THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
26—Friday, January 1, 1971
Conservative Leader Reverses Position,
Now Urges State Aid for Day Schools
NEW YORK (JTA)—A leading
Conservative rabbi declared that
"with pain in my heart and a total
reversal of a stand I have taken
for the greater part of my career,
I urge that we accept state aid
for our (Hebrew) day schools."
The remark, by Rabbi Edward T.
Sandrow, past president of the
New York Board of Rabbis and
spiritual leader of Temple Beth El,
Cedarhurst, N.Y., was made in the
course of an address at a midwin-
ter conference of Jewish educa-
AN HISTORIC PHOTO: The late Mr. and Mrs. Felix M. Warburg are shown here on a visit in Na-
halal, then Palestine, in the late I12as. They are the first figures on the right. With them, in the center,
was the late Col. Frederick H. KWh, who was chairman of the Palestine Zionist Executive. Col. Math
died a hero's death in the last war, serv,ing in the British armed forces at Tebrnk.
Felix M. Warburg-Centenary of a Gentleman
CINCINNATI—There is a very
famous American Jewish family
which can trace its origin back
some 400 years to the little West-
phalian town of Warburg. Some of
the members of this family have
exhibited an apparently irresistible
itch to wander and and have scat-
tered all over the world, as far
away from Westphalia as Tokyo
and Shanghai. One hundred and
fifty years ago, one of them even
sailed up the Mississippi to New
Orleans, made a huge fortune
there and then lost it in the panic
of 1837. This widespread family —
its members came to call them-
selves Warburg after their ances-
tral hometown — has included a
Nobel Prize winner, a pioneer
president of the World Zionist Or-
ganization and a leading Amer-
ican banker. This last was among
the finest, most cultured gentle-
men to emerge from Warburg
ranks.
Felix M. Warburg was born on
Jan. 14, 1871, in Hamburg. One
of the seven children of the well-
known banker Moritz Warburg,
Felix was taught at an early age
that, if he had ten cents in his
pocket, one penny had to be put
aside for charity. As a teenager.
he was farmed out to his maternal
grandfather, one of the Oppen- of Felix Warburg."
helms of Frankfurt-am-Main, and The Felix Warburg papers, about
IW the time he left grandpa's half a million pages, have been
menage he had become a man of
culture and breeding, adept in the
knowledge of fine jewels, the arts
and modern languages. As a child,
Felix studied the violin and sing-
ing, and years later the successful
New York financier established
a Stradivarius Quartet and sup-
plied the performers with instru-
ments made by the great master.
In ISIS, Felix married the
daughter of Jacob H. Schiff, set-
tled in New York City, and
ultimately succeeded his father-
in-law as bead of the arm of
Hatir, Loeb and Company. Bank-
ing, however, was not Felix's
peed's; it was only a means to
a livelihood. Essentially he was
a communal worker In the gen
end and Jewish eentimealties
and a lever of music and the
fine arts. An intelligent, senders
man ameerned with Whig his
fellow creatures, be spent much
of his time helping others. This
was a young man with a social
conscience, and once. when
Jacob H. Schiff was asked to re-
lease his son-in-law for work as
a philanthropic project, be an-
swered: "We have given you all
preserved at the American Jewish
Archives on the Cincinnati campus
of the Hebrew Union College-Jew-
ish Institute of Religion. Professor
Jacob R. Marcus, director of the
archives, believes that the papers
are an invaluable and all but in-
exhaustible source for the study of
American cultural development in
the first third of the 20th Century.
"These papers alone," according
to Dr. Marcus, "contain sufficient
material for a half dozen Ph.D.
theses."
After his arrival in the United
Warburg busied himself
serving the settlement houses —
forerunners of Jewish-Community
Centers — on the Lower East Side.
In the larger Jewish community,
he was instrumental in bringing
to birth the federation of Jewish
philanthropies of his adopted city.
In the years before be took this
task in hand, it was not uncommon
for New York City's Jewish char-
itable organizations to spend sixty
cents to raise another forty - cents.
Warburg was among the founders
or early supporters of the Jewish
Welfare Board (the national asso-
ciation of Jewish "Y's") the far-
flung Joint Distribution Committee,
and the enlarged Jewish Agency
for Palestine. He also was one of
the first to endow the Hebrew Uni-
versity of Jerusalem when it open-
ed Its doors in the mid-1920's.
Warburg's efforts were not limit-
ed to Jewish enterprises. There
were few New York cultural and
social concerns which were not en-
riched through his interest and de-
votion. He was active in promoting
youth work, remedying the condi-
tions which produced juvenile de-
linquency, and fostering general
education, the opera, and the sym-
phony. He even found time to raise
money to maintain Monticello,
Thomas Jefferson's home, as a na-
tional monument. In his desire to
honor the memory of the first great
19th Century commodore, Uriah
P. Levy, who had saved Monticello
from deterioration if not complete
destruction.
Felix is Latin for "happy" or
"blessed." The Hebrew equivalent
is "baruch." and this was War-
burg's "religious" name. He was
indeed blessed by his unflagging
interest in learning, beauty, cul-
ture, and, above all, his fellowmen.
both Jews and Gentiles. When he
passed away on October 20, 1937,
be deserved the esteem of a world
which was the better for having
been graced with his presence.
States,
If we did not flatter ourselves,
the flattery of others would do us
no harm.—La Rochefoucanid.
4 •
• t • •
Sr . @ •
•• •
• • • • •
• • • '
••• • • •,
tors here, sponsored jointly by the
Educators Assemblyand the Unit-
ed Synagogue Commission on Jew-
ish education.
Rabbi Sandrow said he was
forced to reverse his position on
state aid to private schools be-
cause the Jewish community has
not given sufficient support to
Jewish education.
He told his audience that the
present system of congregational
afternoons in which students get
no more than six hours a week of
instruction is not adequate.
He called on the educators
"to push for the establishment of
more day schools and to urge
more of our children in afternoon
schools to transfer to day
sehoola." He also proposed the
development of a network of
post-elementary schools and af-
ternoon high schools with a mini-
mum of six to eight boars.
Rabbi Sandrow urged "rabbis
and principals of congregational
schools to return to the classroom
particularly after the third year
of congregational schooling, for re-
ligious and moral teaching."
Rabbi Sandrow said that talk of
federation assuming greater fiscal
responsibilities for Jewish educa-
tion is on the agenda of many
communities. But he cautioned
Jewish communities not to be
"lulled into the notion that money
alone will reconstruct -our commu-
nities, motivate our parents, break
down the present sense of aliena-
tion, create better schools and vi-
able curricula."
He warned that "federation as
the sole panacea is also an illusion,
even if federation could financial-
ly support the educational com-
plex."
The Conservative leader claimed
that except for a small number. of
students who attend congregation-
al schools or Hebrew summer
camps or who have spent time in
Israel, "most grow up to maturity
almost totally devoid of Jewish
knowledge."
MUSIC BY
SAM BARNETT
AND His ORCHESTRA
LI 1-2563
Philadelphia Teachers
Affiliate With AFL-CIO
PHILADELPHIA (JTA) — A
A newly formed Professional He-
brew Teachers Organilation here
has announced plans to assign
representatives to all J e w is h
schools in the area and to begin
contract negotiations with the
Board of Jewish Education of
Philadelphia.
The plans were announced at
the first general membership meet-
ing of the union, which recently
became affiliated with the Phila-
delphia Federation of , Teachers,
OPEN
SUN. 11-4
MARRY 7111011IAS - .
wine
Fee
Over
35 Wore
1517/8 W. 7 MLR RD.
3 RD= Nast at Greesfield
_ Dm' Doily WS to I
- • DroltA•wriabr• • Diners
• twerity
• Metiers •
OAK PARK
WATCH- UMW
• Selected-- Dna •1•;•11,7 - . -
David Tulin, president of due
local union reperted to tbe meeting
that the goals of the union were to
re-establish community respect for
Jewish education and teachers, to
advance the welfare and rights of
teachers, and to enhance -recogni-
tion of the need for improvement
in Jewish education as a key factor
in Jewish survival
and Diamonds
Large Selection of
Fine Opal Jewelry
Watch and Jewelry Repair
IRV ASHIN .
LI 7-5068 --
Nom Pen Office
1372 W.
WM
HAPPY- NEW- YEAR
FROM THE WATNICKS
A GIFT FOR EVERY OCCASION
Ccr-pie!,:
Srlect
07-
:r.Ciudir•9
?he F
Kt. Gold
7-I
Sc: Morris Watnick
253 Hamilton
Thurs
sAVE
Fri, tc_, 9 p m
BUY NOW
111101yen
AWNiNGS at Winter Prices
FOR SPRING
New 1971
Beautiful
Vinyl Coated
Dacron Fabrics
INSTALLATION ,
FREE
ESTIMATES
•
EASY TERMS
.
WE SERVE ALL SUBURBS
Depossikile MICHIGAN TENT 6 AWNING CO.
for Owir
50 Toast
4892 GRAND RIVER • J394-4400