An. Israeli Scientist Appraises Jewry
In American. Life Alter Visit to U. S.
(Editor's note: Prof. Olitzky
is an Israeli scientist who re-
cently spent several months in
the United States on a scien-
tific mission. In this article he
presents a few observations of
American Jewry, based on his
meeting many Jews, particu-
larly along the Eastern Sea-
board.)
By PROF. OLITZKY
(Copyright 1951, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.
Upon meeting large numbers
of Jews in America, the visitor
learns quickly that it is exceed-
ingly difficult to make generali-
zations which would adequately
categorize major portions of
American Jewry. One of the
most distinctive aspects of
American Jews is their varied
backgrounds and economic con-
ditions. In addition, the density
of the Jewish population among
which the individual American
Jew is found has a profound ef-
fect on his reactions to himself,
to America and Americans, and
to Jews in this country and
abroad.
Generally, it can be said that
in areas where a few Jews are
dispersed among a predomin-
antly non-Jewish population as-
similation is relatively rapid.
Conversely, the concentration of
Jewish masses seems to inhibit
assimilation. Another aspect of
this picture is that the Jew from
an area where Jews live appears
to be much less aware of anti-
Semitism, while the Jew in
places where many other Jews
live, learns not only of what his
Jewishness consists; but also of
anti-Semitism.
Among the Jews I met in the
United States, there seemed to
be three predominent categories,
which I shall call the pre or
non-assimilatory, the assimila-
tory and the post-assimilatory.
day their Jewish conscious-
ness awoke. It is difficult to
generalize as to the reason for
this awakening—it could be a
child's question about its Jew-
ishness, the events of Nazi
and post - war Europe, the
fight for and the establish-
ment of a Jewish state, or any
one of a dozen reasons.
Donnerskirchen Camp Head
Convicted of Murdering Jews
VIENNA,
(JTA) — Nikolaus
Schorn, 63, was convicted of the
murder of Jewish slave laborers
in the Donnerskirchen camp in
January, 1945, and sentenced to
life imprisonment. Schorn was
head of the camp. Most of his
This awakening often leads to victims were Hungarian Jews.
new development—a new inter-
est in Judaism. The Jewish holi-
days suddenly take on meaning
and are observed. Everywhere I
Greetings on the New Year
found children Vao were proud
to have a Mei ■ Jrah in their
windows, as their Christian play-
mates had a Christmas tree.
It seems clear to me that the
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future of American Jewry is
based upon the younger gener-
ation, this post-assimilatory
3007 Leslie
group which despite its expo-
sure to a non-Jewish environ-
TO. 6-1128
ment and education is searching
for the way back to a Jewish
life.
U.N. Selects 15-Nation Refugee Advisory Body
GENEVA, (JTA)—The United
Nations Economic and Social
Council has elected - the 15-na-
tion advisory committee to the
UN High Commissioner for Re-
fugees. The State of Israel is
one of the members. The com-
mittee will be composed of Aus-
tralia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil,
Denmark France, Switzerland,
Turkey, the United Kingdom,
the United States and Venezuela,
each of whom received 13 votes;
the Federal German Republic,
Israel and Italy, each of whom
received 12 votes, and the Vati-
can State, -,%...Thich received 10
votes.
,
New Year Greetings
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Holiday
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The first-group—the pre-as-
similatory—is mostly compos-
ed of people who were not
born . in the U. S. They have
learned a minimum English
vocabulary, but their lan-
guage is generally Yiddish, as
is their literature. However,
this group appears to have no
common attitude toward reli-
gion; some are Orthodox, oth-
erS Reform, while still others
are indifferent to religion or
are completely non-religious.
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The pre-assimilatory group, by
virtue of the change of empha-
sis on Yiddish as the primary
language, sometimes • develops
toward the assimilationist group.
At other times the language
changes, but the trend toward
assimilation is completely halt-
ed and we have what I shall call
the non-assimilatory. In this
group are to be found Jews who
received their education in
America, speak English, are
happy as Americans. They ob-
serve some of the religious tra-
ditions and have not forgotten
their Jewish origin; feeling a
deep responsibility for the fate
of Jews throughout the world.
The assimilatory type of
American Jew begins to develop
in this manner with the loss of
the Yiddish language and then
the loss of Jewish tradition and
custom. However, often child-
hood reminiscences remain. Sur-
prisingly, among the hundreds
of assimilated American Jews I
met, there was not a single one
who deliberately tried to hide
his Jewish background or to ad-
vance a theory of assimilation-
ism.
Greetings
Holiday Greetings
Holiday Greetings
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3632 Van Dyke at Mack
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Holiday Greetings
New Year Greetings
RADIANT SIGN COMPANY
ALBRIGHT TILE & MARBLE CO.
Ben Weinstock, Prop
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Best fishes for a Happy
New Year's Greetings
OWL MOVING' & STORAGE CO.
The last, and in my opinion
the most important type for
future development of Ame•i-
can Jewry, is the post-assimi-
latory Jew. This group is com-
posed of men and women who
were born in America, receiv-
ed their education in an at-
mosphere completely divorced
from Jewish environment, tra-
dition and activity. Then, one
LONDON, (JTA) — Appoint-
ment of Andrew Benjamin Cohen
as governor and commander-in
chief of Uganda Protectorate was
announced by the Colonial Of-
fice. Cohen, 42, has been in the
Colonial Office since 1933 and
has been serving as Assistant
Under - Secretary of State in
charge of the African Division.
During one of the most critical
stages of World War II, he was
in charge of organization of sup-
plies for the besieged island of
Malta.
THE JEWISH NEWS-17
Friday, October 5, 1951
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