DET1011 JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

12

September 3, 1943

ter Gamaliel and after Schechter . 2,000 years ago in the good-will Its pulpit has been occupied by

GOLDSTEIN

CONFEREES

Dr. Goldstein since his gradua-
movement.
Unifier of Israel
Perhaps in this connection it is tion from the Seminary. His se-
It is a hazardous business, of
lection for that pulpit was as

(Continued from Pap 1)
course, to compare a living pe r- pertinent to point out that when striking as many other things chairman respectively of this
son with one hallowed by som the present writer called on Dr. about his life. He did not seek committee, in consultation with
2,000 years of history, yet the Goldstein, he was engaged in the pulpit. By chance, Sol M.
outer resemblance, at least, be - talking with the office of Mayor Stroock, later to become presi Mr. Ellmann, made the follow-
tween the career of Gamaliel of LaGuardia. The Mayor had asked dent of the American Jewish ing selection: Henry M. Abramo --
Jabneh and Dr. Israel Goldstein him to be one of three speakers, Committee, was one of those who vitz, Mrs. Hy C. Broder, Aaron
stare one in the face. Dr./"Gold- one a Protestant, the second a attended the graduation exercises Droock, Dr. Clarissa Fineman,
stein has been brought forward Catholic and the third to be Dr. of the Seminary. Israel Goldstein
as the great harmonizer—the one Goldstein, to speak at a "racial was the valedictorian of that Morris Garvett, Dr. B. Benedict
who is to restore unity in the unity" meeting to be held in class and his oration so impressed Glazer, Julian H. Krolik, Prof.
ranks of Zionism. Remembering New York.
itself on Mr. Stroock, who was a S. M. Levin, Louis Levine, Isaac
Dr. Goldstein was born in member of the Bnai Jeshurun Litwak, Frank Mersky, Max Os-
this, see what the Jewish Ency-
Philadelphia
47
years
ago.
At
clopedia says of Gamaliel of
congregation, that the directors nos, Samuel J. Rhodes, Louis
the age of 5 he traveled with his of the congregation invited him Robinson, Dr. I. W. Ruskin, Louis
Jabneh.
"The ends which Gamaliel had mother back to Russia, where he to become its minister. And he H. Schostak, Prof. Lawrence Selt-
in view were the abolition of the spent close to three years. He has been its minister these 25 zer, Harold Silver, M. William
old dissensions, the prevention of believes that this period in Rus- years.
Weinberg and Mrs. Leonard H.
new quarrels and the restoration sia, though he was but a child,
Weiner.
had a strikingly formative influ-
of unity within Judaism."
t membership of other Com-
The
Substitute the name of Dr. ence on his mind. He traces the
munity Council committees are
COUNCIL
Goldstein—and does not the item Jewish orientation largely to it
now being selected and will be
read as a piece of the biography plus one other factor. This sec-
announced as they are completed.
(Continued
from
Page
I
)
of Dr. Goldstein today might ond factor was his father, Reb
The Yiddish culture committee
read? Nothing is ever done by Yehuda Leb David, a man of Side Auxiliary, Louis Marshall of the Jewish Community Coun-
accident. Was not the very des- great Jewish scholarship and a Auxiliary.
cil, in cooperation with repre-
ignation of Dr. Goldstein the in- personality of outstanding at•
Officers of the Greater Detroit sentatives of the Landsmanschaf-
tuitive response on the part of tractiveness. At the age of 15,
ten and other Yiddish speaking
Zionist leaders that for the pur- young Goldstein had graduated Bnai Brith are : President, Louis organizations are planning a se-
H.
Schostak;
first
vice
president,
poses of restoring unity in Is- from the high school. At 18, he
ries of programs featuring Noach
had graduated from the Univer- Mrs. Lillian Aaron; second vice ,Nachbush, the celebrated Yiddish
rael, he is ideally qualified?
president,
Saul
I.
Rosenman;
Gamaliel of Jabneh was presi- sity of Pennsylvania. His doc-
actor formerly with the Vilna
dent of the learned assembly at torate thesis was of such high third vice president, William Joel- Troupe.
Jabneh which itook the place of calibre, that the work, "A Cen- son; corresponding secretary, Al-
Mr. Nachbush will be presented
Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. Perhaps tury of American Judaism," is fred Keats; recording secretary, at a public concert sponsored by
it was Gamaliel, writes the Jew- even today regarded as a first Mary Silverman ; treasurer, Har- the Jewish Community Council
ish Encyclopedia, "to whom the class source in its particular field ry Golden.
on Sunday evening, Oct. 3, at
• •
itle of 'Nasi' was first given to of Americana. Another book,
the Jewish Community Center.
DR. ISRAEL GOLDSTEIN
r evive the Biblical designation more recently published, by, Put-
Following this initial appearance,
or the head of the nation." nams, "Toward a Solution," has
Noach Nachbush will perform pri-
Fund counts more individual con- Aside from his official position, won the high praise of such dis-
vately before many of the Yid-
tributors than any American or- ays the same source, "Gamaliel cerning critics as Pierre van
daft:
dish speaking organizations. Any
ganization with the exception of s tood in learning on an equal Paassen.
Payroll savings is Yiddish speaking organization de-
the Red Cross. It is estimated f ooting with the legal teachers of
Dr. Goldstein has been rabbi
our greatest single siring to join in this program and
that some half-million people in h is time."
of Temple Bnai Jeshurun, which
the United States annually make
factor in protecting have Mr. Nachbush appear per-
This paragraph, too, might well follows the conversative minhag,
some contribution to the J. N. F. s erve as part of the biography for 25 years. Bnai Jeshurun is
ourselves against in- sonally before it should commu-
nicate immediately with the office
Scheehter's Praise
flation.
f Dr. Israel Goldstein. Dr. Gold- one of the two oldest Jewish
of the Jewish Community Coun-
Dr. Goldstein may experience s tein has just completed two houses of worship in New York.
cil by calling Cherry 1657.
some satisfaction at being ac- ooks, shortly to be published,
corded the honor of heading the a nd one of these deals with Jew-
ZOA, but it is probable that this i sh juridical autonomy since the
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112
satisfaction will
e so great d estruction of the Jewish state
as that which came to him many
The resemblance here with the
years ago, while Israel Goldstein a ncient Jewish sage is not only
was yet a rabbinical student. Few 0 ne of theory. Jewish juridical
know of this incident—only a p rocesses have long been an ab
small number were in the full a orbing
interest with Dr. Gold-
know at the time it happened.
a
He has been for years the
Israel Goldstein, at the time, p tein.
was a sophomore student at the c resident of the Jewish Board of
Jewish Theological Seminary, over a onciliation. Like many of the
of Dr. Goldstein, few
which the distinguished Jewish k ctivities
now of this activity, though the
scholar, Prof. Solomon Schechter, j ewish
Board of Conciliation is
cast luster as he presided over it. 0
Young Goldstein had chosen as ti ne of the truly unique institu-
the theme of his sermon "Ga- I t ons of Jewish life in America.
is designed especially to ad-
maliel of Jabneh". It was the
ust
practice at the time for the young '01 cases where it is felt that
seminary students, after prepay- t e dragging of the disputes to
ing their sermons, to have them he courts would constitute a
first read before the class and i t chillul hashem". A great part of
faculty where they were criti- d s activity is devoted to settling
cized and, following this, the stu- b isputes in Jewish organizations,
dents were required to revise the i n ut domestic cases are also ad-
sermons, taking the suggestions in dicated by the court. The court
of the critics in mind, when mak- A eets weekly at the Educational
lliance with three judges sitting
ing the revision.
re gularly, one of whom is a rabbi,
It may be imagined he was th
duly nervous as he thus prepared a e second a lawyer, and the third
his "maiden sermon" as a youth s layman. By the laws of the
of 19. The students, the faculty m tate of New York, the judg-
and Prof. Schechter himself ti ents of this Board of Concilia-
would turn their critical minds as on are enforceable by the State
on it—and young Goldstein ex- ee the decisions of any regular
urt.
pected to gol through the lacera-
tion of soul that every beginner d For the proper solution of the
omestic issues, the Board of
encounters.
e
4
What was his surprise when, onciliation has also attached to
a
social
service
department,
at the conclusion of the delivery it
w
of his sermon, Prof. Schechter hich has won high praise.
rose and declared it was the in As might be expected, the hear-
best sermon he had ever heard of gs of this Jewish court are
delivered by a rabbinical student. j e ten highly dramatic and the
Professor Schechter went on at be wish Board of Conciliation has
great length to dilate on the mer- it en repeatedly sought to allow
s sessions to go on the air, with
its of the homiletical piece.
tempting offers, but the
The incident had a strange de- ve
1, 0 ry
nouement. Two days after, Prof. " and has steadfastly declined all
Solomon Schechter suddenly died, su ch offers.
Eager, after The long summer of Fun and freedom, to get back
end Israel Goldstein was ap- Advocate of Jewry
proached by colleagues on the
to their job of learning how to live in file kind of a world that
It is written of Gamaliel of
faculty of Prof. Schechter and Jabneh that he participated in "nu-
Americans are hoping for when peace comes. They may not real-
asked to read his sermon on merous debates with scholars and
"Gamaliel of Jabneh" at the fu- unbelievers in Rome". He became
ize
it now—but they are •ortunate—in being a part of this great
neral of Schechter. They thought a sort of intellectual protagonist
the career of Gamaliel and Prof. of Judaism to the outer world.
democracy—in being privileged 'to study under it and in being
Schechter so corresponded as
In this connection, reference
drawn by young Goldstein that is apropos to another of the two
trained to perpetuate it! As succeeding generations of Americans
the eulogy of Gamaliel might books which Dr. Goldstein is
fake
over the job of guiding America they will come to know that
well serve as a eulogy of Prof. readying for publication. This
Schechter.
book, taking the Scriptural book
the hours spent in learning the fundamentals of freedom and inde-
1 think the incident has some- of Job by way of demonstration,
thing to teach us beside the fact takes up the cudgels for the old
pendence, as America believes in them, were not wasted, nor lost
that Prof. Schechter thought high- time Jewish Scriptural common-
ly of his young rabbinical stu- tators as against the critics of
on the battlefields, but are vital contributions to the greatness of
dent. The Freudians tell us that the so-called Higher Criticism.
our country.
nothing happens by accident. Dr. Goldstein seeks to show that
Prof. Schechter was attracted to with all the aids offered by ar-
the sermon by Goldstein not only chaelogy and the modern scien-
by the mastery in which the tific methods, the critics of the
theme was developed, but by the German schools of Higher Criti-
fact that he unconsciously sensed, cism could not offer anything
as did his colleagues, that there better than the Jewish critics of
was a strong resemblance be- old, who had nothing but their
tween Gamaliel of Jabneh and mother wit to aid them. Dr. Gold-
The answers to all three? . . .
Schechter of the Seminary and stein goes further and attempts
I thinkwe can further say that to prove that the so-called Higher
HOMOGENIZED HI-TEST .. . .
the choice of Gamaliel of Jabneh Critics actually pilfered much of M-
s the text for his sermon by their material from the old Jew- ==
. Goldstein was due to the fact ish commentators.
t the young student, too,
Of Gamaliel it is written also
ged his own life patterns af- that he was noted for his rela- f=f-
tions with non-Jews. There are = = 4075
stories of his visiting the benches

(Continued from Page 1)

the degree of responsiveness on
the part of the public. Dr. Gold-
stein's record stands this test too
very well. The Jewish National

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