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 Association
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., - 1.7100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35,
Mich.. VE 8-9364. Subscription $5 a year. Foreign $6.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of Congress of
March 3, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
SIDNEY SHMARAK
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
FRANK' SIMONS
Editor and Publisher
Advertising Manager
Circulation Manager
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the second day of Ab„ 5718, the following Scriptural. selections will
be read in OUT synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Hatot-Masee, NUT/2, bers 30:2-36:13. Prophetical portion, Jeremiah
2:4-28; 3:4.
Licht Benshen, Friday, July 18, 7:08 p.m.
VOL. XXVIII. No. 20
Page Four
July 18, 1958
'What Is a Jew?'--Our Spiritual Processes
Israel's controversy over a definition
of the term "Jew" may perplex many peo-
ple, but it undoubtedly also will inspire
serious consideration of the obligations of
Jews in shaping their people's destiny and
in perpetuating Jewish traditions.
More than 50 years ago, the great
Jewish scholar, one of the world's most
eminent historians, Simeon M. Dubnow,
wrote • an essay on the philosophy of Jew-
ish history. It was published and re-pub-
lished twice by the Jewish Publication
Society of America, and its lessons have
significant bearing on the discussions in
Israel today.
Discussing "The Teachings of Jewish
History," in the concluding chapter of his
thesis, Dubnow wrote that "Jewish history
possesses the student with the convic-
tion that Jewry at all times, even in the
period of political independence, was pre-
eminently a spiritual nation, and a spirit-
ual nation it continues to be in our own
days, too."
He wrote this at the very beginning of
Secular State Proposal
Addressing the annual convention of
the Rabbinical Alliance of America, in
Liberty, N.Y., last week, Rabbi Samuel A.
Turk proposed that all religious parties in
Israel should be abolished and that the
secular and religious forces in the Jewish
State should call a halt to the cultural
strife that exists there.
Rabbi Turk said that this can be ac-
complished by a mutual declaration recog-
nizing Israel as a secular state in no way
representing the fulfillment of Jewish
hopes for the millenia. He said such a
state, with complete autonomy for local
Orthodox communities, would assure Or-
thodox Jews that they could live a Jewish
life as they saw it. Secular Zionists, he
added, must cease to speak of Israel in
terms of Jewish redemption and religious
Jews must not try to use coercive power
to enforce religious legislation.
We are puzzled by this statement. It is,
in the first place, somewhat of a distor-
tion of existing facts when it speaks of
religious Jews being able to live a full
Jewish life as they saw it. Do present
conditions deny it? The contention is that
the current strife is due to the attempts
of extremist fanatics to impose their
wishes upon the entire ,State of Israel.
That leads us to a consideration of
another basic point inherent in the entire
controversy. It is a handful of Neturei
Karta bigots that is causing the trouble
in Israel. Their supporters have disgraced
the Jewish name in other areas, and have
attempted to force their views upon non-
Jewish public officials in London and
Washington. Does Rabbi Turk speak for
this type of fanatic when he proposes a
secular state? We doubt it, and we there-
fore believe that what he said is sheer
rhetoric, without any influence upon those
who have created havoc in Israel.
Wherein lies the solution? When a
moderate party assumes full control in
Israel and emerges independent of pres-
sure from either the right or the left,
Israel will be able to establish a stable
system of government that will be free
from influences from the ultra-religious
or ultra-leftist groups. In the interim, the
concessions that must frequently be made
by the coalition government will continue
to create an uncertain situation in mat-
ters involving religion, labor and other
factors that must affect a community like
Israel.
the present century, and he stated then
that "Jewry, being a spiritual entity, can-
not suffer annihilation: the body, the
mold, may be destroyed, the spirit is im-
mortal." He continued:
"Bereft of country and dispersed
as it is, the Jewish nation lives, and
will go on living, because a creative
principle permeates it, a principle that
is the root of its being and an indigen-
ous product of its history. This principle
consists first in a sum of definite reli-
gious, moral, or philosophic ideals,
whose exponent at all times was the
Jewish people, either in its totality, or
in the person of its most prominent
representatives. Next, this principle
consists in a sum of historical memories,
recollections of what in the course of
many centuries the Jewish people ex-
perienced, thought, and felt, in. the
The "Hebrew Union College Annual" is a volume for
depths of its being. Finally, it consists
in the .consciousness that true Judaism, scholars. It incorporates the most important essays and literary
delivered at rabbinic functions, and it encourages research
which has accomplished great things for papers
and learning by providing means of perpetuating the results of
humanity in the past, has not yet
studies.
played out its part, and therefore, may such Much
of the material in these volumes is of such great
not perish. In short, the Jewish people value in ,the continuing process of perpetuating Jewish learning
lives because it contains a living soul that it would be well if more laymen turned - to the pages of
which refuses to separate from its inte- these Annuals.
A typical example of a scholarly study that merits the
gument, and cannot be forced out of
it by heavy trials and misfortunes, such sharing of it with the wider lay public is an essay in the
as would unfailingly inflict mortal in- latest Annual—Volume XXVIII. In view of what is now transpir-
ing in Israel, "An Investigation of the Mount of Olives in the
jury upon less sturdy organisms."
Judaeo-Christian Tradition" by John Briggs Curtis is exceedingly
Now, no longer "bereft of country," interesting and throws much light on the area surrounding Mount
there is a central organism that attests Scopus. The author explains:
"About two miles north of Jerusalem just south of the village
to the indestructibility of Jewry. But it
also has introduced new conditions which of Sa'fat, a range of mountains detaches itself from the backbone
of the Judean hills and runs south-east to the peak called Scopus.
have somewhat altered the course of Then
the ridge turns almost directly south until opposite the
events of Jewish history. Now, the spokes- temple
mount where it swings to the south-south-west and
men for Jewry are coining new defini- proceeds in that direction until the confluence of the Kidron and
tions, with the known results.
Hinnom valleys separates the ridge from the Hill of Evil Counsel,
In a deep sense, Israel's Prime Min- Which is directly south of the city. 'The Mount of Olives' is a
ister, David Ben-Gurion, has resorted to general term for the series of peaks in this ridge east of the
spiritual backgrounds when he applied city of Jerusalem. .. ."
This is a geographical point. There are historical points that
the fifteenth Psalm to his Cabinet's inter- are most
revealing in this article. While the Mount of Olives
pretation of "what is a Jew." But his op- is known as
Har Hazeitim, the south slope of the peak is referred
ponents, and antagonists, say he and his to as Har Hamashkhit. Dr. Curtis explains the term, evaluates
associates do not go far enough.
its meaning, "the mountain of the destroyer," and throws much
Let us go back to Dubnow and quote light on the history of the Mount of Olives which .Jews regarded
further from his scholarly essay, in which "as the most sacred place in the entire land."
The entire HUC Annual is packed full of valuable material.
he stated: "The first part of Jewish his-
The first essay, by Dr. Julius Lewy, on the origin of the Biblical
tory, the Biblical part, is a source from Term
"Hebrew," shows that the exact eqUivalent of "The Hebrew
which, for many centuries, millions of hu- Language"
does not occur in the Old Testament where the
man beings belonging to the most diverse language of the Jews was spoken of as "the language of Canaan,"
denominations have derived instruction, and discusses the political status of those designated as Hebrews
solace, and inspiration . . . Its heroes have and aliens who were referred to as habiru. To say the least, Dr.
long ago become types, incarnations of Lewy's is a most interesting analysis of the subject.
Dr. Harry A. Orlinsky, HUC professor, has an article in
great ideas . A time will come—perhaps
it is not far off—when the second half this Annual on "Studies in the Septuagint of the Book of
'Prof. Alexander Guttman of HUC has written on
of Jewish history, the record of the 2,000 Job."
"Hillelites and Shammaites—a Clarification." "The Controver-
years of the Jewish people's life of the sial Figure of Melchizedek" is an article by Prof. Jakob J.
post-Biblical period, will be accorded the Petuchowski. Prof. Samuel Atlas is the author of another
same treatment . . . It is our firm convic- intriguing essay, "Solomon Maimon's Philosophy of Language."
tion that the time is approaching in which
"Mediaeval Christian Hebraists of England," an interestingly
the second half of Jewish history will be to illustrated article by Dr. Raphael Loewe, throws light on im-
the noblest part of thinking humanity portant personalities and Scriptural publications in England.
Prof. Julian Morgenstern continues his historical research
what its first half has long been to believ-
ing humanity, a source of sublime truths. on the history of Jerusalem.
"The Sacred Direction in Synagogue and' Church," by Prof.
In this sense, Jewish history in its entirety Franz
Landsberger, deals with etymological orientation and the
is the pledge of the spiritual union be- direction
for prayers.
tween the Jews and the rest of the na-
Several other essays by noted scholars in this country,
tions."
England and Israel are included in this HUC Annual.
This thought may or may not apply
to the current debate in Israel. But it is
related in a spiritual sense to the search
"The Thirteen Articles of Faith"—The Ani Maamin prin-
for a definition of the term "Jew." To
Dubnow, Jewry is as much a spiritual as ciples—serve as the background for Rabbi Carol Klein's efforts
the writing of his "The Credo of Maimonides," which has
it is a national entity. We believe that the in
been published by Philosophical Library (15 E. 40th, N.Y. 16).
Ben-Gurion Cabinet would not deny it.
His main source for material for this book is Moses Mai-
In the course of time, Jewry's position, monides'
"Guide to the Perplexed." His numerous essays outlin-
the people's aspirations, separately in ing Maimonides' credo, leading up to his analyses of the Thirteen
Israel and in the interlinked unity with Articles, are well annotated, with numerous Hebrew Quotations.
the Diaspora, will be reaffirmed in the
A fuller understanding of the 13 "I Believe" articles of faith
spirit of millenial experiences. Our hope are certain to be attained from a reading of his book.
Additionally, the reader has at his disposal a short biography
is that the interpretations will be arrived
of Maimonides in Rabbi Klein's "Credo." •
at without rancor.
Score of Scholarly Essays in
Hebrew Union College Annual
'The Credo of Maimonides
1