IlE ETROIT

1923

RONIGL E

MICHIGAN'S JEWISH HOME PUBLICATION

Section Four

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1923

VOL. XIV. No. 15.

serving all American Israel. Its pur-
pose is to make intelligent, conscious,
better Jews--and unless we are that,
well—we are just a nuisance."
An Authorized Interview with Dr. Cyrus Adler.
The time, it seemed to me, had come
for putting the main question to him:
By A. H. FROMENSON
"Dr. Adler, here is what I want to
know: the Seminary is said to be in
(The vast erudition of Dr. Cyrus 20 years younger than this human
financial straits. In fact, I have been
Adler has won for him great distinc- dynamo.
Dr. Adler's companion could not re- informed that it is having a hard time
lion in the world of scholarship. He strain the thoughts rushing to his to raise enough money to pay the sal-
is not only, concededly, the greatest mind. "I don't understand it-1 mar- aries of the faculty. Yet, in the face
of these things, you encourage the
lay Jewish scholar in America, bu t vel " he burst forth, "I marvel at your
'
his high attainments have won him ability to give so much of yourself, purchase of the Elkan
Adler Library,
distinction universally. Born in this specially after you have been so ill. and now the president of the institu-
our loyalty, your devotion to these tion is confronted with the problem of
country, he has devoted almost his en- causes in which you are interested are adequately housing this library be-
tire ilfe to Jewish interests and has so tremendous. The work you put in sides meeting the running expenses
taken a conspicuous and important is so prodigous." of the institution, to say nothing of
part in practically every Jewish ac- "There is just this I'd like to say," needed expansions"
Dr. Adler sat silent for a moment,
tivity for well over a quarter of a he replied. "When you are inclined
century. Ile is not only a great scholar to be uncharitable, to judge harshly, and then replied: "I am convinced
that the Jews of America appreciate
but he is a remarkable executive and be more kind, more patient."
organizer. Among other of his "side-
He told me that 151 rabbis have re- our success in making the Seminary
issues" was the chairmanship for ceived their diplomas at the Seminary the center of the Jewish learned
Pennsylvania in all of the war-relief and that they are carrying on re- world. They will take a just and
drives waged so successfully in that ligious work in 70 American communi- proper pride is the institution that
state. His fascinating personality and ties. Two of its graduates occupy has brought them this prestige. The
his views on important Jewish ques- pulpits in Canada. But, the pride of advance in Jewish scholarship that the
tions are graphically set forth in this the Seminary, its just pride, is Joseph library and the Seminary never made
interview.)
H. Hertz, who is chief Rabbi of Eng- possible is important to the present
and to the future of the Jews of this
land.
Very often when men try to im-
"Forty-eight of the graduates of the country.
"So far as the financing of the in-
press on me that they are very busy Seminary," Dr. Adler added, "occupy
stitution is concerned, I have no mis-
and that I ought to he very, very pulpits in Greater New York. And
givings. My experience with the Jews
grateful that they have consented to 203 young men and women have grad-
of this country encourage me to be-
see me at all, that I must be brief uated from the Teachers' Institute of
lieve that they are going to rally to
and even more brief, I think of Dr. the Seminary."
the campaign about to be launched
"That is news," I remarked. "Peo-
Cyrus Adler and smile. I watch these
under the direction of Rabbi Drob
men who are so tremendously busy, ple know very little about the Teach-
and the counsel and advise of David
poor things, as they become agitated ers' Institute of the Seminary."
Brown and will gladly give the Sem-
"The Teachers' Institute was estab-
over the passing of minutes and work
inary the extra million dollars it needs
themselves up into a frenzy of lost lished here in 1904 as an extension of
in order that it may go from strength
motion, and tear their nerves to tat- its main work, but when it was found
to strength in the service of Israel."
ters because time is moving on, and necessary to conduct it as a separate
I recall the cool, calm, unhurried de- department, five years later, Mr.
liberation which is so characteristic Schiff created a fund of $100,000, one-
of this greatest Jewish lay scholar in half of which was to be devoted to the
America, who besides being president maintenance of the school. Later he
of Dropsie College, the Oriental So- added $50,000 to his original benefac- "FROM THE CRADLE TO
ciety and the Jewish Theological Sem- tions," Dr. Adler told me. "It began
THE CHUPPE"
inary is also chairman of a half dozen its separate existence under the direc-
organizations, chairman of the execu- tion of the Seminary, to be sure, in
By
Constance
and Henry Gideon.
tive committee of the American Jew- 1909 with 35 students.
A remarkable collection of Yiddis
ish Committee, chairman of the pub-
Encouraging Scholarship.
folk-songs, entitled "From the Cradl
lication committee of the Jewish Pub-
"That accounts for two of the aims to the Chuppe," by Constance an
lication Society, chairman of the
the founders of the Seminary had in Henry Gideon, has just appeared; r
Cultural Committee of the Joint Dis-
mind. I think it will be interesting
markable both because of its intrinsi
tribution Committee and chairman of
to know how it has carried out its
value, and especially because of it
the Army and Navy Committee of the
purpose of encouraging scholarship Origin. The musicians who gathers
Jewish Welfare Board.
these songs furnished them with ac
I thought of these things when I and research.
"It has carried out the promotion rompaniments and made the F,nglis
saw him the other day at the sem-
inary. Seemingly, he had nothing to of Jewish learning by the assembly translation did not hear the melodie
do as he bade me come right in—but of a great library and by the publica- in their childhood or in their parents
on his desk and throughout the room tion of learned works directly by the home; nor did they speak Yiddish a
were evidences of its occupancy by an institution or by members of the fac- a mother tongue.
Constance Gideon, of English biro
individual of prodigious sustained in- ulty in publications of learned socie-
dustry. I sought him out because of ties and scholarly periodicals. Dr. and rearing, who became a convert t
the tremendous interest aroused by Schechter was a scholar of world-wide Judaism after her marriage wit
the acquisition by the Seminary of the renown. Ile wrote many treatises Henry Gideon, an American Jew o
which have been published variously. South German parentage, in collabora
great Elkan Nathan Adler Library.
Professor Louis Ginzberg and Pro- tion with her husband found joy i
I put my question to him:
"What is the position of the Jewish fessor Israel Davidson have written a gathering these expressions of th
Theological Seminary in the Jewish number of works of great scientific Yiddish folk-soul and in singing the
value which have been published by throughout the United States, as we
life in America?"
the Seminary. Professor Alexander as on the other side, while our boy
The Seminary Ideal.
Marx has gained international recog- were fighting on foreign soil. Th
As if he had been forewarned, he nition as an eminent bibliographer. songs represent the best part of th
swung into the answer:
The late Israel Friedlander was a repertoire of the Gideons, who hay
"The Seminary corresponds to the great Arabic and Jewish authority.
been touring the country for the pa s
old Jewish ideal of an academy for His Arabic studies were published by ten years as exponenta of Jewis
the training of learned men. In that the American Oriental Society and the secular and religious music.
respect it is like the academies of Jewish Quarterly Review. And all of
Mr. Gideon has won recognition a
Babylonia and Jerusalem. It roe- the members of the faculty have taken a composer. He is an M. A. of Ha
responds to the institutions which the a leading part in great literary enter- vard, where he won the John Thornto
early American colonists set up in prises such as the translation of the Kirkland Fellowship for music stud
response to what they felt to be their Bible and in editing the Jewish Class- abroad, with the aid of which he w a
greatest need, once they had settled
enabled to specialize in the history
ics Series."
themselves and felt a degree of per-
"Curious how Mr. Schiff's name worship music. For the past 15 yea r
manency in their new homes. Just as
he has been choirmaster and organi
looms
up
so
largely
in
connection
with
Harvard College of Massachusetts,
of Temple Israel, Boston, and hot
and Yale, and the University of Wil- the Seminary," I interjected.
the chair of University Extension L
Dr.
Adler
smiled.
"lie
was
a
real
liam and Mary in Virginia were
toter on Music Appreciation for t
said.
"Because
founded to train a learned ministry, prince in Israel," he
State of Massachusetts. In additio
he
realized
that
the
Seminary
had
a
so the Jewish Theological Seminary
to his Ilyninal for Jewish Sabba t
was founded 40 years ago for the cre- tremendous bearing on the future of Schools, he has written a number
American
Judaism,
it
was
close
to
his
ation of a learned Rabbinate for the
heart. He not only gave generously four-part songs and a mass in Georg
Jews of America..
an Chant for the Catholic Churc
"In this it blends the ideals back himself, but he persuaded others to Through his lecture recital, "The Je
of all our ancient Jewish academies give. His son, Mortimer L. Schiff, is in Music," he was early acclaimed
following
worthily
in
his
lamented
and also the ideals of America. The
an original thinker and profound m
founders of the Seminary had three father's footsteps, especially in his
sician.
definite intentions in view: to give a many benefactions to our library. Mr.
This is the first collection of Jewi
good professional training to young Schiff gave the Seminary its present folk-songs published in America,
building,
was
generous
in
developing
men who desired to prepare for the
fact
the only collection of Jewish fol
occupancy of pulpits in American syn- its library and gave, at various times, songs that will challenge comparis‘
agogues; to promote scholarship and $475,000 toward the Seminary's en-
with
the published folk-songs of ooh
research; and to train teachers for dowment fund to the $110,000 for the peoples. Other collections are on
Jewish religious schools. And during Teachers' institute.
text
and
melody, without any artist
"But others have also been generous
the past 36 years these three lines of
value whatever, or propagandi
activity have been steadily, persistent- —not many, it is true, but they are
songs.
entitled to mention.
ly and successfully carried out."
The Yiddish text, in clear and si
"Leonard Lewisohn gave $50.000.
There will be some who will have
Ale phonetic transcription, appeals
the thought back of their heads that Daniel Guggenheim has given $50.- public performers who prefer the on
000.
Louis
Marshall
and
Felix
M.
the last quoted sentence might just as
'nal texts whenever practicable,
well have been omitted. Because, fore- Warburg have been generous contrib- will find a hearty welcome in Jewi
sooth, what else could the president of utors to our funds. Still the number families whose traditional life
an institution say, except something of Jews throughout the country who bound up with the use of the"ma
like that? Ordinarily speaking, that are making a real contribution toward
loshon."
is so. But when you speak of Dr. the support of the Seminary in small
The English translation delicate
Adler the situation is altogether dif- especially when you take into consid- reflects the spirit of the original, a s
ferent. If the Seminary was a schol- eration that without the Seminary when rhymed reads no smoothly a s
there
can
be
no
real
hope
for
tradi-
astic failure, he would be the first,
naturally that the verses seem to ha
the very first, to say so—and without tional Judaism in this country."
been created in the vernacular. T
"I Won't Be Labelled!"
circumlocution. But Dr. Adler known
Our talk drifted awhile. i spoke version will he hailed by Jews w
the Seminary and its achievements
have no musical tradition but ha
of
the
notions
some
people
have
of
better than any other man in Amer-
great desire to know the secular m
he knows every job he him. He laughed when I told him
ica, just
sic of their people.
that
in
some
quarters
he
was
regarded
has ever undertaken better than any
Is "Eili, Eili" the only non-religio
other man. Otherwise he wouldn't as a hitter anti-Zionist and the sen- song that represents the Jewish p
sation
that
was
created
in
those
cir-
undertake it but make every effort to
ple?
"Raisins and Almonds" is j
get the man who knows better how to cles when the news came out that he
as characteristically Jewish as "
do the particular job, to undertake it. had been one of the moving forces in
God,
My God, Why Hest Thou F
arranging a conference in Philadel-
The Adler Philosophy.
sedum Me!"
There is not • detail of the work at phia for Dr. Chaim Weizmann, at
Abraham
Cahan found in th
the Seminary with which he is unfa- which Jules Mastbaum gave $5,000 songs, when he heard them sung
miliar, there isn't personal problem for the upbuilding of Palestine. And the Gideons, a vivid reminder of
relating to any one of its students I told him, too, that I had learned
boyhood, more life-like than
which isn't brought to him for solu- that it was largely due to his sugges- thought would ever come to him ago
had given
tion. There are some who speak of tion that Felix M. Warburg
An experience not to be wondered
$10,000
for
the
Hebrew
University
in
Dr. Adler's "cold, forbidding front."
since the songs have not been to
If he has it—though, in my contacts Jerusalem.
pored with, but have been left in th
"I
won't
be
labelled,"
he
declared.
with him I haven't been able to dis-
ardently, original form, as the melody fell fr
cover it, it is mask. Let me illustrate "I can love Palestine
the lips of the singer and was cat
more
ardently,
than
any
Zionist
with-
this with a story I heard about him
and fixed by the trained ear of
recently. It was late at night and he out being labelled. I ran do some-
collector.
thing
for
Palestine,
culturally,
eco-
was on his way to the station to make
"From the Cradle to the Chup
a train to Philadelphia after a full nomically, without being labelled. appears in two volumes, coverin
Palestine's
development
is
every
Jew's
day at the Seminary, with a confer-
range
of four classes of son
ence of the cultural committee of the responsibility—it is not the monopoly
a) ('hildhood: b) Meditation; c)
Joint Distribution Committee thrown of any group or party in Israel.
"Yes, and the same is true of the songs; d) Weddings and Festiv
in. The young rabbi who escorted him
arranged for voice and piano. It
remembered that Dr. Adler had just Jewish Theological Seminary. It Isn't published by the Arthur P. Sch
recovered from a serious illness, one labelled. It isn't to be labelled. it Is
Company, Boston and New York.
an
institution
belonging
to
every
Jew,
that would have laid low many • man

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