C otter CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, 01110 3hfuzclont dArloni DR. gtailithitalt, Hanukkah, although originally a festival of the re- dedication of the Temple, has been associated in Jewish minds with the idea of freedom. The fight of the Mac- cabees, whatever its political background might have been, symbolizes magnificently the eternal Jewish fight for national and religious independence. It is strange that the same fight has to be fought all over again in each generation. But hardly any gen- eration in Jewish history has found itself faced with a more complex situation than the present one. The quest for freedom all over the world is stronger than ever— and at the same time the perils to freedom are greater than ever. Society is remaking itself. The conflict arises where economic demands for security seem to become irreconcilable with political demands for individual liberty. As Jews, we are not only caught in the maze of this world struggle but also have to cope with our own problems. Our community life is listless and shallow; it suffers from the indifference and coldness of a great number of Jews. It not only suffers from this lack of inspiration but has developed organizational structures which are far from representing the community demo- cratically. The fight for a better and more democratic Jewish community in this country has just begun. But we feel that time is of the essence. Events are moving so swiftly that we may be too late when we finally arrive at a conclusion. It is time for the American Jewish com- munity to understand that we need a functioning and strong democratic Jewish community in America in C jiff, r it tt t lir. TiudiA th Vol. 52—No. 48