Dr. Jacob Neusner Outlines: A Policy for Religious Jewry In a recent address, Dr. Jacob I Neusner, professor of Semitics at Dartmouth College, whose essays frequently appear in The Jewish News, set forth an important plat- form as a policy for religious Jews. In his thought-provoking address, Dr. Neusner stated: Religious Jews are those who af- firm faith and trust in God and the Torah. Within that definition one may find room for adherents' to orthodox, reform, conservative, reconstructionist and other inter- pretations of Jewish religion, as well as many who affirm the faith without affiliating with an institu- tional expression of the faith. The difficulty we meet in defin- ing who is a religious Jew to the satisfaction of both Jewry and commonsense is ominous. It hints at far deeper divisions within the sector of religious Jewry than any- one has publicly admitted. If Orthodox Judaism regards it- self as the only correct and his- torically authentic expression of 40 centuries of Jewish religion, and of divine revelation, so does Con- servative Judaism and so does Re- form Judaism. I find nothing wrong, and every- thing right, with that. Tolerance for the beliefs of others, for the rights of others to err, does not prohibit the recognition that others "Growing up" is an exciting adventure for this youngster . . . an experience lived to the full in an atmosphere of comfort and security. His dad has taken care of that! A Great-West Life representa- tive told him about the Fam- ily lan — how one low prem- ium protects the whole family—how "new arrivals" are insured automatically at no extra cost. Call or write: REUBEN R. YOUNG 1700 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit Bus: WO 5-7590 G reat- w est Life ASSURANCE COMPANY Crin do err. What promises disaster, however, is the arrogant and in- tolerant attitudes of the several re- ligious groups toward one another. The fact that the Jewish com- munity center movement re- gards itself, perhaps fatuously, as the great unifying force that must bring together the conflict. ing "sects" of modern Judaism is our dreadful and humiliating reward. We are too few • to fight each other when the enemy is at the gates. That enemy is apathy, in- difference, ignorance, lack of com- mitment to Judaism. It afflicts each of us and all of us. The syna- gogues stand mostly empty most of the time. The people who call themselves orthodox or reform or conservative in fact reveal no seri- ous commitment to orthodoxy, to reform, to conservatism. They do not—if they are ortho- dox or conservative or reform — observe the Sabbath as their re- spective movements teach it should be observed. They do not study the Torah in great numbers. They do not raise their children by the moral and ethical principles of Judaism, because they themselves know nothing about these princi- ples. A religious Jew is hard to find. My argument is that since there are so very few religious Jews, they should move closer together —not in belief, not in religious practice, but in their attitudes toward one another. * * * I think, first of all,that we must cease to apologize for believing in God. We concentrate too much energy on 'proving' that God ex- ists, and too little on responding to the presence of God in the world. We are hypnotized by the atheists among us, and have be- come fascinated with the issues they pose to us so that in the end, they set the grounds for discus- sion. No proof exists for God's ex- istence, and none is needed .. . The task of religious Jews is not now, and never has been, to `prove' that God exists, for re- ligious Jews are not so presump- tuous or arrogant as to think such a task is necessary or pos- sible. The religious Jew does not be- come religious after an argument. His religion begins with birth, and is nurtured through life, and with the help of God, that religion bears fruit in the mature years in an abiding trust in God and an endur- ing submission to his will. * * * I call for more than mere con- versations. I ask that religious Jews undertake a massive effort to win to the synagogue the alle- giance of the great number of Jews who, with bovine serenity, manage without it. We need to convince our fellow Jews of something more than that they should join a synagogue. We need to demonstrate to them that they cannot live without God, with- out the Torah, without Judaism as a daily and creative life's disci- pline. We can do so by our words, by our demanding attention for the things we believe in, but we can succeed only by our deeds. Reli- gious Jews must themselves ex- plore the meaning of Judaism, must continue to deepen their un- derstanding of it through Jewish GORDON MEISNER and DAVID LIPPITT, representatives for Indi- anapolis Life Insurance Company, are in Hollywood, Fla., attending a meeting of Counselors' Club, the company's top production organiza- tion. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, April 9, 1965-15 PENN learning, and must continue to broaden their experience of it through Jewish actions. * * * Religious Jews represent a piti- fully small minority within Ameri- can Jewry. Recently, some reli- gious Jews have begun to assert a more vigorous role within the Jewish community. They have, for example, demanded that all of the varied institutions that bear the name "Jewish" and that turn to Jewry for support assume some responsibility toward the meaning of their Jewish origin. Until now, religious Jewry has not asserted itself within the community, though it has been the chief instrument for the preservation of the community, and though its leaders have served valiantly the concerns of the community as they must and should. And now, if religious Jews are seeking a more religious orienta- tion for the community as they are and need to, they need to retain a very vivid sense of what they want, and what they do not need. They do not need positions of power. They want to win those who hold positions of power to the conviction that power and author- ity are God's alone, and that the duty of man is to serve Him, in every station of life, by carrying out His will for every situation of life. The Agudat liachazzanim of Detroit wishes a hearty "Tsaischem L'shalom" to Can- tor and Mrs. A. A. Rosenfeld for their forthcoming trip to Israel. May "God" be with them and bring them back to us in good health. Cantor Jacob Sonenklar, President Cantor David Bagely, Sec. 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