Newspaper Page Text
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Three Sermonettes
One for the Other
The Essence of Jewish Brotherhood
by MARGARET HEYMAN
The material on this page
and on pages 7 and 18
was delivered as the
finals in a sermonette
sponsored among Temple
youth the country over
on the subject of
"Kol Yisrael Areyvim.
Ze-Ila-Ze—All Israel Is
Responsible One for
Another." Margaret,
whose sermonette is on
this page, is the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Heyman. Judith (page 18)
is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Irving Kappliu.
Author of the other
material (on page 7) is
Lucy Kahn, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Edward
M. Kahn. Because
apparently tiro of the
manuscripts in our
possession had the same
title, we looked at the
wrong first and saw the
name of Judith Kappliu.
So ice attached her
byline to the page 7
article which rightly
belongs to Lucy Kahn.
The Southern Israelite
Throughout the ' ages vve
Jews have withstood countless
persecutions. From the time
of Pharaoh to Haman, from the
Spanish Inquisition to the
Nazis, Jews have had to stand
up and defend their faith. What
is it that makes Judaism su-
septible to such persecutions
and what is it that enables us
to endure them? Why is it that
Jews who never attend serv
ices and believe that Jewish
ritual is nonsense still feel a
kinship with their Jewish bre
thren scattered throughout the
four corners of the globe? Why
do Jews who completely ignore
Judaism as a religion feel at
tached to it as an ethnic group''
hi short, what is the essence of
Jewish brotherhood?
Our Jewish heritage has be
queathed to us the belief in the
one living God. It was the ac
ceptance of the Lord, who
brought us out of the land c-f
Egypt, out of the house of
bondage, which transformed
our forefathers from a group of
looselv-knit tribes into a co
hesive unit. From this time
forth, the awareness of a spe
cial relationship with God has
defined the existence of the
Hebrew people. When Moses
received the Law on Mount
Sinai, our fathers realized that
they had been singled out by
God as a people capable of
spreading the knowledge of
Him throughout the e a r t h.
They realized that God had
commissioned THEM to tell
the world of His eternal Being.
They also recognized the heavy
responsibility which this co
venant with God imposed upon
them, that by their actions
others would judge the worthi
ness of their faith. Thus they
united so that they might bet
ter carry out the teachings and
the ethics which God had com
missioned them to teach to
ot hers.
We Jews today take pride in
tin 1 bravery of our ancestors,
who were so convinced of the
validity of their mission to tell
the world of the one God that
they were willing to be mar
tyred for their beliefs. Modern
Jews, although citizens of their
respective countries, share this
ancient heritage. Just as dur
ing World War II Americans
felt boundless compassion for
the soldier lying in a distant
field, fighting for the survival
of unknown millions at home,
so also do we swell with pride
at the thought of our unknown
fathers who have died for the
survival of a common faith.
Thus we feel responsible for
our fellow Jews in a capacity
greater than that termed as
brotherhood. We feel that in
aiding our brethren, we are
furthering the existence of a
religion that is nearly six thou
sand years old. We owe it to
our forefathers and to our pro
geny to preserve this faith. As
American Jews, free to worship
as we please, we must not for
get our less fortunate brethren
who are persecuted for the
very religion that we are free
to practice unhampered.
Inherent in our religion is
the belief that acts are more
important than faith, that man
increases his knowledge of God
through his relationships with
man. As the prophet Jeremiah
said:
If one practices justice and
righteousness
If one champions the cause
of the poor
Then it is well with one—
This indeed is to know Me.
says God.
From our earliest beginnings,
we Jews have been taught to
watch out for our fellowmen.
With the fall of the Jerusalem
Temple in 70 A.D.. the syna
gogue became the focal point
of Jewish community life. It
was the center of Jewish edu
cation. worship, and charity.
The poverty-striken. the lame,
the sick, the criminals, all came
to the synagogue for spiritual
aid and financial support. Alj
though Jewish ethics theoreti
cally applied to all mankind,
during the Middle Ages Jews
themselves were able to prac
tice social justice among Jews
only, because of the confining
wails of the ghetto. With the
rise of Reform Judaism, the
focus of our religion changed
from its in-grown character to
an emphasis on the ethical
principles advanced by the an
cient Hebrew prophets. Is it not
natural that the group of peo
ple which gave ethical mono
theism and social justice to the
world should still be active in
the furtherance of these goals'?
How can we today translate
into action the beliefs of our
fathers? American Reform
Judaism strives to apply the
ethical teachings of the Torah
and the prophets to the social
problems of our day. We re
spond generously to organiza
tions encouraging social just
ice, whether community-spon
sored, whether defending the
rights of a few or of many. We
are concerned with discrimina
tion based on race, religion, or
national origin; with problems
concerning labor and manage
ment; and with measures to
promote world-wide peace. We
must realize that our Jewish
brotherhood does not end with
the fact we share the same
beliefs and the. same heritage.
Jewish brotherhood also en
tails working together for a
common cause. Not only is it
brotherhood among Jews, but
love extending from Jews to
the rest of mankind.
Yet J e w is h brotherhood
does not end with the present.
Judaism is a growing religion.
We Jews still have a mission
in this world. We must realize
that the commission which God
gave to our fathers, as yet, re
mains unfulfilled. Althugh we
are united by the belief in the
one God, by a history of perse
cution. and by community ac
tions and social justice, the
essence of Jewish brotherhood
insists that we continue to
unite for the good of mankind.
Judaism is not only a religion
with a glorious past, but one
with a promising future. When
the day comes that all men
shall invoke the name of God,
"when corruption and evil
shall no longer enslave the
mind, nor idolatry blind the
eye, when all who dwell on
earth shall know” that to God
alone must they pray, then will
Judaism have fulfilled its mis
sion on this earth, and God will
reign forever.
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