Cl
Dr. Flexner's Remember' Explains
Educator's Assimilationist Leaning
In 1940, the eminent Dr.
Abraham Flexner, whose role
in the advancement of the
needs of our major educational
institutions in this country re-
mains unparalleled, wrote • his
autobiography under the title
"I Remember." He revised it
before his death, at 92, in 1959.
It is now out in the new re-
vised edition, published by
Simon and Schuster (630 5th,
N. Y. 20).
It is a remarkably good book,
and it not only reveals the
genius of the author but also
throws much light on the revo-
lution that was wrought in
American educational systems
by the eminent autobiographer
about whom Allan Nevins
states in an introduction to "I
Remember": "To future genera-
tions Dr. Flexner's name will
recall a rich period in American
cultural development."
At the outset, it is pointed
out in Nevins' introduction
that Dr. Flexner's major con-
tributions were "the revolu-
tion he wrought in American
medical education" and "the
establishment of the Insti-
tute for Advanced Study at
Princeton," qualifying the
latter but stating that it
"represented a special aim
pursued with characteristic
enthusiasm."
Dr. Flexner, who studied in
European as well aL; American
universities, reviews his mani-
fold experiences here and
abroad.
Tracing the family back-
ground, he states that his knowl-
edge of his ancestry is scant,
but he recalls that his grand-
father on his father's side,
Michael Flexner, who lived in
Prague, "was the first person
to compile a Hebrew-Latin lexi-
con." Until he was 14, his
father lived in Strasbourg "with
an uncle, Joseph Flexner, a
rabbi." The children drifted
away from Jewish affiliations,
as Dr. Flexner explains:
"At an early age, we began
to be affected by the rational-
istic spirit of the time. Our
parents remained to the end
of their lives pious Hebrews,
attending the synagogue regu-
larly and observing religious
feats. They saw us drift
away into streams of thought
and feeling that they did not
understand. They interposed
no resistance. For us, Darwin,
Herbert Spencer and Huxley,
then at the height of their
fame and influence, replaced
the Bible and the prayer
book; never a word of remon-
strance, inquiry, or expostu-
lation escaped our parents.
They were shrewd enough to
realize that their hold upon
their children was strength-
ened by the fact that they
held them with a loose rein.
In consequence, we had no
secrets from them. They
knew where we were and
where we were going, and
they made our friends, from
a world alien to them, wel-
come in our home and at our
table. It did not trouble my
mother later that two of her
sons married Christian girls."
Dr. Abraham Flexner was
one of the two brothers who
married out of the Jewish fold.
But he did not fail to refer to
himself as a Jew whenever the
occasion arose for him to men-
tion his lineage. When Presi-
dent Arthur T. Hadley of Yale
University spoke to him about
a suggestion that the leadership
of Cal. Isaac Ullman should be
utilized for a fund-raising proj-
ect, Hadley raised objections:
"Colonel Ullman is not a Yale
graduate . . . In the second
place, Colonel Ullman's closest
friend is a Roman Catholic
while he himself is a Jew, and
we are anxious to avoid any-
thing that might be attributed
to racial and religious preju-
dice."
Dr. Flexner replied: "As I
am a Jew myself and have
been for years making my
way among Christians and
working with them, I think
the situation can be handled
tactfully, so that prejudice
need not arise." Colonel Ull-
man proved a great success
in his fund-raising leadership.
Dr. Flexner's "I Remember"
is replete with recollections
about famous Americans, about
men like Julius Rosenwald and
his son Lessing, Judge Julian
Mack, Max Epstein and many
others—philanthropists as well
as educational and government
leader s. His autobiography
should be read by all who are
interested in educational prob-
lems and in the cultural prog-
ress of America.
Rabbi Aryeh Lev Serves
at Boy Scout Jamboree
The National Jewish Welfare
Board has again made available
to the Boy Scouts of America
the services of Rabbi Aryeh-
lev, director of JWB's Cam-
mission on Jewish Chaplaincy,
who will be the Jewish-General
at the fifth National Jamboree
of the Boy Scouts at Colorado
Springs, Colo., July 22-28. More
than 2,000 Jewish boys are ex-
pected to be among the 55,000
Scouts who will take part :n
Scouting's Golden Jubilee Jam-
boree. Rabbi Lev will direct a
staff of eight Jewish chaplains
who will care for the religious
needs of Jewish boys so they
can observe the 12th Scout Law:
"A Scout is reverent.",
Women spent more than $1
billion in beauty salons in 1958.
To gain their share of the
beauty market, perfume and
cosmetic advertisers last year
invested over $12 million in
national newspaper advertising.
-
POEM
**1
1.10
BY HENRY LEONARD
Map Bond Campaign
For High Holy Days
Committee chairmen will be
selected at a kick-off campaign
•
meeting for the 1960 High Holy
Day appeals in behalf of State
of Israel Bonds 10:30 a.m. Sun-
day at the Jewish Community
Center, Curtis and Meyers.
The session will be attended
by presidents, rabbis, Israel
Bond chairmen and active lead-
ers of Detroit area synagogues
and temples.
Phillip Stollman, regional and
Detroit High Holy Day chair-
man for the third consecutive
year, will report on his recent
trip to Israel.
Louis E. Levitan, city man-
ager for Israel bonds, will give
an account of the techniques
and results of last year's cam-
paign.
Awards will be presented to
the outstanding congregations
in this year's appeals.
Co-chairmen of the drive are
Judge Nathan J. Kaufman and
Norman Allan.
Stallman said additional ac-
"There goes Beryl, the weightlifter,
tivities and congregations will
be involved this year. There
showing off again!"
were 25 area congregations that
participated last year.
"The tempo of the 1960 Is-
rael Bond campaign in Detroit,
highlighted by the success of
Amherst Accepts Fund;
Indonesian Jewry on
our tribute to Golda Meir, in-
Bias Conditions Removed
Verge of Disappearance dicates record results for the
NEWARK, (JTA) — Amherst
From 200 in January, 1959, current campaign," Stollman
College was ready to accept a the Indonesian Jewish commun- said.
scholarship loan fund after ity has dwindled to about 80,
Superior Court Judge David A. according to information re- Noted MD Was Montrealer
Pindar removed the w or d s ceived by the World Jewish
Dr. Herbert Lightstone,
"Protestant" and "Gentile" from Congress in New York. Migra- D. S. 0., F. D., M. D., C. M., who
the will setting up the fund. tion in the near future is ex- died in London, England, in
The college had refused to ac- pected to reduce that number February, 1942, was a distin-
cept the gift because of the re- to about 30. A decade ago guished Montrealer, who be-
ligious qualifications.
there were 2,000 Jews living in came director-general of medi-
The bequest had been left Indonesia.
cal services in the British Min-
by an alumnus, C. Edward Mc-
The figures are contained in istry of Pensions. He had served
Kinney of East Orange, N. J., a report sent to Dr. I. Schwarz- actively in four wars. He was
who died in 1957. McKinney, a bart, director of WJC's organ- the son of Mr. and Mrs. M.
bachelor, left a $50,000 trust ization department, by C. Lightstone, whose large family
fund to the college for the loan Mussry, president of the Jewish was given added luster by a
fund and made the college the community in Sourabaya.
daughter Pauline, who later be-
beneficiary of the rest of his
came Donalda, the famous op-
$200,000 estate.
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