Friday, December 6, 1963—THE DETROIT JEWISH NEW S-2 Purely Commentary Hanukah, usually hailed primarily as a festival that marks a notable Macca- baean military victory against tyranny, is as much a spiritual festival. It was the cleansing of • the Temple, the • refusal to bow down to idols, the rejection of the Greek culture which the subjugators of Judaea sought to impose upon our ancestors, that was of major importance. These facts must not be overlooked when we seek inspiration from the Festival of Lights. It is not enough to place emphasis on gift-giving to children, on games and hilarity. There is need also for understanding of basic values which revolve around the obligation to strive for survival. The moment we abandon our interest in survivalism we lose all the powers of retaining our identity and we are back exactly where the Maccabees were before their revolt. And so, if we are sincere about the Hanukah observance, as about any other spiritual event in the life of our people, we must face issues that are vital to our existence. We must not overlook the seriousness of the dangers that stem from mixed marriages. We place emphasis especially on this problem because it has been brought into the forefront and because it seems to grow in seriousness. * * There has been such a vast increase in intermarriages in this country that the problem has been in open debate for some time. At the recent convention of Reform Jewish leaders in Chicago, laymen joined with rabbis in viewing the subject, and a local newsman, in interviews with a group attending the convention, was told by a Grand Rapids delegate: "Why worry about survival? People who marry are people first and religionists second." If this were truly the ultimate answer to the issue, it would mean the total relinquishment of responsibilities by Jews towards the continuity of our faith and the retention of Jewish loyalties. There was a time when Jews sat shivah when their children married out of the faith. There undoubtedly is a lessening of such demonstrations of opposition to mixed marriages—primarily because there are so many of them, because of what many believe to be the inevitability of such developments, but mainly because serious efforts are made, when love affairs result in decisions to marry, to induce those who are about to marry Jews to accept the Jewish faith. * The fact remains that all religious factions in Jewry, every element in our ranks, whether it is Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, are firmly opposed to intermarriage and discourage it unless there is an earnest desire on the part of the non-Jewish partner to the marriage to join the Jewish fold. Indeed, there was a. time when very many Reform rabbis performed mixed marriages. Today there are very few of them, and only one Detroit rabbi has been mentioned as a conductor of mixed marriages. This is in itself significant. It points to the unanimity on the issue in Jewish ranks. * * * A conference on intermarriage called by the American Jewish Congress last week, in New York, provoked the charge that rabbis who perform mixed marriages are "ocntributing to the ultimate destruction of Jewish life." A Reform rabbi (Dr. Joseph Klein, Worcester, Mass.) went so far as to demand that communities should exert "pressure" against rabbis who officiate at • such functions and he declared that rabbis who perform mixed marriages are "a dan- gerous element in the struggle for Jewish survival." While Dr. Max Eichhorn took an opposite stand, asserting that there is a marked increase in intermarriages, that he did not favor them but that he per- formed them, Dr. Leo Jung maintained mixed marriages are "unfair to the mil- lions of Jews who have fought for survival." Dr. Jung's view also was that such marriages are "morally hazardous and wrong," that "at best they end in a state of belligerence or in divorce court." Thurs, we had a public airing of the matter, and again the question of survival was uppermost in the minds of those who oppose mixed marriages. * * * The issue will grow in gravity unless the problem will be faced frankly and without panic or fear. It has come to a point that rabbis in some communities where there is a large percentage of intermarriages hesitate to mention the very term "intermarriage." There is a hesitation lest those already affected by inter- marriage of children or other relatives should be offended by the ban on mixed troths. * * * Indeed, this could be considered a Hanukah objective: to renew the effort to stem the tide of increased mixed marriages. What other aim to retain Jewish identity could be closer to the Hasmonean spirit of warding off the dangers of loss of Jewish cultural existence? Again, indeed, there enters the question of Jewish survival, and in spite of those who believe that a love affair is more vital than our existence as an entity we must strive for the most dignified continuity as a people, else we may as well close up shop—we may as well write finis to synagogues, Jewish relief agencies, our schools and our houses of research and study. Dr. Erich Rosenthal, associate professor of anthropology-sociology at Queens College, New York, is the author of the study on intermarriage, based mainly on conditions in Iowa and in Washington, D. C., and his conclusions are that the statistics he has gathered point to a glum prospect for hopes for a growing Jewish community in this country. If we wish to preside over the disappearance of the Jewish people, let us, by all means, like those who pleaded for love as against survival, encourage intermar- riage. But that happens not to be our objective. Therefore we must strive to create a loyalty in Jewish ranks to prevent it. The natural question will arise: are we advocating isolation from our neigh- bors? Indeed not! There is no reason why we can not live side by side with our fellow men in a spirit of utmost respect for each other's faiths. It may not be easy for the young people, but we must ask them to make every effort to prevent their loss of Jewish identity while retaining the most dignified spirit of sociability among all faiths. Hanukah's Supreme Challenge: Intermarriage an Issue in the Basic Aspiration for Survival Catholics, too, object to mixed marriages, and so do many Protestants. If this is part of the price we pay for our survival as a spiritual entity, we must bear it— with courage and with dignity. Special Memorial tributes will be paid to the late Presi- dent Kennedy, to Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver of Cleveland, a found and former national chairman of the UJA, and other top UJA leaders whose passing occurred over the past Over the weekend the dele- gates will hear addresses from Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Avraham Harman; former Israel Prime Minister Moshe • Sharett; Brandeis Uni- versity President Abram L. Sachar; Rabbi Herbert A. Fried- * * One of our very able columnists, Nathan Ziprin, the editor of the Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, in a special column in which he reports on reader reactions to his article on intermarriage, calls attention to an "unbelievable outpouring of letters," proving that "the problem of intermarriage is holding the concern of our people in the communities throughout the country more than any other development on the American Jewish scene." He states that never in the more than two decades of writing for the English-Jewish press "has there been such an avalanche of reader reaction. The high rate of intermarriage—judging from the letters—has seemingly reached a point where there are few Jewish families that have not been stricken by the malady." Mr. Ziprin's column is worth quoting because of the opinions he enumerates. He states: Women have written in to say that they had given their children a good Jewish upbringing but that it would seem education was no antidote to intermarriage. Men admitted guilt in neglecting the religious needs of their children, but they were almost uniformly of the opinion that their wives had done a good job in raising their children Jewishly, within a measure of tradition and a climate of ritual. However, both the women and the men sadly concluded that the outside climate seemingly corroded the Jewish element in their_ children once they were exposed to another climate— in the colleges, university, professional schools, businesses and offices. Uniformly the letter writers complained "we seem to lose control over our children once they leave home." The letters from young people, mostly college students, were Iess hysterical. Most of them said they could not fathom "the sudden tragic concern" of their parents over intermarriage when "in fact they showed no such concern in the formative years of our growing into man- hood and womanhood." They all admitted having received some form of Jewish education, but evidently their concept of what constitutes Jewish education was at variance with that of their parents. Many of the letter-writers said their Jewish education was shallow, superficial and un- rooted to Jewish continuity and that when they encountered a crisis in relationships outside their own environment parental admonition was not enough to offset the lack of meaningful education. Interestingly, there were a number of letters from "lonely" readers who said the `-lonely" were contributing quite substantially to the high ratio of the intermarriage figures. All indications point to an alarming rise in intermarriage. Can the trend be arrested? A leading American intellectual with the highest reputation for scholarship and honesty in the American Jewish community has recently told this writer that he believed the trend to assimilation can be reversed, but that time was of tragic essence. If we fail to take vigorous action to check the trekking away from our paths, he said, the end of the twentieth century may "see us breathe hard for mere existence as an indigenous segment in American society." * * * Emerging from these experiences are warnings of an increasing indifference among our youth and their nearly total abandonment of Jewish affiliations the moment they leave their Bar Mitzvah classes and especially when they enroll in colleges and universities. The existing organizations have proven inadequate to deal with the problem. The synagogues have not succeeded in holding the young people within the fold. The Hillel Foundations at best get a very meager response from students. Never before have we had so many opportunities for free actions as Jews by Jews within a democracy, yet never before have there been as many defections. What causes it and how is it to be averted? * * * At the recent convention of the Reform Union of American Hebrew Congrega- tions, one rabbi charged that there is an abandonment of the oldest established Jewish tradition of the unity of family life. Rabbi Henry E. Kagan of Mt. Vernon warned of the rise of juvenile delinquency among Jews, of premature marriages and a shocking increase in premarital sex relations among teenagers in colleges, even of the rise of homosexuality among Jews, and of a decline of parental authority. We are, indeed, subjected to a truly serious series of developments which may prove to be the most serious challenges ever to face Jewry. But it can not be said that we have not been warned in advance. More than 25 years ago, the brilliant short story writer and poet, the eminent Hebrew educator, A. H. (Hes Aleph) Friedland, of Cleveland, wrote a Hebrew short story in which he described a stroll through a Jewish neighborhood on a Friday night. But for a very few exceptions which showed families gathered around festive tables, with candles lit, books open, tunes of traditional songs echoing the Sabbath—except for a very few such isolated instances, all he saw in home after home through unshuttered windows, were men and women at card tables, fortified by cocktails. This has gone on for a long time. The playing cards have replaced the Torah. The Friday night and the Sabbath spirit have been abandoned. * * * Is it any wonder that we are finding it so difficult to hold onto our youth and that they are leaving us, singly and in groups? Is it any wonder that whenever there is a defense of the Sabbath there is some one to argue that if the rabbi can play golf on the Sabbath, why can't the com- munity have the social functions of its choice on that sacred day?' That is why your Commentator dares to say on the Festival of Lights and Dedication that what we need is a new rededication, a revitalized cleansing of the temple—and in our day the home must again become the temple and the sanctity of family life must be elevated above all else. * * * The issue does not lend itself to an easy solution. It calls for sacrifice from those affected. It demands strong wills to counteract the temptations that confront us. But there are so many other temptations in a free land, and all of them must be faced fearlessly, they must be overcome by mighty will power, they must take into consideration the main objective: our survival as a people. For those who reject survivalism our words will prove worthless, we shall be branded bigots and chauvinists, we will undoubtedly stand condemned as unrealistic. But those who adhere to the hope for survival will have no other alternative but to support us in our views. What other course dare we follow as Jews? What more poignant lesson is there for us on Hanukah? Let there be rejoicing on this Hanukah, and all Festivals of Lights to come, in the spirit of spiritual strength for our people everywhere! Large Detroit Delegation at A large delegation of De- troiters will participate in the 26th annual national conference of the United Jewish Appeal, which opens today at the New York Hilton Hotel, New York, and will continue through Sun- The delegates, representing hundreds of U.S. communities, are to participate in a confer- ence which Joseph Meyerhoff of Baltimore, UJA general chair- man, has described as "one which will inaugurate • a new era in worldwide Jewish recon- struction." By Philip Slomovitz man, UJA executive vice chair- man, and other distinguished leaders on the American and international scene. Sharett, in his capacity as the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Jerusalem, will submit the Agency's bud- get outlining the costs of bringing in, resettling and ab- sorbing another record wave of immigrants from various parts of the world. Charles H. Jordan, director- general for overseas operations of the Joint Distribution Com- UJA Conference mittee, will present the 1964 budget of the JDC covering its program of aid to 485,000 needy and distressed Jews in 30 coun- tries. Sharett and Mr. Jordan will speak at the opening session Friday morning. The Friday session also will receive the 1964 budgets from two other agencies that derive their funds from the UJA. New York Association for New Amer- icans, which helps newcomers to the United States, and United Hias Service, the worldwide Jew- ish migration agency which as- sists in the movement of Jew- ish refugees to countries other than Israel. The Friday luncheon session will hear an address by Dr. Sachar. A conference highlight will be an historical pageant written for the United Jewish Appeal by Allan E. Sloane, one of Amer- ica's leading television play- wrights, and produced and di- rected by Himan Brown, former national chairman of UJA radio, television and motion picture activities.