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Page 6 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