saw it. Let him respond to the situation as he sees it. I am sure that I and many more Rabbis will be happy to help him. My suggestion, however, is that in order to develop respect for the Halochah among our people the people must first be told what the Halochah is.

A READER WRITES

Leicester, England My husband, who is the Rabbi in Leicester was given a gift subscription of your magazine JEWISH LIFE which we have both enjoyed reading very much in­ deed.

One of the articles was written by David Stein, and by a strange coincidence it may be a David Stein that we had the plea­ sure of meeting while we were living in Plymouth some twenty-five years ago.

David Stein was a G.I., and he used to

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visit us on Shabboth, and we enjoyed his company very much indeed. Reading his article, it would sound just like him. I am wondering whether you could possibly con­ tact him for us and find out, and if it is the person I mean, whether he would be kind enough to get in touch with us as we would like to hear from him. Maybe we could meet, as he commutes between America and Israel, and we have a daughter in Israel

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whom we go to visit. The last time we heard from David Stein was just before D-Day, when he was sent to France and built him­ self a succah from a packing case.

I would be most grateful if you could find out if this is the same David Stein we met.

(Mrs.) Saul Sussman jf|| I Ed. note — We checked, and indeed it is.

JEW ISH L IF E

“In this modern age, Liberal secularism is a more serious threat to our existence than the other established religions” is an underlying belief o f MORRIS SMITH that moved him to compose his article in this issue, “The Jew and Liberalism.” Mr. Smith, an engineer in Southern California, appeared in the pages o f JEWISH LIFE in the Shevat 5729/January 1969 issue with “The Current State o f Personal Moral­ ity.” As a concerned layman, he views contemporary society free from the academician’s patterned preconceptions but with the sharp eye of the independent thinker who takes no axioms, assumptions, or slogans for granted.. . In the November-December 1966 JEWISH LIFE there appeared a biography by DR. AARON ROTHKOFF o f a Torah lumi­ nary from the past generation o f European Jewry. Since that time, a number o f other such biographies by the same author have appeared, and have drawn appreciative comments from a growing audience. In this issue appears the ninth o f the series.. . What makes a man do, or keep himself from doing, something others term “drastic”? It depends upon the man, and what it is that is being considered. RABBI VICTOR M. SOLOMON was Rav o f Congregation Ahavath Achim in Fairfield, Connecticut and had served for a number o f years in the active rabbi­ nate when he decided to do what is done in younger years by the infrequent few: to don the uniform o f the United States armed forces as a military chaplain. As his article tells, Chaplain Solomon was as­ signed to the Land o f the Rising Sun, to become the only Jewish chaplain attached to the Air Force for the entire region. He received Semichah at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.. . The issue now before the Supreme Court as to tax exemp­ tion for religious institutions, explored here by DR. JACOB W. LANDYNSKI, rises from the roots o f American history. The Founding Fathers o f the republic buttressed the “inalienable rights” set forth in the Constitution with the Bill o f Rights, incorporating the First Amend­ ment with its freedom o f religion clause. Through the generations,' this clause has b7een subject to varying definitions and applications, with the courts and the legislatures serving as arenas for competing interpreta­ tions. In presenting his overview o f the portentious question at hand, Dr. Landynski offers well qualified insights on the historical process from which it has emerged. Associate Professor o f Government at the Graduate Faculty o f the New School, he is a musmoch from the Mirrer Yeshivah in Brooklyn.

Meet the Ketchup branch of the Heinz (y) "mishpocho” Ketchup with Relish (NEW !) — Ketchup with Onions (NEW !) — Hot Ketchup—Regular Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

Here are two new (Q) soups by Heinz Great American Soups (blue label)—Velvety Cream of Mushroom and Abundant Vegetarian Vegetable. They’re So good you can pretend ttiey’re homemade. Watch for them in your community.

And here is the old-time all-time (0) favorite.

The seal of approval of THE UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA.