Jewish Music Month Program Feb. 12
Will Feature Noted Cleveland Cantor
Benjamin Laikin and Jay Ro-
senshine, co-chairmen of the
Joint Yiddish Culture Commit-
tee of the Jewish Community
Council and the Jewish Com-
munity Center, announced that
plans have been completed for
the annual Jewish .Music Month
program.
It will. take place at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12, in the audi-
torium of the Jewish C o
munity Center, Woodward at
Holbrook.
Wolf Snyder, director of the
Jewish Folk School, will serve as
chairman. Cantor Saul Ker-
shenbaum of the Jewish Com-
munity Center of Cleveland, so-
loist, will offer liturgical Yid-
dish and Israel selections.
Julius Chajes will conduct the
Center Symphony Orchestra.
The Center Dance Group, under
Mrs. Fanny Aaronson, will offer
Yiddish and Israel folk dances.
Jerome Stasson, accompanied by
Betty Kowalsky, will be heard in
Jewish compositions for violin.
Tickets are being distributed
by cultural chairmen of the
landsmanshaften and societies
affiliated with the joint com-
mittee. They may also be ob-
tained by calling the Community
Council, WO. 3-1657, or the Cen-
ter, TR. 5-8400. •
Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Once Again: The Problem of Religion in Schools
It is regrettable that the 'old struggle of retaining the inde-
pendence of our schools from sectarian influences must be con-
tinued. A basic principle is involved here and it is not pleasant
to be compelled, time and again, to disagree with our Catholic
neighbors in an issue which we consider basic to our • American
principles.
In a recent address in New York, as reported in the New
York Herald Tribune, the Most Rev. Joseph F. Flannelly, Auxiliary
Bishop of New. York, urged action by Catholics to convince Sen-
. ators and Congressmen that "the very first thing they should
do is to put religion back into educatic:a." Bishop Flannelly stated:
"The men on the Supreme Court are misinterpreting the First
Amendment of the Constitution because they have not been edu-
cated properly. We have to teach them that the traditional edu-
cation • of America is religious. The first education offered in
America in Colonial times was by religious groups. The Founding
Fathers unlike some men in government today never entertained
the idea that God was to be excluded from education."
Is it true, as Bishop Flannelly said, that Thomas Jefferson's
views on separation of church and state in the schools are being
misinterpreted and that what the third President of the United
States meant was that he did not want one particular religion
imposed on the people, but that he did not intend for religion
to be divorced from education altogether? In that case, what did
Jefferson actually mean when he wrote into the Act.for Establish-
ing Religious Freedom, (passed by the Assembly of Virginia in
December, 1785, and approved in January, 1786, the following
statement
"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any
religious worship; Ministry, or place whatsoever; or shall be
enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or
gdods; nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious
opinions or belief; but all men Mall be free to profess, and by
argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion;
and the same shall in no wise - .diminish, enlarge, or affect their
civil capacities."
2—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 3, 1950
Speakers, Discussion Topics
Rosenwald Refutes Listed for NCRAC Conference
Charges Against
Judaism Council
The complete program for the National Community Re-
lations Advisory Council Michigan regional conference has
been announced by the Jewish Community Council, local
NEW YORK (JTA) — "Zion- co-sponsor of the tevent. Meetings will be held at the Jews
ism's Jewish nationalism and its ish Community Center on Woodward, on. Feb. 4 and 5.
spokesmen" and not the Ameri-
Highlighting the conference will be a symposium on the
can Council for Judaism have
created the issue of "dual loyal-
ties" it w a s asserted in an
American Council for Judaism
statement released by Lessing
J. Rosenwald, president. The
statement was a reply to recent
charges by the National Com-
munity RelatiOns Advisory
Council.
The Council challenged the
NCRAC's claims to representing
"the overwhelming majority of
American Jews." It questioned
the NCRAC's right "to establish
itself as supreme arbiter and
censor, sitting in judgment on
American Jews."
Charging the NCRAC with
confusing the issue, the Council
denied that either philanthropic
support of Jews in Israel or ob-
j ective recognition of Israel's
accomplishments a r e involved.
"The issues are whether Ameri-
can Jews may give such philan-
thropy needed by our fellow
Jews in Israel and elsewhere,
without being coralled as a na-
tionality-minority bloc in the
United States."
The Council ascribed t h e
NCRAC's action to "Zionist ef-
forts to involve leaders of so-
called non - Zionist organizat-
ions." The debate will not end
with the NCRAC's resolution,
the statement asserted. "The
American Council for Judaism
will meet the challenge of Jew-
ish nationalism in the Amexi-
can way, in the spirit of democ-
racy, with - open discussion and
free debate," it added.
Jaffe Heads Board
Of Merged HUG-JIR
CINCINNATI — The complete
merger of the Hebrew Union
.College of Cincinnati and the
Jewish Institute of Religion of
New York, which was initiated
Those of us who contend that any .attempt to inject religion
into the schools will be diminishing, enlarging and affecting the
civil capacities of . all pupils hold . the view that Jefferson knew
that there are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Mohathmedan in-
terpretations of the Bible and of religion,- and that any effort
to inject religion into Our schools will cause friction that will
Undermine the basie prinCiples of our deniocracy as they were
established and interpreted by the Founding Fathers.
President UlySses' S. Grant took a very strong stand against
the injection of sectarian teachings in our public schoolS. In an
address in Des Moines, in 1875; President Grant declared:
'Let us then begin by guarding against every enemy threat-
ening this perpetuity of free republican institutions . . . The
free school is the promoter of that intelligence which is to pre-
serve us • . . if we are to have another contest in the near fu-
5 ve ture of our national existence I predict that
the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's
but between patriotism and intelligence on the
one side and superstition, ambition, and ignor-
ance on the other. The centennial year of our
national existence, I believe, is a good time to
begin the work of strengthening the founda-
tions of the structure commenced by bur pa-
triotic forefathers 100 years ago at Lexington.
Let us all labor to add all needful guarantees
for the Security of free thought, free speech, a
free preSs, pure morals, unfettered religious
sentiments, and of equal rights and privileges
to all men, irrespective of nationality, color, or
religion. Encourage free schools and resolve
Gen. U. S. Grant that not one dollar appropriated for their sup-
port shall be appropriated to the support of any sectarian
schools. Resolve that either the state or the nation, or both
combined, shall support institutions of learning sufficient to
afford to every child growing up in the land the opportunity of
a good common school education, unmixed with sectarian,
pagan, or atheistical dogmas. Leave the matter of religion to
the family circle, the church, and the private school supported
entirely by private contributions. Keep the church and state
forever separate."
This statement presents the basic facts in the issue. It does
atheism. But it does not countenance that schools should teach
any dogmas. There is ample room and time for the teaching of
sectarian beliefs in the home, in the religious schools, in the
churches. There ought to be no room for sectarianism in the
public. schools. This, we believe, was the view of the Founding
Fathers of this great republic. This, the records show, have re-
mained the viewpoints of our lawmakers from Washington and
Jefferson and Madison down to our own time. These, we insist,
should remain the cornerstone of our liberties. It does not mat-
ter whether requests for governmental support of their schools
come from Jewish or Protestant or Catholic groups. They should
be denied because they would interfere with our religious free-
doms and because they, would serve as means of destroying the
wall that has been erected in our democracy between church and
state. For the same reasons, sectarian • religious teachings should
be barred in our schools- -because they would serve as a wedge
to force sectarian teachings into our public school systems. The-
basic rights inherent in our traditional freedoms are worth fight-
ing for.
PT Women Hold
Community Clinics
ABRAHAM COHEN
staff member and now a field
representative of the Joint Dis-
tribution Committee in Ger-
many. The symposium will be
featured at 11:15 a.m. Sunday.
Religion in Schools
The conference will open at
8:15 p.m., Saturday. The opening
session will be on "Religion in
the Public Schools" and will be
chaired by Harry Yudkoff, chair-
man of the community relations
committee. Participants will be
Rabbi Morris Adler, Norman
Drachler and Rabbi Leon Fram.
The first Sunday session at
10:30 a.m., will be on the subject,
"The Impact of. Israel on the
American Jewish Community".
Chairman of this session will be
Julian • Krolik, president -of the
Jewish Welfare Fed&ration; and
the speaker will be Sidney M.
Shevitz, president of the Zionist
Council of Detroit. Dr. Haber's
address will follow. .
That Jewish women may dis-
cuss what is needed in the way
of community services in their
own neighborhoods, the educa-
tion committee of the Women's
Division of the Jewish Welfare
Federation has organized a ser-
ies of 19 "Community Clinics" in
the Wyoming .area.
At the clinic, Jan. 24 at the
home of Mrs. Irving Wasserman,
Mrs. Isidore Sobeloff was discus-
sion leader. Mrs. Julian H. Kro-
lik was resource person to an-
swer questions concerning com-
munal activities.
Clinics will be held through
February at the homes of the
following: Mesdames Charles
Abramson, Royal Barnett, Max
Derin, Milton Elson, Ben Feld-
stein, Louis Goldberg, Oscar
Hertz, Sydney Krause, Harry
Lichter, Louis I. Linovitz, Sallan
Lurie, Arnold Monash, Milton
Moss, Charles Perlman, Charles
Poplack, Samuel Sandley, Myer
Teitelbaum and George Wein-
garden. -
Mrs. Alexander W. Sanders,
education committee chairman,
was assisted by Mrs. Louis G.
Redstone and Mrs. Samuel Yura .
in planning "Community Clin-
ics."
Honorary Israel Consul
Guest Speaker
Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. LUXEMBOURG (JTA) — Ed-
The speaker at the luncheon ses- mond Marx, chairman of the
sion will be Bernard P. Kopkind, Jewish Community in this coun-
member of the executive com- try, haS been named honorary
mittee of the NCRAC and presi- Israel consul here.
Between You and Me
.
not deny the existence of Higher Powers and it does not approve
"Democratization of Germany"
featuring presentations by Prof. dent of the New Haven Jewish
Wiliam Haber of the University Community Council.
of Michigan and Abraham Co-
The concluding session of the
hen, former Community Council
Regional Conference will devote
itsef to "Civil Rights and Civil
Liberties." This meeting will be
chaired by Morris Zwerdling,
chairman of the Community
Council's legal committee, and
participants will include Prof.
Boaz Siegel of Wayne University,
A. L. Zwerdling and Louis Ro-
senzweig.
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1950, Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Inc.)
Communal Currents
LESTER A. JAFFE
as a modus vivendi by the boards
of both institutions on June
16, 1948, became an accomplish-
ed fact at the meeting of the
consolidated board of governors
here.
Lester A. Jaffe, Cincinnati at-
torney and formerly chairmap
of the College's Board of Gov-
ernors, was elected chairman of
the Hebrew Union College—Jew-
ish Institute of Religion. Judge
,Joseph M. Levine of the Magis-
trates Court of New York, form-
erly chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the Institute, and
Frank L. Weil of New York,
formerly vice chairman of the
college's board, and Herbert R.
Bloch of Cincinnati, active com-
munal worker and philanthro-
pist, were elected vice chairmen.
Dr. Nelson Glueck, who was
named president of the Hebrew
Union College in 1947 and presi-
dent of the Jewish Institute of
Religion in the fall of 1948 on
the retirement of the late Dr.
Stenhen S. Wise, becomes offi-
cially president of united Col-
lege-Institute.
Israel Tourist Pamphlet
NEW YORK — (1ST) — "Israel
Welcomes You", a 34 - p a g e
pamphlet containing in forma-
tion and regulations for visitors
to Israel, was published by the
Israel Office of Information:
Interesting details can be revealed of the conditions under
which the Jewish Agency granted authorization to 10 agencies
in the -United States to continue their drives for Israel this year
. . . These agencies must take all the necessary steps to assure
priority' to the United Jewish Appeal ... The authorization by the
Jewish Agency does not represent endorsement' of their program
or budget . . . Each of these agencies must indicate in its publicity
material that it is conducting its 1950 fund-raising drive with the
permission of the Jewish Agency . Audited reports on income
and. expenses are to be submitted to the Jewish Agency quarterly
.. . Each agency must also submit monthly reports on the trans-
mission of funds to Israel, stating the channels used in trans-
mission . . . The Agency can withdraw its authorization should
these provisions not be fulfilled . . . The Hadassah and the
Gewerkshaften Campaign for the Histadrut are to clear with local
Welfare Funds in regard to timing of their independent cam-
paigns within the local community . . . The Pioneer Women's
Organization must not undertake in 1950 any new Israel projects
without the prior consent of the Agency ... The Mizrachi Women's-
Organization- is not to make any applications to Welfare Funds as
long as the Mizrachi Palestine Fund is included in the United
Jewish Appeal . . The American Fund for Israel Institutions is
authorized to campaign for a goal of $1,900,000 on behalf of
eighty-nine Israel institutions, but none of its beneficiary agencies
is authorized to conduct separate drives . . . The American Red
Mogen Dovid can only conduct a campaign for membership with
a $25 limit in membership dues for individuals; group member-
ships are not to exceed one dollar per person . . . The Women's
League for Israel can conduct its campaign only in the New York
area and will make not application to any Welfare Fund outside
New York.
Linguists
Immigrants in Israel now read newspapers and periodicals
in about 20 languages . . . Newsstands in Israel carry papers in
the following languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, Croatian, Czech,
Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish,
Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish . . .
The English periodicals arrive from the United States and Britain;
the Yiddish come from the United States; the Russian come from
Soviet Russia and New York . . Some immigrants are now asking
for periodicals in Turkish, Portugese, Finnish Danish 'argil
Chinese . . . The immigration wave from Shanghai brougra' aloza
some Chinese women married to Jews.