cgaiton;Ptisit ItoN

?AGE FOUR

eating ham, we endanger our hea l th. 1
The Irish policeman at the traffic sta.'
lion is certainly a standing refutation
of that argument. The purpose of the
dietary laws has been from the very.
beginning and is today intended as a [
By RABBI ISRAEL GOLDSTEIN
means of malting the Jew feel that he I
Of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, New York.
is different, of reminding him that in
small things and in great things he is
time has such a stir losing his selfhood altogether. That different. What better reminder could
Not in a long
they favor and practic e inter- there be than the most proinent
Why
m
is
been created in the Jewish camp as
marriage. That is why they spurn function of life, that of his daily food? I
has lawn occasioned by the recent ut-
all the customs and traditions of the Thus the laws of Kashruth, like many
terance of Dr. Eliot upon the ques-
Jewish heritage. They its nil want another Jewish ceremonial, are pur-
tion of assimilation. The position
to he known as Jews and they h ope ,
which Dr. Charles W. Eliot holds in
extinction of the Jewish ported to arouse the sense of Jew ts ,
American life is such that every for a speedy h identity and difference, so that a Jew'
set off by these fences, may not be
statement he makes usually receives identity altogeter.
Against such assimilationists Dr.
fed to become absorbed, swallow-
the broadest attention and deepest re-
assimilated by his Gentile ell-
spect. Not only is he the president Eliot directs his shaft of his criticism. tempp,
ed u
Uni-
Ile
says
to
them
"America
does
not
re-
emeritus of America's greatest
c
titre that kind of assimilation. Ainer- virenment
but
he
has
for
a
long
time
For
that
reason, there ought to be
versity,
group
been acknowledged as the leading ex- ic
within its borders, cultivates its own in every Jewish home certain customs,'
ponent of American culture and ideal-
traditions, is loyal to its own culture traditions, ceremonies, by means of
ism And therefore his recent state-
and derives spiritual enrichment from which the sense of Jewish identity
, ment On the question of assimilation
urces. Therefore be loyal may be strengthened. Human nature
its own reso
has been sped on the wings of the an
is such that doctrinal religion in order
d not assimilated."
press to every corner of the land.
It is a well deserved rebuke and one to be vital must be incorporated in a

Assimilation To Or By America?

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BOESK BROS.

I think a great oval of the resent-
went and criticism of Dr. Eliot's
statement has resulted from a mis-
understanding of the term 'assimila-
tion' as he has employed it. The term
'assimilation' is used in two senses.
In one sense, it means to be swallow-
eat up, to lose one's identity, to be;

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that with all the great effect- definite code of habits. Many of the •
comes w
ess because it conies not front laws in the Bible cannot be explain-1
iven
within the camp but front without; eat except upon the ground of inculcat- I

because, moreover, it comes not front ing in Israel a sense of individuality,1
any narrow-minded partisan but from, Thus the great Maimonides makes '
represents tolerance in its clear many of the "statutes" which
a man who
• otherwise are obscure. The rabbis
broadest and Americanism in s deal
have formulated the concept of "ged -
tea ion..
er," the fence, consisting of these des-
assimilated as the lamb is assimila- est imp
Perhaps sonic. of our so-called ell-
ted by the lion. In the some way, a lightened Jews who pride themselves tinctive modes by means of which Is-
smaller group may become assimilated on their modernism will now see them- liters sense of distinctiveness and dis-
by a larger group, and usually such selves, in the mirror of cultured spin- tinctieen is kept alive and in order that
assimilation is effected through inter- ion, as cheap manikins. the sacred enclosure's of the Torah
marriage. When a member of the
Regarding intermarriage there is may remain inviolate. Thus Israel is
minority marries into the family more or less consensus of opinion constantly made aware of its great
of the majority, naturally, the cus- among professing Jews that marrying responsibiility as a kingdom of priests
toms, the habits, the traditions, of out of the faith is the crucial step and a holy nation.
the children will be of the majority—
On the other hand, it should be rec-
!venting tee the extinction eel Israel's
and thus in the course of a few gen- separate identity and is for that rem ognized that one may justly take is-
erations the minority group disap- son tee be condemned as the ultimate sue with that contention, one may say,
pears altogether. That is assimila- breach of loyalty. Most of the discus- "I ant just as anxious as nip very
tion in the first sense, which is the sion of Dr. Eliot's comment has, how- Orthodox brother to remain a Jew, I
term in its most Metal meaning.
ever centered about the question of do not want my children tee marry out
But there is also neither sense in the Aietary laws and therefore it may jof their faith, I want my people to go
which the term assimilation is employ- be more to the point to dwell upon that on living as a distinct entity in Ann-,
ed, to indicate the process of one's ad- particular aspect of Jewish loyalty. vrican life, but I think it is possible
lustment without losing one's identity.
would not read any nom or woman to do that even if the laws (concerning
I
That would be called being assimilated out
of the Jewish fold, as some of my Kosher food are not rigidly (deserved."
to an environment. That process of more partisan colleagues would, for I say that this may he a valid argu-
assimilation goes on in nature all the
On the neat, tend the proof of the argument
violating the. dietary laws.
time—the squirrel with its protective other hand, I would never say, as has rests upon the shoulders of the man
coloring that makes the complexion of been said by others, that a Jew can who asserts it, who must prove first
its fur so like the tree, the fish tak- be an Orthodox Jew and not eat by his own life that he is able and that
ing on the hue of the waters in which
deserve the his children are able' to maintain their
Kosher food. In order to
it lives, and so on Through all of epithet of "Orthodox" one must ad- Jewishness, even without observing
nature there is constantly going on the here tee certain rules which are deb- the dietary laws. But such a man,
process of assimilation or adaption to nitely prescribed in the Jewish code while taking issue' with his Orthodox ,
environment, whereby the essential
and about which there can be no COD- brother, will surely not scoff at hint,
character of the living organism re- fusion. One of these rules is the rule not ridicule hint, not intult hint, but
mains while the external forms change of Kashruth and no Jew can be truly , rather respect him for making the,
to accommodate themselves to the par- Orthodox who (Fes not keel) the law's sacrifice which is entailed in adhering '
ticular environment.
of Kashruth. But, of course, a man to the dietary laws and try to under-
The Same process applies to the nuey be a good Jew even if he is not stand why his Orthodox brother makes
life of any group, he it Irish or Jew-
an Orthodox Jew, just as a man can that sacrifice, namely, in order that ,
ish or whatever he its specific char- be a good American even if he is not he may thereby strengthen in himself
acter. Such a group can manage to a Republican. Orthodox and Reform and his children the sense of Jewish
preserve its identity while at the same are only secondary distinctions. They identity. But, when a Jewish man
time changing some of its forties to are only points of view in the larger or woman on principle orders pork in
accord more naturally with its envir- category of Judaism as such Certain- order tee show his defiance to Jewish
onment. The Jew in America certain- ly the most Orthodox partisan would customs as such, when he eats ham
ly cannot in all respects live in the not think of denying to a man like with a special smack, enjoying it even
same way as the Jew in Germany or Louis Marshall the title of good Jew more than the Gentile, as seems to
the Jew in Italy. It is natural to sup- although Mr. Marshall has not pub- have been the case with the young
pose that from his American sur- fished the fact of whether he does or people whom Dr. Eliot speaks about,
roundings he will absorb and receive
suc h a Jaw, I say, is neither
. Ortho-
deco not adhere..•to Kashruth. And see —
certain influences which will be char-
thing that in honesty with ourselves , dux nor Reim m at an
acteristically American and that the ; I
Jew is avowedly aiming for
same will happen in Italy and Ger- and with the subject, we should admit such
tan does not eat Kosher, he the destruction of Jewish identity al.!
many, see that in each case there will can t be a good Jew, though he can lay together, anti such a Jew well de-
lw a process of assimilation o the nu claim to being can Orthodox Jew. serves the rebuke rad only of good
particular environment; and yet in its
It should, however, be recognized Jews but of all good Americans, lw-
essentials Judaism in America may 'cy those who themselves do not ob- cause the best that the Jew as a peo-
be the same as Judaism in Germany, serve the dietary laws, that those who pie can de) for America is to live his
in Italy or ill England. Some of the do observe them are helped thereby , own Jewish life, at its highest, to cul-
external forms may change, but the in strengthening their Jewish con- tivate his own Jewish heritage at its
e'. since remains. That is assimila- sciousnevs. It is not true that the pur- hest and to derive from his own Jew-
tion in the second sense of adaption.
tease of the dietary law's is to promote ish background, history and tradition
Dr. Eliot's rehke, of course, is ad- health. Possibly that may have been that inspiration which will help him to'
dressed not to this group, but tee the their purpose when they were origi- give of his noblest self as parent and••
first group of assimilationists who Icy natty promulgated but today, when the child, as kinsman and friend, as citi-
their principle and practice actually sub'ect of dietetics is developed to a nos and member of humanity.
mean to give up their identity as .Jews
science., it is silly to suppose that by I think Dr. Eliot's rebuke. has done
and where hope it is that the Jew be-
Ming chicken which has not been anti will do much to clear the stenos-
come absorbed, swallowed up, assimi- ' ,
killed by a schochet, or that even by ;there in the Jewish camp. I would
lated by the majority, body and soul,
paraphrase his advice to the Jew. He
said "Ile loyal and be not assimila-
te(." I would say: "Be not assimila-
ted by—but rather to—America even
while you remain loyal to Judaism."

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0 00 - 0

Assimilation in the sense of adjust-!
ment has been Israel's great power
and unique talent ever since the begin-
ning of the diaspora. Jewish history
is a series of adjustments to ever
changing climates and ever changing
habitats. First, there was, Mimed-
I intely after the first exile, the Baby.'
Ionian civilization, then there came,
(luring the second commonwealth,
Greek civilization. There followed the
Roman civilization after the second
destruction; there was the Mohamme-
dand civilization in Spain in the tenth,
eleventh and twelfth centuries if the
Middle Ages. In each instance Ju-
daism emerged from its contact en-
riched and strengthened, having taken
from each a special hue which it has
added to itself, yet without itself suf-
fering any loss of its own inherent
A nd thus, through its
character.
'cower to adapt itself without losing
its inherent character, Judaism has
!awn able to survive—fur adaption
environment is the law of survival, in
th human world as in the animal

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world.
The first time when that process
was arrested was when, due to the
animosity of the medieval Christian
Church in Europe, the Jew was com-
pelled to live in ghettos, segregated
frem the rest of the population. With
the development of the ghetto began a ,
type of Judaism which may be called
a hothouse growth. The normal con-
tacts between Judaism and its environ-
m•nt were cut oft and the Jew was
thrown back upon himself. Of course,
he could not have helped remaining a
Jew. Jewish life became very sclf-
conscious, too self-conscious, if any-
thing. It was a Judaism induced by
artificial stimulation — persecution,
discrimination, segregation. In many
ways it WAS a great misfortune. When
finally, after six centuries of ghetto •
life, the walls began to fall and Jew-
ish populations were gradually be-gin-
ning to he emancipated in Germany,
in Italy, in England, in America, the
breath of air was almost too much.
There were defections by the thou-
sands. S( me of the choicest sons and
daughters of our people abandoned
their heritage and plunged themselves
into the stream of assimilation, but
that was because Judaism had not the
opportunity of assimilating itself to
the new environment. Its weaker off-
spring was assimilated by their en"

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vIronment.
But fortunately, that first rush in-
to the stream of assimilation has ceas-
ed. It is now 100 years since the
ghetto walls have begun to crumble.
In the meantime Judaism has begun
to re-assert its intrinsic capacity for
adjustment. The result is that we are
beginning to produce Jewish men and
• women who, while they are imbibing
the best of the modern culture, are at
the same time using it to enrich and
not to destroy their Jewish heritage.
In Germany, in England and especial-
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