April 30, 1943

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

into the national majorities was
to be accompanied by the destruc-
tion of the former Jewish "state
(Continued from Page 1)
within the state".
of Federations) and national de-
To be sure, the principle of lib-
fense organizations may have at-
erty of conscience, emerging from
tained the position of super-com-
the centuries-old wars of religion
munal entities, transcending the
as an indispensable prerequisite
bounds of both the individual con-
gregation and their national
to peace and mutual toleration,
unions, but it has always been the
presupposed freedom for profess-
religious element which has lent
ing Jews to adhere to their reli-
them their peculiar coloring. The
gion without loss of citizenship
federations themselves are frankly
denominational and profess to
rights. Such disparity was to be
serve their constituents in line
reduced to the root essentials or
with similar Catholic and Prot-
religious non-conformity, however.
estant charities. In our period of
Since the Christian denominations,
ever-increasing government respon-
especially in Protestant countries,
sibilities for relief and social wel-
had in the course of centuries di-
fare they adhere to the ancient
vested themselves of many poli-
tical features characteristic of the
medieval church, many champions
of Emancipation expected the
Jewish religion, too, to be purified
of secular ingredients and. to see
"THEY GIVE THEIR
its organized activities confined to
LIVES--YOU LEND
the narrow range of worship, re-
ligious education and denomina-
YOUR MONEY"
tional charity. The more these
liberal champions insisted on the
Buy More
humanitarian principle of equal-
War Bonds Today
ity, the more likely they were to
extend political liberalism into the
religious domain as well. Political
liberals, indeed, often became the
prime movers in Jewish religious
Reform. The main difference be-
We are paying more in taxes
tween Christianity and Judaism.
than ever before ... and likely
at least in practice, had consisted
will pay more. But we cannot
of
RF'D—MA
in the adherence of Jews to their
rely on taxes to finance the war.
traditional ceremonial law and
It would not be fair to base a
These Aviation Cadets ‘vallzing toward the flying line and the training planes with which they'll learn ritual, but many Reformers were
tax on the average single fam-
to fly, will soon become part of the Army Air Forces swiftly growing air might. Young men of 18 to 26, quite ready to embrace the preva-
ily income when many families
inclusive, may now 'volunteer for induction for training as Aviation Cadets in the Nation's Air Forces. lent antinomianism of the Protest-
First step is to visit an Aviation Cadet Examining Board at the post office or Federal building of important ant churches and to restrict Jew-
have more than one Income.
ish ritual to a few bare essentials
Fides, or at Air Forcer stations.
We could borrow all the money
confined to synagogue precincts.
from the banks, but for both
A Reform Jew was expected to
economio and social reasons
live fully the life of his Chris-
this is undesirable. The gov-
ity
prevalent
in
metropolitan
ices,
many
akin
to
those
usually
historic tradition of church-admin-
tian compatriot, to consume the
ernment would then sacrifice
areas,
perhaps
one-half
of
New
rendered by a municipality. Reli- same food, to work on the same
istered charities, and see therein
its greatest dam against infla-
York Jewry is affiliated with one
a major justification for their or another of 1,300 permanent gious needs, while not necessarily (lays and to share in social under-
tion. This is a People's War
takings with little reference to
and the people should finance
separate existence. As a matter congregations. In many Jewish beyond its scope, were to be rele- relgious disparity. The synagogue
it. The people WANT to finance
of fact management of these char- settlements numbering but a few gated to a special department itself was to be transformed into
It. Sale of War Bonds has
itable institutions rests predomi- families each, the lack of a regu- whose relative significance would a pure house of worship which
mounted consistently since
nantly with a class and individ- lar congregation bars permanent not exceed that of a contempo- would preach to members and the
Pearl Harbor.
uals opposed to Jewish national- affiliation. But these numerical rary European ministry of cults. world at large principles of eth-
Usually combined with a pro- ical monotheism, foreswearing the
They give their lives ... You
ism and professing to view Juda- losses are counterbalanced by
hundreds of small communities gram of national minority rights, nationalist hope of a physical res-
lend your money.
ism as a religion only.
Their work, moreover, can never which offer congrwational facili- this movement also demanded that toration to Palestine in the messi-
hope to attract the same inten- ties and in which enrollment is al- all states of multiple nationality anic era and largely abandoning
sty of allegiance or even the most complete. The last decade, delegate important cultural re- even the use of Hebrew as a me-
same extensity of effort as has has shown none of the oft- sponsibilities to national minority dium of worship. A Jewish com-
so long been the case with the predicted manifestations of fur- communities under the manage- munity so conceived was but a
synagogue. Despite our highly ag- ther decline in congregational vi- ment of officers freely elected by pale reflection of its former self.
Even some leading Reformers
nostic age it must be remembered tality. On the contrary, if the members of the minority nationali-
that total congregational member- figures of the most authoritative ties. Extremists envisaged su- looked back to the established
ship in the United States vastly recent census are to be trusted, preme elective bodies, "people's communal patterns of former ages
exceeds, numerically, Jewish mem- the number of Jewish congreira- parliaments," as the main legisla- for light and guidance, however.
bership in purely philanthropic tions in the United States has in- tures for these reserved areas of Aaron Chorin and Leopold Low
OFFICE OUTFITTERS
undertakings. Discounting the creased by 19 per cent in tine public and cultural life. The state, in Hungary, Abraham Geiger and
large floating population of cas- years 1928-37, as contrasted with without giving up its sovereignty Samuel Holdheim in Germany,
41-45 Cadillac Square
ual synagogue visitors and of an increase of but 13 per cent in international or domestic af- often searched for precedents of
those attending High Holiday for the Jewish population. While fairs, would forego intervention older communities to justify inno-
CAdillac 9330
servcies in makeshift congrega- New York City Jewry increased in the autonomous functions of vations. The American Reformers,
tions, it seems reasonable to as- some 16 per cent, its congrega- the minority communities and who more consistently repudiated
sume that, despite religious lax- tions increased by some 28 per would restrict itself to supervi- the binding force of tradition and
cent. All this despite the severe sion or the occasional convocation the need of justification by prece-
depression and congregational of a super-parliamentary body dent, likewise professed interest
mortality (luring the years 1930- consisting of delegates of all sub- in the historic continuity of com-
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33. As to intensity of effort, the parliaments to reach decisions on munal evolution and a desire to
Funeral Service at
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attendance of synagogue members questions of common concern to maintain it where possible.
at divine services ranging from all nationalities.
Between these extremes of na-
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These ideological controversies tionalism and Reform, of East
one (Day of Atonement) to 365
merely
reflected
the
stage
of
dis-
(lays a year, and their participa-
European maxinudism and Ger-
tion in various synagogue activi- solution reached by the ghetto man-American minimalism, hov-
ties of a social or cultural na- community under the impact of ered the mass of Jews who, wheth-
ture—however superficial, indeed Emancipation. With the disappear- er or not truly orthodox in reli-
futile many of these activities may ance of corporative organization gious conviction, were tradition-
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appear to truly religious persons— from western society, little room minded. inert mass, although rela-
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far outdistance the active coopera- was left for the old, segregated tively nert and inarticulate, as
tion of members of federations, Jewish corporate body. Leaders of well as poorer in thinkers and
TYLER 7-4520
and other charitable associations, the emancipatory movement, Jew- writers who could successfully
the bulk of whom perform only ish and non-Jewish, long agreed formulate its opint of view, con-
one act annually, viz, the signing that the establishment of a gen- tinued to adhere to an accustomed
1r
eral equality of rights and the mode of life with greater or lesser
of a check.
In contrast to such trends, new incorporation of Jewish citizens consistency.
socio-religious realities in eastern
Europe and Palestine have given
rise to secularist trends which
have threatened to submerge the
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religious aspect of the Jewish
Having maintained
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relatively intact the pre-emanci-
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they have tended to view their
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scecular organization of nationally
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rather than religiously oriented
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fessed atheists or agnostics. A few
extremist spokesmen demanded
even the inclusion of such nation-
ally-minded converts to other re-
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