Jewish Learning in America and the Future of U. S.
By Philip
Jewry .. . An Expression of Faith and an Evalua-
Slomovitz
tion of Unjustified Pessimism
The position of American Jewry must be rec-
not the only great centers of Jewish aciii,ity
ognized and understood before we criticize too
at the time, and that they did not come into
severely. In the past 50 or 60 years, rabbinical
being overnight, as it were, writers and lecturers
academies have been founded here, and the rabbis
have taken a hasty look about them,. have
in this country are American products. Only rarely
perceived the relatively low level of Jewish
does a Hasidic or a similar group now invite a non-
cultural activity in this country, and proceeded
American to come here and to serve as a rabbi or
to foresee a declining American Jewry, a Jewry
as a cantor or as a mohel. In the main, this need
of some five millions largely unaware of its
now is filled by American Jews, many of them
extended history and traditions, blissful in its
native American Jews.
ignorance of Jewish literature, departing at an
In other areas, too, American Jews are begin-
increasingly rapid pace farther away from
Jewish interests and living. The lecturers -con-
ning to fill the need for scholarship.
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demn the Jews of America for being uninterested
in Judaism, accuse them of assimilation, frighten
Our Heritage Is Not Forsaken
them with _the prospect of cultural extinction.
Let us understand the conditions that are
involved in the processes of creating "non-market-
-"Ifiulerlying this attitude is not alone an
able Jewish" values. While we have celebrated
incorrect understanding and application of our
the Tercentenary of the settlement of Jews in this
past history, but also a marked lack of respect
country, the event of 1654 which was marked by
and appreciation of the actual and potential
extensive ceremonies in 1954 referred to the settle-
ability and learning of the Jews in America.
There is altogether too widespread an opinion
ment on these shores of a small group of Jews. It
that right now, and for all time to come, the
remained small for a long time. There were 50,000
American Jewish community simply lacks the
Jews in this country in 1840, and the number grew
learning and desire to develop into a major
to about 250,000 in 1880. On the entire American
Jewish center, on a level with Eastern Europe,
continent there were 1,200,000 Jews in 1900, and
or Spain, or Babylonia. Some persons have
the present figure of 5,500,000 American Jews was
gone so far as to urge strongly, either that
the result of large-scale immigration from Eastern
American Jews adapt themselves to, and adopt
Europe during the years 1905 to 1920.
wholesale the culture of the State of Israel, or
Students of history, of social and cultural con-
better still that they move wholesale to Israel.
ditions, must take into consideration the economic
By what right does anyone take such an attitude
struggle the newcomers encountered here. They
toward the present generation of Jews? Certainly
had begun a new life. They had to learn a new
there is nothing in history to justify this extreme
language; they labored to establish themselves in
demand and distorted perspective! Forgotten is
trades and professions, in business and industry.
the fact that the mass immigration of Jews into
It was a difficult transition period. But in the
America did not begin until about 60 years ago.
course of it they made great contributions to
What did the United States at large amount to
America in every field of endeavor—including
culturally during the first 60, and twice 60
government, the sciences, business, industry and
years, of its existence? And what a pessimistic
related fields.
picture would have been painted by our current
If they did not devote themselves as diligently
prophets of doom, of Babylonian Judaism after
as had their parents and grandparents to Jewish
only 60 or 100 or more years of existence, or
cultural values, they nevertheless retained great
of the Jews of Spain, and of Eastern Europe!"
respect and love for learning and they never failed
There is a serious lesson here for the critics of
to honor the lamdan, the man of learning, the
American Jewry. We share the faith of Dr. Orlinsky.
cultural institutions that gradually began to arise
We believe that the Jews of America, even if our
in their midst and the scholars and scholarly agen-
numbers' should decline as a result of intermar-
-cies abroad that called out to them for help.
riages and assimilation in the coming 50 years,
Indeed, American Jews did not treat Torah and
nevertheless will remain a constructive, non-market-
learning as a marketable product, but as part of
able factor in this land, whose children will produce
their great heritage. They did not forsake their
Jewish values and will make their contributions
inheritance.
to the cultural treasures of our people.
We Are Not A Lost Generation
By this token,, it would be wrong . to say about
We Must Face All Challenges
the two generations of American Jews who had
There is nothing to be gained from vituperations
risen to great numbers in the past half century
and from entering into polemics over reportorial ac-
that they failed to recognize and appreciate the
curacy. But since Prof. Spiro had seen fit to say
need for extended Jewish educational programs in
he has "yet to find bright Jewish students" in. his
America. No one can claim suddenly to have dis-
classes and that "non-Jews are much brighter and
covered the existence of a problem involving Jew-
apply themselves more;" and since Dr. Max Kapus-
ish education and general Judaic studies in view
tin, the. director of WSU Hillel FoundatiOn found
of the established fact: that responsible Jews
it necessary to comment at this point; "Not at
haven't stopped thinking about it and openly dis-
Wayne State, of course," we believe it calls for an
cussing it during the past 20 or more years. All
additional comment on the subject.
Dr. Spiro believes—rightfully, perhaps—that
of us are searching for a solution, all of us are
aiming at improvements; and the faithful believe
Jewish students who enroll in Jewish courses ex-
that we are not a lost generation, that We shall find
pect to find them easy, because of their background,
ourselves, that our children will pick up where
and therefore do not apply themselves properly
to their studies. Let us . belieye that with patience
our parents left off—even if one insists that the
present generation of Jews Is too indifferent to
the Jewish student's interest can be aroused. With
apply the non-marketable values to itself.
stimulus in the subject,. the Jewish • student can
A realistic approach to all issues involving human
be as honorable to his Jewish –studies as he is
values must indicate to practical people that mass
to mathematics and to the physical sciences in
action never solves any problems. In Jewish life,
which, admittedly, if they do not excel they surely
involving all issues, we have been in the habit of
hold on to class standards.
• Meanwhile, the imprudent remark by Dr. Spiro
admitting that it is usually left to shearith Israel,
to a remnant among our people, to rescue endan-
created an. issue that called for responsive articles
gered causes, to protect our heritage, to defend
in three consecutive issues of the WSU Collegian.
the Jewish position and to carry on our sacred
This could have been avoided if those in the audi-
spiritual and cultural obligations. Thus it has been
ence, including Dr. Kapustin, had pursued the
and thus it undoubtedly will continue.
Matter rather than let it stand on it own legs.
Therefore it is wrong to be overly-pessimistic
If the Jewish audienCe of Dr. Spiro had dis-
and to brand ourselves as a marketable community.
puted his assertions, the reporter, who quoted
We are not, that at all.
him, surely would have reported the debate.,. We
have that much confidence in reportorial honesty
We are a young community and are just begin-
ning to find .ourselves. Our love for learning, even
and responsibility. This is not a laughing matter
if we do not pursue it ourselves, augurs well for
to be warded off merely by saying "not at Wayne
American JeWry. It may in the future, as in the
State, of course." If the comment was inapplicable
to Wayne State, it is inapplicable to all :Jewish
past, be a minority among us that will carry the
Torah banner aloft. But these banner-carriers rep-
schools and to all Jewish groups. There are no
resent an indestructible element in our history.
specially privileged groups in select communities
They will always be that imperishable.
anywhere. People are alike and Jews As part of
that people are alike.
We Shall Sincerely Add to Our Culture
What amazes us is that those in the audience
Since writing the above, your Commentator
did not strike up a challenge to that ,unusual
received from his good friend • Dr. Harry M. Orlin-
comment. One man in that audience, a student from
sky, professor of Bible at Hebrew Union College-
Israel, who afterwards expressed shock over . what
Jewish Institute of Religion, the man who heads
had happened, questioned as to the accuracy of the
the group of scholars that now are engaged in pre-
quotations in the Collegian, said: "I heard it!
paring a new translation of our Holy Scriptures
Hayeetee shamah! I was there!" That's not the. 'Way
into English for the Jewish PUblication Society of
to handle issues. We must discuss problems affect-
America, the text of a very important commence-
ing American Jewry on their merits, but we must
ment address he delivered - before the Hebrew
also assert ourselves in matters involving princi-
Teachers College of Brookline, Mass., on the topic
ples and interpretations of values—on the spot,
"American Stimulus and Jewish Response: A Chal-
where they are raised. Had the discussion taken
lenge to Our Youth." There are passages in that
place at the proper time, rather than by means of
address that correspond with what we have just
innuendos spread afterwards, the Collegian's re-
stated. Prof. Orlinsky had this to say about the
porter would have had a chance to quote differing
criticisms leveled at American Jewry:
views. The sensational headline in the Collegian,
"Probably the most popular single topic with
"Spiro Indicts Attitude of U.S. Jews," could not
which public symposiums and lectures have
have been used under such circumstances. The
dealt during the past few years is 'the Future
report of the Hillel lecture then surely would have
of American Judaism.' It seems to me that a
taken on different twists, with a more wholesome
characteristic common to most of these lectures
meaning.
and articles is a feeling of urgency, of forebod-
ing, even of doom. Apparently not aware that
Let this be a lesson to all who keep silent when-
the outstanding Jewish centers of the past were
ever there are criticisms that call for challenge.
Purely Commentary
No 'Crash Basis' for Education
Few problems affecting the American people
have attracted such strong rays of a public spotlight
as has the newly-aroused concern over the short-
comings of our educational programs. As a result
of the competitive feeling that has arisen over the
jealousies that exist between the East and the
West, in technological areas, attempts have been
made to rush our youth into magnified desires for
greater know-how.
The emphasis on the American scene is for
accentuated teaching of the sciences. If we are
to compete with the Eastern powers whose sputniks
created so much concern among so many people,
there is a new desire for more engineers, for in-
creased interest in chemistry and physics, for
mathematical geniuses whom we would like to see
as saviors of Americans from the rut some people
would like us to believe ourselves in at this time.
We do not share the views of the pessimists. We
don't believe we have fallen into such a horrible
rut. We would like to see our youth master Latin
and Greek and other languages, European and Ori-
ental, including Hebrew and Arabic, with as much
zeal as they already are turning to the mathe-
matics and the sciences. If our civilization is to
be savea and re-invigorated, we must have a fully-
.rounded cultured community that knows the classics
and is able to handle test-tubes; that knows the
English language—there are so many of our natives
who do not know their own language—and foreign
tongues as well; that can sing an operatic tune
and enjoy a poem with as much zeal as it turns
to a Western film or to a game of sports.
We are convinced of one thing: that you can't
rush our youth into a special pattern 'of learning,
that our new objectives in education can not be
obtained by forcing our people into extended
studies. Dr. Lawrence G. Derthick, United States
Commissioner of Education, recently said: "There
is no way I know of to produce an educated man
on a crash basis." We heartily agree with him. You
can't force knowledge upon any one. But you can
prepare the ground to arouse a desire for knowl-
edge. If we accomplish that, as a result of the con-
cerns that plague us, we will have attained a great
deal.
Is Jewish Learning Declining?
Interestingly enough, there is a converse treat-
ment of educational needs in the Jewish com-
munity. Dr. Abram Spiro, the head of the newly-
created Semitics department at Wayne State Uni-
versity, suddenly became the center of a con;
troversy because of his belief that Jewish students
should concern themselves as much with Judaic
studies as they do with mathematics and the physi-
cal sciences. The WSU scholar, in his anxiety for
the advancement of Jewish cultural programs and
for "a renaissance of Jewish culture and a re-
birth of learning among the Jews," to use his own
words. "severely criticized several negative aspects
of the present-day American scene as they affect
Jews and non-Jews."
He was speaking to a Jewish group, at the Hillel
Foundation, and he therefore concerned himself
especially with Jewish studies as a means of re-
awakening interest among Jewish students in "what
their Jewish heritage is and what contribution it
has to make to society at large." Whereupon he
expressed the view that American Jews continue to
draw upon the reservoir of learning from abroad.
He was quoted as having used the term "leeches" in
reference to American Jewry, but since there was
an apology from the Wayne State University's
Daily Collegian let us, for the moment, overlook
this term.
However, Dr. Spiro himself has explained the
quotation in the apologized-for Collegian article
b7 - stating: "In the countries where learning and
intellectual pursuits were given primacy, Jewish
culture flourished. Conversely, in a climate which
is oriented towards market values, true scholarship
cannot flourish. And as a result, Jewish learning
declines."
It bodes no good for_ any one to perpetuate
issues. Neither our American pride nor our Jewish
sense of dignity can possibly be helped by con-
tinuing a discussion . of Dr. Spiro's statement re-
garding- the "several negative aspects of the Amer-
ican scene."
But we do believe that Dr. Spiro has rendered
us a real service by raising the issue of standards
in Jewish cultural values and studies, and we must
therefore look at the facts in the case, as it arose
in the dispute over his interestingly controversial
lecture.
Understanding History Before Criticizing
It is immaterial whether Dr. Spiro was justified
in using the terms "non-marketable Jewish studies"
in his discussion of the historical factors relating
to the Jews of this country who, as he . has stated,
"have only recently become city dwellers." This
is hardly the point. Perhaps American Jews have,
indeed, been "leeches" who have drawn almost en-
tirely upon the reservoir of learning and scholar-
ship, upon the immigrant Jews who settled here. It
is, indeed, true, that we had depended in great
measure upon Jewish teachers from Eastern
Europe, upon the scholarly works of Jews from
other lands, upon the literary works written
mainly overseas.
Indeed, alSo, for a number of years American
Jewish congregations had to turn to European
scholars to assume rabbinical posts in this country.
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