American 9ewish Periodical Center

CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO

January I, 1943

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE an i The Legal Chronicle

3

Jewish Education --- A Wartime Responsibility

In the year 1943, when the
shape of the world to come may
be decided in a matter of months,
the task of adult education takes
on a grim seriousness that stakes
it indeed the great central task
of civilization itself. IVe must
literally learn or perish! Never
indeed has a generation been
called upon to learn so much in
so little time.
As t as to be expected, Amer-
ica has made her decision. Amer-
ica is today a nation at school.
Industry and labor are learning
new methods of mass produce-
tion. Science is learning new
techniques. The men in the army,
navy and air force are learning
the new methods of modern War-
fare. Civilians are learning their
duties in civilian defense. House-
wives are learning their responsi-
bilities on the home front. The
average ctizen is learning new
ways of living, some of them un-
comfortable and strange. More
of us than ever before are learn-
ing to appreciate the greatness
of our own American heritage of
liberty and to understand the
need of safeguarding it for our-
selves and of extending it to the
rest of mankind.
In this country we are witness-
ing today the spectacle of an
adult world learning things, from
tcnk maneuvers to first aid, from
gardening to geography, from
heat conservation to history; a
population being taught by gov-
ernment officials, by commenta-
tors, authors, by press and ra-
dio, by the vocational expert, by
the top sergeant, by the officials
of civilian defense, by the col-
lege professor. In short. more
people are at work today teach-
ing and learning more things
and more ideas than ever before
in American history. In this way,
America is learning how to win
the war and to deal with the
post-war world that is to be.
But how is it with the Jewish
people in America? Are we learn-
ing as Jews and are we acquiring
these attitudes which will bring
us victory in our own war for
Jewish survival? Are we master-
ing those techniques which will
build, on sure and enduring
foundations, the future of Jew-
ish life in this country? Are we
informed and enlightened by such
viewpoints as will enable us to
deal intelligently and responsively
with specific Jewish phases of

e

Rabbi Fram To Review
Lloyd C. Douglas'
Novel, "The Robe"

By DR. ISRAEL M. GOLDMAN
Director. National Academy for Adult Jewish Studies

Editor's Note: Dr. Goldman, rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, Providence,
R. I., discusses the spiritual responsibility which a world at
N •ar imposes on the entire community and points up the current
need for a stronger Jewish life in America.

post-war reconstruction? Are we
sustained by those inner reser-
voirs of spiritual strength and
are we supported by that moral
stamina which spring so abund-
antly from our own religious
heritage and which are so vital
for our daily living? In short,
has the coining or the war re-
vitalized the ancient tradition of
adult learning among our people?
The majority of American
Jews, it must be acknowledged,
are lamentably divorced from
the fateful realities of Jewish
life. They do not know what is
going. On round about them in
the Jewish world. They do not
possess the basic Jewish training
to cope courageously and under-
standingly with the portentious
problems of the day. Nor are
their minds open to learn!
We were told recently by
United States Army authorities
that in America today there are
several hundred thousand "func-
tional illiterates". These are men
who are physically fit for Army
duty but they are nevertheless
unacceptable for service to their
country because of inadequate
education. The number of these
men is equivalent to 15 army
divisions. They represent the lost
legions in the present struggle
for the survival of civilization.
May it not be said, with striking
similarity, of great numbers of
American Jews that due to in-
sufficient Jewish knowledge they
are not .Jewishly fit for the serv-
ice which their own people re-
quires of them? They are our
own "functional illiterates" and
they represent our own lost bat-
talions in the struggle we must
wage as Jew's.
We must first reckon, then,
these lost legions in the army
of Israel. For purposes of serv-
ice in the cause of his people.
every Jew can be classified in
1A. As many of our people as
possible must be enlisted for such
basic Jewish training which will
bring to each, first, an aware-
ness of what is at stake in the
present life and death struggle

which may spell survival or ex-
tinction for himself and his peo-
ple; and second, an understand-
ing of the ways in which he can
help to turn the tide of battle
towards victorious Jewish exist-
ence.
In war time, we must further
intensify our efforts to spread
Jewish learning among all our
people because the war which
we Jews are waging is in the
fullest sense of the word
"People's War". This phrase has
conic into popular use recently
because in the present conflict
it is not only the generals, the
officers and the troops that are
engaged in fighting. The average
man—indeed, every man—stands
in the line of combat. This is
a people's war and when it is
won it will be all of the people
who shall have fought it and
brought victory. In world history
this is a new phenomenon. But
to us Jews it is an age-old ex-
perience. We have always been
engaged in a People's War. We
have been able to wrest victory
for continued survival of our
people not only because of the
martyrdom of our great spiritual
heroes—Rabbi Akiba in ancient
times, Rabbi Ammon in medieval
times, Professor Moses Schorr in
modern times—but because the
average Jew lived and served as
a consecrated and courageous
soldier of Israel.
In our day we must stress the
vital role which every Jew must
play in the camp of Israel and
we must enlist every Jew for
intelligent participation in the
struggles of his embattled peo-
ple. The importance of the av-
erage Jew is very greatly under
rated--not so much by the Jew-
ish leaders as by the average
Jew himself. He is often a touch-
ingly modest creature. He is all
for some form of stronger Jew-
ish life in America, for some
means of Jewish perpetuation,
and for a better lot for the Jew
in the rest of the world. But lie
hopes that these will be worked
out for him from above. But the

Israel Sisterhood
Luncheon Jan. 10

Purity Chapter, O.E.S.,
Valentine Card Party
To Be Held Feb. 15

On Monday, Jan. 4, at 8 o'clock
Monday, Dec. 21, Purity Chap-
the committee in charge of all ter No. 359, 0. E. S., held its
"The Robe,' a novel dealing with arrangements for the Temple Is-
the story of the crucifixion of rael Sisterhood dessert luncheon "Bowl-of-Rice" dinner in the
banquet hall of the temple. Bessie
Jesus and its historical .back-
Nyman, Helen Rothenberg., Bea-
ground, written by the popular
trice Weisberg, Pauline Epps and
novelist, Lloyd C. Douglas, will
Ida Swartz were in charge. The
he the subject of the sermon to
net proceeds will be turned over
he delivered by Rabbi Leon Frain
to the China Relief Committee.
at the Sabbath Eve services of
A regular business meeting
Temple srael, in the Lecture Hall
followed. A check was made out
of the Detroit Institute of Arts,
payable to Harry Warman, spon-
Friday night, Jan. S.
sor for the Leader Dog League.
The Rabbi will discuss Mr.
This contribution was the amount
Douglas characterization of the
pledged by the chapter and con-
Jews and the Romans who par-
tributed by the members to aid
ticipated in the events culminat-
some blind person in purchasing
ing in the crucifixion. He will
a seeing-eye dog to enable him
compare Mr. Douglas' interpreta-
to secure and maintain an oc-
tion of the events with those of
cupation independently.
the Jewish novelist, Sholom Asch,
An announcemet was made of
in his recent novel, "The Naza-
the forthcomig valentine card
rene," as well as with the results
party to be held on Feb. 15,
of the historic researches on the
at the Eastern Star Temple.
subject made by both Christian
and Jewish scholars.
Next Kvutzah lvrith
The Young People's Club will
Meeting Saturday, Jan. 2
invite both Christian and Jewish
young people of the city to par-
The next meeting of the Kvut-
ticipate in a discussion of the
zzah Ivrith, the Hebrew Cultural
sermon, which will be held at the
Group, will be held Saturday
Youth Symposium following the
MRS. BAYRE LEVIN
morning, Jan. 2, in the auditor-
service.
ium of the Rose Sittig Cohen
and
afternoon
of
games,
will
meet
There will be a Social Hour,
Bldg.
under the auspices of the Sister- in the home of Mrs. Reuben Le-
This evening will be dedicated
vine, of 3742 Cortland Ave., to
hood of Temple Israel.
make final plans for the annual to an evaluation of Dr. Simon
affair which will be held in the Halkin's latest book entitled "The
Harold R. Peat at Cass Kerns Auditorium on Monday, Temporary and the Permanent in
Literature." Mr. Meyer Mathis
11 at 1 p.
Detroit Town Hall Jan. 8 Jan.
is the chairman of the evening:
Mrs. Arthur Hass, general the speakers are: M. Plafkin, A.
Detroit Town Hall at the Cass chairman for the event reports Atzmoni and P. Zalish.
Theater resumes the Friday that her committee is working
morning lectures on Jan. 8, with diligently to make this an out-
Harold R. Peat, author and lec- standing affair and from all re- Feldman, H. Millman, J. Krause,
ports the door prizes, one of the S. Benyas.
turer.
Mrs. Bayne Levin urges the
Mr. Peat has become one of high lights of the afternoon will
the greatest orators of World be very outstanding this year. members to remember that the
War I. His book, "Private Peat," There will also be very worth coming year, because of the
became a sensational best seller; while table prizes for each table. emergency, will require greater
Those actually engaged in co-operation and effort for the
Paramount made it into a movie,
with Private Peat playing the working on the various commit- continuance of the social, com-
title role. In his lecture, "Our tees are as follows: Mesdames munal and Red Cross or war ac-
World Tomorrow," Private Peat Moritz Kahn, Sol Lunsky, Wm. tivities.
Tickets are available by calling
brings another stirring message Gordon, Benj. Merkle, R. Weber, Mrs. Harry Goldberg, TE. 1-2422,
A. Beramson, B. LeBret, M. Em-
to this bewildered world.
mer, L. Cowen, H. Gilberg, Chas. her co-chairman, Mrs. J. Mazer,
Goldstein, S. Kessler, M. Stein- or Mrs. Arthur Hass, the general
BUY WAR BONDS— berg, M. Snyder, R. Sarason, S. chairman.

•

people who actually have to wage
the campaigns for Jewish sur-
vival are the ordinary, the aver-
age Jews. Without enlightened
and active participation of masses
of American Jews, all leaders are
helpless, all blueprints are use-
less, and all cans are worthless.
With their help, no struggle is
too hard, no program too diffi-
.cult Of achievement, no new
world too hard to build. This is
good traditional Jewish doctrine.
Centuries ago our Sages taught
us: "Kol Yisroel Yesh Lahem
Kelek Lesolam Ha-bo," which
may be freely translated: "Every
Jets, who is to be counted as
a true Israelite, must have a
share in the building of the bet-
ter world of tomorrow."
We must exert every effort to
transmit our religious heritage
to mature people because in time
of war the minds of men are
already turning to plans for the
building of a new world at
peace. When we Jews think in
terms of the post-war world, we
would surely do well to look into
our religious literature, for it
contains profound and far-reach-
ing implications for the new
world which we want to create.
While we may not find in it a
detailed blueprint for the solu-
tion of our specific problem, we
can nevertheless derive ultimate
aims, values and ideals.
We who are engaged in the
work of adult Jewish education
must stimulate people to think
about 'and to plan for a world
at peace. It was Henry A. Wal-
lace, the Vice President of the
United States, who recently de-
clared: "Thinking of the future
peace is not searching for an
escape from the stern realities of
the present nor taking refuge
in airy castles of the mind." The
old slogan, "In time of peace
prepare for war" must now he
reversed to read: "In time of
war prepare for peace." In many
ways the preparations for living
at peace are a more difficult
task. Preparedness for war deals
mostly with tangibles—men, guns,
ships, planes and money. Pre-
paredness for peace deals largely
with intangibles—the setting tip
of moral and intellectual forces
which will produce and maintain
peace. If we are to make a bet-
ter job of the peace this time
than last, it will be because in-
telligent public interest and dis-
cussion will succeed in develop-
ing these intangibles.
The work which we are doing
needs to be intensified now be-
cause we Jews must deal with
specific Jewish aspects of the
post-war world. We must inform
and mold public opinion which
will help to crystallize the spe-
cific Jewish needs and problems,
as well as to clarify their pro-
posed solutions. At the present
time, six institutes are dealing
with Jewish problems of the post-

war world. But while these in-
stitutes touch very ably upon
almost every phase of post-war
reconstruction in Jewish life—
the questions of relief, rehabili-
tntion, the restitution of civil and
political rights, migrations and
resettlements—they hardly touch
upon one of the most important
and most vital questions of all:
how to strengthen the religious
and cultural life of American
Jewry so that it shall with dig-
nity and responsibility play its
part as the largest Jewish com-
munity in the history of the
world. If we shall ever accom-
plish this it will be only after
we shall have succeeded in re-
making much of American Jewish
life as it is today. And what is
this all-embracing effort to re-
make Jewish life if not adult
Jewish education? Every effort
must have its cultural motivation
a n d educational background.
What a challenge and what an
opportunity for us in the field
of adult Jewish education!
The National Academy for
Adult Jewish Studies under the
auspices of the Jewish Theologi-
cal Seminary of America was
created two years ago for the
purpose of establishing an adult
Jewish education movement in
this country. We know that we
will have to overcome many diffi-
culties and obstacles. Many peo-
ple are totally indifferent. Others,
who are interested in Jewish
study, are prevented from de-
voting time to it because they
are busy with war work or be-
cause they cannot leave their
homes in the evening or because
motor locomotion is much cur-
tailed.
Yet we who are leading in this
work must not falter. We might
follow the example of the tired
mountain climber, who, frozen
and weary himself, worked very
hard at restoring the life of his
companion who had become cold
and faint because of the severe
frost. Not only did the mountain
climber breathe new life into
the man he helped but as a result
of his activity he also glowed
with so much warmth that he
was able to continue his uphill
climb with renewed vigor. So,
too, will we become aglow with
new warmth and enthusiasm as
we try to lead others uphill to-
ward the beautiful and rewarding
vistas of Jewish learning.

LaMED

(Continued from Page 1)

were awarded to Daniel Charney
for a Yiddish book' of memoirs
and to Gabriel Prayl for a boot:
of Hebrew poems.
The judges who awarded the
Louis LaMed prizes were Hillel
Ravli, Jacob Gladstein, Chayint
Greenberg, Dr. Max Weinreich
and David Pinski.

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