`Who Is a 'Jew?'
Question Is an Old and Still Controversial Issue
Who is a Jew? This question,
seemingly so simple, recently
agitated Israel and had reper-
cussions internationally.
The issue arose when a set
of instructions drafted by the
Israel government for a popula-
tion -census appeared to be at
variance with traditional Jew-
ish teaching.
The official rabbinate in the
State of Israel protested vehe-
mently, and Prime • Minister
Ben-Gurion proposed at length
to solicit opinions from noted
Jewish scholars throughout the
world.
The controversy was settled
—formally, at least—when the
Israeli Ministry of the Interior
issued revised instructions, ac-
cording to which a person was
to be registered as Jewish if
his or her mother was Jewish
or if he or she had been con-
verted to the Jewish religion by
procedures ?nnforming p Jew-
ish tradition.
Interestingly enough
dicated in the files of t
jean Jewish Archives,
•
torical research cent a he
Hebrew Union Colle e-Jewish
Institute of Religion in Cin-
cinnati, this question was an-
ticipated nearly 70 years ago
by a distinguished American
Reform rabbi.
German-born Bernhard Fel-
senthal (1822-1908) emigrated
to America in 1854. Four years
later he became the guiding
spirit of Chicago's Judische
Reformverein, a Reform society
Which subsequently developed
into the Sinai Congregation with
Felsenthal as its first rabbi.
He was something of a maverick
in the American Reform rabbi-
nate of his day due to his out-
spoken advocacy of Zionism.
In June, 1890, Dr. Felsenthal
published in the Menorah an
article entitled "Who Is a Jew."
Was the term "Jew," he asked,
"the designation for a member
of a religious community" and
as such "to be classified with
the parallel words. Christian,
Mohammedan, Buddhist, etc."?
Or was it to be used for "peo-
ple who belong to a certain
racial community—viz., to the
Jewish race," in which case it
would have "to be assed with
such words
an,' Ital-
ian,' 'Eno-
`Scandina-
c.
in his latter—"racial"
, he wrote, that "the
`Jew' is mostly understood
n the present time, and in such
a sense it as understood in
past tim
Dr.
ed his
cont
to "the
disg
anti-Semitic agita-
tion
ome European countries
an
f kindred tendencies (as,
fo instance, excluding Jews
as .uch from certain hotels,
fr certai lubs and societies,
and so for even in the other-
wise so eral and so tolerant
Americ
Wh er Jews were viewed
favor y or unfavorably by
indi uals and governments, he
fel "it will be admitted that
a g all these people the Jew
of thought of as a member
a religious community, but
a member of a particular
New Year Greetings
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7610 West McNichols
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Happy Holiday
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5901 John
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Holiday Greetings
New Year Greetings
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Mrs. Reaume—Detroit's Leading Bird Authority
Best Wishes to the Community
on the New Year
STOKRAFT
urning his attention to the
views o
aditional Jewish
religi
• thorities, Dr. Felsen-
th
included that "the Jews
selves had had since two
thousand years and more one
and the same ' answer to the
question, Who is a Jew? A Jew
is a- Jew by birth . . . a Jew is
he who is 'of the seed of our
patriarch Abraham.' "
According to Jewish tradition,
wrote Felsenthal, a Jew was
the offspring of Jewish parents,
while "the offspring of a Jewess
were under all circumstances
considered as Jews."
In the eyes of the synagogue,
the rule was, "Once a Jew,
always a Jew," even in cases of
apostasy; "marriages between a
male Israelite and an apostate
Jewess, or between an apostate
Jew and a perfect Jewess, were
considered to be valid and'
legally admissible and the off-
spring of such marriages had
the status of Jews."
In addition, finally, to Jews
"born as such," those "who
were accepted into the fold
of Judaism as proselytes" were
recognized as Jews.
Dr. Felsenthal's explanation
is direct and explicit; "We need
but state that a Jew is a Jew
in consequence of his birth, or
in consequence of his formal
application and adoption, and
that he remains a Jew as long
as he does not openly and
unmistakably separate himself
rom the Jewish community.
"To no one should be denied
he name of `Jew' who honestly
aintains and believes that he
stands upon Jewish grounds,
and that his whole religious
life and that all his religious
Seek and Ye Shall Find
TRESS
you sleep ON it . . . not IN it!
"If a man says to you: "I
have searched for wisdom but
have not found it," do not be-
lieve him. If he says: "I have
not searched for it but have
found it anyhow," do not be-
lieve him then either. But if he
says: "I have searched for wis-
dom and have found it," believe
him, for he speaks the truth."
—Talmud.
must have had a Jewish mother
or have been converted to
Judaism in due conformity to
traditional rabbinic regulations
in order to qualify as a Jew.
a
.9..QSUULSLULSJULCUt 5
New Year Greetings
Green's Pharmacy
Prescription Specialists
Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Daily and Sunday
We Deliver
27154 W. 7 Mile Rd.
KE 3-1210
GREETINGS
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Sunnyside Bakery &
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HARRY'S
AUTO MART
We Specialize in Wedding
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Harry Nelson, owner
Wholesale to all
5422 E. McNichols TW 2 - 9771
Open Sundays
12333 Livernois
WE 3-8877
Holiday Good Cheer
Greetings of the Season
Wittstock Bros.
JANARELI
CUSTOM TAILORS
& CLEANERS
Established 1912
SLATE AND TILE
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5560 Mt. Elliott WA 1 - 5840
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. . N. MALL! N
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2:1
Sales and Service
SCHWINN - COLSON
Bicycles - Tricycles
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13533 W. 7 Mile Rd.
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'724 FOURTEENTH
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New Year Greetings
Holiday Greetings
KENWOOD DRUG
NANKIN-G INN
"Good Food Awaits You"
Holiday Greetings
3427 Puritan
1265 St. Clair
views are . rooted in Jewish
grounds and have grown up
from Jewish germs."
It is precisely here, of course,
that Dr. Felsenthal and the
Israeli traditionalists of today
would be in sharpest disagree-
ment. For the Chicago rabbi,
anyone who identified himself
as a Jew—regardless of his
antecedents—was to be accepted
as a Jew.
For the Israeli rabbinate—
and, as a result of its influence,
for the Israeli government—one
Mr. Norman Shapiro, Prop.
Chinese-American Restaurant
Air-Conditioned
9301 Woodward TR 1-9800
New Year Greetings
Puritan Auto Glass
Accessories and Tires — Safety
Glass and Accessories Replaced
Individual or Insurance Co.
Glass for All Makes of Cars
Colored Windshields Available
7465
20600 W. Seven Mile Rd.
Detroit 19, Michigan
KE 3-7847
Best Wishes to All Our Rela:
tines and Friends for a
Joyous New Year
Mr. and Mrs.
Louis Kepes
PURITAN
14511 Ludlow
Oak Park
Five Blocks West of Livernois
UN 2-6911
Sincere Best Wishes
for the New Year
•
Federal Savings and Loan Corp.
3 %% Current Rate
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' BEST WISHES FOR A .
YEAR OF HEALTH C.7 HAPPINESS
FISHMAN
AGENCY
Benjamin Fishman
and Family
Mitchel Fishman
and Family
65 - THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, September 23, 1960
F