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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE 7 HAYM SALOMON Revolutionary War hero, whose statue has been the center of a nation wide dispute. , r 5691, perhaps not of equal stat- vith those aforementioned, but heless men whose work in their communities not only served h prestige but were factors in ig the Jewish community cement- , offset these losses there has not red on the horizon even one corn- ting figure. brief, 5691 has been a year of pointment, of loss, of retrogres- In the following paragraphs an npt will be made to indicate how circumstances affected the most ,rtant countries of the world. The l nited States ■cording to the latest authoritative vs there are approximately 4,225,- Jews in the United States or more a quarter of the 15,000,000 that aid to inhabit the globe. But if the mber of Jews is growing, there is no ieation that the Jewish conscious- •; is being proportionately strength- (1. But perhaps the year 5691 does offer the most auspicious back- und for a judgment on the inner Mvngth of the Jewish community. The >n mic crisis has turned Jewish houghts away from communal affairs. The campaigns of the Joint Distribu- n Committee, the American Palestine Campaign and drives by similar nat- nal organizations have been failures ore or less. It is true that one of these organizations has raised far more an it had expected, but the general ' turn has been disappointing. Not only the rate of building of congregations nd centers declined enormously but nu- •rous Jewish institutions throughout the < untry are finding it difficult to meet the mortgages. In many congregations, rabbis tve been dispensed with particularly niong the orthodox and conservative ele- ents. Other rabbis have been confronted "ith the demand to ac- n‘pt a reduction in sal ary. The result has been b> cheapen Jewish com munal life. Religious Problems Efforts at conciliation h* tween orthodox, con- ervative and reform - ups have not proved Ticularly successful. the same time, how- er, there has been a wing realization with- each of these units of need for readjust- nt. The orthodox and *-* conservatives have led for a liberalization their creed. The re- rm segment has voiced lemand for a return to ] re traditional Jewish •ues. During the past ar reform rabbis have •Jguished themselves tneir championship of •ucrete instances of so- justice. The resolu- ns adopted by the Cen- Conference of Amer- an Rabbis radiated !a ge and conviction furnished indisputa- l ' , ‘ S1 ?ns that the Confer ence had departed from the conventional program it has sponsored for many years. An illuminating contrast in the rabbinate is provided by the stand taken by the various sections of Jewry. The Assembly of Orthodox Rabbis condemned birth con trol. the Rabbinical Assembly postponed consideration of the question for a year, although a number of voices at the annual convention vigorously opposed the doctrine, while the reform rabbis went on record as fully in favor. The rabbinate did not gain any pres tige as a result of the annual meeting of the Assembly of Orthodox Rabbis, which demonstrated how deep is the cleavage between two groups of rabbis. As one speaker said, “the rabbinate has come to be looked upon as a racket.” That this judgment is to a large extent a phrase rather than a genuine evaluation is proved by the action taken by orthodox rabbis in Chi cago during the past year. Confronted with a situation in which racketeers dominated the kosher poultry industry, the rabbis took their courage in their hands and fought the racket. They de clared a ban on meat, laid down the laws for shoctim and, with the back ing of the population, won the struggle. That the kosher meat trade had be come the domain of the “racket” in many of the larger cities was indicat ed in New York City, where the Mayor of New York appointed a committee to investigate abuses and to recommend remedies. But all Jews are not united on the kosher question. In June, Gov ernor James Rolph of California sign ed a bill making it illegal to label meat kosher unless it is and providing stiff penalties for offenders. The reform ele ment sharply criticized the effort to put the Government behind the Jewish ritual law, but the orthodox were just as insistent on its passage. Many observers shake their heads and profess to see the gradual decline of Amer ican Jewry. Their contention does not re ceive much collaboration from the current efforts to make Hebrew a part of the cur riculum in the schools of the country. New York and St. Louis have introduced the subject into several high schools for ex periment. Detroit also went on record as favor ing the innovation, but the Jewish youth does not seem particularly anxious to join the classes. This regeneration of interest in Hebrew is also to be noticed in the inclusions of the subject into many Sunday schools. America Protector of World Jewry American Jewry likes to see itself as the protec tor and guardian of the Jewries in other parts of the world. It cannot be said that its efforts have been notably successful during the past year. In the main this is due to the division of authority. The American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the B’nai B’rith, the Federa tion of Polish Jews, the Federation of Rumanian Jews, et. al., prefer to see themselves as autonomous bodies, even if their inter group jealousies jeopard ize the interests of world Jewry. Titus Filipowicz, HIGHLIGHTS IN THE NEWS OF THE YEAR October 1—The anti-sheshita law of Bavaria, Germany goes into effect. October 17—Italian cabinet passes Jewish communities ordinance enlarging Jew ish community’s powers and giving them government status. October 20—British Colonial Office issues explosive Passfield White Paper. December 17—Boston celebrates 275th anniversary of founding of first Jewish settlement in the United States. December 27—Lord Melchett dies. January 11—Nathan Straus dies. January 22—Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs appointed by King George as Governor General of Australia. February 13—British Government issues conciliatory MacDonald letter to Dr. Weizmann. April 12—Poland abolishes the Czaristic restrictions against Jews. April 21 Quebec Legislature adopts bill dissolving Montreal Jewish school Com mission. April 30—Jewish peddlers evicted from Mexico City market place. May 22—Spanish Government issues decree proclaiming religious liberty and dropping Catholicism as State religion. May 29—Governor Wilbert M. Brucker signs Michigan compulsory alien registra tion bill. June 4—Mortimer Schiff dies. j une g xh e Wailing Wall Commission of the League of Nations issues its report giving moral right to worship at Wall. June 19—Governor James Rolph signs California kosher bill. June 23—Disorders at University of Vienna when High Court rules unconstitu tional measure reflecting on Jewish students. June 23 Anti-Semitic riots sweep Saloniki for first time in centuries. June 23—Latvian Parliament abolishes numerus clausus for foreigners, after efforts by Jews; j une 30 Turbulent 17th World Zionist Congress opens in Basle, Switzerland. j u ] y i3 Nahum Sokolow elected President of the World Zionist Organization.