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Bernard Isaacs Deplores Alarming Neglect
Enrollment of Girls in Hebrew Schools Urged
Educator Says Women Must
Be Taught Jewish Values
By BERNARD ISAACS
Superintendent, United Hebrew Schools
There was a time when Jewish Education for women
was frowned upon because of traditional prejudices, but that
belongs to past history. The modern man is very much re-
moved from such philosophies which bar the woman from
Jewish education. The modern man, nevertheless, has, in this
respect, prejudices of his own coinage and they are many and
varied. They can, however, be summed up in one word—pre-
occupation.
It is claimed that the girl of today is too much pre-occupied
with recreational activities, such as dancing, elocution, listening to
the radio, watching the television, etc. Their Jewish education is
therefore relegated to the background. It is, therefore, of the ut-,
most importance to focus the attention of every father and mother
upon this alarming neglect.
Here are just a few of the many vital reasons why your daugh-
ter must get a Jewish education:
1. Your daughter is the future home maker. It is she who
will set the tone for her Jewish home. In fact, it is she who will
either make it or unmake it Jewishly speaking. How does one
expect to have his daughter build a Jewish home without. any
knowledge of Jewishness and of Jewish values; without any
knowledge of the various laws and customs which govern a Jew-
ish home? No matter how much the man of the house would like
to lay the stamp of Jewishness upon the home, his efforts will be
futile if he does not obtain the full cooperation of his wife. In
fact, in rabbinic literature, the word "house" is synonymous with
the word "wife." In Biblical Hebrew, the wife is known as the
"ascereth Ha-Bayith," the foundation of the house.
2. The woman of today exerts a tremendous influence in
social life, at least as great as the man, or even more. One finds
women organized in auxiliaries to all important local and na-
tional organizations. They are found in the sisterhoods of re-
ligious establishments. You find them. also as independent or-
ganizations such as Hadassah, National Council of Jewish Wom-
en, etc. Now, what kind of influence can a Jewish woman, who
is ignorant of her Jewishness, wield in her social endeavors? All
she can do in that instance is to follow the crowd, which is a
very unwholesome state of affairs. Our Jewish organizations
need women with knowledge—with. Jewish knowledge, with a
Jewish consciousness—women who know our past, and who have
a healthy attitude towards our future.
3. Women have been taking, of late, a great part in matters
of education. The Parent-Teachers-Associations attached tO all
educational institutions, have, in recent years, become very popu-
lar, and rightly so. Educational institutions need the coopera-
tion and moral support of the mother, but her cooperation may
be a negative one if her knowledge of Jews and Jewishness is
negligible. In the world of general education, we find many
women who have made for themselves a mark both as practical
educators and as theorists. Many books and treatises have been
written by women in the field of general culture. Our Jewish
women are conspicuous in this field only by their absence, and
this is only because they have been deprived, by their own par-
ents, of the elementary knowledge of Jewishness, of the Hebrew
Language in which rich literature has been written, a literature
which has enriched the whole world, but did not _reach our
women. They have been deprived of the study of the book of
books in the original Hebrew. The two great religions of the
world—the Christian and the Mohammedan—have accepted the
Bible as their basis for religion, and have always influenced their
leaders to study• it in the original, but it has remained a closed
book for our own daughters. The same is true about Jewish
History.
The United Hebrew Schools are making every effort to reach
both the boys and the girls of this community, but it is up to
the parents, and particularly to the mothers, to become aware of
this great and important asset for their daughters, and send them
to the United Hebrew Schools for an intensive Jewish education.
A Statement by Education Month Co-Chairmen
A MUST! Education of Children
And Re-Education of Parents
Education Month, sponsored by the United Hebrew
Schools of Detroit, has taken on added significance
to the people of our community this year.
Our great contributions of money and material
things must be complemented by contributions of the
spirit as well. The basis of this spirit must be a Jewish
world well-equipped with fundamental facts and under-
standing. Thus, the education of our children and the
re-education of parents has become a must for all of us.
In such a spirit, the United Hebrew Schools carries on
a program celebrating its 24th Annual Education Month.
Using the best methods we have had at our com-
mand ; we have attempted to impress the, entire com-
munity with the need for Jewish Education today, and
the part the United Hebrew Schools can and will play
in carrying out the educational goals we seek.
Fundamentally, our aim is more education for the
children of our community. We feel deeply that the ac-
tivities of the Education Month will send more and more
children and parents in search of the knowledge that
makes up our great heritage.
Our sincere thanks to the staff of the United He-
brew Schools, the members of the Jewish Welfare Fed-
eration, press and radio, who helped make Jewish Ed-
ucation Month a success.
JACOB KELLMAN
JOSEPH B. COLTEN
DR. AUBREY GOLDMAN
Co-Chairmen, Education Month
Hebrew Schools
Name Committees
The following committee
chairmen were appointed by
Abe Kasle, president of the
United Hebrew Schools, at the
last meeting of the board of
directors:
Board of Education: Maurice
H. Zackheim, chairman, Maurice
Landau, co-chairman.
Budget and Finance: Louis
Robinson, chairman, Maurice
Landau, co-chairman.
Real Estate: Louis Stoll and
Julius Berman, associate chair-
men.
Scholarship Fund: Harry Co-
hen, chairman.
Membership : Ben , Fishman,
chairman.
House: Nathan Yaffa, chair-
man, Isaac Rosenthal, co-chair-
man.
Public Relations: Lawrence
W. Crohn, chairman.
Midrasha: Dr. A. W. Sanders,
chairman.
Endowment Fund: Judge Wil-
liam Friedman, -chairman.
Co-Curricular: Walter L.
Field, chairman.
Ruben Isaacs Directs
UHS Education Month
Public Relations Work
Our Most Vital Aim—A Jewish
Education for All Our Children
By ABE BASLE
President, United Hebrew Schools
The United Hebrew Schools
are now observing the 24th an-
nual Education Month, the aim
of which is to bring to the par-
ents the message of giving their
children a Jewish education.
Every effort is being made to
reach the parents, and through
them, their children—by word
of mouth, by means of the ra-
dio, the press and the mails.
Have we met with success? To
a great extent—yes. However,
there are still thousands of chil-
dren who do not attend any
Jewish school, whose parents
and grandpar-
ents haven't yet
come to the
logical conclu-
sion that, with-
out Jewish edu-
cation, they will
set up a barrier
between the
child and his
people.
Abe Basle
We are the people of the
"book" — the people who gave
the "book" to the whole world.
Unfortunately, today many of
our parents choose to ignore
this fact completely.
More than two years have
passed since the establishnient
of the state of Israel. In the
new Jewish state the children
are conversing in the Hebrew
language. The people of Israel
are at home in Hebrew Litera-
ture. Are we, American Jews,
to estrange ourselves from our
,brethren in Israel? We have
given material help. W h a t
about our spiritual cooperation?
Of equal if not greater
importance is the fact that a
Jewish education leads to
stronger Americanism.
A Jewish education provides
the child with the ideals which
emphasize the basic principles
of American freedom.
"Hebrew mortar" has ce-
mented American ideals of
liberty and justice. By impart-
ing these ideals to our youth
we give them courage, strength
and dignity. Therefore, by ad-
vancing Hebrew education we
advance Americanism.
It seems to me that there is
nothing more vital in our en-
tire Jewish life, than the edu-
cation of our children. Let us
get closer to the "book"—let us
fill our schools, all our schools
with children.
A larger attendance will make
it possible to have better
schools, better training and
more modern equipment. The
entire c/liber of Jewish teach-
ing will be raised if all of us
would stand firmly behind this
great movement—Jewish educa-
tion for all our children.
This past year, Mekorot, Is-
rael's largest water company, in
which the JNF is an active part-
ner, almost trebled its output.
1 2 — THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, November 17, 1950
Greetings to Our Schools
And to All Lovers of Hebrew
Kvutzah Ivrith, (The Hebrew Cultural Group of Detroit) and
the Ladies Auxiliary of the Kvutzah, extend their heartiest
greetings to the United Hebrew Schools upon the 24th An-
nual Education Month and hope that all those who speak
the Hebrew language will join the ranks of the Kvutzah in
their efforts to advance the Hebrew language and literature.
JOSEPH - KATZ, President
Kvutzah Ivrith of Detroit
•
RUBEN ISAACS
Rueben Isaacs, a graduate of
the United Hebrew Schools, for
the past three years has been
responsible for the radio and
public relations programs in be-
half of Education Months of the
United Hebrew Schools.
The attractive appeals appear-
ing in The Jewish News and the
radio schedules which have been
highly acclaimed are the result
of his efforts. •
Isaacs is the head of the Ru-
ben Advertising Agency which
has risen in a short time to a
position of esteem in advertising
circles. He is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Bernard Isaacs.
Two Million Trees in One Year
During the past year (1949-50),
2,150,000 trees were planted in
JNF forests in Israel., Of this
number 1,011,000 trees were
planted in the Negev while. the
rest were planted in the Jeru-
salem "Corridor," Upper Galilee,
etc.
MRS. JULIUS RING, President
Ladies Auxiliary, Kvutzah Ivrith
Women's Greetings to Hebrew Schools
We take pleasure in extending our greetings to the
United Hebrew Schools on the occasion of its observance of
the 24th Annual Education Month. To Mr. Isaacs, Superin- -
tendent of the Schools, and Mr. Albert Elazar, his Associate,
to the faculty, officers and Board Members, we extend our .•
good wishes and gratitude for their untiring efforts in be-
half of Hebrew Education.
Hebrew Education for the child is not the responsibility
of the Father alone. The Mother, perhaps, plays an even more
important role. Therefore, we call upon all Mothers to help
in our effort to promote Jewish Education as sponsored by
the United Hebrew Schools.
We urgently invite women to join our Auxiliary. Our
programs throughout the season, are cultural as well as en-
tertaining.
The Auxiliary extends a cordial welcome to the com-
munity to attend its annual dinner at Congregation Shaarey •
Zedek on Nov. 26. For reservations, call Mrs. Herman Wets-
man, TY. 7-6159, or Mrs. Morris Krause, UN. 4-9525.
Affiliation with our Auxiliary may be considered as help-
ing to spread the study of Torah.
Minnie (Mrs. Louis J.) Tobin, President:
Woman's Auxiliary, United Hebrew Schools_:
•
In Knowledge Lies Strength!
Our educational system is the strongest
factor in our democracy. In Jewish life,
education is the very sustenance of Israel
We congratulate the United Hebrew Schools on the
occasion of the 24th annual Hebrew Education Month. May
our Educational System grow from strength to strength.
Keystone Oil Refining Co
William Fisher
•
Leon Kay
Nathan R. Epstein