The Walls Came Tumbling Down
THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporat in g the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English—Jewisb Newspapers, Michigan Press Associations, National
Editorial Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35,
_
Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription $6 a year. Foreign $7.
Second Class Postage Paid At Detroit, Michigan
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
CARMt M. SLOMOVITZ HARVEY ZUCKERBERG
Business Manager
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the twenty-third day of Elul, 5722, the following scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Nizzavinz, Dent. 29:9-31:30. Prophetical portion, Isaiah.. 61:10-63:9.
Licht Benshen. Friday, Sept. 21, 6:14 p.m.
Vol. XLII No. 4 .
Page Four
September 21, 1962
Adult Education Also Vitally Needed
As we prepare to usher in the Yamim
Naeraim—the Days of Awe—which com-
mence with Rosh Hashanah, we are
pelled to consider the vital issues that
face Our people.
It is the spiritual aspect of Jewish
life that motivates our current activities,
and spirituality in Jewish tradition is .so
strongly linked with the cultural ele-
ments that we must take into considera-
tion the supreme tasks that face our
people everywhere.
So many challenging developments
have taken place during the. year that is
now coming to an end, that we must
think in terms of policies that will enable
us to face all issues, whatever they may
be, with courage, dignity and understand-
ing. And if there is to be understanding,
it must be based on knowledge.
Therefore it is our contention that
all planning for communal programming
must be based primarily on the most ef-
fective educational system.
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When we speak of education for Jews
we must accept the fact that learning is
not for the children alone. It begins with
the youth and it must be made equally
as effective for adults.
There is unquestioned seriousness in
the educational programming by our
spokesmen who are responsible for our
school systems. Efforts are being made
for the enrollment of the unaffiliated, for
the training of proper teachers, for im-
provements in curricula.
Many obstacles:,, must be hurdled in
all these spheres. Some of the problems
are most difficult. The new standards that
have been set up for Bar Mitzvahs, the
attempts to encourage continuation of
Jewish studies by post-Bar Mitzvah pupils,
the establishment of collegiate studies for
our youth to encourage many to enter
the teaching profession, are part of the
new developments.
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*
While a limited number of teachers
are comina from Israel to help solve the
problems of
b a teachers' shortage, it would
be sheer folly for the schools in this
country to depend upon Israel to provide
even a small portion of the instructors
needed in American Jewish schools. It
is of the utmost urgency, therefore, that
a vast teachers' training program be set
up in this country, and that assurances
should be given to those training to be
teachers in our schools that they will be
amply compensated.
Similarly, those who prepare the cur-
ricula must plan with the utmost care
for the attainment of efficiency in the
presentation of courses in Jewish schools.
At the same time, parents must be
taught to understand the value of a Jew-
ish education for their youth and the
utmost necessity for the enrollment of
all Jewish children in our schools. With-
out proper Jewish training, our youth
becomes a liability, and the children
themselves will be unable to face the
issues that arise for Jews, wherever they
may be, unless they understand the his-
toric background of being a Jew and the
values of their Jewish heritage.
*
The children are not the only ones
who need to be informed about their
status as Jews. Many .adults are equally
in need of a proper understanding of our
position. There was a lull in anti-Semitic
propaganda for a short. period in our ex-
perience since the defeat of the Nazis by
the combined armies of the democratic
nations. But in recent months we have
witnessed a revival of bigotry and the
spread of prejudice in many lands. Every
emergence of such prejudice has, unfor-
tunately, also been accompanied by a
state of panic in some Jewish quarters,
and it is to offset such fears and panics
that it becomes so vitally urgent that
Jews should be prepared to face all
eventualities.
That is why it is so necessary that
there should be an understanding of the
Jewish position, by Jews who should
know how to face crises.
Dr. Joachim Prinz Discusses:
Two typical examples in recent months
pointed to the manner in which many
Jews became panicky over the reactions
of their non - Jewish neighbors. There
In a challenging book, "The Dilemma of the Modern Jew,"
were shocking examples of reportorial published by Atlantic-Little, Brown & Co. (34 Beacon St., Bos-
and editorial exaggerations in the manner ton 6), Dr. Joachim Prinz, rabbi, Temple Bnai Abraham, Newark,
in which Israel was dragged into the N.J., president, American Jewish Congress,
Soblen case. Immediately, there de- declares that "many of the statements on
veloped a state of panic in Jewish ranks. American Jewry which emanate from Jerusalem
utter ignorance of the American Jewish
It was an unjustified fear. Instead of reveal
community"
and that "the relationship be-
enlightening the raisin f or me d, Jews tween American
Jewry and Israel suffers
showed fright. Had they been better in- grievously from political considerations."
formed they would have known how to
He states that clashes of opinion on Zionist
face the challenges that were hurled at issues have ''become untenable." His contention
Jews as well as at Israel with greater is that there is need for "a Jewish Declaration
dignity. Certainly, those who attempted of Political Independence from the State of
to inject themselves into the Israel pic- Israel," that there is need for an independent
Dr. Prinz
ture would have known better than to organ of world Jewry and that the Zionist
Congress "cannot claim such independence." He urges that "the
become despairing over the issue. They Jews
of the world, of which the Jews of Israel (not the political
would have known that there were as- parties)
are a part, should be represented in the World Jewish
pects in that case which could not have Congress
which deals capably with every facet of Jewish
been ascribed to Israeli arrogance but problems."
which, instead, developed into undigni-
Declaring that "American Jewry must lose no time in
fied treatment of American Jewry's posi- building a relationship with Israel which will bear fruit in the
tion and of Israel's status by news and next generation," Dr. Prinz states that "the relationship cannot
be merely political or material": that the test will come when
editorial writers.
Israel is financially and politically independent, and he ad-
*
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monishes his readers that "American Jewish youth must come
Another instance of a possible erup- face to face with Israel and its people." He adds: "In meeting
tion of anti-Semitism was the attitude of the people, often so different from those in America, they will
American Jewry in the issue that de- discover themselves, and the love which they will have for
veloped over the U. S. Supreme Court's them will embrace all of Jewish life . . . Israel as it is today
ruling that the recital of prayers in pub- . . . can supply those wellsprings of a new Jewish experience.
lic schools is unconstitutional. In some I doubt that anything else can."
Admitting that "present conditions seem to speak against
quarters, primarily Catholic, there were
Jewish
survival: the watering down of the Jewish heritage, the
vituperative attacks on Jews and some provincial
mentality of the Jewish organized religion, the laziness,
of them were accompanied by threats. the rebellion
many against any interference with comfort and
Fortunately, most Jews were united in convenience, of
the lack of the kind of heroism and stubborness that
their support of the Supreme Court de- are required for conscious survival," Dr. Prinz declares that in
cision. Yet, there was the danger of an spite of it "there will be a new kind of Jewish survival. Not one
emergence of another panicky feeling born of nightmares and fears. Not one born of dreams and
over the attitude of non-Jews towards the illusions. But one born of a twentieth-century understanding of
man as he is, of all the factors, complexities, memories, drives
Jewish position.
and hopes that make a human being something living, something
While this is an American and not so unbelievably rich and unique, so unlimited in desire and
necessarily a Jewish issue, a Jewry that potential. For those • to whom the collective memory of being a
is well trained to face challenging prob- Jew is part of their personal possession, Jewish survival will
a matter of personal concern. They will want to under-
lems can withstand attacks, but a weak- become
stand and know themselves through the experience of Jewish
ened and uninformed community will history and even the Hebrew language. Without knowledge, the
new generation will understand, there can be no Jewish survival."
find it difficult to face them.
Dr. Prinz commences with a review of the historical back-
Adult education is as important for ground of emancipation. He points out that "the birthday of
us as the schooling of our youth. We can the modern Jew is Sept. 28, 1791"—the French Revolution
ill afford an untutored community, and which made Jews the citizens of the French Republic being
whenever anything involving Jewish at- the background.
Valuable historical data is reviewed, and the emergence and
titudes arises it is of the utmost impor-
of the Zionist movement are analyzed. He conceded an
tance that our people should be well growth
intellectual
to the bankruptcy of the Emancipation which
taught and well trained to face problems began in the reaction
middle of the 19th century, giving rise to the Zionist
of every nature. Our status as Jews is activities of Leon
Pinsker, Moses Hess, Theodor Herzl and the
of such a nature that whenever we be- other great figures of that time. He offers a thorough analysis
come available as scapegoats we immedi- of the anti-Semitic movements and of the Nazi holocaust and the
ately become the targets of bigots. We attempts to dehumanize the Jews, Zionism becoming "the greatest
can be vulnerable to attacks if we submit and most creative force in modern Jewry." With the emergence
to them meekly without ability to with- of Israel came the radical changes that have led to . Dr. Prinz's
stand pressure. On the other hand, we revolutionary suggestions.
Dr. Prinz scrutinizes the emotional involvements of American
become an impregnable force when we
phenomenon "has no parallel in history." He de-
Jewry
know what we stand for and understand scribes whose
the American Jewish community's growth in all its
the traditions that bind us as a people. phases, touching upon the emerging numerous problems, includ-
To retain the status of an informed com- ing intermarriage, as well as the social implications, the decisions
munity, we must acquire the knowledge that must be made by them to be and remain different. He
that is so vital to our security and our reaches the conclusion that "to Jews who find peace and
survival. For that purpose we must en- comfort in the fact that they are what they are and that they
courage adult as well as children's edu- like what they are, the act of self-affirmation is as simple as
being born."
cation.
'The Dilemma of Modern Jew'