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Friday, Doe. 22, INI
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Til DOOTBKIN 111AILITI
by Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild
“I’m not religious myself but I want my chil
dren to go to Sunday School.” How many times
do I hear this little speech, delivered with casual
aplomb as the application for membership is
signed! And I guess those who say it—and many
who only think it—really mean it. How else ex
plain the fact that although our school now num
bers almost 900 children, attendance at our religi
ous services shows no similar spectacular increase?
Or that although our weekly Religious School at
tendance is remarkably high, only a comparative
handful of adults participate in our adult educa
tion program? Or that so many of our Jewish par
ents never observe the rituals of Sabbath and
Holidays, never read a Jewish book?
It must be obvious that to leave to others the
religious training of your child is futile and self-
defeating. And besides, if Judaism is good enough
and important enough to be transmitted to your
child why isn’t it equally significant for you?
Have you outgrown it or the need for it? Is’nt
Judaism a mature enough faith for you? Will you
advise your child to forget all he may have learn
ed in the school you send him to once he has been
confirmed?
You—as well as your child—need the Temple.
The Temple needs you. And above all, your child
needs you and your spiritual dedication to sup
plement and strengthen his formal religious edu
cation.
—TEMPLE (Atlanta) BULLETIN
Country Clubs—
and Giving
An article, “Social Clubs and Social Responsi
bility,” written by Max M. Fisher, president of
Detroit’s Jewish Welfare Federation and distri
buted by the Council of Jewish Federations and
Welfare Funds in its series of “Campaign Cues,”
sets forth some interesting observations on “good
living versus meagre giving.”
The writer, cooperating with the Council, which,
in turn, receives its authority and the financial
means to function, from established local federa
tions, envisions better campaigh results if country
clubs make adequate contributions to welfare cam
paigns a condition of membership.
“Each club has its share of members whose only
philanthropy is distributing money among mem
bers through games of chance,” Mr. Fisher says,
suggesting the creation of a committee whose duty
it shall be to investigate the adequacy—or inade
quacy—of individual gifts and report its findings
to the board of directors.
There comes to mind a number of relevant con
ditions . . primarily that a committee, or a board,
shall thus be privileged to judge the individual’s
ability to make what it deems to be an “adequate”
contribution; with other words, to pry into and
expose his financial status. True, membership, in
past years, required no estimation of character or
proof of civic virtues; the socially accepted were
those who paid the stiff admittance fee and met
the high cost of “belonging”—their monthly dues
It might well be argued, as it is in some quarters,
that this, in itself, reduces gifts to philanthropic
causes by the socially-minded.
Since, as the writer maintains, the leaders in
welfare objectives are often also the leaders in
country club affairs, it would seem logical that
their influence, shown by example and used as
an educational measure, can accomplish much to
ward creating an awareness of responsibility. Aside
from the fact that men do not like to have others
dictate what they should do or how much they
should give, any action as that proposed . . cen
sure or suspension . . . would surely create a spirit
of resentment and, in the final analysis, result in
rejection of the community’s appeal for sorely
needed funds.
An un-democratic system might, by similar rea
soning, reach away from the boundaries of coun
try clubs. Why not—next—appoint a committee
to seek balancing of contributions in proportion
to palatial homes, conveniently forgetting the 20-
or-30 plan of payment, plus interest and taxes etc.?
Or the expensive trips to all parts of the world
... in short, the individual’s mode of living? All
these may be—should be—studied by campaign
cabinets (at present just a list of names and no
functioning tasks) and taken into consideration
as welfare gifts are solicited. ■
Charitably, we have no desire to deny that
country clubs fit into the pattern of community
life; nor that “good living” is a preventive to
“good giving.” If we are to judge at all, let us
judge ourselves. We may find that we hold but a
frail patent on generosity.
-JACDUI8 BACK
-'x.1 urn. The Ola array -Nashville
The Southern Israelite
and THE SUNCOA8T JEWISH NEWS
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, SM Ceurt-
laad St, Ni, Atlanta I, Georgia, TE. 8-8249, TE. 8-8248. Second
elaas poetage paid at Atlanta, Ga. Yearly eubecriptlon firs dollars.
The Southern Israelite invites literary eentributiens aad correspond
earn but Is not to be eeasidered ae sharing the views expressed by
witters. DEADLINE is 8 PAL, FRIDAY, but material received earlier
will have a much better chance of publication.
JOURNALISTIC AFFILIATIONS
NATIONAL EOITOIIAI
SEP i*wr
Wsumaimwiwr
AMERICAN JEWISH PRESS ASSN
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
SEVEN ARTS EEATURtS
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIATION
The Sentinel: Creator and
Recorder of Chicago History
The Jewish Sentinel in Chicago this year is marking its
fiftieth anniversary and as the culmination of the half cen
tury observance, the staff has published a signficant volume
on the community’s Jewish history.
“History of Chicago Jewry: 1911-1961” is the title of this
260-page volume, which chronicles highlights and move
ments in the city’s Jewish life of the period.
After we had perused the book, we wished we had some
where confronted some idea of how many persons comprise
the Jewish community of Chicago today and how this figure
compares with 1911. Perhaps thus in not emphasizing size,
the staff has chosen instead to concentrate on a qualitative
story of Chicago rather than a numerical approach. As the
forward observes, “this is the first comprehensive history of
Chicago since 1925 and the best we could do with the limita
tions of time, resources and ability at our disposal.”
Despite such a frank prelude to the lack of definitive
ness, the volume nevertheless is a monumental achievement
of community compilation for the Jewish community of Chi
cago is no roadstop village and the denouement of Jewish
life vastly complex, far, far from a single thread of events
which could be dramatically presented with a singular pro
gress.
The volume is a laudable record of Chicago Jewry, told
in the annals of the many factors—local, national and inter
national in scope—which have brushed across the face of the
city this half century, leaving indelible landmarks and vastly
affecting the panorama and specifics of the Jewish populace.
Special attention is given to the contribution of Chicago
Jews to the American community in the field of govern
ment, jurisprudence, commerce and industry, labor, armed
--services, medicine, sports.
And contributions to American culture through music,
the cantorate, art, Yiddish theatre, Jewish press, literature.
The religious life comes in for full emphasis with sec
tions on the Chicago Board of Rabbis, the Merkaz Harabonim
and the three branches of our faith.
Another special section deals with “Jewish Education”
and yet another with organizations of the community.
Understandably, a great deal of the material must have
originated from the pages of the Sentinel itself but the vol
ume, whether purposefully or modestly we are unable to tell,
does not seek to glorify the weekly newsmagazine whose
golden anniversary inspired this history.
Thus in eschewing any possibility of an accusation of
self-glorification, the staff has succeeded in creating the cli
mate of objectivity so vital to valid history and has all the
more added laurels to the already brilliant achievements of
the Sentinel itself.
We wish to congratulate the community leaders who have
joined the capable and dedicated Sentinel staff and contribu
tors to produce this history which has a lasting and valuable
place in the understanding of Chicago and American Jewry.
We wish too to ada our expressions of mazel tov to
Editor and Publisher Jack Fishbein, to Managing Editor Bar
bara Schwartz and the others whose inspired energies have
been responsible also for the ongoing progress of the publi
cation to this simcha year and beyond into the years ahead.
Truly, The Sentinel has not only recorded this history of
Chicago Jewry week by week, year by year; it has helped
create and mold that history into positive directions.
Rabbinical Council
Reports Saving
500 Marriages
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The Rab
binical Council of America re
ported this week that its Beth
Din — its rabbinical court — had
saved 500 marrigaes in its first
year of operation. The rabbini
cal court marked the first anni
versary.
Rabbi Charles Weinberg, presi
dent, said the court had “sur
passed all expectations." Rabbi
Emanuel Rackman, president of
the Rabbinical Court Corpora
tion, the governing body for the
Beth Din, said that the 500 suc
cessful cases had been referred
to the court by Orthodox rabbis
from all parts of the United
States. He said the court had
granted 50 religious divorces.
The court sits once a week
but it is available on call to cope
with marital or family disputes,
Rabbi Weinberg said, adding
that plans had been made to
expand the courts staff with
more family counselors. The
court consists of three rabbis.
Rabbi Beckman said that the
court had established a central
registry of vital statistics with
the goal of containing a roster
of all recorded Jewish marriages
for use all over the world.
Cardinal Nuns
Mourn Jewish Boy
BROOKLINE, Mass., (JTA) —
A 14-year-old Jewish boy who
drowned accidentally was
mourned last week by Richard
Cardinal Cushing and 11 Catho
lic nuns.
The boy was a pupil at the
St. Colletta’s School for Excep
tional Children in Hanover. He
strayed from a group of fellow
pupils while gathering Christ
mas greens and drowned in a
nearby bog. Nuns who run the
school joined in the search. They
and Cardinal Cushing sat oppo
site the retarded boys parents
in the funeral chapel. The Cardi
nal wept during the services.
The Measure of a Community
During the past few weeks I have attended a
number of national meetings. Wherever there is
gathered a group of Jewish citizens there is al
ways talk of problems facing the community, the
need for direct action, the uncertainty of tomor
row—and, of course, the kind of community one
represents. In the inevitable sessions following the
course of the meetings, the talk centers on the
community, its leaders, its citizens, its strengths
and its weaknesses.
All communities have the same problems. No
one community has the ideal situation for the ideal
citizenry. Certain aspects of communal life are
accented in one community or another, but on the
whole, American Jewry whether it be found in
Oskosh or Providence or Portland or San Francis
co has a normal environment, with generous men
and ungenerous ones, with religious ideologies
that tend to divide, and fund raising which seems
to unite.
After listening to the confessions of some, to
the negatives of others, to the boasting of some
and to the perfectionism of a few, I have decided
our Houston Jewish community is not a bad one.
True, we have our differences, our ungenerous,
our lack of understanding and our indifferences—
but at the same time we have a great deal to be
thankful for that other communities seem to lack.
In the sum total of comparison Houston has as
many problems, but to our credit goes no failures
as we have not attempted to solve many of them.
We have our ideological differences, but no out
ward incidents have occurred, except on the snide
side, during these past fifteen years to cause any
kind of rift. We, too, are indifferent to some of the
forces sweeping about us, but then, why worry
about them with concern—we do allocate to our
defense agencies and they should be doing the job
for us.
The greatest concern, so it seems to me, is the
sameness of this leadership group whether it be
one organization or another. The same faces, the
same reasoning, and the same feeling go into the
approach to entirely different problems faced by
entirely different organizations. Where is this new
leadership we all talk about? Where are the young
men who must carry on the program in the years
to come? Here, too, Houston is most fortunate in
that there is no lack of young men in the leader
ship role and there are many who desire to under
stand the forces at work in Jewish life and seek
to give answers where answers are needed.
After all, it is not in the dollars a community
raises, nor the temples it erects, nor the many
social workers or rabbis it employs—but the basic
desire to preserve our way of life. We are Ameri
cans and religiously Judaic by heritage. We find
both compatible and worthy. A community is
measured by the basic pattern it offers the in
dividual in making this heritage a large part of
his life, by inspiring him to work together for a
better and more wholesome existence for him
self while at the same time striving to give others
the same opportunity.
—Editor, DAVE WHITE Houston, Texas
Eichmann Knows It Now
In reading part of the court’s verdict against
Adolf Eichmann, Chief Justice Moshe Landau met
the issue squarely when he rejected the defense
charge of Israeli incompetency.
In Judge Landau’s words, Dr. Robert Servatius
had claimed that his client was being accused of
actions committed “in the course of duty and are,
thus, acts of State" for which only Germany can
be held responsible.
But it was the court’s opinion that Eichmann’s
horrendous misdeeds “are crimes not only under
Israel law.” They are, in essence, “against the law
of the nations.”
In referring to the historical signficance of the
proceeding, the opinion offered the hope that it
might mean a modern end to the ancient scourge
of anti-Semitism. Perhaps this is a bit fanciful.
But it certainly serves notice that, henceforth,
demented religious attacks against the Jews will be
answered. And no one knows it any better today
than Adolf Eichmann.
—Jewish Floridian, Miami
JEWISH CALENDAR
*PUBIM
Wednesday, March 28, IMS
•FASSOVKB
Thursday, April 19, 1982
•8HAVUOT
Friday, June f, INS
•EOSH HASHONAH
Saturday, Sept 29, 1982
•TOM Kirrc*
Tuesday, Oct 8, 1982
•SUKKOT
Saturday, Oct IS, 1982
*8IMHAT TOKAH
Sunday, Oct 21, 1982
'Holiday begins
preceding evening*