Page Twenty-Seven

THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, March 30, 1945

Refugees Find New Freedom in Jewish Homeland

Goldoftas to Speak
At Reading Circle
Passover Festival

Mofsas Goldoftas, local leader
in the Jewish National Workers'
Alliance, will address the Pass-
over celebration of the Council
of Jewish Women's Reading
Clubs, at 2:30 p. m. Saturday, at
the Workmen's Circle Building
on Linwood and Burlingame.
Mrs. C. Plafkin will lead in
community singing and refresh-
ments will be served.
Proceeds will help complete
the drive for the Yiddish Scien-
tific Institute. •

4,4-1
A mother and child, on the left, display a
happy smile as they find new freedom in the Na-
tional Home after their recent arrival in Pales-
tine from France. On the right are a group of
children out of thousands who have been rescued

Marriage Laws
of Jews Told
In New Book

Dr. L. M. Epstein's Volume
a Comprehensive Survey
All Should Read

Dr. Louis M. Epstein of Brook-
line. Mass., is extremely modest
when he states in his preface to
"Marriage Laws in the Bible and
the Talmud" (published by Har-
vard University Press) that he
had "attempted to present a
comprehensive survey of Jewish
law on the subject of marriage as
it has developed historically from
the beginning of our records to
the present day."
The truth is that this work is
the most comprehensive survey
of the subject available in Eng-
lish tex4.
Polygamy, concubinage, levi-
rate, intermarriage and incest are
among the subjects covered in
this very scholarly work. While
the book may well be considered
as indispensable to rabbis and
Jewish scholars, its great value
lies in the fact that it is equally
as fascinating for the lay read-
ers.
• Question of Polygamy

The question of polygamy, as
covered in the Bible and in post-
Biblical literature, and the en-
actment against polygamy by
Rabbenu Gershom, are covered
in the first section of the book.
Talmudic, non - Talmudic and
rabbinic literatures are resorted
to for factual material on the
subject.
Rabbi Epstein follows the same
procedure in dealing with the
other chapter-titles. In some
Jewish quarters, there is confu-
sion, for instance over levirate
marriages, which required a
woman to marry her brother-in-
law upon the death. of her hus-
band. The research done by the
author on this chapter, his cov-
erage of the various periods and
the customs in force, the problem
of halizah, all serve to clear up
misunderstandings and to offer
the facts which are necessary for
a total evaluation of the laws on
the subject.
Never Challenged
In dealing with the topic of
incest, Dr. Epstein explains the
attitude of Reform Judaism. He
points out that "the levitical code

from tyranny in Naii-occupied territory just be-
fore the liberating Allied forces swept into Ger-
many. Millions of European Jews look to Pal-
estine as their only hope for a future of security,
dignity and freedom.

intercollegiate
Fedethtion Listed
an ZYC Agenda

of incest was never seriously
challenged by Reform Jews . . .
Only one incestuous prohibition
was challenged by them, that
against marrying a deceased
brother's wife. The Bible permits
such a union under the require-
ment of levirate, when the de-
ceased brother has left no issue;
otherwise it is declared incestu-
ous by levitical law. Reform
Jews have abrogated the require-
ment of levirate."
Rabbi Epstein's volume is a
most valuable addition to the
library on rabbinic law. It de-
serves a wide circulation.

NEW YORK (JPS)—Plans for
an Intercollegiate Zionist Feder-
ation are on the agenda of the
American Zionist Youth Com-
mission, according to the annual
report prepared by Herman L.
Weissman, chairman, and Dr.
Shlomo Bardin, director of the
Commission.
Avukah, the student Zionist
organization recently reorgan-
ized, has assured support for
such Federation, and the Com-
mission reveals the co-operation
of groups within the Bnai Brith
Hillel Foundations interested in
Zionism is anticipated.
The Youth Commission, begun
in 1940 as the joint project of
the ZOA and Hadassah, Women's
Zionist Organization, points to
150 local ZYCs, 53 of them es-
tablished within the past year
"primarily `through the efforts of
the members of the staff of the
national Commission."
During the past four years,
550 Zionist youth leaders have
attended the Brandies Camp In-
stitute, maintained by the Com-
mission, the report points out.
The AZYC announced that it
desires to engage the services
of a person qualified to direct
Zionist work among college stu-
dents. Candidates, between 25-40,
may apply to the Director of the
American Zionist Youth Com-
mission, 381 Fourth Ave., New
York 16, N. Y.

Chief Rabbinate
Amends Marriage Laws
RISHON LE ZION (Palcor)—
Three important amendments to
Jewish marriage and divorce
laws, proposed by the Chief Rab-
binate for Palestine in a circular
sent to all Jewish local councils
and community councils two
months ago, have already been
adopted by the Local Council of
the colony Rishon le Zion.
The first of the proposed al-
terations is that the minimum
settlement laid down in the
kethuba (the marriage contract),
as payable to the wife on the
husband's death or on her being
divorced, should be raised to 50
pounds as against 10 pounds at
present. In the case of marriage
to a widow the settlement is to
be 25 pounds.
The second proposal is con-
nected with halitza, the custom
resulting from the Biblical in-
junction for a brother-in-law to
marry the widow if his brother
dies childless, an obligation from
which he can be released only by
special ceremony which also until he agrees to free her to
freed the widow to marry again marry someone else.
Thirdly, a husband who has di-
whomever she wished. The Rab-
binate has now proposed that a vorced. his wife is obliged to care
brother-in-law refusing to give for the children of the marriage
halitza for any reason should be until the age of 15 as against six
obliged to maintain the widow years of age at present.

.

Herzlia Builds
New Synagogue

HERZLIA (JPS-Palcor) — Ob-
servant Jews in the American
Zion Commonwealth village at
Herzlia, some miles north of Tel
Aviv, are to have their syna-
gogue at last. They had been
worshipping in makeshift prem-
ises hitherto.
The foundations for the syna-
gogue were laid 15 years ago,
but a donation has now come
from the United Kingdom out
of a special fund for the build-
ing of synagogues collected in
honor of the Keren Hayesod
(Palestine Foundation Fund)
delegate, Mrs. Archibald Silver-
man of Providence, R. I.
One wing has been completed,
and the but in which services
were held will be dismantled.
The Committee of the syna-
gogue has new begun to collect
funds for_ the completion of the.
entire structure and $4,000 has
been arised. It is hoped to col-
lect $40,000 in a short time
through the "sale of seats."

Maine Jewish Group
To Disfribufe Funds
To UPA, JDC Equally

NEW YORK—The Main Jew-
ish Committee, representing
Jewish communities throughout
the state, voted to distribute on
a basis of parity all funds raised
in behalf of the United Palestine
Appeal and the Joint Distribu-
tion Committee.
Leaders representing 14 cities
in Maine adopted this decision
at a meeting in Augusta follow-
a presentation by representa- 0
tives of the UPA and JDC of
their programs.
The funds will be divided as
follows: Two per cent to the
NRS, 49 per cent to the UPA
and 49 per cent to the JDC.

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