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The Southern Israelite
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I I Comprehensive Review of a Year of Jewish History
THE JEWISH YEAR 5689
By JOSEPH SALMARK
Every Jew interested in the fate of his people takes the oppor
tunity at the time of the New Year to review the outstanding
events affecting the Jewish people during the year that has passed.
W hat does the Jew, standing on the threshold of the new year,
5960, behold? what is the status of the Jews in Russia, in Pales
tine? What hare the Jews in the United States during the past
year accomplished? What do you consider the most important single
event that took place during 5689? In this article, comprehensive
and authoritative, Mr. Joseph Salmark summarizes a year of Jew
ish history and gives the reader an essential bird's eye view for an
understanding of what is happening in Jewish life to-day.
—The Editor.
INTRODUCTION
The year 5689 will go down in Jew-
•sh history as one of the most epochal
, n modern times. The event which
distinguishes the year and which gives
it importance has been discussed for
i) many years and has been on the
verKe of realization so many times
that it may be forgotten that its ac
tual consummation took place only a
'r\v short months ago—on August 11,
j.rjp, to be exact. In reviewing Jew-
41 history embraced between the pe
riods of the New Year in 1928 and
• hat being observed this year it would
k- sufficient to cover only the Jewish
Agency and one would have surveyed
the most tangible and the most vital
occurrences of the year.
Only students of social psychology
.an comprehend the vast importance
f the establishment of the Jewish
Agency. One needs to remember the
vindictiveness which marked the ex
change of opinions between Zionists
and non-Zionists. One needs to vis
ualize the dramatic scenes which
transpired in Washington in 1922
when the Congressional Committee
was holding its hearings prior to the
passing of the Lodge-Fish resolution.
One needs to recall the social and eco
nomic distinctions which the very doc
trine of Zionism seemed to establish
in order to understand and appreci
ate the subtle and far-reaching
changes that have taken place in the
Jewish people.
The most obvious results of the
benefits of the Jewish Agency will
naturally be found in the United
States, but the other countries who
have joined in the purposes for which
the Agency was established are also
being transformed, particularly Eng
land and Germany, where the dual
doctrine of liberal Judaism and anti-
Zionism seemed more firmly entrench
ed than anyw’here else.
The year 5689 will be of permanent
interest to the historian because it
marks the opening of a new era in
Jewish life; certainly it is as ramified
in its effects as 1815, which is often
regarded as the date of the birth of
Reform Judaism. It is idle to predict
what the Jewish Agency will achieve
—either in Palestine or in the coun
tries from which its members will be
recruited. The important fact, at the
present moment, is that the prejudices
°f decades have been obliterated and
that unity, a goal which seemed im-
; sible of realization among the
Mattered remnants of Israel, has been
achieved in a substantial way.
The past twelve months, except for
-he events of the Jewish Agency, have
’<'cn practically uneventful for the in-
^rnational Jewish community. Jewish
m.lanthropy, which has become so
pr .minent a factor in the social wel-
°f the United States, has been
extended. Anti-Jewish discrimination
••‘Last Luropean countries has sub-
'•'•'d. By this is meant that the ex-
are gradually becoming
stronger, so that proper attention is
C j a e< * t0 every untoward incident.
• sh work in Palestine made enor-
strides during the past year.
,, “' ting rumors have come from
• a in regard to the situation of
, igious Ju daism there. In other
- . / es has S°ne on jn a placid
THE UNITED STATES
A census taken during the past year
indicated that there are approximate
ly four and a half million Jews in the
United States. Of these less than half
are enrolled in some synagogue. De
spite this fact the rabbinical repre
sentatives of Orthodox, Conservative
and Reform Judaism announced in
categoric fashion at their last annual
conferences that each of their brands
of faith was progressing more than
the others. This might perhaps be
indicated by the enormous growth in
synagogue buildings, whose constant
increase is annually enlarging Jewish
religious wealth in this country by
millions of dollars. On the other
hand it is obvious that many religious
leaders are somewhat doubtful about
the progress of religious Judaism.
This was indicated to a certain ex
tent by the action of Rabbi Abba
Hillei Silver of Cleveland, who has
discontinued the Center connected
with his Temple because it did not
promote the religious progress of the
community. Despite the fact that
more people came within the influ
ence of the Temple area it was ob
vious, he said, that the contact was
meaningless.
Since it is difficult to determine or
define religious progress it is im
possible to record the status of Juda
ism in America. There are those who
place great faith in the fact that two
more States, in the South, passed
kosher bills during the past year. In
a manner their passage certainly in
dicates the existence of a lively, ac
tive group interested in securing the
enactment into law of its views on
the dietary laws. Whether or not the
Sabbath is generally observed prac
tically all Jewish organizations imme
diately protested before the Congress
Committee on the contemplated re
forms in the calendar. This would
indicate religious sentiment, if not
faith.
The expansion of one institution is
one of the most healthy signs Juda
ism in America has displayed for some
years. That is the Hillei Foundation,
which is carried on under the aus
pices of the B’nai Brith. Where the
Menorah and similar organizations
have failed the Hillei Foundation has
gone into many colleges and brought
many of its Jewish young men and
women to an interest in some phase
of Jewish life. It is probable that
the success of the Hillei Foundation
is due to the type of men who have
been enlisted to carry on the work.
Most of them are rather young, at
least in their ideas, and have been
able to command the respect and in
terest of the students. The fact that
the Hillei Foundation has been able to
place men in charge of the work right
at the Universities is also an impor
tant item.
Of extreme importance for the com
munal self-respect of American Jew
ry was the realization, expressed in
various ways, of the double-edged
character of the good-will movement
between Jews and Christians. The
exchange of letters between Louis
Marshall and Mr. Anthony on this sub
ject is likely to be of historic impor
tance. In his statements Mr. Mar
shall not only outlined the position of
American Jewry but digested the his
toric attitude of the Jews to good
will movements. Frank courage and
unequivocal honesty marked Mr. Mar
shall’s correspondence. Whatever the
future of good-will in this country,
there will be no further evasions on
the part of Christians as to the ulti
mate meaning of good-will from their
view. Mr. Marshall’s attitude was
taken up by the Central Conference
of American Rabbis, whose members
had made possible the growth of the
good-will movement, and a warning
was sounded against the casual toler
ance meetings which may have many
evil results as well as good.
The Massena incident is of interest
only as an isolated phenomenon and
not as a symptom. It will be remem
bered that a few days previous to
Yom Kippur of last year a young girl
disappeared in Massena, N. Y., and
the Icoal rabbi was charged with spir
iting her away for ritual purposes.
The incident created national Jewish
alarm. Even the liberal general world
was startled by this exhibition of me
dieval ignorance in the United States.
An unfortunate aspect of the outcome
was the diversity of protests which
emanated from Jewish organizations.
At least five people took it upon
themselves to represent the Jewiph
people in this matter; the result was
confusion and even a tinge of ridicu
lousness. At any rate, the matter
was disposed of in a satisfactory man
ner when it was found that the little
girl had merely been lost.
One phenomenon that deserves ex
tended comment is the growth of
Jewish arbitration courts in this coun
try. They have, furthermore, been
functioning in a satisfactory manner.
For many years clashes between con
gregations and between individual
members of the Jewish community on
matters of purely Jewish interest
were the scandal of Jewish life. The
matters were aired in press and court
in such a manner as to reflect ad
versely on the entire community. The
civil courts usually had no under
standing of the matters involved. This
would complicate the issues and ex
tend the litigation. It must be stated
that such litigation was most often
initiated among the Orthodox mem
bers of the community. However,
Jewish leaders have come to realize
the communal effect of such disgrace
ful episodes and have succeeded in es
tablishing courts of arbitration, usual
ly supervised by a rabbi, a lawyer and
a business man. Two of the most
successful of such courts have been
functioning in New York and Philadel
phia. Other cities, too, are gradually
introducing these courts with salutary
effect.
A good augur for the future of the
Jewish community is the approaching
co-operation between the American
Jewish Committee and the American
Jewish Congress. These two organiza
tions, the one headed by Louis Mar
shall and the other by Bernard
(Continued on Page 23)
SCHOOL HOUSE IN PALESTINE
The Zionist funds that are raised throughout the world for re
construction work in Palestine include appropriations for educational
development. This photograph shows one of the Zionist schools in
Hedera. where the most modern pedagogic principles are used, and
$ thoroughly modern curriculum is provided for the children. (