THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Twelve

Friday, Sep+ember 7, 1945

A Jewish University in America

Football
Players

A group, of Jewish
football players
i n Biro - Bidjan
talking over some
new plays to use.

Its- Aims and Functions

The president of the Jewish TheologiCal Seminary discusses pro-
posals to reorganize the seminary as a Jewish university, the first of
its kind in the U. S.

By Dr. LOUIS FINKELSTEIN

7gReViiss , M s

Modern
Theater

As modern as any
theater in the
world is this one
in Biro - BiEljan
shown on the right.

War-Ti e Developments
In Biro- Bidjan

By ALEXANDER KERNER

ITH THE WAR in Europe brought to a successful end. the problems
of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the- remnants of the European Jews
demand for their solution the greatest effort on the part of American Jewry.
ever 1,500,000 Jews from Eastern European countries escaped into the
USSR. A part of that dhumber may be repatriated to: the countries of
their origin. 'Another part may want to go to Palestine. Hundreds of
thousands of refugees have already put in their appeal for permission . to
settle permanently in the USSR and a great number. of them seek to settle
in the Jewish Autonomous Regionof BirObidjan. ,
•
The Jewish Autonomous Region—Birobidjan, on the contrary, provides
almost an ideal environment for these :Jewish refugee . war orphans. The
Jewish people of Birobidjan speak the language • and understand the- state
8
of mind of these refugee children. In all. government institutions, in the
schools, the press, etc., the prevailing' language and spirit is Yiddish.
It is therefore the purpose and "aim of the -American Birobidjan - Com-
mittee, knownas Ambijan, "to help in the rehabilitation of all of these
Jewish - refugee war orphans. Already 3,500 of them have been settled by
the Committee in Birobidjan. While helping..to supply the emergency needs
of these orphans, Arn.bijan also is • cooperating -in- the arrangements for
. their education and 'preparation for useful employment and 'citizenship.
. , Ambijan sends directly to the Soviet Union large transports of hard-
ware, plumbing
lighting materials, etc., for the children's settle-
ments and the auxiliary ldings
ui
as_ well as all the essential machinery,
equipment and supplies. Given the necessary funds, Ambijan hopes to
settle in Birobidjan all of the 30,000.Jewi,sh refugee war orphans.
The work for Birobidjan is planned on a reconstruction basis with a
view to accelerating the agricultural and industrial developnient of Ithe
Jewish Autonomous Region, thus increasing its capacity . to Provide pro-
ductive employment for large .numbers of settlers and - especially for -
Jewish refugees.
Birobidjan is 36.4 million hectares, or about 15,000 square miles. The
'territory is one and a half times the size of Belgium, or twice . as large as
NeW Jersey. According to - the census of 1939; the total" popdlation of
the
Jewish Autonomous -Region of Birebidjan was 109,000. However; a 'irieSsage
sent by the Region to Marshal Josef Stalin . in May, 1944, on the occasion
of the 10th anniversary of: the establishment' of .the Jewish-. Autonomods
Region, was signed by 70,142 gainfully employed people. Assuming the
usual percentage of gainfully employed people, the total population in
Birobidjan reached 175,000 in 1944. Of that number, according to the- best
estimates avp;:lable, over 115,000 were Jews.
The message' of the people of Birobidjan ,to Marshal Stalin calls the
Jewish Autonomous Region "The Gem of the Far East." R listed tlise natural
resources 'of. Birobidjan as: gold, iron, ore, tin t coal, graphite, marble, lime
and various mineral building materials.
There are numerous rivers* and lakes in Birobidjan teeming with all
kinds of edible fish. The total length of the rivers and streams of Birobidjan
is estimated at 3,600 kilometers (over 2,200 'miles). The soil and the climate
of Birobidjan had 66 collective farms and five state farms.
In May,. 1944, 'there were in operation in the Jewish Autonomous
Region, 24 large industrial enterprises supplying the front and also civilian
population. Seven- were included in country-wide industrial systems while
the rest were, regional in scope. There were 28 cooperative producing
organizations inown as "artels" which had many 'establishments, in the
food and light. industries, including -lumber mills, furniture factories, gar-
ment plants, brick works, . and establishment for the production of barrels,
wagons for farmers, manufactured foods and beverages, ply-wood and pre-
fabricated parts for housing construction.
-
During the war, a paper mill and a spinning and weaving combine
were put into operation. The construction of a knitting mill was started.
During the years of war, Birobidjan clothing industries produced and
delivered thousands of sets of military uniforms to the Red Army.
Tl)e wagon industry reached the highest stage of development in the
'war years, producing many thousands of auto -trailers and military vehicles
for the Red Army. Birobidjan industries also produced parachutes for the
Air. Force.
The total output of Birobidjan manufacturing industries for 10 months
of 1944 was 96,000,000 rubles at "constant prices." (The volume of the
output is calculated in "constant prices"; it is, therefore, not affected by
the current rise in price; the "constant value" of the ruble may be esti-
mated at about 50 cents.)
The Jewish Autonomous Region is making rapid strides also in the
development of a Jewish culture, national in form and socialist- in content.
The Region has 105 grade and high schools, four colleges—for teachers, for
assistant physicians, for agriculturists, and- for railroad technicians ; a music
school—a Jewish art- theater, a motion picture theater—a museum—a great
central library in the city of Birobidjan—several Jewish ensembles—h daily
newspaper, the "Shtern"—palaces of culture in all district centers of the
Region, scores of libraries and clubs and two radio broadcasting sub-stations.
Ardent Zionists have come to recognize the importance of the national
minority policy of the Soviet Union, as it applies among others, -to the Jews,
and the immense contribution of the Jewish Autonomous Region of Biro-
bidjan, even as the menibers of Ambijan have been equally concerned with
the welfare, prosperity and unhindered progress of the Jewish Community
in Palstine. Prof. Albert Einstein has agreed to sponsor the raising of a
fund for the settlement of the 30,000 Jewish Orphans in Birobidjan. The
fund Will be the "Einstein Fund."

(Copyright, 1945, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

GREAT DEAL OF
'interest has been aroused
by the proposal for a for-
mal reorganization of the
Jewish Theological Sem-
inary of America as a
University of Judaism.
The Seminary's expan,
sion, however, implies no
basic alteration in its out-
look or function. It will be
devoted entirely to Jewish
studies.
It will be concerned not
only with Judaism's past
but with its present. Cur-
iously, although we now
have eminent Jewish schol-
ars in• Bible, Talmud, Jew-
ish history, Mediaeval He- .
brew Poetry, and modern
Hebrew Literature, Juda-
isin :has not yet developed
any institution for the
study of the Jews as they
are today.
There is no place in
America where a gifted
Jew, - who desires Jewish
knowledge and inspiration
so that he can interpret
them through his special
artistic medium, can get
the education he needs.
The Seminary believes
that the, Eternal Light Ra-
dio programs have been
an invaluable experience
and that they testify to
the fact that scholars and

artists can work .together
for the vivid interpreation
of Judaism through media
beside those we have thus
far developed.
We hope that ultimately
it will be customary _ for
all those who decide to
devote their lives to Jew-
ish work to inform them-
selves about Judaism as
effectively as rabbis do
now. •
Perhaps the time will
come when not only the
Seminary, but also other
Jewish theological institu-
tions, • will encourage the
matriculation of all those
who wish to engage in
specialized Jewish work.
In establishing a syna- -
gogue, it is important to
have collective thinking
between the scholars, who
know the Jewish past, and
these scholars who know
the Jewish present. Also-
needed are the opinions of
men of affairs, who know
their own •v it a I needs.
Shall the Synagogue in-
clude activities of a gen-
eral nature? Shall it house
clubs, which are not neces-
sarily religious? How shall
it integrate them with its
activities? - How shall it
Provide for Jews who
think they are not relig-
ious? All these questions
are to be settled not simp-
ly by reference - to a past,
which does not offer ade-
quate guidance (for the

Dr. Finkelstein

problems are quite new),
'but by reference to the
past plus the present.
A man beset with a
number of complicated- di-
seases, needs to call in
several specialists - whose
joint thinking is indispen-
sable to his cure; just so
the Jewish people, strug-
gling for life, need joint
thinking .among several
types of experts in. order
to survive and be effective.
We believe that the pro-
posed University will bring
these scholars together in
one institution for the- pur-
pose of preserving and ad-
vancing Judaism.
Prof. Mordecai M. Kap-
lan deserves the thanks of
the American Jewish com-
munity for the zeal with
which he has approached
the problem and energy
with which he is pressing
his proposed solution.

(Copyright 1945 by Independent
Jewish Press Service, Inc.)

Bnai Brith Program Aids Veterans

Rehabilitation of Wounded and Re-E mployment of Discharged

Veterans
Are Part of Bnai Brith's Accelerated Post-VIE' Day War Service Program

ABOVE: Officials of the American Legion,
Department of Pennsylvania, are shown
studying the Bnai Brith Vocational Service
Bureau's 'two-color wall chart entitled WHAT
YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR ARMY` TRAIN-
ING AS A' CIVILIAN. More than 40,000
charts have been made available by Bnai
Brith to the Army, USO, veterans service
bureaus, veterans' organizations, schools and
colleges, business firms, labOr - unions, employ-
ment services and other agencies engaged in
guiding veterans back- to civilian life. It is
estimated that 1,000,000 people have seen
this chart.

'LEFT: Wounded veterans in the Springfield
Naval Hospital are shown engaged, in occu-
pational- therapy in the radio workshop set
up by the Springfield, Mass., Bnai Brith.
Similar workshops in ceramics, photography,
leather-working, arts and crafts, and carpen-
try have been created at Deshon General
Hospital, Pa., Philadelphia Naval Hospital;
Bushnell Hospital, Salt Lake City; Corona
Naval Hospital, Calif.; Dibble . General Hos-
pital, Calif.; Chicago Marine Hospital; Lowell
General Hospital, Mass.; Valley Forge Hos-
pital, Pa., and Camp Upton Hospital, N. Y.

. • BELOW:A group of Bnai Brith women re-
ceive instruction. for service in one of the
specially-trained" units organized by the Bnai
- Brith Women to serve as volunteer instruc-
tors in occupational therapy at Army' and
Navy hospitals. This unit is from the Holly-
wood 'Bnai-. Brith Women.

