A Great Leader's Farewell
At moments of both joy and sadness, Rabbi Morris Adler
exercised his great gift of eloquence. On the yahrzeit of his death,
The Jewish News reprints two such examples, taken from his col-
lected writings in "May I Have a Word With You," to be published
Wednesday by Crown Publishing Co. and Bnai Brith.
In his address at the community-wide memorial service 8 p.m.
Tuesday at Cong. Shaarey Zedek, Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel, a
friend and colleague of Rabbi Adler, will consider the impact and
influence of Rabbi Adler's life and thought as reflected in his
writings—selections from many of his weekly columns, public ad-
dresses and published essays. The book was edited by Lily Edelman,
editor of Jewish Heritage magazine, in consultation with Mrs.
Goldie Adler.
The following two writings reflect the soul of the man —
"Farewell," recalling the celebration of Rabbi Adler's 25 years of
service as rabbi of Shaarey Zedek Jan. 10, 1964; and "True Immor-
tality," recapturing the last moments of a great leader.
(Continued from page 1)
item — the issue of cultivation
rights in the demilitarized zones on
the border of the two countries.
The talks were indefinitely sus-
pended Feb. 16 when Syrian par-
ticipants refused to give assurances
they would stick to that agenda.
Gen. Bull was expected to submit
to the Syrian authorities an Israeli
warning that Israel too can broaden
the agenda. Among the subjects
which Israel might bring up for
the discussion considered par-
ticularly distasteful to Syria were
Syrian border violations and the
basic call for peace prescribed by
the armistice agreement.
FAREWELL
"Speech," wrote Georg_e Eliot, "is but broken light upon the
Israel reportedly informed Gen.
depth of the unspoken." I must rely upon the friendship and Bull that if the Syrians continued
understanding you have so abundantly extended to sense "the depth to press for a wider agenda, Israel
of the unspoken" gratitude which fills Goldie's and my heart at would in turn raise articles 1 and
the moving dem6nstration of your interest and regard on the oc- 3 of the general armistice agree-
casion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the assumption of my ment which ban warlike acts or
rabbinical duties at Shaarey Zedek.
threats and call for peace- between
Words can only suggest but not exhaustively communicate
the two countries.
the many feelings which clamor and surge within me. I am proud
Israel might also demand that
of your friendship and humbled by the affection and trust you
the MAC meeting give priority
direct to me.
to these points on grounds that
I am fortified in my responsibility to serve and teach, and
the two articles, unlike others,
distressed by my inability to measure up to the stature which your
are held by the armistice agree-
affection has stimulated you to ascribe to me.
ment to be irrevocable.
I am uplifted by your confidence and disquieted by your kind
While such an Israeli stand
and high expectations, I am gratified by your , expressions of
appreciation and concerned by your friendly glossing over my might strengthen Gen. Bull's posi-
tion in his talks with the Syrians,
limitations and frailties.
I am enriched by your generous thoughts and I am overwhelmed politicial sources in Jerusalem re-
by my sense of indebtedness to so many who have instructed, mained doubtful that he would
succeed.
guided, and inspired me.
You have made me the sole object of your commendations
Israeli politicial sources praised
at the Service of Tribute, and yet I am the humblest member Gen. Bull's steadfast stand on the
of the company that deserves the honor accorded me.
MAC agenda issue in the face of
There are the parents whose imprint of love and example has Syrian pressure. It had been feared
not been weakened by the passing of many years. There are teach- here in recent days that Gen. Bull
ers whose scholarship and wisdom have inspired me and whose might yield, if only partially, to
friendship elevated my spirit. -
Syria's demands for a wider dis-
There are friends, rabbinic and lay, who have taught me serenity cussion at the meetings. Gen. Bull
and gentleness and through their companionship imparted to me apparently decided from the agenda
a strength I could not otherwise have achieved.
that it would be better to postpone
There are the books whose words have opened windows for mind the meeting indefinitely than to
and soul and enabled me to glimpse a universe made large by their risk an open breakup, which would
beauty and creative imagination.
probably have resulted in greater
And in this human circle of those whose debtor I will always border tension.
be, there is the beloved life partner who shares my life and dreams;
Gen. Bull's postponement of the
the daughter who has illumined my life with her radiance, and meeting came as a surprise, how-
my dear son-in-law whose understanding and loyalty knit him to me ever. Prior to the departure of the
as closely as one's own son; and of course the incomparable grand- Israeli delegation for Tiberias, a
children, Judith, Jeremy, and Joel, whose laughter brightens the top-level consultation was held in
heart when it is heavy and banishes the darkest mood.
the presence of Premier Levi
Beyond and above all, I am thankful to God whom I have so Eshkol. Those _present included
inadequately served but who has nonetheless given me blessings Gen. Yitzhak Rabin, the Israel chief
beyond my desserts. The moments when I have most vividly felt of staff; Jacob Herzog, director-
His Presence have flooded my entire life with their glory.
general of the premier's office; and
the delegation members. Israeli
TRUE IMMORTALITY
One of the most tender and poignant -scenes in Bibical history sources said they understood Gen.
is that of the last moments of Moses. He ascended Mount Nebo Bull's reasons but expressed the
and viewed the Land of Promise concerning which he had spoken hope that the postponement would
so often to the children of Israel and which he was himself not not be used by the Syrians for new
attacks on the border.
destined to enter.
Israeli officials reported that
What thoughts passed through the mind of the immortal
Lawgiver as he looked_ out across the Jordan? He had devoted a 10 Syrian soldiers had forcibly
lifetime to his people, bringing them out of Egypt and painstak- prevented United Nations ob-
servers from investigating a
ingly guiding them through the wilderness. He has striven to
border incident Feb. 15.
wean them away from the false gods and pagan practices. He had
patiently borne their burdens and bickerings and had tried to
The incident occurred the day
elevate them to higher standards and sensitivities.
before when Syrian troops fired at
And now that they were about to move forward to a great
an Israel patrol which sought to re-
fulfillment, to end their wonderings and begin life as a settled move Syrian farmers the dem-
people, he was not permitted to accompany them. Moses would
ilitarized zone near the Dan settle-
have been more than human had he not reflected that his efforts
ment. The Syrian soldiers barred
and sacrifices might soon belong to a forgotten past. And what of the investigation by pointing guns
his teachings, doctrines, and ideals? Would they endure? Perhaps at the UN observers.
Moses surrendered to the feeling that he had lived and labored in
An Israeli patrol intercepted
vain.
Feb. 15 a group of four Arab
Yet the subsequent history of Israel is dominated by his tow- saboteurs who entered Israel from
ering figure. The sense of commitment and the memory of the Lebanon. Israeli officials said the
covenant were constantly being recalled to the people centuries intruders were believed to be
later by the prophets and other leaders who continued to walk in members of the El Fatah com-
the footsteps of Moses. Though he did not enter the promised mando organization.
land, his spirit continued to guide and direct the people whom
When the guerrillas were chal-
he had served in his lifetime.
lenged, they fled, leaving behind
Here is a touching parable of the immortality exercised by four kits filled with explosives. A
those who have deeply touched our lives and enriched us with search of the area uncovered a
their love. A dear and cherished one is taken from us. The Jordan Mark V anti-vehicle mine near the
synibol of the boundary between life and death intervenes be- Shomera settlement. The mine was
tween us.
removed and dismantled. Foot-
Yet as we move onward, the enduring spirit of the love we have prints of four persons crossing the
known and the life we have shared continues to shape and inspire Lebanese border were found near
us. The yesterdays are beyond the reach of death as our love the scene.
transformes them into current and living influences. We continue to
Israel filed a complaint with the
live by a light that defies time and death.
MAC.
Dean Rusk Sees No Need
for ME Tripartite Declaration
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sec-
The gift of the library of the Adler's untimely death last retary of State Dean Rusk made
public last week a long letter to
late Rabbi Morris. Adler of Cong. March.
Shaarey Zedek• to the Jewish Theo-
In accepting the gift of the Adler Sen. Jacob K. Javits, New York
logical Seminary of America was library on a recent visit to De- Republican. reiterating the general
announced b y Dr. Menahem troit, Dr. Schmelczer noted: "It is outlines of the department's Near
Schmelczer. seminary librarian.
a very good collection of reference, Eastern policy and stating that the
The 2,000-volume collection of works and texts on Bible, Talmud, department planned to use a newly
books, a gift from the rabbi's, Jewish History and Literature, as appointed panel of private con-
widow, Mrs. Goldie Adler, comes well as other fields of Jewish in- sultants for periodic reviews of the
to the seminary on the eve of terest including. Jewish education, situation. . . • ,
the first anniversary of Rabbi- Jewish sociology and Zionism.
Rusk said the security of , Ismel
Seminary Accepts Dr. Adler's Library
0
Another Attempt at Talks Sought by Gen. Bull
and the Arab states was a subject UNRWA food rations to PLA
of concern to the United States but members.
that problems were complex and
In a reply to Rusk, Sen. Javits
that "by quiet diplomacy and a firm urged the department "to come
public position — whenever feasible up with its own affirmative ideas"
in concert with our allies — we to get major powers together who
have exercised a constructive role have an interest in stopping the
contributing to maintenance of Near East arms race.
stability in the area."
Sen. Javits told the secretary of
He said he was unaware of state that: "U.S. opposition to the
any changes in the British or admitted practice of a UN . agency
French positions in the Near giving food rations and other sup-
East and that "in our view, plies to a terrorist army is com-
therefore, there -is no need for a mendable — but what steps is our
ne wtripartite declaration and a government taking to stop it? The
conference." Such steps had American people should not tole-
been urged by Sen. Javits.
rate the use of the UN for such-
Rusk said the United States did a purpose and should expec
not approve of the so-called positive and prompt action to .stok
"Palestine Liberation Organization" it."
or its military arm the "Palestine
Sen. Javits said he hoped the
Liberation Army." He recalled that exchange of correspondence would
last year, U.S. representatives at engender debate on Near East
the United Nations expressed op- East policy in the executive branch
position to the distribution of and in Congress.
2nd New Jersey School Board
Beset by a Religious Issue
WEST ORANGE, N.J. (JTA) —
A second incident in a New Jersey
town, involving a public denuncia-
tion of a Jewish board of educa-
tion member, was disclosed here
last weekend.
Frank P. Combs, a Protestant
member of the West Orange Board
of Education, publicly attacked the
appointment by Mayor Louis Fal-
cone of Abe I. Charnak to succeed
Combs.
At a board meeting Jan. 9, Combs
said that "unfortunately, Mayor
Falcone appointed a person of the
Jewish faith in my place, leaving
a substantial portion of the com-
munity consisting of those of the
Protestant faith, without represent-
ation on the board."
Charnak became the third Jew-
ish member on the five-member
board of West Orange, which is
five miles west of Newark. The
two other board members are
Catholic. West Orange is 40 per
cent Jewish, 35 per cent Catholic
and 25 per cent Protestant.
The incident recalled a con-
troversy earlier this month in
Wayne Township, where the
board vice president, Newton
Atlanta Jews Ra'p College
Restricting Jewish Staff
ATLANTA (JTA) — The com-
munity relations committee of the
Atlanta Jewish Community Council
will meet to consider a policy
statement by the board of trustees
of Agnes Scott College here re-
affirming a long-standing policy
of hiring Christians only for the
faculty of the women's school. The
78-year-old Presbyterian-oriented
institution has a number of Jewish
students.
The board's position was report-
ed in the current issue of The
Profile, the college newspaper. It
stressed the board's policy of main-
taining an environment "distinctly
favorable to the maintenance of
the faith and practice of the
Christian religion."
Wallace McPherson Alston,
president of Agnes Scott Col-
lege, in defending the board's
position, said it was his impres-
sion that many, church-related
colleges had similar restrictions
on their faculty appointments.
Charles F. Wittenstein, south-
eastern area director of the Amer_
ican Jewish Committee, said the
board's reaffirmation of its hiring
policy had "surprised and dis-
mayed" many in Atlanta's Jewish
community. He added that it was
"difficult to understand why a
religious test is required of teach-
ers of such non-religious subjects
as French, English literature and
mathematics."
Another Jewish community offi-
cial pointed out that the college
has had many outstanding Jewish
students whom its faculty had al-
ways encouraged to join Jewish or-
ganizations, including the Hillel
Foundation at nearby Emory Col-
lege.
32—Friday, February 24, 1967
Miller, called for the defeat of
two candidates because they
were Jewish and, as such, might
spend too much for education.
Miller also said Jewish members
would endanger "what is left of
Christ in our Christmas celebra-
tions." In an election on Feb. 14,
the voters defeated the two Jew-
ish candidates.
However, Combs said the situa-
tion in West Orange was "quite
different"- from that of Wayne.
"We have always had representa-
tion of all groups," he added. "I
represented the Protestants for
five years. This was not intended
as criticism of the Jewish people."
He called the appointment of
Charnak an "injustice" and then
added: "Let it be clearly under-
stood that I in no way intend to
comment or reflect on the capabil-
ities or religion of the gentleman
who has been appointed."
Noting that the appointment
would make Jewish members "a
clear majority," Combs told the
meeting:
"Whether these three act in
unison or not, at all times they will
be held responsible, rightly or
wrongly, by the entire non-Jewish
segment of the community for
everything that is not to their
liking."
In Wayne, the mayor sought
to rebut charges of anti-Semitism
against the community growing
out of the heated school board
- election.
Mayor Edward Sisco made the
effort in connection -with issuance
of a statement proclaiming Brother-
hood Week in the prosperous sub-
urban community.
He said that "the basic facts
involved in the election were com-
pletely overshadowed by outside
influences and outside news cover-
age."
He called all the candidates
"well qualified" and declared that
their sincerity "has never been
doubted by anyone in the com-
munity." He insisted that the voters
"went to the polls solely to ex/
press their views on rising taxe
and individual qualifications of the
candidates."
In his post-election statement,
Mayor Sisco said the school budget
would have forced a tax increase
of $58 a year for persons owning
$20,000 homes." - -
In his proclamation of Brother-
hood Week, the mayor said "to
all our citizens" that "it is well,
at a time when the principles
upon which our democracy is
founded are gravely threatened,
that we should reassert them
firmly and rededicate ourselves to
their daily practice." .
A New York Times editorial as-
serted that a community which
stints on the schooling of its chil-
dren "compromises its future"
and that a town "that stigmatizes
candidates because of their racial
or religious background becomes a
house divided, a victim of homebred
hatreds."
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS