Jewish Education Survey Poses Communal Problem

(Continued from Page 1)
enrolled in Jewish schools as of
1967. But they do not represent
the number of Jewish boys and
girls, between the ages of 3 and
17, who attended religious schools
for one or more years during their
life time. It is estimated that in
the United States, for instance, the
47 per cent figure of those en-
rolled would be increased to about
80 per cent in terms of those who
attended religious schools of one
type or another for one or more
years during their childhood.
In evaluating the situation of
Jewish education today as re-
vealed by the figures presented
in the survey, Dr. Eisenberg said
they can be viewed both optimisti-
eally and pessimistically, and
added: "The fact that at least half
our Diaspora children are attend-
ing Jewish schools at any given

moment does not lend itself to the
interpretation that Jewry, outside
of Israel, is fast approaching total
assimilation. On the other hand,
the fact that outside of Israel there
are only 90,000 students, at the
very most, who continue their
studies beyond the elementary
school level, is cause for grave con-
cern. This is Problem Number
One of the Jewish world. With
only 90,000 young Jews continu-
ing their Jewish studies into the
high school level, we have a
severely constricted level of poten-
tial educated Jewish leaders."
Dr. Eisenberg said that there
is no doubt that "we face a
downward slide, and it is essen-
tial that the world Jewish com-
munity do something about it.
We must make the Jewish
school a central motif in our
thinking and planning. The day

Russ Official Sees No Objection
if Russian Synagogues Were
Asked to Join World Council

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

NEW YORK—An official of the
Soviet Council for Religious Af-
fairs told a delegation of Ameri-
can Conservative rabbis in Mos-
cow last month that the Soviet
government would have no ob-
jections to invitations to Russian
synagogues to affiliate with the
World Council of Synagogues, the
head of the rabbinical group re-
ported here Tuesday.
The World Council is the inter-
national organization of Conserv-
ative congregations.
Rabbi Wolfe Kelman, executive
vice president of the Rabbinical
Assembly of America, who headed
the delegation, said the matter
was one of several raised at a
90-minute meeting on July 26 with
Michail Kadikoff.
The delegation pointed out to the
Soviet official that the Russian
Orthodox Church had ties with the
international agencies of that
church, but that Soviet Jewish con-
gregations did not. The American
rabbis then asked whether invita-
tions could be extended to Rus-
sian synagogues.
Rabbi Kelman said that the
Soviet official replied: "All you
have to do is to invite them.
Come to us and ask for visas,
and we will arrange it."
Rabbi Kelman said that Kadi-
koff, who spoke fluent English,
was well-informed on the issues
raised at the meeting, which was
arranged by Chief Rabbi Yehuda
Leib Levin of Moscow, who made
his first visit to the United States
in June..
Rabbi Kelman was accompanied

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at the meeting by Rabbi Harold
Gordon, executive vice president
of the New York Board of Rabbis,
Rabbi Saul Teplitz of New York,
a member of the Rabbinical As-
sembly executive committee, and
Rabbi Sol Spiro of Montreal.
Rabbi Kelman said his delega-
tion also asked whether there could
be exchanges of books and rabbis
between American and Soviet
Jews and that the Soviet official's
unvarying reply was "If they
want it, it can be arranged." The
four rabbis were part of a 15-
member group which attended a
conference of the World Council
of Synagogues in London and then
proceeded to the Soviet Union for
a 10-day visit.
Rabbi Kelman said that a meet-
ing of the executive committee of
the World Council would be held
this week here and that he ex-
pected that the matter of invita-
tions would be considered and
acted on at that meeting.

World Economic Parley
Brings $50,000,000
ill Investments to Israel

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

JERUSALEM — The world econ-
omic conference of Jewish finan-
ciers and industrialists, convened
by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol last
April, has resulted in joint econom-
ic projects representing invest-
ments of about $50,000,000, it was
announced here.
It also was announced that Depu-
ty Finance Minister Zvi Dinstein
has been put in charge of follow-up
operations arising from the confer-
ence.
Forty-six projects are now in
preparation or in the first stages
of implementation, an increase of
14 since the economic conference
closed. Among these are a half-
million-dollar investment by Alden
Rugs, of Atlanta, in an Israeli
firm that will manufacture plush
carpets; a $900,000 investment by
Baxter International of Chicago,
for the manufacture of blood pre-
serving systems for export; and a
$700,000 investment in the expan-
sion of a local furniture company
which will be underwritten by the
Empire State Chair Co. of New
York, Bentwood of Canada and
Zuckermann of Vienna.
Victor M. Carter, .chairman of
the American regional committee
of the Prime Minister's COuncil for
Israel's Economic Development
was due to return to the U.S. Wed-
nesday after a two-week visit to
discuss American - Israeli invest-
ment .projects. Carter conferred
with ..Eshkol and several: _cabinet
ministers.

school, despite the fact that its
total enrollment in the Diaspora
is only 110,000, is an island
buffeted by overwhelming waves
of assimilation, corrosion and
intermarriage. This figure com-
pares with 265,000 students at
tending week day schools from
2 to 5 days a week, • most of
them 3 days a week, and about
193,000 attending the one day
a week school. It certainly can
be said that in most countries,
the presence of a day school,
or a day school movement is a
guarantee of Jewish identity,
Jewish survival and Jewish com-
mitment."
Addressing himself to the Jew-
ish community relations agencies,
and their experts, most of whom
oppose government support for
day schools, he urged them to
"involve school personnel before
they speak out for the Jewish com-
munity against state support of
day schools. As I assay the educa-
tional scene, I see stability, order-
liness, greater satisfaction and
planned ongoing program in com-
munities where governments more
or less subsidize the day school
like in Strasbourg, A n t w e r p,
Copenhagen, Rome, Montreal and
so on. Even in New York City,
where the government subsidizes
certain phases of the day school
budget, the outlook is more favor-
able than in other cities in the
United States."
Dr. Eisenberg lamented the
fact that day school enrollment
in the United States is only 13.4
per cent as compared with 18-20
per cent for the entire Diaspora.
The percentage of week day
enrollment in the Diaspora is
about the same, and the per-
centage of the one day enroll-
ment in the United States is
42.2 per cent as compared to
from 30 to 33 per cent in the
Diaspora as a whole.
He disagreed with Jewish lead-
ers who believe that a basic
rededication to Judaism can be
developed by interesting college
students whose basic Jewish ed-
ucation doesn't go beyond elemen-
tary school. "To suppose," he ;
said "that we can make up for
the neglect in the elementary and
high school years by concentrat-
ing on the college generation is
to be blind to the realities of Jew-
ish life. With rare exceptions the
college generation is lost unless
already aflame with a fire lit and
fueled as child and adolescent.
Careers in Jewish service and
Jewish leadership must begin and
be nurtured early. Such careers
are not skills, crafts not even pro-
fessions in the narrow sense. They
are callings, commitments, all con-
suming. Hence the key is high
school. It is the age when chil-
dren's minds open and unfold,

when they begin to mature and per cent; Conservative schools had
over 34 per cent; Oxthodox schools over
chart their life's course. Secondary 21
per cent; 7 percent in communal or
education must become primary, non-congregation schools; and about
2 per cent in other types.
elemental or we disintegrate. It is
2—The One Day Sunday school is
strategic in our struggle for exis- typically Reform; the two to five day
afternoon school is Conservative and the
tence."
typical day school is Orthodox.
On the supplementary One Day
3—The Day School movement has
grown
in the last five years in New
and Afternoon Schools, Dr. Eisen- York City,
with enrollment increasing
berg deplored the general attitude by 19 per cent during the period 1962-
66. The $2,650,000 given annually in
of parents, synagogues and com- government
suventions for lunches, milk
munities that not too much can and transportation may have helped
stimulate
the
Day School movement
be expected from children who which is particularly
impressive in
enroll in this type of school. He Greater New York.
larger the Jewish community,
said "We dare not write off the the 4—The
smaller the percentage of enrollment
supplementary school despite the in Jewish schools of the eligible chil-
dren.
fact that its clientele is hetero-
over-all enrollment of students
genous, motley, indecisive, con- in 5—The
Jewish schools has declined about
fused, swept by whims and fancy 6 per cent between 1962 and 1966, but
reflects a decline in the actual
and ineffable impulses and moti- this
birth rate in the United States, and a
vations, and too often ends with generally believed decline in the Jewish
bar mitzva. It nonetheless has birth rate.
the number revealed by the census THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
that make it impossible for us. to
Friday, August 16, 1968-5
forget it. Communities need the
supplementary school now. Com-
mitted as we are to the day school,
I'm looking for
we must allow enough stretch and
give in the flexing of our com-
more
munity muscle to embrace this
clients.
friendless, underrated, disparaged
institution."
Discussing the figures as they
relate to Jewish education in the
United States, Dr. Eisenberg made
the following points based on the
1967 National Census of Jewish
Schools prepared and published
by the American Association for
Jewish Education:

1/2 OFF

1—Schools under Reform auspices
had the largest enrollment, almost 36

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