Time for U. S. to l i lilan,ce the Scale

THE JEWISH NEWS

Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951

Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Asso-
ciation
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE.
8-9364. Subscription $4 a year, Foreign $5.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6. 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879 •

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

SIDNEY SHMARAK

Editor and Publisher

,

ertising Manager

FRANK SIMONS

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the fifth day of Heshvan, 5716, the following Scriptural selections will be read
in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 6:9-11:32. Prophetical portion, Is. 54:1-55:5.

Licht Benshen Friday, Oct. 21, 5:20 p.m.

VOL. XXVIII—.-No. 7

Page Four

Oct. 21, 1955

Annual Education Month: Major Duties

Our annual Education Month assumes different forms this year.
In the past, Education Month's major task was to plead with parents to enroll their
children in the communal United Hebrew Schools, and in other of our city's schools, so
that the available desk-chairs should be occupied to capacity.
It is different today. Our primary school rooms are filled, and we are faced with
entirely different problems.
The major difficulty is to secure enough good teachers to train our children!
Next comes the problem of providing additional classrooms for the growing school
population.
And the third problem is to encourage the teen-agers and the young adults to pursue
their Jewish studies.
The first problem necessitates the raising of the standards of the teaching profession.
This calls for assurances of better remuneration to those who plan to pursue teaching as a
profession. It means a greater financial obligation to our communities, but it is a vital
necessity that must be met properly, promptly and with devoted sincerity, lest our young
people should be driven away from the teaching profession.
There is an urgent need for more school rooms. The Jewish community has exten-
sive plans for the construction of more Centers with which are to be linked proper United
Hebrew Schools classrooms. Such a building program should be speeded. Time is of the
essence, especially in our suburban areas to which many of our .people are flocking.
The position of the young adults and the teen-agers in our cultural set-up is a problem
all its own. In a recent statement on "Jewish Goals for Youth," Max F. Baer, national
director of the Bnai Brith Youth Organization, made this challenging declaration:

Will Herberg's 'Catholic

,

Protestant, Jew'

Challenge to 'Third Generation'

Will Herberg, whose "Judaism and Modern Man" has stirred
many readers to new heights in search for spiritual values, is ac-
corripliShing a similar task in a wider area with his new book,
"Protestant, Catholic, Jew," a thought-proVoking work sub-titled
"an essay in American religious sociology," which has just been
published by Doubleday (575 Madison, NY22).
• This 'work 'is, in essence, a challenge to the "third generation,"
"However we may appraise_ our elementary Jewish education, - the really great tragedy in and youth's search for a religious heritage. -
American Jewish life is the abrupt termination of Jewish learning at age 13 or 15. What a mockery
As the title indicates, Mr. Herberg evaluates the development
of our loitg and honored tradition of /earning when we set a youngster's sight on 'Bar Mitzvah or of the three faiths in this country, their present poSitions, their
ConfirmatiO As a-terthinal point, beyond which he is assured of emancipation from further religious strength and aspirations. -
instruction! Anti:mg middle-class Jewish families a secular college ,education is now considered as
"Whether we judge by religious identification, church member-
commonplace. But a Jewish education on a high school level is seldom considered. In 1954 only about ship, or church attendance, whether we go by the best-seller lists,
18,000 students of high school age were enrolled in Jewish Sunday Schools and all types of Jewish the mass media, or the writings of intellectuals, the conclusion is
weekday schools throughout the United States. This explains the sad spectacle of interfaith gatherings the same: there is every sign of a notable 'turn to religion' among
in which: Jewish youth are unable to answer the most elemental questions about their own faith. That the American. people_ today," Mr. Herberg declares at the outset.
is why so many Jewish college youth seek to escape from any kind of meaningful affiliation. That
There is,. of course, .a very thorough study of Judaism in
is why we see so many artists who create art by Jews rather than Jewish art. That is why among America and of the Judaeo-Christian ideals. There are contrasts
our people there are so many intellectuals who turn all of their interests dnd talents into secular and comparisons, and on this score he makes this significant point:
pursuits and contribute so little to the strengthening of Jewish life or to the strengthening of their
"As against both Catholie and Jewish extremes, the Pro-
own inner spiritual. resources."
testant pattern seems - to be far more 'normal' in its easy accom-
We agree with Mr. 'Baer's conClusions that much of our work for the extension of
modation. to the benign, 'pro-religious' secularism so prevalent in
primary schools becomes futile `.`unless and until we forge the link of Jewish education in this country today. There are signs that the current upswing in
religion, particularly -.the renewal of Reformation theology, may
the secondary school level." He warns us that "no one yet has succeeded in structuring a
raise the level of American Protestant belief; it is certainly in-
third and fourth floor on a building which lacks a second story." •
Thus, retention of interest among our youth after they. have reached the Bar Mitzvah creasing Protestant churchgoing. However that may turn out to
be,. the Protestant pattern will in all probability continue to define
and Consecration ages of 13 and 15; encouragement of continued Jewish studies among our
the American religious pattern in general, to - which American
youth of college age, and enrollment of large numbers of young adults in Jewish exten-
Catholic and Jew will increasingly conform, each in his, own way
sion courses, become most urgent if we are to. have truly ,able and well-trained Jewish and from his own direction."
leaders. If we will yield contentedly to the view that fund-raisers are the chief spokesmen
There are warnings, -however, that while memberships in
for Israel, we will have no need for scholarship. But even the unscholarly person will admit churches and synagogues are at an all time high, that illiteracy in
that such a state of affairs can only mean destruction for Jewry. And the temper of our religious matters is as prevalent as ever.' He concludes, however,
that "even the more conventional forms of American religion, for
people today surely is to prevent and defy such a form of self-destruction.
Education Month reminds us of our duties in the direction of a well-coordinated, a all their dubiousness, should not be simply written off by the man
very dignified and a most devoted Jewish community. Such a community, cons.cious of its of faith."'
This is, as we have said, a challenging book..Its value increases
prophetic heritage, aware of its duties to Jewry and to America, will strive for the highest
becatise it is meritorious not only for the ministers of religions but
educational goals. We believe them to be attainable. We are confident that they will be I equally as well for the laymen. -
attained.
•;)

Drawing used through the
courtesy of the National
Citizens Committee for
Public Schools. See also
story on Page 1, explana-
tory note on Page 2 and
Special Education Month
articles on Page 24.

I

Where will

