THE JEWISH NEWS
Editorial
Survival with Links to Sacred Heritage
Israel Premier David Ben-Gurion's
warnings, made at the Hadassah cere-
monies in Jerusalem last week. that world
Jewry can not survive without an intimate
link with Israel, poses serious questions.
Is it possible that Jews in the Diaspora
are unable to generate sufficient spiritual
own political allegiance here; it isn't a
social aspect and it certainly is not the
mere kinship between families — since
kinships seldom last past a second, at
the most a third, generation.
The Klausner revelation proves that
the Israeli youth are perhaps a little less
power to carry on their independent ex-
religious than the American_ The eminent
cultural contributions?
Is Israel in a position to provide the
power for the entire people's survival?
superfluous customs and fallacious be-
liefs that a modern youth cannot be ex-
peeled to practice or accept, because our
istence without drawing upon Israel s
Ben-Gurion may have instigated a con-
troversy much more controversial than
his previous ones involving the status of
Zionism with his declaration that religion
plays an insignificant role in the life of
the Jewish people.
He may have started a serious debate
with his renewed criticisms of Zionists.
The wise leader of the Israelis may
have exaggerated impending dangers to
Jewry's survival to a degree that will
again make him the target for many at-
tacks in a number of Jewish ranks.
Surely, American Jews will not sub-
scribe wholeheartedly: to his pessimistic
interpretation of our position as an entity
in world Jewry.
* * *
There is no disputing the fact that
world Jewry must retain strong links with
the Israelis. Yet we must ask: are the
Israelis able to provide world Jewry and
especially American Jewry with vitality
needed for survival in free environments
where there are so many temptations for
total assimilation?
A most eminent Israeli, the octogen-
arian Prof. Joseph Klausner, of the He-
brew University in Jerusalem, recently
wrote a thought-provoking article on
"Jewish Consciousness." He pointed out
that some of our teachers and writers
are asking whether this "consciousness"
does not constitute an unwarranted im-
position on children of non-religious or
anti-religious parents," and he charged
that Israeli youth are ignorant of Jewish
traditions. To quote Dr. Klausner:
Ignorance of Jewish religion and tradition
and of Jewish laws and customs cannot but
produce the most lamentable results for our
people. Let me quote a few practical instances.
A group of young Israelis recently visited
Soviet Russia, Germany and Italy. These
youngsters were not at all anti-religious; they
wanted to meet their far-and-near brethren,
and they knew they would find them in the
synagogues. So they paid a visit to a synagogue
on a Saturday morning. The Israeli young men
made an excellent impression with their ap-
pearance: tall, handsome, strong. most of them
heroes of the Sinai campaign. The local Jews
were immensely proud of their Israeli kin.
They seated them in the most honorable places
and when the time of reading the Torah came,
they gave the Israelis the most important
"aliyot": the "third", the "sixth", Maftir. But
the Israeli youngsters whose mother language
was Hebrew, did not know by heart the "Bene-
diction" of the Torah, which is a mere one
or two sentences,
In the Kibbutzim in Israel there are reli-
gious old people, supported by these socialist
enterprises for the sake of their children or
grandchildren who are members, and they are
free to pray as they please. But the Kibbutz
children, watching their grandpa putting on
Tefilin, ask their parents: what are those
blocks that grandpa is putting on his forehead
and arm? Tefilin, to these children, are noth-
ing but blocks.
I have personally witnessed some graduates
of our high schools who encountered the words
"Aseret Yemei Teshiva" (the ten days of
repentance) in a story by Y. L. Peretz, and,
when asked, could not explain what these days
were and at what time they occur. Again, in
my presence a 12-year-old Israeli boy was
being examined in a certain Hebrew subject
and was asked what a "Talit" (a prayer shawl)
was and he did not know. His friend, a young-
ster of the same age, who decided to come to
his aid, did not suggest to him that he should
go to a synagogue and find out, but instead
told him: "You don't know what a Talit is?—
Go to the Habimah Theater; they are now
playing 'Jeremiah the Prophet' and there you
will see a Talit."
*
the Detroit Jewish Chronicle
commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Incorporating
*
*
If this is the condition existing among
Israeli youth, what other inspirational
forces are there to keep our youth inte-
grated with their traditions? It can not
be the political angle, for we have our
scholar admits that "there are many
life and conceptions have so radically
changed." He says, "Judaism is a `Torat
Hayyim.' a teaching to live with," and
makes this observation:
"Since the times of the Scribes and
the Tana'inz . . . all of them endeavored
to adjust our religion to life and our
life to religion. The writer Mendele
Mocher Sefarim used to say: 'Do you
know what the phrase in Ezekiel: "Eat
this Megilla" means? It means that
when you eat Haman-Tashen on Purina,
you swallow along with it the his-
toric story of Esther; and he who sits
at the Seder on Passover and reads the
Haggadah, automatically absorbs the
beautiful story of the Exodus from
Egypt and the great ideal of human
and national liberty.' It is therefore
essential that those who are non-reli-
gious and non-observant should at
least KNOW the meaning of the mitzvot
and of the religious customs."
Continuing his analysis of the prob-
lem posed over the essentials of a "Jew-
ish consciousness," Prof. Klausner makes
a point that has a direct bearing on Ben-
Gurion's warnings and observations:
"There is nothing that can unite us
more—the various parts of our nation
here in Israel and Israel as a whole
with the many Jewish communities
throughout the world — than this Jew-
ish consciousness: the consciousness of
laws and customs that are common to
all of us; the consciousness of a com-
mon origin, a common history, a com-
mon faith, a common Hebrew language,
but also common practices and observ-
ances: of the Shabbat. Jewish holidays,
of other -principal Jewish customs. This
Jewish consciousn ess is the Golden.
Chain that keeps Us together as a na-
tion; without it, we would perish, both
as a nation and as a country."
This is a viewpoint that speaks of the
dangers of perishing not because of a lack
of links between the People Israel and the
State Israel, but because of the lack of a
Jewish consciousness.
We believe that Dr. Klausner would
win the debate on this point.
The basic inclinations towards assimi-
lation and away from religion are as evi-
dent in Israel as they are in this country.
Such tendencies lead to an abandonment
of the consciousness of Judaism. This is
the problem—here as well as in Israel.
It has been indicated time and again
by the hopeful and the optimistic that
American Jewry is on the road towards
greater Jewish unity and is acquiring new
strength as a spiritual force in this coun-
try. The concern over our cultural status
must lead to the strengthening of our
status as a distinct element within the
American framework. Our ties with Israel
should encourage greater educational ac-
tivities, a knowledge of Hebrew and a
deep consciousness of our spiritual rela-
tionship with our Israeli kinsmen.
From these points of view, American
Jewry can help the Israelis in their battle
for a better life, just as the Israelis can
contribute towards our increasing dignity
as Jews as well as Americans who are
loyal to a prophetic heritage.
Israel's Prime Minister may—as he
should—revise his extremely defeatist
views. Whether he does or not, we are
convinced that the people Israel, the
Jewries of the world, the Israelis and
their kinsmen, will, eventually, accept
the viewpoint pronounced by Prof. Klaus-
ner and all those who insist upon em-
phasis on Jewish consciousness and on
adherence to the traditions which link all
of us to a sacred heritage.
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers,
Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co.,
17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscrip-
tion $5 a year. Foreign $6.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6. 1942. at Poet Office, Detroit,
Mich., under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Editor and Publisher
Advertising Manager
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
FRANK SIMONS
Circulation Manager
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
91R,
na.:ts Sabbaih,
se-vettiee-nilt
y
da
ol 7 TO,M 111.42, .;
the following Scriptural selections will be read in
our
synagogues;
Pentateuch&
portion,
&dale,
pitetical portion, Micah 5:6-6:8.
Numbers
22:2-25:9.
Pro-
Licht Benshen, Friday, July 4, 7:22 p.m.
VOL. XXXIII. No. 18
Page Four
July 4, 1958
On Independence Day
Buy U.S. Savings Bonds
We usher in the great day on the American calendar
—Independence Day—on which we again acclaim our
traditional adherence to the great gift of freedom that is
the sacred heritage of all Americans.
A duty that devolves upon all our citizens is not only
to come to the aid of our country in time of war, but
to offer moral encouragement to our leaders in time
of peace.
There is no better way to provide that encourage-
ment than by buying U. S. Savings Bonds and thereby
contributing towards our country's security and its
democratic strength.
Our Government encourages support to friendly na-
tions, and on that basis the Israel Bond drives have the
tacit endorsement of our statesmen. We therefore en-
courage the purchase of Israel Bonds. Such purchases
should be made contemporaneously with U. S. Savings
Bonds purchases.
The joint effort of U. S. and Israel Bond purchases
applies to an important international situation—to this
nation's interest in the democratization of the Middle
East and to Israel's unique position as the soundest
democracy in that area. That is why the U.. S. and the
Israel Bond activities are so vital.
On Independence Day, a major duty devolves upon
all of us to demonstrate our confidence and faith in
America by our support of the U. S. Savings Bond
program.
It would be a mockery if we were called upon
to emphasize the security of U. S. Bond investments.
There is nothing safer than such an investment. By
the same token, the very security of our nation, nay,
of all mankind, is interlinked with the safety of the
American government's financial instrument.
Let us join in making our safe and sane July 4
observances media of strengthening our Government
and giving it encouragement by our investments in
American Bonds and by a demonstration thereby of
our faith in the American way of life.