PAGE SIX

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

RABBINIC ZIONISM

But more surprising than the small general average of the indi-

Issued Every Friday by The Jewish Chronicle Publishing Company
vidual gift is the fact that there are so few in a community like this
ANTON KAUFMAN-
•
-
•
•
President

MICHIGAN'S JEWISH HOME PUBLICATION

Subscription in Advance

$1.50 per year

Offices 314 Peter Smith Bldg.

Phone: Cherry 3381.

RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN,

(Continued From Page Five.)

who give anything at all. Out of a community of Jews that is estimated
to number from sixty to eighty thousand souls, it is fair to presume that

Editorial Contributor

All correspondence to insure publication lutist be sent In so as to reach this
office Tuesday evening of each week.

The Jewish Chronicle Invites correspondence on subjects of nterest to the

Jewish people, but disclaims responsibility for an indorsement of the views
expressed by the writers.

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

The Palestine Restoration Fund.

i\ny person with a spark of genuine Jewish feeling must share in

the hope that the efforts presently being put forth to make Palestine

habitable for such of the Jews of the world as care to live there will

be realized. The Palestine Restoration Fund to which subscriptions are

now being asked here and throughout the land will therefore, as it
should, be generously supported by all classes of Jews irrespective of

their sympathy or lack of sympathy with Zionism. Indeed. there are

first place in these extravagant re-
ports only grape and olive and honey
at least three thousand are in position to give something to local Jewish arc mentioned among the products
charities. I low then must we blush with shame when we realize that of Palestine. This agrees with the
results of historical and agronomic
in the entire city of Detroit, as shown by the published records there
observations. In the main the soil
are less than h:10 contributors to this institution. None can plead the of Palestine even in its paliniest days
excuse that the organization is not doing efficient work. The wonder was not favorable to the growth of
is, when one considers how the United Jewish Charities is hampered for other than the fruit here detailed.
The predictions indulged in by our
funds, not that it does so little, but that it accomplishes so much, and newer enthusiasts have no higher
that its activities take on such varied character. Let those who criticize value than these Talmudic Muench-
the work of the Charities give noire liberally and the ground of their hausen assertions. (in the other 'mad
the story; tellers in the Ilaggadic pas-
criticism will soon enough be removed.
sages arc not interested so much in
Nor does the plea that our people have been called upon from so the fertility of the vineyards and the
many sides td give of their wealth to worthy causes in these titnes serve olive groves as they arc in explaining
Biblical texts. Their attention is cen-
as a sufficient excuse for their not giving. In the first place these are
tered even in these episodes on re-
unusual times that demand of each of us extraordinary service and ligious concerns. The differentiating
extraordinary sacrifice. But in the second place, a comparison of the note thus comes to sound again even
in extravagant flights of fancy. The
donors of this year will show that those who did not give this year did
immense yield of the groves at Gush
not give last year or the year before that or in any other year. The lialabh would imply that still great-
fact is that the showing made by our community in this particular er was that in two other centers of
olive culture at Tekoah and at Re-
matter is shameful and unworthy.
gebh, the former being designated as
An effort should be made at once to secure at least three or four the Alpha the first among these three
times as many names on the list of subscriberS as are to be found in places whence oil was secured not for
last year's list. Nor should people wait to be called upon in this matter. not for ordinary consumption but
chiefly for Temple use. (See Tosph-
Every Jew in this community knows that there are fellow-Jews who arc ta ,Menalloth 10.)
suffering front sickness and nakedness and cold, whose Very lives de-
After all these preachers laid em-

many potent reasons wherefor Palestine stay naturally offer to some
Jews now in the various lands of oppression an opportunity to live a full, pend upon the generous help of their co-religionists. Not to give under
free and happy life and to develop normally along the lines of their such circumstances is to stamp one's self unworthy both as man and as

particular genius. To many the land has sacred associations that itre Jew. If your name is not among those published in last week's Jewish
very dear, and it holds memories that are sure to serve as an inspiration. Chronicle, will you not send your check at once to the Chairman of the
All this has been said time and time again with equal sincerity by Finance Committee, Mr. Fred M. Ilutzel, Union Trust Building, Detroit
the Zionsts and the non-Zionists, but it is essentially the reason why Rettlell the f, t00, that he gives twice who gives quickly.

colonization in Palestine by Jews should be encouraged and why every

effort making for the restoration of the land to a habitable state s h ould

receive the support of Jews of all shades of opinion.

Judaism's Appeal to the College Man.

So often has the statement been made that Judaism has nothing to
Of course we recognize that avowed Zionists frown 111)011 coloniza-
tion in Palestine as an end in itself. Back of the possibility of opening offer to the college man that many' are inclined to accept the statement
to the Jews the opportunity of living untrammeled lives, these Zionists without evidence. Careful investigation of the facts in the case, how-

ever, will 'Prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is a libel both on
the Jews. Indeed, the current issue of a magazine devoted to Zionistic the college man and on the religion of the Jew to say that when a man
enters the halls of a university, he puts back of him all interest in
propaganda contains this definite statement:
religion for the reason that the latter has no message for him.
"Every one among us understands today that Zionism

who scent to speak with authority insist upon the political autonomy of

is a purely political proposition and has nothing whatever
to do with religion, nor can it CVO' hive On Piling to do
with it; and we dare say that one of the main anises for the
support of Zionism all over the world is to be ascribed to
the fact that it does not meddle with religion."

This is about as bold and bald a statement of Zionistic aims as we

have yet seen. But it is to be commended for its clearness and its

candor. It leaves nothing to the imagination, and if it carries with it

any degree of authority, and has the endorsement of those who through
their knowledge speak for Zionism. it refutes comidetely the position

phasis on the land because to them
it was the territory marked by super-
ior holiness. On this rests their de-
cision of the face should be toward
Jerusalem. The blind who could not
orientate himself was to turn his face
upward but those who had sight when
outside of Palestine were to turn to-
ward Palestine those in the land to-
ward its capital, those within Jerusa-
lem toward the Temple, and those
within the Temple toward the holy;
of holies. Illerakhoth 30a; lcrtlsa-
leinic Berakhoth IX', 5; Rabbah to
('anticles. IV.) In Palestine the gale
of heaven was always open to allow
passage and praise. (Midrash to
Psalm 91.)

That God would not occupy the
heavenly Jerusalem before Israel was
come into the possession of the earth-
Of course we all know that the years of student life are spiritually ly is one of the curious conceits to
crucial. Since his first taste of philosophy and science is likely to upset which Rabbinic theology has given
his traditional theories of life and the universe and God, the young man body. ('ra'anith 5 a.). Of this idea
much has been made in Kabbalistic
is likely to veer toward skepticism and unbelief, unless carefully directed Midrashim. (See 'lobar 'Hottest) to
by intelligent and courageous teaching. Alorcover there is a tremendous Noa'11.) Much is also said of the con-
temptation at this time for the immature man to regard himself as the struction of the windows in the Tem-
ple. They gave light to those without
center of being and to read God out o f the universe.
but received none from without.
Nonetheless, all these dangers may be overcome and experience (Rabbah to Leviticus, l'ar. XXXI.)
proves that the Jewish college student does not only not take a hostile The Shekhinall i. e., the divine pres-
ence or effulgence is not in heaven
attitude toward religious influences, but is most receptive to them. Evi-
but in the Tenitile. (Midrash to

others how the rabbis attributed re-
Iligious importance to both the land
land its capital.
Residence in that land was highly
esteemed. "Let men dwell in a Pales-
I tinian city; even though the majority
of the inhabitants be non-Jews rather
than choose their homes in another
town outside of Palestine's borders in
which the conditions are reversed
(Kethubhoth 110 b.) ])welling in holy
land brought about sinlessness in fact
in very air induced wisdom. (lbidem
and B. It. 158 a.) Also the dead are
beneficiaries of this. The inhabitant
of Palestine is foreordained to enter
Life to come. (Pessakhim 113 a.) In
Jerusalemic Shabbath I, 5 this cer-
tainty of attaining life to come is con-
tingent on the scrupulous observ-
ance of certain rules about eating
profane or dcsanctitied food in pur-
ity; and the speaking Hebrew and the
reciting of the Shema both in the
evening and the morning. The re-
porter of this saying impulsed to Rab-
bi Mayir must not have shared the
cynic contempt for religion which is
the characteristic attitude of many of
the spokesmen of modern Jewish na-
tionalism.
Burial in Palestine was esteemed
equivalent to burial under the very
altar. (Kethubhoth III a.) Resur-
rection took place first in the land of
the fathers. t See incident in Jertisa-
Ionic Killayini IN, 4.)
This anthology might be expanded
immeasurably. But imperfect as it is
it sustains the claim that the old Zion-
ism which in part has informed these
Scriptural amplifications was under
religious consecration. "the mere •
possession of the land and whatever
change it might bring about in the
economic and political conditions of
some Jews lie their number large or
small had hale attraction for these
preachers. They dreamt of a Pales-
tine religiously sanctified in which the
Torah should have a new home and
the sacerilotalism of Leviticus would
be reinstituted. The modern Zionism
scorns this element. It usurps an old
name and under its cover perverts an
old hope. The orthodox Nationalism
of religion and Messianic assurance
is full of pathos as are all views and
convictions once vital which have
been touched by the withering
linger of tnne. Let us not twist what
was filled of the spirit into pretense
of endorsement and historic approval
of materialistically orientated politi-
cal ambitions. Let those that would,
depart for Palestine. Nlay; be there
they will find an opportunity to be-

Use V 1 .6

%viol I eUgion. inuecO, we beinle mat urituniox Jews W 110 are loyal
to their traditons will take this same view, for whatever their opinion

as to the feasibility and the desirability of the creation of a Jewish state,
the Orthodox Jest's trill insi st upon the religious character of Israel.

If, on the other hand, the sentiment quoted above, is but the foolish

utterance of an irresponsible writer %vim speaks only for himself and

not for the great multitudes whose opinions lie represents himself as

voicing, it is the duty of the responsible leaders of the Zionistic move-

ment to declare that he speaks for himself and not for them, and to

fact, it is by no means literally true for one cannot interest himself in

the literature of Judaism without being stirred to a new appreciation of

the religious spirit that has mothered it.

But another movement that is purely religious • has been no less
welcomed by the Jewish student body. We refer to.the Jewish Student

Congregations of which that at the University of Michigan was the

pioneer and upon the model of which similar organizations have been

established at a number of the larger universities of the country, notably

Missouri and Cornell. These congregations, which are distinctly and
come out flat-footedly, unequivocally and uncompromisingly with the
distinctively religious in purpose have succeeded far beyond the fondest
statement that the political state is not a sine qua non but only' a
anticipations of those who promoted them in gaining and holding the
corollary of the Zionistic prolPosition.
interest of the young Inn and the young women enrolled at the colleges.
While individuals whose sympathies arc with the Zionistic cause
Nor is the influence exerted by them merely temporary. The fact
have from time to time asserted this, we have sought in vain through
is notable as it is gratifying that many a young man indifferent to
all these months and years for an otlicial declaratior upon this point.
Judaism when he entered the college has gone forth upon graduation to
Indeed in all our reading we have been led to belie
at the statement
become a leader in the Jewish life of his community and congregation.
,f Zionism than
quoted above more nearly represents the pink'
Moreover, the Jewish Student Congregation has served to give to the
, °Mical state is not
does the position of our friends who hold that
Jewish
student a new respect in his own eyes and itt the eyes of his
,e great bulk of Jews
essential. Nor are we alone in this opinio"
professors and his fellow-students.
,! Zionistic movement as
and non-Jesus throughout the world re ,,.
Such a set- \ ice as was held, for instance, at .Inn Arbor last Sunday
primarily political.
night, when all the churches of the city closed their doors that their
' the re-habilitation of Palestine
In endorsing, as we do most he
people might worship with the Jewish student body, can no t but serve to
for those who care to go there, v' 44,",tot too emphatically declare that
Jewish political state. \\ e believe give the 10,,•s a new sense of their dignity as Jews, while at the Sallie
we are not endorsing the
. .. refuge to some of our co-religionists time opening the eyes of the non-Jew to the finer annl better things
that Palestine may offer a •
for which the Jew and Judaism stand.
ace's of a most cruel fortune and that
NVII0 have been buffeted
On the whole, it may be said that with the various Jewish influences
e
of
its
sacred
memories
they
may
find
in a land dear to the
that
arc
now working upon him, the Jewish young man attending college
rtunity to which they are entitled. it is
that happiness and tht,
success may come to those who are gather- today will return to his community or such city ;is he may choose for his
for this reason that we t
home with a desire to do his full share in the service of his people and
ing the (duds to rehabilitate the lloly I..and and so make it for some of
his faith. They who believe that religion has no hold upon the Jewish
our people a land of h o pe as well as a land of memories.
student do not know 'a hereof they speak.

An Unworthy Showing. .

Detroit Jewry has justly Wpm :10 enviable reputation in recent

•

years for generous giving to every worthy caus•. In the last campaign

for the relief of Jewish stttferers from the war, our community read
itself into the limelight by contributing an amount of money larger in

proportion to its size than any other city in America. -ro lie sure, this
was as it should have been for no city in the country had to a greater

DROPSIE COLLEGE
QUARTERLY MEETING

At a quarterly meeting of the Board
degree than Detroit shared in the then prevailing prosperity. Here
fortunes had been made over night and n o t a few of them out of the of Governors of the I/ropsie College I

very conditions that had brought untold suffering to our co-religionists

abroad.
flow ever, in striking contrast to this splendid show ing for war-
relief, is the record of subscriptions nettle to our local United Jestish

Charities, as published in the last issue of this paper. I me could not

read that list %vithout a shock of surprise and disappointment that so

many own and women of large means in this community should be
content to gist' such beggarly stuns as they did to the support of an

institution 11151 is charged w ith the care of the dependent and the delin-
quent, the sick and the poor, the physically infirm and the mentally irre-

sponsible members of our Jewish community, to say nothing of the fact

that their contributions to the United Jewish Charities include also their

gifts to a number of national and local philanthropic., both sectarian

and non-sectarian in character.

for Hebrew and Cognate Learning,'
there were present: I)octor Cyrus
Adler. President, in the Chair; Judge
Sulzberger, Oscar B. Teller, William
B. Hackenburg. Horace Stern and Dr.
.X. S. W. Rotenbach.
The gift of a silver pitcher and tray
belonging to the Reverend Isaac
I ...re SCr N as reported troll Mrs. Felix
Fuld of South Orange. N. J , and
vote of thanks was extended to Mrs.
Fuld fur the gut
During the autumn term which
closed On December 20 twenty stu-
dents were registered, 6 women and
14 men, representing the following
institUtions. Girls High School, Girls
Normal School, Columbia University,
Jewish Theological Seminary of

\ merica, Johns Hopf.nis University,
I LI,. rsity of Chicago. McGill Univer-
pleats College, University of
, ,,,ylvania,
Crozet;
Theological
Hunter College, 1)ropsie
I Temple University and the
(,)111Ilasis at Zabotinskaya-kopp.
1 he report of the Library showed
an increase during the quarter of 210
vidumet. the principal additions being
In the departments of Hebrew texts.
and works on Jewish history, Talmud
and Midrash. (lifts were received
from Mr David J. Batter of Philadel-
phia, Dr Harry. Friedenwald of Balti-
more, Dr. Israel .Nbrithanis ui Cant-
bridge, England, New York Section
Council of Jewish \Volum'. and the
Moody 'tilde Institute. The total
number of volumes now in the Library
it 18,058.
Founders Day will be celebrated on
March 7, 1918.
The 11Iiiiter Term opened on Janu-
ary 7, 1918.

a,l.

dliti u1,11.,

Ewen so after the land's apportion-
ment for Israel it alone had the gift
of song. CErakhin, 10 a.) These il-
lustrations of the store Rabbinic
Zionism set not on colonization or
secularization but on the holy nature
of Palestine might be indefinitely;
mult;plied. "the few that have been
quoted suffice to draw attention to the
fundamental difference between the
modern movement and the profound
religious inspiration of the older or-
thodox Nationalism in Israel,
The Rabbis believed if they be-
lieved anything that the land was
meant to be the home of the Torah
above all else. "1Vouldst Thou behold
the Shekhina then study the Torah
Erctz Israel." (Midrash to Psalm
CV.) The river which in the descrip-
tion of Paradise is said to have sur-
rounded the land of Ilavilah really
environcd the land of Israel and the
gold which was located there was the
gold of the Torah. (Genesis Rabbah
Parashah XVI.) The whole world re-
ceived ten Kabliim measures of Wis-
dom nine of which went to Palestine.
Of the ten measures of beauty which
were alloted to the Whole world Je-
rusalem received nine. (Kiddushin
49, b.)
How possession of the Land is con-
tingent on the faithful observance of
the Torah is tersely expressed in a
resume of a prayer recommended for
the use of the faithful which is pre-
served in Tana debey Eliyahu Rah-
bah, the fourteenth section. Late as
this collection of legendary and other
glosses be it is all the more compe-
tent to witness to the innermost
thought and hopes of the Jews in the
Galuth. The expectations and con-
victions of the generations of this
diaspora were forsooth of quite other
thread than what in our day is press-
ed upon us as the only true interpreta-
tion of the Jewish forevisioning.

These old masters of homiletics
loved Zion with a love passing that
for women. In points of law and rit-
ual they drew lines between the resi-
dents of the Land and those without.
All could enter the land, but not all
were permitted to leave it. Even so
all could go up to Jerusalem but not
all were allowed to depart therefrom.
This principle had considerable bear-
ing on questions involving the settle-
ment of the marriage portion. (See
Kethublioth II0, L.1 It has also bear-
ing on the sale and status of slaves.
(Gittin 43 a Erakliiii 29)i) Sepharim
could not be taken away by heirs
after they had been dedicated for use
in the land of Israel. (Jerusalem San-
hedrin III, 9 ) Other instances might
be adduced of such discrimination in
favor of Palestine, but the few here
quoted show as clearly as might the

religious outlook Pool forelook. \Ve
not share the Messianic dogma of
the medieval Synagog and have no
reason for repeating the prayer which
declares that we are now in Galuth.
In the construing of Israel's history
and fate as under Providential order-
ing both the Zionist of the orthodox
hope in the'rerise of the Temple and
we who have read our part in terms
of a world-wide Duty and Obligation
are of Inc sustaining consciousness.
The new Zionism may appeal to us
as an experiment in philanthropy as
a wise diplomatic move on the part
of British ImperialIsm yet perhaps as
a factor making for the reconstruction
on an equitable basis of Asia Slinor's
political and economic possibilities.
But our Judaism is broader and deep-
er than either new Nationalism or
old orthodox Messianism.

110

Zionists and Jews.

For the benefit of the American
Jewish Chronicle and of our readers
in general we deem it needful to indi-
cate why one should draw a distinc-
tion between Zionists and other Jews.
The Zionists comurise within their
ranks representatives of every shade
of Jewish practice and opinion and of
no practice and opinion. The found-
ers of modern political Zionism were
men to whom the synagogue offered
no attraction whatever, whose re-
ligious attitude Wit, so nondescript
that they tie inselves, as candid, sin-
cere well-wish e I'S of their fellow-
Jews of their shade of conviction, felt
that their movement required a religi-
ous atmosphere to give it balance. So,
the Nfizrachi division of the Zionists
came into existence without, however,
significantly or strikingly altering the
attitude or the complexion of the
Zionist leadership. Of late years
Zionism has passed through a num-
ber of vital changes, but none of
these. we regret to be compelled to
add, has made for a deepening of the
religi o us content of the cause. Our
Zionist friends will doubtless retort
that this journal, because it stands for
orthodox Judaism, pure and unite-
' filed, is stressing a dead issue in its
I present criticism of Zionist endeavor
and that, in the fare of the momen-
tous happenings day by day and even
hour to hour, the question of Judaism,
as of religiosity, in respect of Zion -
ism leas no insistent validity. If this
lie their thought the justice of our
position is reinforced, and until Zion-
ism gives positive evidence of having,
fully returned to Judaism, even be-
fore it returns to Jerusalem, we shall
persist in regarding Zionists as a di-
vision in and of Jewry.—Hebrew
Standard.