Jewish, Theological Seminary

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS-23

Friday, September 17, 1954

The "Eternal Light" Radio
Program, sponsored by the
Seminary, presents weekly, to
6,000,000 American auditors,
dignified and authoritative pic-
tures of Jewish life past and
present, here and in Israel,
It has repeatedly been award-
ed prizes for the excellence.
This program is not apologetic
in tone nor proselytizing in
purpose. Its ainz is to inter
pret the Jewish cultural heri
tage.
In 1947, the Jewish Museum
was opened in the building
which had served as the War-
burg home. Located at the
corner of 92nd Street and 5th
Avenue and directed by Dr.

Stephen J. Kayser, Curator, tti
quickly became one of the prin-
cipal Jewish sights of New York,
attracting tens of thousands of
visitors annually. It is a rich
repository of Jewish arts and
crafts, ceremonial objects of rare ------
beauty and all types of Jewish
art creations. It has frequent
exhibitions of the works of con-
temporary Jewish artists. Special
displays on holidays and festi-
vals artistically portray the
spirit and message of these oc-•
casions. In the Sabbath room.
are gathered a superb collectiora
of spice boxes. kiddush cups,
hallah trays, hallah candles.
Sabbath lamps of brass, silver

In 1901, an event took place
that was to have the profound-
est effect on the course of the
Seminary's history and the in-
fluence of which was to spread
to all of American Jewish life.
Dr. Solomon Schechter, then
By RABBI MORRIS ADLER
ceived a thorough Jewish
training. At the early age of teaching at Cambridge, accepted
the appointment of President of
- An institution has been de- 23, he was invited to become
the Faculty. His interest in the
scribed by Emerson as the
a Jewish teacher in London.
lengthened shadow of a man. He became an intimate of Sir institution went back almost to
The Jewish Theological Semin-
Moses Montefiore, (likewise its inception. He had expressed
his conviction, born of his rare
ary bears and will always con-
Italian born.) He continued
tinue to bear, the impress of the perfecting himself in Jewish insight, "I hold alWays that the
future of Judaism lies in Amer-
spirit of the galaxy of great studies. A man of liberal ideals,
ica:" His rich and stimulating
Jews who founded and led it
he came under the influence
personality, and his notable
Continued on Page 24
through the years.
of Mazzini. In 1850 he was in-
contribUtions have been de-
When the Seminary was or-
vited to minister to Congre-
ganized more than six decades
gation Mikveh Israel in Phila- scribed in the article by Dr. A.
M. Hershman. Suffice it to say 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4t 0 0 40 It 0 4/ 4/ 4/ 40 0 4t• e 4/ 41 0 0 lb 6 4/ 40 lb 40 4) 40 40
ago, the outlook and emphasis; delphia. He ascended the pul-
here that he stamped his per-
which it sought to introduce
pit in Purim of that year and
VARIETY CREATES APPETITE!
into American Jewish life, re-
continued to occupy it for the sonality not only on his students,
on
the
institution
he
headed,
quired boldness of resolve and next 47 years, until his death.
but in a significant way on
largeness of view. A chaotic
Sabato Morais was a man of
condition prevailed. Jewish life devout spirit and deep love of American Jewry.
Prof. Louis Ginzberg, whose
was characterized by a whole- Judaism. Among his pupils were
sale abandonment of Jewish ob- men destined to enrich Ameri- recent loss is the greatest shock
servances, a deterioration of can Jewish life with great and sustained by modern Jewish •
Jewish learning and scholarship, lasting contributions. Cyrus Ad- scholarship since the death of
a widespread misunderstanding ler, Solomon Solis-Cohen, Mayer Schechter, became the outstand- •
in tempting stuffings for poultry and
of the nature of Judaism on the Sulzberger and a host of others ing Jewish scholar of his time.
veal . . . in delightful fillings for green
His
unparalelled
mastery
of
the
•
part of Jews, and a pathetic came under his inspiring in-
peppers and tomatoes. Delicious roasted
•
Talmud,, the universal scope of
contentment with a deplorable fluence.
nutlike flavor of 100% real buckwheat!
minimum. A small but dedicated
his learning, the profundity of •
He was joined by H. Pereia. Men-
•
and determined group assembled des, Minister at the Shearith Is- his thought and his Nientific
DEUCIOUS
• NUTRITIOUS • THRIFTY •
to take counsel. These men had rael Synagogue in New York. Sol- approach, enabled him to create 0
ALSO ENJOY WOLFF'S CREAMY KERNELS... DELIGHTFUL
i enduring books of Jewish schol- •
an overpowering faith in the
BUCKWHEAT GRITS FOR CEREAL AND PUDDINGS
i onion Solis-Cohen, outstanding arship and to educate through
eternal significance of the Jew-
!man
of
science,
one
of
America's
his more than fifty years as
ish tradition and its inherent
vitality to withstand the shock earliest Zionists, poet and stu- Professor of Talmud and Rab-
dent
of
Judaism;
Marcus
Jast-
binics, the students who attend-
of transition from the medieval
to the modern age and from. row, disciple of Henrich Graetz, ed the Seininary. Then there
the old world to the new. They Rabbi of Congregation . Rodef was Dr. Alexander Marx, histor-
Philadelphia, orator, Lan, bibliographer supreme, man
firmly believed in the moment- Sholom
ous and realp ossibility of ful- scholar and teacher. In this ! of piety and nobility who became
group were also Cyrus Adler,1 the builder of the world's most r§
filling and maintaining in
i
America the rich continuity of later to lead in the reorganiza- I complete Jewish library. They
t ion of the Seminary and to were subsequently joined by Dr.
the Jewish heritage. They rec- t
ognized even then, that Ameri- serve as its president; Rabbi Israel Friedlander, teacher of
canism, rightly understood, does Aaron Wise, father of the late Bible, whose untimely martyr
not require or desire the sur- Rabbi' Stephen S. Wise, and the death, while on a mission of
render of the cherished beliefs- noble philanthropist, Jacob H. mercy in the Ukraine, robbed us
Schiff. It was on Jan. 31, 1886 of a great scholar in the very
or of the significent ritual of
Judaism. Integration with that these men had their his- prime of his powers.
American life was not to be at- toric meeting. Out of it came the
Prof. Israel . - C-avidson, later to
tained through violation of Jew- decision to set up a training compile a Thesaurus, which in
school
for
spiritual
leaders.
ish integrity.
Chairs were to be founded in other cultures a whole academy
They were men of vision
Bible,
Talmud, History, -Philoso- of scholars would be required to
and faith. Beyond the pres-
ophy,
and
Homiletics. The motto create, taught medieval litera-
ent, they saw a future of
ture. Prof. Mordecai M. Kaplan,
growth and enlargement. which they felt suggested their
great purposes was readily found himself a graduate of the Sem-
They had faith in the capacity
inary, original thinker and stu-
in the tradition, in the Series of I
of the American Jew to lead a
dent, man af a bold and pio-
Hebrew
verbs
contained
in
the
neering
mind, taught Homile-
spiritual life worthy of their
liturgy, "to learn, to teach and to
heritage,
tics and served as principal of
They sought to restore Torah obey, to practice and to fulfill
to its glory and study and in love all the teachings of Thy the Teacher's Institute. This was
perhaps the most distinguished
knowledge to their traditional Torah."
group of Jewish scholars and
Eight students were enrolled
eminence in Jewish life. 'Hence
teachers to be assembled in
and classes were opened early
they felt that the great need
America.
in
1887,
in
rooms
hospitably
of the hour was to establish a
Prof. Schechter was succeeded
offered by Congregation Shea-
school to train spiritual leaders,
to the Seminary's presidency by
rith Israel, then on West 19th
to carry this vision to the peo-
Dr. Cyrus Adler; distinguished
Street, in New York. Sabato
ple. Such leaders, properly to
American Jew, Communal leader
Morais
served
as
president
of
fulfill their function must im-
and educator. From 1911 till his
the faculty. Dr. Alexander
bibe deeply of the springs of
death in 1940,
3
Kohut was Professor of Tal-
Jewish learnings. The classic
Dr. Adler led
texts of Judai sm must be mud.
the SeMinary in
thoroughly mastered by them.
The new institution soon at- the spirit of
The moving history and de- tracted more students and larger Solomon
veloping philosophy of the tra- quarters were found in Cooper Schechter. T h e
dition must be a fundamental Union Hall. This was followed Seminary con-
part of their outlook and cul- by the purchase of a house on tinueci to grow
FILLED WITH FINE FRESH FRUIT
tural background. For it is in Lexington Avenue, to meet the under his aegis
Judaism that one finds the ad- growing needs of the young , an d b ecame
monition, unique in the annals school. There the Seminary re-
of religio n, "lo am-ha'aretz maineds till 1902, when Jacob H. recognized
a n far
d
appreciated
chasid," the uninformed cannot Schiff had a building erected on beyond the Jew-
Dr. Adler
be truly devout. At the same West 123rd Street to house the ish community itself. In 1939
time the Jewish spiritual teach- Seminary and its library. In 1929 , President Franklin D. Roosevelt
er must be steeped in the mod- the present site on 122nd and I appointed Dr. Adler as Jewish
em learning and thoroughly at 123rd Streets and Broadway, was representative to the religious
home in the culture of the world. acquired. The Schiff family conferences on conditions af-
The little group comprised
gave to the Seminary the beau- fecting a lasting peace. Dr Adler
some of the noblest Jewish
tiful Library Building, housing was the first American to re-
spirits of the day. It was head-
the largest collection of Jewish ceive a Ph. D. in Semitics at any
ed by Sabato Morais, descend- books in our history. In addition American University. and first
ent of a distinguished family.
there is a Teacher's Institute to establish a monotype Hebrew
Made to order in attractive combina-
Himself born in Italy, he re- Building and a Dormitory. •
press in America.

Editor's Note: This is another in the series of articles on
the development and status of Jewish religious institutions in
this country, being written for The Jewish -News by Detroit's
Conservative, Orthodox and Reform Rabbis, on the occasion of
the celebration of the American Jewish Tercentenary.

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C

BROWN KASHE

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Dr. Adler was succeeded by
Prof.- Louis Finkelstein, the
first graduate of the Seminary
to occupy the
presidency.
American born,
Dr. Finkelstein
is a foremost
Jewish scholar
recognized
wherever Jewish
learning is
found. His"
works "Rabbi
Akiba," " T h e
Pharisees," and
a host of other
learned books,
have won for Dr. Finkelstein
him a. place in the front rank of
Jewish scholarship. The growth
of the Seminary under his lead-
ership has parallel the uniqUe
growth in influence and power
of American Jewry,' A

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