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The Southern Israelite
PLANTED:
An American-Jewish Agency for Judaism
By MORRIS ENGELMAN
The author of this article, one of
the besl-hnown American Jewish
communal workers, was the first
to send out a call for relief funds
for the aid of Jewish sufferers in
the war zones in nineteen fourteen.
In this article Mr. Engelman launches
a new idea for unified American
Jewish action, this time in the field
of religion. Mr. Engelman's plan
is bound to arouse country-wide
attention.
The late Sholotn Aleichem, Yiddish
humorist, may be credited with the
phrase "hard to he a Jew”, on the
strength of a play he wrote under that
title. The phrase has a touch of irony
as well as pathos. It is indeed hard
or difficult to he a Jew under certain
conditions. Our European co-religion
ists know this only too well from per
sonal experience. Even in this enlight
ened age they still must suffer and en
dure the stings of intolerance together
with the onslaughts of racial and re
ligious persecution.
The American Jew is more fortunate.
It is no great hardship to he a Jew
in America. Especially is this true of
the younger generation brought up in
our large cities. The youth of our land
may he subjected to sporadic attempts
at Jew-baiting, but these are few and
practically negligible. Being adaptable,
the Jewish youth soon partakes of the
nature and semblance of his Christian
fellow Americans. In many instances
he loses his Jewish identity, forgets
about his heritage and belongs to no
Jewish organization. In short, lie be
comes a Jew in name only.
Ever so many Jews are inclined to
escape Judaism by shirking its obliga
tions and responsibilities. They enjoy
all the advantages and privileges of
Jewish communal endeavor without
contributing anything in return. A
certain number are actively affiliated
with various Jewish organizations that
promote the social, economic, and po
litical welfare of the Jews in America.
A greater number simply do not be
long. They are not connected with any
Jewish organization. They have no
Jewish interests or affiliations.
The question naturally arises: “What
are we going to do about it?” Shall
we permit this floating or drifting ele
ment to be irretrievably lost? Shall
we say: "Am I my brother’s keeper?”
and look on complacently while this
element is gradually being swallowed
up by the tide of assimilation? Such
an attitude is not only short-sighted
but altogether unworthy of being
adopted. The future of Israel demands
the retrieval and reclamation of this
scattered remnant. The floaters and
drifters must be saved.
Yet one must concede that despite
these floaters and drifters American
Jewry has not stood still. Jewish re
ligious, educational, and philanthropic
institutions throughout the country
have grown enormously. But each ele
ment has planned for itself. The Or
thodox, Reform, and Conservative ele
ments have each built splendidly dur
ing the last half century; but the work
has been separatist, sectional, strictly
factional. Except in time of war and
immediately thereafter, when the very
existence of all Jewry, of Jews across
the sea, was threatened; then the Jews
of this country united—but even in
this domain there has been conflict
and rivalry.
The question that confronts us is:
What of the future? Jewish mass im
migration has come to an end. The
twelve or thirteen thousand Jews who
are now able to enter this country an-
nally are too negligible a factor to
change the complexion of the Ameri
can Jewish scene. American Jewry,
spiritually speaking, is now thrown
upon its own resources. It can no
longer be said that Judaism in Amer
ica will live as long as new Jews come
over to take the place of those who
Delegates are being appointed by the
Sections of the National Council of Jew
ish Women, for the Sixth National Con
ference of the National Committee on the
Cause and Cure of War, which will meet
at Washington, I). C., on January 19-22,
1931.
Mrs. Oscar S. Marx, National Chair
man of the Department of Peace of the
National Council of Jewish Women, an
nounced that the Conference will this
year deal with the subject of “The De
mobilization of the War System.” The
National Council of Jewish Women is
particularly interested in the questions to
be considered at this Conference, since
various proposals for disarmament will
be discussed. Nine other national women’s
organizations, together with the National
Council of Jewish Women, constitute the
National Committee on the Cause and
Cure of War, which meets annually at the
nation’s capital and focuses the attention
of the American public on the chief
questions that confront the world in
have drifted or are drifting away.
American Jewry must depend upon its
own inner strength and development
for the preservation of Judaism.
It is self-evident that so long as this
spirit of rivalry exists among the three
Jewish religious groups there will be
conflict and an unwholesome competi
tion. It is impossible—we may say,
altogether impossible — to create one
kind of Judaism in this country, but
there must come the recognition that
certain problems and issues affect the
entire household of Israel in America.
A common denominator upon which
all can agree must be found, and this
common denominator can be only:
“The preservation of Judaism in Amer
ica.” All three groups are agreed that
Judaism must not be permitted to die.
It is for them to work jointly that it
may live.
The question resolves itself, then,
into one of organization. Judaism—
and we mean thereby the spiritual
heritage of the Jews—is not a matter
of philanthropy or charity. It must
not be regarded as we regard a char
itable institution. The Jewish soul can
not—must not—be charity-ized. More
than that—the Jewish spirit must
dominate every field of Jewish en
deavor. The synagogue must pre
dominate.
Within the last five years Jewish
dealing with the issues o fwar and peace.
A special evening has been arranged
for the officers and members of the
National Council of Jewish Women who
will be in attendance at the Conference.
Highlights of Historic Parliamentary
Debate on Palestine
1.—Land development scheme to cost
$12,500,000 for settlement of 10,000
families.
2-—MacDonald says government will
not abandon Mandate policy or Balfour
Declaration but will do its duty. Gov
ernment now holding parleys with Jews
and later similar ones to be held with
Arabs.
3. —Lloyd George characterizes White
Paper as anti-Semitic document and urges
Britain to give up Mandate if it can’t
carry it out,
4. —Sir Herbert Samuel sees no reason
why Palestine should not be able to sup
port between two and three million people.
religious leaders have recoin
evils of the chaotic state of Americ:
Jewry by bringing into being
agogue Council of America, r
ing the Orthodox, Reform, ,
servative groups. This is ;
attempt to co-ordinate and
Jewish religious life. But the Syn
gogue Council, as at present const
tuted, is a purely advisory body;
has no executive functions. Yet it car
ries within it the germs of an organi
zation that might, as it were, legislate
for American Jewry, religiously speak
ing.
Each of the three groups—Orthndx.
Reform, Conservative—although havim
its own organization, is in reality n
yet in a completely organized state
This because intercongregational a
tivities have not been developed. Kac'n
congregation plans for itself; each con
gregation looks upon the other con
gregation as a rival. This is true not
only of Orthodox, Reform, and Cor
servative congregations against one
another, but also of Reform congre
gation against Reform congregation.
Orthodox against Orthodox, Conserv
tive against Conservative.
There will always be religious (In
ferences; it cannot or should not b
expected that Orthodox, Conservative,
and Reform should merge their ideol
ogies, for there are vital differences oi
principle. But all these difference
need not militate against the getting
together, against developing construc
tive plans and carrying them out, wit
benefit resulting to all the three group-
and, naturally, to American Jewry a
a whole.
The issues presented here have beer,
discussed at several meetings of the
Synagogue Council of America, and the
general consensus of opinion has bee
that the time is ripe for an organize
planning for the future. It has been
suggested, for instance, that there
called a conference of both the 1
binical and the lay leaders of all re
ligious groups within American J e " r L
A sort of get-together meeting at whic
the representatives of the various an
varying groups are to face one m
other and recognize one another
fellow Jews, all striving to attain
end: the safeguarding of the t ■ urt
Judaism in America. A friendly re
tionship must be established, and p
for concrete work upon which a c ^
unite must be decided upon
Joint Board for Jewish Affair
created under the patronag*
rection of authorized repi >
of the three Jewish relign
and will act as a centra ^
committee to strengthen an
Judaism regardless of cone
affiliations.
Council Women Prepare for National
Conference On War Problems