Easic Jewish Confrontations Analyzed
in Marshall Sklare's America's Jews'
Brandeis University Professor
Marshall Sklare claims - there are
many more investigators digging
at ancient sites of Jewish civiliza-
tion than are engaged in unearth-
ing the story of contemporary
Jewry." He believes that "with
the exception of some notable
studies from a historic or demo-
graphic perspective, many widely
read books on American-Jewish
life have serious limitations," that
they are based more on feeling
than on reflection, more on quick
observation than on sustained
study."
These comments are made in his
preface to his new book, "Amer-
ica's Jews," published by Random
House, in which he examines the
American Jewish community,
"what America has meant to the
Jew, and the Jew to America."
As a social scientist as well as
an historian, Dr. Sklare makes
important analyses of the Jewish
position in this country. He deals
with the various factions in Jew-
ry, with the story of imigration,
and the freedoms which have
been attained here.
A very interesting point is made
with regard to the immigration of
Israeli Jews to this country. "The
freedom motif has served the Jew
as his justification for coming to
the United States," he declares,
and "the significance of this motif
endures." Yet, he states, "the motif
of freedom does not justify the
immigration of the Israeli " On
this score he points out:
"In recent years some 2,000 to
3,000 such persons have been ad-
mitted to the United States annu-
ally. The Hebrew term for such
emigrants, yordim. (literally, 'those
who descend' ), provides a clue
regarding their special position.
Israelis are the first newcomers
who must justify their immigration
to themselves and to their fellow
Jews. They have uprooted them-
selves from the Holy Land to re-
turn to the Galut ( literally, the
uands of the exile), leaving a coun-
try where constituting a ma-
jority, they have resumed the age-
old pattern of Jews occupying a
minority group status. In a sense
they have moved from a position
of greater freedom to one of lesser.
freedom."
Dr. Sklare gives serious con-
sideration to matters involving
identification of Jews, assimila-
tion and ethnic loyalties. lie
touches upon the social charac-
teristics of American Jews and
his text provides important popu-
lation and fertility facts in evalu-
ative tubular analyses.
His view is that "whatever the
numbers involved, assimilation
has not been widespread enough
to disorganize the American Jewish
community, contrary to the expec-
tations of an earlier generation of
sociologists who saw it as pro-
gressing steadily from self-segre-
gation to acculturation to assimi-
lation."
On the questions of occupations
and the educational progress at-
tained by Jews in the U.S., Dr.
Sklare states:
"Jews appear demographically
to be old Americans; the educa-
tional level that they have achieved
and the occupational profile that
EVERYBODY IS
SOMEBODY'S CHILD
.
No error thei ego, sou, ore
r almost we on glee is
her any Indirdrol suffer-
ing her env serious blood
arose.
CHILDREN'S
LEUKEMIA FOUNDATION
m 534-5943
r
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
.■ rclicologi.t.
Friday, July 7, 1972-77
1 flcart It :2 Bronze Age Coffin.:
,n,latie jewelry, scarabs, pottery
nd
essels.
in the emergence of programs of
The style of burial in anthro-
Jewish studies on the campuses.
mid
coffins.
as well 'as the burial
the
14th-13th
centuries
lir
F
the population than of a new one-
lie views the university as hav-
gifts, are clearly influenced by
Heir ellialah in the Gaza Strip
. . . It is the more spectacular
ing become "a surrogate yeshiva
Two anthropoid potters - coffin , . Ei_tirtian burial customs, and the
considering the discrimination with
where new truths could be dis-
with human faces molde I on their people who used this cemetery
which the Jews have had to con-
covered—truths that would re-
were well versed in Egyptian cid._
tend in the United States. And the
lid , . were the Important fir m ),
place a fossilized Jewish cul-
tore and customs
The dig was
st •
rise appears even more amazing
ture," and he states: "The same
tents
of
the
Iust.:;r•
•
trchi
in the light of the persecution and
university, now less confident
oloLty of the limire,
I
demeaning treatment to which the
about the Western culture that
- few was subjected before he
and directed he Hr 'Fri.,
came
has formed the basis of its hu-
to America, as by rui aircihritricl
Esita ■ Mors . trth.re ,:!
.
manistic learning, is presently
genocide of Jews in Europe. The
natty aroused Lis the .1;■pt.:■1 - arlt
including Jewish studies. This
latter event tuck place daring the
of a large number of objects ail :Strollers— Groups
development has wide implica-
same period in which the rise was
traceable to this site. and all dot
tions. for Judaism is a historical
proceeding in the United States."
antagonist of Christianity, and
ing roughly from the Late Bronze * VARIETY ACTS INVITATIONS
BY HATTIE *
Age—the majority from the 13th * savuoult
is, therefore, necessarily critical
American Jewry's highly de-
SCHWARTZ *
* SCHWARTZ
of Western culture itself."
Century BCE.
developed communal structure ,
356-8563
*
*
AGENCY
The long-term purpose of the
family kinships and interactions,
Gentile-Jewish relationships are
Party Favors *
*356 - 8525
Hebrew University team is to
the transmission of identity, the
taken into account in the Sklare
* * * ********* * * * *
investigate the diverse burial
' attainment of firmly established
study, and he touches extensively
network of schools — are among
upon the problem of intermarriage. , customs in this cemetery, bur-
Buster Brown ...
'
ied
deep beneath the dunes
the factors given due considera-
He states- that parents who wish
south of Deir el-flalah. The team
tion in the Sklare study.
to discourage intermarriage must
Kali-Steniks
hopes to find some trace of the
Thus, he takes into account the convey more explicit clues to their
settlement (if any) to which the
many functions of a Jewish com- offsprini, than those provided by
Jumping Jacks ...
cemetery belonged.
munity and how it "managed to the pretence for a Jewish neigh
Sabel Prescription
The two coffins were carefully
achieve a measure of solidarity." borhoo the provision for a Jewish
In dealing with Jewish education education, or "the arrangement of unearthed with their skeletons and
and the aims at identifying with an elaborate Bar Mitzva party." offerings inside. The first, though
found unbroken, seemed to have
Jewry, Dr. Sklare touches upon
His contention is that "compati- been robbed in ancient times: only
the day school idea and outlines bility
is best assured by confining a few remains of the probably
the arguments for and against, and
marital selection to the Jewish rich burial gifts were found in-
the opposition's contention that
(
-,...,
`'
group. The marital relationship is side and scattered nearby.
those sympathetic to the idea
such a fragile one and the sources
The second coffin. however. re-
should support the schools private-
of incompatibility are so numer- vealed a striking picture of the
ly. In the emergence of the day
ous that one is well advised not burial and its offerings. When the
school proposals in many commu-
to run the risk of introducing yet lid with its moulded face. wig and
nities, where increased support is
another source of discord. Thus, arms was removed and the upper
requested, the Sklare analysis will
the Gentile is to be shunned not part of the coffin lifted off (as
prove valuable.
because he is a Gentile but be- well as the packed sand that had
Dr. Sklare sees poetic justice
cause he is not a Jew."
seeped in through the cracks).
-- ---
Because We Care
On this score, the author also two skeletons were revealed—a
we take time to fit children's
Sabbath Observer
discusses the question of conver- male and a feniale, buried to-
shoes carefully and properly
sion and the role of the proselyte gether with their burial offerings
Bill Vetoed by Rocky as well as the Jewish community's Other cases of more than one body
NEW YORK iJTA) — The veto desire to include him. ''In the next in a coffin are known from this
by Gov Rockefeller recently of a several decades," Sklare writes, cemetery.
The rich finds from this burial
bill which would have required "we will know whether conversion
private colleges and universities is a mere sociological curiosity of
the
American-Jewish
experience
or
to make "'reasonable accommoda-
Bar Mitzvos, Weddings
tions" to Sabbath-observing stu- a s'gnificant factor modifying the
and special occasionts
dents was deplored by Howard impact of intermarriage upon the
Garson Zeltzer
Rhine, president of the National Jew 'who lives in the open society
lit
Jewish Commission on Law and
Dr. Sklare sees Israel as hav-
i‘11111 I) 1'1 \i‘
Photography
Public Affairs (C- OLPA i.
ing had a profound effect upon
1,3311 Telegraph It nod
255-4949
the American Jew, having given
iiirrningham. Mich. l80111
lie said the bill, known as the
him a "heightened sense of
Devout Students Law, was drafted
515 to-2:1 ■ Lt
Classified Ads Get Quick Results
morale."
by COLPA in close cooperation"
w ith the New York division of
Also, he states that ''the effort
rights, a branch of the executive by Israel's enemies to destroy the
derartrnent of the state govern- young state has resulted in a re-
inforcement of the linkage between
ment.
America's Jews and their old-new'
Current law protects devout
homeland."
students at public colleges and
The Sklare study arouses think-
universities.
sets
•
PP<
Planning a Bar Mitzva, Bat Mitzva, Wedding
The governor, in his %et° ales- further discussion and provides a
, sage, said the 1972 bill was a "dis- text for deliberations by adult
or Sweet Sixteen? Call Our Banquet Manager
tinct improvement" over those he groups who are interested in a
had previously vetoed but said thorough understanding of prob-
at 682-4300. We Cater All Occasions.
there was a lack of demonstrated lems facing American Jewry. It
need for the measure, possibly is an important gift to the further-
Seating for 400.
onerous financial burden being ance of Jewish social studies.
placed on the schools and the
—P. S.
"dangers of a serious abuse of its
provisions.
Rhine stressed that the 1972
measure "specifically provided that
any costs involved would be pas-11
sed on to the students who avail
Saturday Sunday Monday
themselves of any accommoda-
tions."
• Referring to the governor's ex- '
pressed concern about abuses,
Rhine said that "an essentially
similar law has been in effect
since 1967 covering public insti-
tutions of higher learning without
any untoward incidents."
Meanwhile, COLPA announced
reg. $30 - yesterday 515
NOW 7.50
it would represent an Orthodox
Jew who charges that he was'
NOW 5.00
reg. 520- yesterday $10
they present are more characteris-
tic of an established segment of
JEliCS'ALF:)l—Exca%atior:
Just been completed a: . ■
Bronze Age ccIntlery Mt'
*CARICATURES
MUSIC
SHOES
7-:
< : 4>-
Shelfamloak Cowttry eld
Charlotte's Prices Are Lower
THOUSANDS OF HANDBAGS
Now 1 /2 of 1/2 !Famoti.es
forced to resign as a Transit Au-
thority bus driver-trainee because
he refused to work on Saturday's
and on Shavuot.
The employe, whose name was
not disclosed, has filed a com-
plaint with the New York State
Division on Human Rights, which
will hold a hearing today. The
complaint asserts that the em-
ploye was "denied equal terms and
conditions . . . because of my re-
ligious observance," in violation
of state law.
reg. S10-
NOW 2.50
yesterday S5
All sales Final No Charges
.
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