THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
conditions. Could • their efforts be
successful, the prosperous American
Jew might be lifted out of his con-
tented materialism and, by means of
religion, be reborn to dignity, nobil-
ity, and spiritual power, he might
make of Judaism a vital force. Here
if anywhere lies the hope of American
Mrs. Hanna Blumenthal, widow of Judaism.
the late Louis Blumenthal, died last
When one takes stock of. conditions,
Thursday night at the home of her
however,
is hard to hope. The few
daughter, Mrs. Israel L. Scheinman, men who it arc
working fare but ill.
of 90 Rowena street. Mrs. Blumen-
They
have
no
and no
thal was 75 years of age and had been common aims. organization
There is in sight no
a resident of Detroit for forty years. striking personality who can lead a
Mrs. Blumenthal was a sister of revival; Judaism by its very nature
David W. Simons, president of the tends to produce commentators and
Shaarey Zedek ,Congregation, and was dialecticians rather than leaders fired
herself a member of the synagogue with the zeal of religious awakening.
during her residence in Detroit. In- The great Jewish leader in the nine-
terment took place at the Smith Ave- teenth century was Isaac M. Wise,
nue Cemetery of Shaarey Zedek, the founder in America of so-called
Rabbi A. M. Hershman officiating.
"Reformed Judaism." The movement
Surviving Mrs. Blumenthal are her succeeded because it had a prosaic
daughter, Mrs. Scheinman, and two aim—to deorientalize the practice of
sons, David and Harry S. Blumenthal. the synagogue and to remove the
sacredness from the long-established
customs entailed by observance of the
dietary laws. Besides, it sailed on the
Death of Miss Blanche Cone
On Saturday, February 25, there current of the spirit of the time; what
it effected would probably
passed away at Harper Hospital Car- reforms
have
come
about even without organ-
rie Cone, beloved sister of Mrs. Rosa
ized
effort.
But it made no attempt
Hersch and Miss Blanche Cone. Miss to give Judaism
that which a religion
Cone had been ill but a short time
must
have
if
it
is
not to perish; ele-
and her death came as a great shock vation, imaginative
insight, spiritual
to her many friends. Few are the power, a realization of
majesty of
young women in our community who God, a yearning of his the
love. A well-
had deservedly won so many staunch conducted Relormed congregation
friends as Carrie Cone. Self-forget- hardly differs from a body of agnos-
ting and eager to serve in every good tics. Two phenomena show pretty
cause, her passing leaves a void in the clearly where modern leadership is
hearts of a wide circle of friends and guiding Judaism: the large numbers
dear ones. The funeral took place of Jews who are professed agnostics,
from the residence of her sister, Mrs. in all the senses of that convenient
Rosa Hersch, on Monday afternoon,
term, and the equally large numbers
Rabbi Franklin officiating.
who seek in various mystical sects
the consolations of religious roman- .
ticism.
(Continued from page 4)
The present status of American
either for the world or for itself, that Judaism makes its value as a religion
it should maintain its integrity.
by which men can live distinctly ques-
At this point one immediately thinks tionable. Aided by persecution and -
of Zionism. This is a concrete move- poverty, it furnished admirable disci-
ment impelled by a genuine idealiSm. pline to a race naturally stubborn and
It knows what it wants to do: it has tenacious. Persecution, poverty, and
an organization; it is achieving defi- discipline gone, what is life?—an in-
nite results; and it is actuated by a distinct monotheism joined to an
spirit of helpfulness and by. an ideal ethical tradition never formulated into
of racial unity. But what value has a system, and only vaguely defined.
Zionism for the perplexed Jew who None of the great Jewish philosophers
wishes to live in the United States? ever succeeded in establishing a Jew-
It may take his mind off his prob- ish creed; indeed, there was no need
lem, but it offers no solution. Zion-
ism is essentially a movement to help of one when common suffering
some one else. American Zionists do wrought so effectual a bond. Now a
no propose to emigrate themselves; more searching test awaits Judaism, a
they aim at the establishment of a test that may decide its existence. .If
state where oppressed Jews will have . it is to remain as a religion it must
now show that it has power to restore
peace.
The final refuge is the small group the great bulk of prosperous Amer-
who are attempting to revivify Amer- ican Jews to a state of religious activ-
ican Judaism and fit it to modern ity. Whether after the lapse of cen-
turies there are alive in Judaism any
of the quickening impulses which will
give it that power is a question that
it is useless to debate—time must give
the answer.
.:. 4
Meanwhile Jews must face their
problem squarely. They must realize
fl
that they cannot live on their an-
tf
AY
cestors, and that when men point the
finger of scorn they are not thereby
justified in assuming that they have
been chosen as the witnesses of Truth,
1'
to live forever on their wrongs. The
fact is that, if Judaism must be a
group of men without religious ideals,
incapable of making their intricate
.1
self-consciousness
meaningful and
.1
yaluable, it is far better that Judaism
should disappear.
If you wish to
benefit by these
At all events it must be remem-
great bargains,
bered that, since the problem of Juda-
make yoiir selec-
;1
tions now.
ism comes from intense self-conscious-
ness, persecution and sentimental tol-
11 1
4 1
erance are both bad for the Jew. The
41
4,
one saves him the trouble of seeking
H, & B. MARKS
out his reason for existence; the other
flatters him into a belief that there is
212 Michigan Ave.
41
no necessity for the search. If men
Near Third St.
it
will treat Jews like other people, in-
ql
stead of nourishing their age-long no-
I t
tions of peculiarity, they will make it
MAP
easier for time to settle the Jewish
z •5 11 .2.' er. "1". LIS 1 511
problem as it settles all others.
OBITUARY
Mrs. Hannah Blumenthal
Passes Away
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1
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PLEASE MENTION
,
The Jewish Chronicle
Whether you need glasses or not the knowledge will cost you nothing, and it may
save you unnecessary suffering, as eye trouble often comes beforevou realize it.
I offer the best optical service in Detroit at the smallest cost.
W. E. CAMPAU
OPTOMETRIST AND MANUFACTURING OPTICIAN
211 Griswold Street
Holden Building
CLYDE I.
WEBSTER
Formerly United States District Attorney
Candidate for nomination
on the Republican Ticket
for
•
CIRCUIT JUDGE
(Wayne County)
Endorsed by Bar Association
Primaries March 7th, 1917