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CLIFTON AVENUE • CINCINNATI 20, OHIO

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bet. 3, 1937

nearest

Rosh Hashonah Greetings

NOW WE EXPRESS IN WORDS WHAT
WE ARE EVER MINDFUL OF
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR — A KEEN
APPRECIATION OF THE CONFIDENCE
OUR JEWISH FRIENDS HAVE IN US.
WE ARE HAPPY TO TAKE THIS
OPPORTUNITY OF WISHING YOU ALL
A IIAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW
YEAR.

OVERALLS

Happy New Year's Greetings

Amongst our assets we
like to count your good
will. Please accept this
as a personal handshake
full of warmth, sincerity
and wishing you a Happy
and Prosperous New
Year.

RECONSTRUCTING AMERICAN JEWRY

(CONCLUDED F105 PAGE SIX)

group under the leadership of Dr.
Kaplan founded u bi-weekly peri-
odical called the Reconstruction-
1st, and in the few years which
have elapsed since that time this
magazine has made a deep im-
1 pression upon the thinking of
thoughtful American Jews. Con-
currently with the publication of
this journal members of the edi-
torial board have published works
on various aspects of Jewish life
reflecting the basic hypotheses of
Reconstructionism. Such books as
"The Future of Judaism in Amer-
, ice," by Eugene Kohn, The Mak-
ing of the Modern Jew," by Mil-
ton Steinberg, "Judaism in a
Changing Civilization," by Sam-
, uel Dinin, "Creative Judaism,"
lby the present author, are defi-
nitely outgrowths of Reconstruc-
tionist thinking. Dr. Kaplan him-
, self has supplemented and ex-
' paneled the original presentation
of his thesis in subsequent vol-
umes, such as "Judaism in Tran-
sition," and "The Meaning of God
in Modern Jewish Religion." A
volume of "Jewish Reconstruc-
tionist Papers," edited by Dr.
Kaplan has also appeared, and in-
cludes some of the most signifi-
cant and enduring contributions
to the Reconstructionist maga-
zine. It is no exaggeration to say,
as Ludwig Lewisohn has said.
that this movement is one of the
most profound, serious and arti-
culate in contemporary Jewish
life.
• • •

mined their acceptance of those
basic truths which their ancestors
taught. Modern economic life
harrasses them, and in their
struggle for existence they have
little time or effort left for the
cultivation of their distinctively
Jewish lives. Modern political
thought with its tendencies to-
ward regimentation and standard-
ization makes it more and more
difficult for Jewish life to main-
tain itself. The pressure of anti-
Semitism from without adds fuel
to this fire of doubt. Most Jews
experience no compensations for
their Jewishness. They experience
only disabilities to which their
ancestry and affiliation con-
demned them.
In short, the problem of Jewish
life today can be summed up by
the bold, though generally true.
statement that Jews question
seriously the advisability of going
on. This problem is, to be sure.
a new problem only in the light
of a long Jewish history, but from
a narrower view it is not alto-
gether new. At least five genera-
tions of Jews have to face it, be-
cause it became a problem when
Jews were emancipated from me-
dieval ghettoes and were accord-
ed, officially, equality with all
citizens of modern states. The
problem became a problem when,
upon emancipation, Jews were
exposed to the thoughts current
in modern culture.
Today the problem has become
increasingly difficult because,
from all appearances, Jews will
have tq go on. The program of
assimilationism, popular in vary-
ing degree in various localities
durng the past century and a
half, has been almost completely
discredited. It is not my purpose
here to discuss the advisability or
inadvisability of mass Jewish as-
similation. The plain fact is that
such a program cannot work.
Neither the world nor the masses
of Jews are ready for it. even if
it were granted that such a pro-
cedure would benefit both the
Jews and the world. The result
is that at the present time moat
Jews find themselves on the horns
of a dilemma. On the one hand,
the world forces them into the
ranks of their own people, and,
on the other hand, Jews do not
know what to live for as Jews.
or how to conduct themselves as
Jews in a manner calculated to
bring them happiness.

Why Reconstructionism? The
answer is not far to seek. Jewish
life today faces serious challenges
BAH WEIN
both from within and from with-
TOLES OLEN
out. From within Jewish life is
challenged by Jews themselves,
We also desire to take this opportunity to express
who, unlike their ancestors. find
it more of a burden than a privi-
our appreciation to you for your kind patronage
lege. At one time Jews were
which has been responsible for our growth and suc-
happy to be Jews. They preferred
their status to that their neigh-
cess. We hope to merit your continued good will
bors. They honestly believed that
by always offering,the same fine values that have
they possessed what all men
coveted, namely, the key to the
made Olen & Wein, Detroit's favorite men's store.
good life in this world and salva-
tion in the next. Despite what-
ever physical or mental tortures
to which they were subjected,
their faith in the worthwhileness
of being Jews was never im-
paired.
Today an altogether different
9038 TWELFTH STREET at Clairmount
picture is presented to us. Jews
OPEN EVENINGS—SUNDAYS TILL 5
question the worthwhileness of
being Jews. They are no longer
Downtown Store—National Bank Bldg.
convinced that Judaism is com-
To be sure, assimilationism is
pletely necessary to their well- not the only suggested procedure.
being. Modern thought has under- Other programs for the solution
of the Jewish problem have been
offered. But from the point of
view of Reconstructionism no
one of the programs suggested
is adequate. Orthodoxy bids us to
reaffirm our allegance to the tra-
tional fundamentals of Jewish
thought and religion, and to the
way of life described in the tra-
tional codes. No amount of good
DRINK
intentions or sincerity of purpose
can persuade a large majority of
American Jewish youth to sub-
scribe to a form of Jewish life
whose basic assumptions date
from pre-scientific and pre-indus-
trial times. Reformism bids Jews
to disassociate themselves from
all manner of distinctive national
life and concentrate upon those
religious and ethical principles
which the Prophets enunciated.
OLD 1
Reformism asks us to accept the
doctrine that Jews have a mission
BYES I.
IN BOTTLES
in the world, to teach ethical
monotheism to mankind.
A Pure Drink of Natural Flavor—and Has Always Qualified
In so doing Reformism reveals
Under KOSHER Requirements
itself as unrealistic and intellec-
tually unsound. It fails to reckon
Its
with the fact that Jews are no
longer united by a common reli-
gious affirmation. Jews are not
Jews by virtue of their ethical
A &A
monotheism and many Jews re-
main Jews despite their indif-
A. tt
ference to or rejection of that
doctrine.
It is true that Reformism dur-
)rder
ing the last year has through its
official rabbinical body made tell-
ing revisions in its platform. In
P,54
so far as these revisions make
for a greater appreciation of
fl
Jewish national aspirations they
render the entire movement more
qualified to reckon with Jewish
realities. But so long as Reform-
ism continues to maintain the
Ice pr.
doctrine of Jewish superiority
over the other peoples of the
5.Uei PP11
world it cannot hope to enlist the
■11 19Dure
large masses of young Jews, who
cannot honestly accept such a
Ieric '
doctrine. They cannot accept be-
of tie
cause they do not see evidence
in the life or institutions of their
fellow-Jews to indicate such su-
periority, nor can they adhere to
the notion that the Jewish people
Teti plir '
possess a truth which is final and
irrevocable and which the rest of
the world is not vet aware of.
• •

•

OLEN & WEIN

FOR THE NEW YEAR

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a Case for Your Home From Your Dealers or Phone:

fli'sullioe 5 ,136

•

Pt

PAGE SEVEN

and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE

HAPPY NEW YEAR

FROM THE

CYPRESS CASKS

OF

GOEBEL

GOEBEL BREWING CO. DETROIT, MICH.

Happy Rosh Hashonah Greetings

With Sincere Wishes for a happy and
Prosperous New Year to All of You!

* * * *
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WE INVITE YOUR INSPECTION.

LE-SHONAH TOYAH

CONCLUDED

FROE EDITORIAL PAOD

Soviet general (remember the Mos-
cow trials, Adolf?) . . . May you
be forced to read out loud one
thousand times every anti-Nazi
speech of Dr. Stephen S. Wise ...
Here's hoping that when you die
you are put not into hell but into
the same place where many of your
victims are . All these sugges-
tions boil down to the same thing:
A miese meshinah zu dir, Hitler—
die choleriah soil dir chappen
If you want it translated Into Ger-
man ask your friend Fiorella H.
La Guardia ...

PEACE AND GOOD WILL

headed by Dr. Stephen S. Wise
That Rabbis Barnett R. Brickner
and Abba Ilillel Silver of Cleve-
land exchange pulpits for a year
. That Vladimir Jabotinsky and j
David Ben Gurion both enlist in
the Foreign Legion and be put on
kitchen detail for 12 months .. .
That Louis Rittenberg, editor of
the American Hebrew, invite Con-
gressman Dickstein to be a guest
editorial writer That Benjamin
Winter, of the Federation of Polish
Jews, and Joseph C. Hyman, sec-
retary of the J.D.C., make a tour
of the country on one bicycle in be-
half of Polish Jewry . . That
Samuel Untermyer and Joseph
Proskauer he compelled to write
each other's biographies . And
that our contemporary, Paul A.
Peters of "Between You and Me, "
and ourself, limit our reading for
5698 to our reepective columns ...
Which no doubt would land us both
in the bug-house ...

New Year being a time of peace
and good will and harmony in Jew-
ish life, we offer the following sug-
gestions for 5698 . . . That Dr.
Cyrus Adler, president of the
American Jewish Committee, he STOP IT
If we had any influence we would
given an honorary degree by the
Jewish Institute of Religion, launch a campaign so that Paul
Muni would no longer be forced
to play roles with beards ... That
America of community organ•
Hollywood moguls show less re-
i cations. Reconstructionism
luctance to tackle a Jewish subject
meint•ins that the present
on the screen ... That Shadowlond
chaotic state of Jewish organi•
give Edward G. Robinson a real
cation is doing as much as any
part, in which he isn't tough . .
single factor to drive Jews
That Hitler and Mussolini be made
■ away from Jewish life. Com-
the subjects of unflattering talkies
munity organization is essential
, That some of our Semitic stars
because it alone can bring into
stop that nonsense of changing
reality the idea that there is ■
their names and straightening out
place in Jewish life for any
their noses, thus making things
Jew, no matter what his inter-
tougher for our Hollywood agent,
ests may be, SO long ASS he be-
Louis Pekarsky ... That one of
Neves that Jewish life should
the big producing outfits bring out
be preserved and advanced.
in full feature length the biography
Community organisation is es-
of Theodor Herz! ... That the ru-
sential, furthermore, because it
mors of a Ilaym Salomon film be-
■ alone reckons with Jewish life
come true . That the trend to-
in its totality and recognizes
ward good will themes in the mov-

We wish all our friends and patrons a very Happy New Year
and desire to remind them that we serve the finest

CAKES, COOKIES, PASTRIES
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I

Downtown Branch: Edward Neumann, 25 E. Grand River

THE OFFICERS OF THE

'Yeshiva Beth Yehuda

Extend to all its members and to the
entire Jewish community best wishes
for a happy and prosperous New Year

M. LEVITT, President

'en continue and expand ... That
our producer forget about the Cen-
ral European market when select-
ng subjects for American movie-
goers ... That at least one of them
finds the guts to screen "It Can't
Happen Here" ... That more of

the exiled German :screen stars ge
a break in Hollywood ... Tha
something be done to bring to the
screen that epic of Franz Werfel's
"The Forty Days of Musa Dagh,'
which political pressure stopped In
the middle of production.

the truth that no one organ of
the body can function properly
unless all the others are equally
healthy.

3.—Education.
Reconstruc•
tionism maintains that Jewish
education must cease to be
mere training in ritual or in
catechism. The education of
the whole child, which is the
motto of all progressive educa-
tors, must be •pplied, so to
train the child's habits of think.
ins and acting that he will be
enabled to take his place in the
Jewish community as ■ an Intel-
ligent and well-Informed in-
dividual, and that he will be
enabled further to meet the
challenger of outward antago-
nism with dignity and serenity.
4.—Religion. Reconstruction-
ism maintains that the Jewish
religion is, in fact, the highest
expression of • ci•iliution. No
civilization known to us has
ever been without its religion.
Our task today is to re-inter-
pret ancient concepts In terms
of modern thought and condi•
lions and to make it revelent
once more to the realities of
our generation. Creative talent
must be •pplied to religion as
to all other aspects of life.
cease
as
to be
Religion
onm
the must
p
ion of •n-
merely
cleat dicta and rites. It must
become
i ftsoerl:e. • lire and de-
b .kpt
,

B.—Reconstructionism main-
tains that greater emphasis

Reconstruction accepts from Or- must be mad. in our day upon
thodox Its emphasis upon the the esthetic possibilities In Jew-
ish life , art, music, dram•, lit•
need of the maximum of Jewish
nature and the dance: all have
life and from the Reformists it
accepts the method of change and their functions to perform in
A life e h any civilized gorup.
development. Reconstructionism the
ose who are repelled
th Ose
conceives of Judaism as a civiliza-
by Judaism a large number are
tion with Its own language, land,
undoubtedly
repelled by the
history, traditions, laws, religion
lack of beauty and of creative
and art. Reconstructionism main-
expression
In
Jewish life. A
tains that Jews can find a deep
satisfaction in the knowledge and live people creates cal, and art,
the cultivation of that civiliza- I. turn, brings new lif• and
social group.
•
tion. It maintains that adherence zest into say
6.—The co-operative society.
to Judaism should no longer be
R
•
c
e
nstructionisre
maintains
judged by the acceptance of a
that Jewish life in the long run
creed but by participation in the
will depend for Its very e xist-
total life of the Jewish people
ente epos the establishment of
In view of the fact that the
as order of society which is
evolutionary concept has entered
based upon co-operation rather
every phase of Jewish life there
is no reason why it should not than competition. The present
be applied to the civilization of economic order lead. only to
the Jew. This implies that each war, poverty and insecurity.
generation must re-examine its When such conditions prevail,
culture and religious heritage. Its the life of no minority group
literature, institutions and con- is safe. Nor can its people or
cept/ ahould be subjected to the even the members of the me.
scrutiny of honest criticism. So jority find the time or the mind
long as Jews sincerely seek the Is cultivete those •speets of
their lives for which they are
best for their Jewish life. that
Jewish life will function health- In fact struggling. ,
This, in brief. Is the six-fold
ily. Specifically, the Reconstruc-
tionist program may be said to program of the Reconstructionist
movement.
It is a program which
have air points:
1.—Th• re-establishment is
IV realistic and all-inclusive. Re-
constructionism asks no one to
Palestine of • homeland, net
sacrifice a cherished intellectual
only for the Jews but for Jew•
isb life and cotton. As a integrity. It offers creativity and
civilization, Judaism requires
organization. Only the future will
hether American Jews are
at least os. place Is the world tell whether
suciently
Interested to take this
ffi
where it may Ise the primary
civilization for its ambers.
prograrp to heart and to make It
work.
2.—T Is • establishment Is

YEAR IN...
YEAR OUT...

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•

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