DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page Sixteen
Need Social Security for
Jewish Civil Servants
By RABBI LEON SPITZ
For some unaccountable reason
clergymen and domestic servants
are exempt from social security.
In plain words they are thrown
to the dogs upon reaching their
retirement age.
Rabbis, religious school instruct-
ors, cantors, and social workers
must die in harness or be ex-
posed to either starvation or char.
ity in old age. This is the respect
and this is the honor American
Jewry Is paying to its spiritual
leaders.
A happy exception are the more
prosperous Reform Rabbis who
still are being pensioned when
they attain the status and title
of Emeritus. But very few indeed
of their orthodox and conservative
colleagues enjoy the privilege.
Perhaps a quarter of a century
ago the late philantroplst, Jacob
H. Schiff, realized the unfairness
of it all and he set aside a Pen-
sion Fund of $100,000 to serve
Rabbis of all denominations with-
out prejudice, and this fund has
been only insubstantially aug-
mented.
Whatever progress has been
made in that direction is to be
credited to the Reform wing which
has already launched a retirement
pension program for its member-
ship—a program which calls for
annual payments to be made, both
by the Rabbis and their congre-
gations. Already almost 50% of the
membership of The Central Con-
ference of American Rabbis is
participating in this program.
The Conservative group has at
its recent convention, and acting
through the Rabbinical Assembly
of America, for the first time ap-
proved a similar project, which
was endorsed by the national lead.
ers of the United Synagogue of
America.
It is expected that moral pres-
sure will be used to influence the
500 affiliated congregations to join
the plans. Unless there is both a
general and a generous response
from the congregations forthcom-
ing, the Rabbis will be helpless.
They will be precluded from join-
ing the project and the entire
thing will turn into a pious wish.
There is one fundamental weak-
ness in the plan. The more pros-
perous and better organized con-
gregations may be calculated to
heed the challenge more readily.
But these are the pulpits whitn
employ the high salaried Rabbis.
It is the poorer congregations
which underpay their Rabbis un-
der the existing set-up that are
more likely to abstain from con-
tributing their share; and it will
be in the nature of things that
their Rabbis who need the pro-
tection most will be the last to
receive it.
However, prominent lay leaders
have expressed the opinion that
Rosh Hashonah
Greetings
less of denominational classifica-
tion, orthodox, reform, conserva-
tive, etc. to which every individual
employee and every congregation
and institution of every type shall
be challenged to contribute—to be
supplemented by contribution s
from intelligent and fair-minded
philanthropists—and administered
on a national level by a Repre-
sentative Board.
Such a fund, and thus adminis-
tered, will not penalize the indi-
vidual Jewish religious or com-
munal workers in the event that
the particular institution which
he serves may not see the light.
It will embrace the entire body
of the so-called Jewish Civil Serv-
ice without prejudice. And it will
work towards a closer and more
harmonious solidarity among the
men and women who make Jew-
ish communal service their life's
career.
employers generally have in this
country come to realize the fair-
ness of protecting the employee in
his old age; and that congrega-
tional officials will be impelled to
be good sports.
In orthodox Rabbinic circles ti- e
?Mire idea has apparently nct ye.
'cached even the discussion stage.
the older European Rabbis serve
.vithout stated salaries and wan-
tge somehow to subsist In their
dd age. The younger orthodox
tabbis are still generally speak.
ag too young to glimpse the spec-
sr of old age creeping upon them.
3ut sooner or later they too will
fe impelled to stare reality in
he face.
Social security for Rabbis is a
:vying need.
The integrity of Amerrcan Jew-
But why for Rabbis only?
Why not include the cantors,
and sextons, and Hebrew teachers,
Le Shono Toro Tikoseru!
each and all the professional
synagogue officials?
And the Jewish center and
other social and community work-
ers, too?
8547 TWELFTH ST.
These to serve Judaism and
TY. 4.9484
these too were created in the
image of Every—Jew. Why should S
they be callously abandoned in
I
old age?
The problem is both real and
A Happy New Year To All
earnest. The Jewish Civil Service
in this land has come of age. The
problem demands an adequatq and
TAILORING
an unretarded solution.
TO. 8.1504
Which shall the solution bc? 12146 Dexter
There is a choice between two
solutions.
The first and most logical and,
therefore, most acceptable solu- I
tion, is to demand and obtain for
our Jewish communal servants the
rights and privileges which are
open to other American citizens
of the employee class—Social Sec-
urity. To afford this to certain
employee classes and to deny it
to others is discriminatory and un-
American.
The second solution is to create
and maintain a general Jewish
Photographers
nation-wide Pension Fund for
305
W.
CONGRESS
Rabbis, synagogue employees, edu-
cators and social workers—regard-
Friday, September 27, 1946
ry compels a proper solution of
this vexing problem. They who
during the years of their active
service wear the Crowns of the
Torah, of the Priesthood and of
Community Service, must not be
put off with a schnorrer's dole in
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a holiday replete with happiness and contentment.
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JANET'S
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Near Clainnount
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1884 - 1946