America ffewisk PerioScal Cotter
CLIPTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE end the Legal Chronicle
Decembor 27, 1940
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Schechter's Death
One of Big Four
DAVE BORIN
By PROF. MORDECAI M. KAPLAN
Editor, The Reconstructionist Magazine
marked the 25th anni- which Schechter sought with all
Dec. 11
versary of Solomon Schechter's his might to combat.
Schechter realized that the
death. No Jew who is keenly
anxious that there be a future time to combat escapism is not
to Judaism in America can let when the Jew has broken with
that day pass without experi- Jewish associations and responsi-
encing a sense of gratitude for bilities. Then it is too late. The
what Schechter did to render such time to expose the centrifugar
a future secure. Much has been tendency among Jews is while it
said, and will continue to be said, operates under the aegis of re-
about Schechter the man, the ligion, philanthropy, and social
scholar, the hasid, and the found- service. In the kind of religion
er in this country of Concerva- which it became fashionable for
tive Judaism. Yet in one of these Jews in the upper brackets of
roles does his true distinction lie. wealth and influence to profess,
As a man, Schechter had his Schechter discerned nothing but
human failings. As a scholar, a catering to opportunism. Sch-
he had „his peers. As a hasid, echter maintained that in whittl-
he was too modern to be true to ing away from Jewish religion
type. As founder in America of the substance of Jewish practice
Conservative Judaism, he may be and reducing it to a sum of uni-
said to have organized a move- versal platitudes, to a way of
ment which is still in too–amor- speaking instead of a way of
phous a state to do him much living, Jews were trying to cover
glory. But what Schechter will up this flight from Judaism. With
always be gratefully remembered all the devastating wit at his
for is the fact that more than command, he exposed the true
any other Jew in this country, meaning of the sublimation of
either native or foreign born, he Jewish nationhood into a Jew-
set in motion the inner forces in ish mission. For what else could
Jewish life that will, in all like- a mission without missionaries
lihood, ultimately check the dis- be than a ridiculous paradox?
integration with which it is
The Primacy of Jewish
threatened.
Scholarship
Schechter Militant Against
Escapism
EXTENDS
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SIDNEY HILLMAN
D. A. BORIN CI CO.
Sidney Hillman, prominent la-
bor leader, has been named one
of the four national leaders to
direct the defense program. The
other three are William S. Knud-
sen, Secretary of War Henry L.
Stimson and Secretary of the
Navy Frank Knox.
Richard Crooks to Be Sym-
3, 4
Once we became aware that the
phony Soloist Jan.
purpose which dominated Schech-
From the standpoint of pro- ter's soul was to halt the process
Following its Christmas week
grams and philosophies of Judir- of dejudaization, we can appre- inactivity, the Detroit Symphony
ism, Schechter defies classifica- date the true significance of the
Orchestra will resume its concert
tion. "He was too liberal for various emphasis in his writing
Orthodox Jews," writes his bi- and teaching. Those emphases schedule with the performances
ographer, Norman Bentwich, "too fall into a distinct pattern. He of Thursday night, Jan. 2, Fri-
conservative for the Reform lead- stressed two principles: (1) the
ers; he antagonized the Zionists pr i macy of Jewish scholarship,
because he demanded a religious and (2) the importance of keep
life in Palestine; he antagonized i ng Jewish life integral and
the anti-ists because he was too whole. Those two principles were
passionate for the cause of Zion." not intended to constitute the
It is not possible to label Schech- basis of an alternative to the ex-
ter by any of the usual adjec- isting versions of Judaism. They
tives we have on hand, because were meant not as a program of
he was not interested in pro- a party, but rather as a program
mulgating a particular version that would make the existence
of Judaism. His ambition was of parties or sects safe for Juda-
to halt the process of dejudai- ism.
zation that is going on within
Jewish scholarship was to
Jewish life itself, within the very Schechter much more than an in-
heart of the Jew. Dejudaization tellectual passion. He regarded
is the gradual elimination of what Jewish scholarship of the modern
is distinctively and uniquely Jew- type as indispensable to the
ish, for fear of being a conspic- maintenance and the keeping of
uous target of attack. It is Jewish consciousness in our day.
prompted by 7 the half-conscious To be conscious of being a Jew
desire to run away from Jewish without the knowledge of what
life. This desire, which gnaws had gone into the making of
at the hearts of an increasing Judaism was to Schechter the
number of our people, is a reac- cardinal evil of Jewish life. That
tion to anti-Semitism in its vari- evil could not be overcome so
ous manifestations; but it is that long as we lacked that ordering
reaction reenforced by the as- and interpretation of the tradi-
RICHARD CROOKS
sumption that there is nothing tional content which would render
in Judaism worth living or dying it understandable and palatable
for. It was that assumption to the Jew trained in modern day afternoon, Jan. 3 and Satur-
day night, Jan. 4, in Masonic
ways of thought. The only way
to effect the needed ordering and Temple.
Richard Crooks, one of Amer-
interpretation of the Jewish her-
itage was to have Jewish schol- ica's greatest tenors, will be the
ars imbued with a love of their soloist at the Thursday-Friday
people and highly disciplined in pair, the program for which will
the techniques of research, apply be the same. Solist at the Sat-
themselves to the task of recreat- urday pop concert will be Wini-
ing the Jewish past and make fred Heidt, Detroit mezzo-soprano
it live again in the mind of the member of the Metropolitan Op-
Jew as though it were part of era Association, whose recent rise
his own personal memory. The in the musical world is one of
few highlights of ancient Jewish the city's prides.
history dn not suffice to foster
Jewish consciousness. The Jew-
ish past must live on, not like fore all the more alluring. This
the ruins of Pompeii, but like a is why Schechter was such an
city beautiful. Schechter assumed ardent Zionist, and this is why
that the more Jewish knowledge he fought for the revival of
Plan your Christmas and
a Jew possessed—the knowledge Hebrew. He was influenced by
New Year trips by Blue
made available by modern Jew- Ahad Ha-Am's contention that
ish scholarship—the more inner Palestine has become indispens-
Goose Bus. Use the money
satisfaction would he find in be- able as a keystone to hold to-
you save for other things.
ing a Jew, and therefore the less gether the various Jewries of the
would he want of take to flight diaspora. Without Palestine, world
from Judaism. To be sure, the Jewry would break up into sep-
Go and return when you
knowledge of the right does not arate tribes. Before long they
always lead one to do the right. would lose contact with one an-
please on buses which you
But such knowledge as has to other, and be rapidly absorbed
know are warm, safe and
do with giving a man status and by the non-Jewish population.
maintaining his self-respect is,
By the same token that Schech-
comfortable.
indeed, likely to prevent him from ter fought a Zionless and Hebrew-
doing anything that would des- less Judaism, he fought a re-
troy his self-respect. This is why ligionless Zion and Hebrew. The
Detroit Terminal
Schechter was so eager to have former wanted the soul of Juda-
the Jews foster Jewish scholar- ism without its body; the latter
Washington Blvd.
ship and learning.
wanted the body of Judaism with-
at Grand River Ave.
out its soul. He sensed in the
Keeping Jewish Life Whole
modern secular nationalism "a
Secondly,
Schechter
stressed
CA. 9000
the importance of keeping Jewish root that beareth gall and worm-
life integral and whole. There wood," and he dreaded to have
was no danger he so feared, and such a root grafted in place of
against which he had so set his the messianic ideal which had
heart, as the ranger of fragmen- ever been part of the tree of
tation. Once a Jew loses touch Judaism. The present world up-
with the totality of Jewish liv- heaval has vindicated the truth
ing, he develops a kind of local of Schechter's deep insight into
Judaism, which is more local than the perils of godless nationalism.
Schechter could not have made
Jewish in character. That kind
of local Judaism, cut off from a greater contribution to the
the tree of Jewish life, withers Jewish survival.. and revival than
away for lack of spiritual sus- by his insistence on Jewish knowl-
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tenance. Under those circum- edge ad Jewish integrity. For
stances, escapism can take on that his soul will be bound up
LA 4500
the form of trying to satisfy with the bond of ever living
spiritual hunger, and is there- Judaism.
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Extends Best Wishes to Its Many Friends
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of Chanukah
THE SHOLEM ALEICHEM
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4