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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

Issued Every Friday by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Company.
ANTON KAUFMAN
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General Manager

Michigan's Only Jewish Publication.

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Phones: Cherry 3381 and 1526

RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN,

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Editorial Contributor
The Jewish Chronicle invites correspondence on subjects of inter-
est to the Jewish people, but disclaims responsibility for an indorse-
ment of the views expressed by the writers.

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be sent in so as to reach this office Tuesday morning of each week.

Entered as second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at Detroit,
Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1917

A Duty Recognized

The need of material relief will not be the only condition induced
by the war, that will drain the resources and test the generosity of
our people. Almost before the ink was dry on our editorial last week,
in which attention was called to the spiritual needs of the Jewish men
in the army and navy, a meeting had taken place in the city of New
York to devise ways and means to establish welfare stations for our
enlisted Jewish men. The organization has been jointly created by
the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations, the United Synagogue, the Union of Ortho-
dox Jewish Congregations, the Jewish Publication Society, the Agu-
dath Rabbonim and the Army and Navy Branch of the Council of the
Young Men's Hebrew and Kindred Associations, and is to be known
as the Jewish Board for Welfare Work in the United States Army and
Navy. This organization, as will be inferred from the varied inter-
ests represented by its constituent societies, will be in position to look
after the spiritual as well as the social needs of our men at the front
much more efficiently than any single existing organization. Corn-
posed, as it is, of organizations representative of Reform and Ortho-
doxy, and having both social and religious interests, it may be depended
upon to exert a far-reaching influence for good upon the men at the
front. During the Mexican crisis very good work was done among
the Jewish enlisted men by some of the organizations, but there was
some duplication of effort, while some work that should have been
done was left undone. This condition will be overcome in the present
war by the newly created board. Those in charge of the work esti-
mate that an expenditure of at least one hundred thousand dollars will
be required for the first year, and this sum will have to be raised by
popular subscription among the Jews of the United States. It is
hoped that to the appeal issued by the Board there will come a gen-
erous response. To care for the physical and spiritual well-being of
our men who are offering their lives upon the altar of our country is
no less a duty than to relieve actual suffering among the victims of
persecution and oppression.

The Jewish College Student

In celebration of its third Student Day the congregation of Tem-
ple Beth El of this city threw open its doors in hospitable welcome to
scores of young men and women from all of the great educational
institutions in this part of the state on Sunday last. Those who were
in attendance at the service are unanimous in the opinion that the
occasion was a most inspiring one. The fact that so many young men
and young women would on occasion travel a distance of approxi-
mately of forty miles to attend a Jewish service, indicates that the
charge frequently launched against our young men and young
women in college, that they are thoroughly irreligious, is not well
founded. As a matter of fact, the growing success of the student
congregations at the University of Michigan and at the University
of Missouri, sufficiently attests the fact that under proper encourage-
, ment, the young Jew at college is eager to accept the inspiration
which religion has for him. Only last week a similar Student Con-
gregation was organized at Cornell University, and it promises to be
most enthusiastically supported by the several hundred Jewish stu-
dents there. Too long have the religious needs of our young men
and our young women in the great schools of learning been neglected.
It is during their college careers, when they get their first taste of
philosophy and science, and when moreover they arc away from the
religious influences of their homes, that so many of our young men
are tempted to turn away from their ancestral faith. To lad< of
proper direction during the most crucial period of their lives may be
traced that spirit of skepticism and spiritual snobbery that is to be
found among so many of our young men who have had the oppor-
tunity of a college education. The Student Congregation, properly

supervised and directed, will on the other hand tend to fOCUs . the
religious interests of these young men and women so that-upon , their
graduation they will naturally assume the leadership of the- Jewish
life of their various communities, and not let it fall into less capable,
and as often happens, into less conscientious hands than their own.
But in addition to the work of the Student Congregation, a
proper interest in the welfare of students should be evidenced on the
part of Jewish communities resident near our great centers of learn-
ing. Any genuine Jewish hospitality extended by them to the young
men and young women who are away from home, will, not only be
appreciated at the .moment, but it will tend to intensify the :Jewish
sympathies of these young people and thus make surer . their alle-
giance to the faith of their fathers through all time. In.this matter
Detroit has set an example to the country. We hope that many com-
munities will be inspired to follow it.

Important Changes in the Jewish Congress
Plan

At last the Administrative Council of the - proposed. American
Jewish Congress has announced its rules of election, the machinery
for which is highly complicated. As was predicted by sonic of those
who for a long time have had their ears to the ground, practically all
local congress societies will have to be thoroughly re-organized.
Under the rules laid doWn by the National Executive Committee and
the Administrative Council, each society, lodge, congregation or other
organization consisting of individual members, shall constitute an
election precinct, and shall be entitled to send two delegates to the
local committee. Thus organizations having a membership. of five
hundred will be entitled to no more delegates then societies: having
but twenty members. This is in complete reversal of thC plan of
organization adopted, for instance, by the Detroit branch where repre-
sentation was pro rated according to the membership of the con-
stituent societies. That this is not altogether pleasing to some of
those who have been insistent upon the democratic basis repre-
sentation in the congress is not surprising. Another feature included
in the plans of the national organization and which has called forth
the earnest protest of some constituent organizations, is the rule that
every delegate to the American Jewish Congress must be a citizen of
the United States. This, we believe, is as it should be, even though it
will shut out from representation vast numbers of those who have
been most ardent in their advocacy of the Congress from the begin-
ning. On the whole, the changes made are all to be commended, since
they undoubtedly serve to counteract some tendencies that were, not
without an element of danger to the Jewish cause.

Temple Beth ErExpands

It is no small tribute to the growth and influence of the Reform
movement in Detroit that Temple Beth El has found it necessary to
engage the services of an Assistant Rabbi, and to set on foot plans for
the construction of a larger and more commodious house of worship.
From a congregation of little more than one hundred members when
the present rabbi assumed his office in 1899, Temple Beth El has
grown into an organization of almost seven hundred members, while
every month shows continued accretions to its roster of membership.
Moreover, like all well ordered congregations, Temple Beth El has not
been content to work for itself alone, but it has felt as its concern
everything that affects for good the civic, the social and the spiritual
life of the community. With the growing opportunities that lie
before such an organization, its power and influence in the community
and upon Jewish life in general is bound to increase. The officers
of
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the congregation are far sighted in preparing for the larger work that
shall lie before them, by erecting a Temple and religious school better
fitted to their needs, and by giving to its rabbi as an assistant a young
man who comes well prepared for his task. We believe that all con-
cerned deserve the hearty congratulations of the community upon the
advance steps they have taken.

Mr. Zangwill likes to play safe. Alienated from the Zionistic
movement for the past twelve years, it is announced that he has
returned to his first love, because he believes that Palestine is 'cer-
tain to fall into the hands of the Entente Allies, and that, therefore,
Zionists will have the opportunity of securing for the Jewish people
a legally recognized home in Palestine, and thus to realize their fond-
est dream. Apparently Mr. Zangwill likes to be on-the winning side.

No announcement has as yet been made of the man in Detroit
who is willing to give as his contribution to the Fund for the Relief
of Jewish Sufferers from the War, ten per cent of the total amount
to be collected from his fellow citizens in this city. The community
is anxiously waiting to hear from him. Who shall he be?

