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Bodies, Fenders—Straightened and Repaired Radiators Repaired, Rebuilt, Reeored COLUMBUS FENDER ANI) BODY WORKS Rnildcrs of Ret tor Truck Rodion 1420-22 First Ave. COLUMBUS, GA. : x RXx n x « X x x x n x x 35 x x x x x x >5 it x x x x it n x x x it s: x x x.;x 5: x x x it a it it x x x x x x x ■ x X it it Ralston Hotel COLUMBUS, GEORGIA 200 Booms Fireproof Modern 'x Ceiling Fan in Every Room X X Excellent Dining Hoorn in j! (connection X •X J. F. SOMMERS IP X BDflMK'X X X X X X tc X X it it X X X X 35 X X X X X X X 31 X X it 35 it X 35 it 3( 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 GAS OIL VULCANIZING DUNLOP-TIRES EVERETT STRUPPER, Inc. WASHING AND GREASING Telephone 22 I 1248 hirst Ave. Columbus, Ga. Each Car Inspected by White Foreman * + + G&H Paint and Glass Co. Paint, Brushes, Glass, Vi all Paper, Builders* Supplies «» • * «* •» «* Two Phones 1516 1016 Broad Street Columbus, Ga. ♦♦♦♦mint I tin m- h i ilt THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION AMONG SMALL TOWN JEWRIES (Continued from Page 20) respected. The Department of Syna gogue and School Extension has done most wisely in taking this liberal at titude. It is gaining the confidence of men who think they have extreme ly different theological notions. The ultimate aim in all these communities should be to establish a permanent rabbi who, while modern in every way, must have a sympathetic understand ing of all of orthodox life and cus toms. It is amazing how far the re cently orthodox will travel on the road to religious liberalism, provided he is certain that his guide is not tempera mentally a stranger. Observing ortho dox Jews will listen respectfully to the most heretical opinions when ex pressed in Yiddish. They want as surance only that their leader does not separate himself from the com munity. Assured of that, they will consider even the latest findings of biblical criticism. In the communities visited by this investigator, in Iowa and Illinois, there were actually enough Jewish families, well enough situated to sup port a permanent rabbi at a modest salary. In fact one of the communi ties has recently done so. There are active groups in all the rest who strongly desire a modern rabbi and a modern service. Working with these groups, it would be an easy task for a young rabbi to organize a substan tial congregation. But he must be willing to do some difficult pioneer labor. He must convince the indif ferent and those who still are sus picious of modernism, that he can satisfy the community’s religious needs and gain its own self-respect. It would be ideal, if the Union were so financially situated as to be able to support a rabbi for the first six months or the first year of his work in these towns. Divorced from the need of money-raising and the atten dant need of respecting the whims and prejudices of the donnors, a rabbi could organize the community life without constant genuflexions to the dictates of the contributors and the manifold suggestions of troublous cri tics. But until this can be done, there are some very vital half-measures that can be taken and should most cer tainly be taken. 1. Circuit Rabbis should visit these cities often enough to keep the in terest of the group that is seeking a change. They should help the Relig ious School staff with outlines, cur- ricula and instruction on class-room management. 2. Rabbis in established pulpits in the vicinity should be asked to visit these communities at least on the im portant festivals. 3. Students of the Hebrew Union College should be sent to these com munities to hold High Holy Day Ser vices even where the community does not officially request such services. Li most cases the reasons for such failure to request are altogether financial. A student, once there, how ever, can easily raise the cost of his services. 4. There are some communities which though ultimately able to sup port a rabbi cannot do so because of their obligation to a Shochet and a Chazan for the old folks. These communities can, however easily raise from $1500 to $2000 to ward the salary of a rabbi. Oft Pn there are two such communities close together. It would be possible f„ r one rabbi to serve both such communi- ties and have them share the burden of his support. Conclusion The only safeguard of the religious life of small town Jewries is i n a permanent rabbi who can inspire the adults and instruct the young. These Jewries are here to stay. The present tendency of migration from the over crowded centers of population indi cates that more and more Jews will come to the smaller cities. Many young professional men would go to smaller towns, if there were some respectable Jewish religious life in them. It j s the duty of our Seminaries and es pecially of the Hebrew Union College to inspire in their students a desire to do the pioneer work in these small communities. There are more ob stacles to overcome and more hard ships to endure than is true in a large city congregation. But there is more than ample compensation in building your own congregation, in achieving an active unified religious life, where once there was chaotic divisiveness. The Jesuit Fathers worked among the lowly in every waste place of the world. Methodist Circuit preachers brought the message of their faith to the loneliest cabin on the vast prairies. Judaism has too long been a big-city religion. Jewish leaders have been almost exclusively trained for Metro- sV c as ° v \ e c *