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Page 17 h Fducation, and for the develop- t of Jewish scholarship. But we know, first of all, what Jewish ition means, and for what goal ri\cs. When that is clarified, we ;na y e able to work together for the common cause. article fails, however, in that its are misinterpreted, and that its is lame. Imprimis: I am not at convinced that the Jewish com- ; nity is in desperate straits, and that ios is impending. The failure of inv Federation Drives proves merely that business depression was the domi nant cause, for just a few years ago, when the country was prosperous, in io>t instances the Drives were success ful. Moral bankruptcy cannot be gaug- ed by financial assets. Indifference to spiritual aims and to the Synagog may e found in every age. If Mr. Hurwitz will consult the issue of the Menorah Journal, in which his own Jeremiad appears, he will be much heartened by the "Paradoxes of Jewish History", by Cecil Roth. In that historical survey he will discover that on many occassions in Jewish history the same lamentable conditions were discovered—in Italy, Spain, France, and ancient Alexandria. Yet somehow we muddled through. And the present has enormous advant ages in the activities of more yoshibas, theological seminaries, Jewish Publica tion Societies, the Menorah Journal, the B’nai B'rith, and kindred organiza tions, Rabbinical Conferences, Congre gational Associations, J. D. C., the Ort, and other allied groups, Charity Fede rations, Dropsie College, Chairs of Hebrew in many Universities, the Zion ist Movement, etc., etc. Relatively, we are living in the Golden Age of Jewish life. But, assuming that things are bad as Mr. II urwitz charges, how has the Reform theory caused all this mischief? How can a theory, held by less than one hundred thousand Jews, work such havoc? How can this "Goyish theory", sponsored by “Jewish hearts", as Mr. Hurwitz concedes, disrupt the com munal life of four million Jews? Are the orthodox and conservative Syna- gogs filled daily by worshipers, dedi cated as they are to" the historical conception of Judaism”? Why do not the 3,'X>0.n00 non-Reforms “smash this sorry scheme of things entire, and re nt mid it nearer to their heart’s desire"? ' it possible that this “Goyish theory" ' won the actual assent of 3,900,000? T he truth of the matter is that the ftirm theory is not “Goyish" at all. r did it originate in France or in ’ rmany. The seeds of it are in the de, the Talmud and in Jewish life. ’ cil Roth, in the essay alluded to ,v e. has the following description Jewish life in the Venetian Ghetto: the Venetian Ghetto) relations the outside world, whether ama- social or literary, were close and tant. Rabbis had begun to speak ••sus as one of the Jewish prophets Gentiles on their side flocked to the sermons in the Synagogs. 'ts complained how r Hebrew cul- was neglected in favor of Italian, 'ance of the sacred tongue was so read that there was a movement ravers in the vernacular. The of reform was rife. There was a The Southern Israelite strong current of opposition to the I almud and 1 almudic literature. Works were written attacking Jewish tradition, evoking a whole literature in Hebrew, Italian and Spanish in its de fense. The ceremonial laws were not infrequently neglected. Ingenious argu ments were put forward in favor of going in a gondola, or even riding, upon the Sabbath Day. Mystical tendencies, and the miraculous stories attached to them, were openly scoffed at. The nineteenth century was anticipated in the disputes concerning the introduc tion of instrumental music in the Syna- gogs. We even find the phenomenon of the card-playing Rabbi, more con cerned with justifying Judaism to the Christian than with teaching it to the Jew. Literary and intellectual life, though centered in Hebrew studies, was by no means confined to them. We find vernacular playwrights, apolo gists, astronomers, mathematicians and economists vying in activity. From that day to this, it is doubtful whether so surprisingly modern an atmosphere has ever at any other time prevailed." Let me repeat one sentence, “the spirit of reform was ripe." If Mr. Hurwitz will study the history of Jew ish customs, ceremonials and ideas a bit more intensively, he will discover that the Reform theory, mirabile dictu, has a Wahlvcrwandschaft with the Talmudic theory. Talmudic lore was evolved from external conditions. This is precisely true of the Reform Move ment. Judaism, to live, had to adjust itself to changing invironments. Re form was merely the logical extension of that principle unto the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as Rabbinical or Talmudic Judaism was the manifes tation of the same principle in the early Christian centuries. Karaism denied that principle and died. Samuel Adler declared: “What right have we to reform!" The traditional right to modify the Biblical ceremo nials according to temporal and local conditions. The question was often asked, when we obtained that right. From the people. The free will of the people recognized the Talmudists; the free will of the people will recognize us also. We, too, arc “Talmudists”. The Reformers never repudiated the Talmudic principle; their objection was to Talmudic authority. But the gravamen of Mr. Hurwitz’s charge lies in the contention that the Reform theory made a breach in the world-community of Israel, by remiss ing that Judaism was a religion only. If the implication in this contention is that the Reformers wished to create a schism, to separate themselves from the world-community of Israel, it is simply not true. In London, in 1841, at a meeting attended by the wardens and honorary officers of the different synagogs, and by the London Commit tee of Deputies of British Jews, a dec laration was approved and signed by the Chief Rabbi, S. Hirschel, to the effect that all those “who reject and do not believe in the authority of the Oral Law cannot be permitted to have any communion with us Israelites in any religious rite or sacred act.” When the wife of one of the organizers of the heretical group died, burial was re- (Continued on Page 22) Is the aim of fashionable women this Spring t 1 lore at Mangel's the smart woman will find every type of frock, from sport clothes to the most formal of eve ning ensembles. . . different, individual, vet each one in fashion. TT ■for your convenience- Atlanta Macon Augusta Savannah Columbus Greenville, S. C. Asheville Winston-Salem Anniston Chattanooga Birmingham Montgomery Columbia Charleston, S. C. Charlotte Spartanburg Raleigh Greensboro, N. 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