48 Friday, June 10, 1977
HAVE AN
AFFAIR
WITH
HAL
GORDON
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Jerusalem Unity,UJA Closing American Synagogues in Crisis
United Jewish Appeal, to
Marked at New York Gathering BY BORIS SMOLAR
local branches of national
(Editor-in-chief emeritus, JTA)
Musical Entertainment
Big Bands or
Small Combos
NEW YORK (JTA)-
Mayor Teddy Kollek of Je-
rusalem and Mayor Abra-
ham D. Beame of New
York exchanged gifts sym-
bolizing a decade of Jerusa-
lem's_ unity at a gala cele-
bration at the Pierre Hotel
in New York last week.
The celebration; which
also marked the closing of
the nationwide 1977 United
Jewish Appeal fund-raising
effort, was attended by
more than 500 Jewish lead-
MID-SEASON
SALE
Canvases-Persian Yarn
Bernat Tapestria Knitting Yarns
GREAT SAVINGS
SELMA'S
Yarn Shop
New Orleans Mall
10 Mile & Greenfield
ers from 29 states and
dozens of mayors of various
cities across the country.
The event was sponsored
by the UJA.
Addressing the gathering,
Kollek said that 10 years
after Jerusalem's unifiCa-
tion no country in the world
has recognized it and no
government has established
its embassy there.
lie noted the progress
that Jerusalem has
achieved, in all areas, since
it was united but he ob-
served nonetheless that Je-
rusalem still faces major
problems such as co-exist-
ence between Jews and
Arabs, absorption of new
immigrants, security and
closing the gaps between af-
fluent and poor citizens of
the city.
Kollek called on Ameri-
can Jewry to exercise
"more action and more ac-
tivity" on behalf of Jerusa-
lem and Israel.
Leonard
Strelitz,
the
newly elected UJA general
chairman, announced a $700
million fund-raising goal for
the 1978 UJA campaign—
the highest ever in the
agency's 39-year-old his-
tory.
The world is new to us
every -morning—this is
God's gift; and every man
should believe he is reborn
each day.
—Baal Shem Tov
9-4 Daily
no charges on sale merchandise
Act3eVtal
TO THE NEW MAN IN YOUR LIFE'
HARUARD EXTENDS HEARTIEST WISHES TO
ALL. OUR TattAttpled MEN
Temple Emanu-El, May 6
/MICHAEL APPLEFIELD--S'fld
Birmingham Temple, May 6
ROSS F. HALPERN--S'fld
Beth Abraham, May 7
JAY HURWITZ--Oak Park
Temple Beth EL-May 7
JEFF RICHARDS--Troy
MICHAEL ZUMBERG--Oak Park - Bnai Moshe, May 7
DAN MOROFF--B'mingham ....Temple Emanu-El, May 13
Mishkan Israel, May 14
JOEY WEISS--S'fld
Mishkan Israel, May 14
LARRY WEISS--S'fld ---
Temple Emanu-El, May 20
LARRY ROSEN--S'fld
Temple Beth El, May 20
JEFFREY WOLF--Gak Park
Beth Achim, May 21
SCOTT LIEBERMAN--S'fld
MITCHELL FRONT--Hunt. Wds Temple Emanu-El, May 27
Beth Achim, May 28
KERRY CHABEN--S'fld
Beth
Moses, May 28 -
SETH TOPPER--Oak Park
Young Israel, May 30
JEFFREY GUYER--S'fld
;49eieice-
Caita'141
FICoFt AC:WO
~me NEw vt,Fri<
Preps and Huskys 404
THE
illartiath
SHOP
FINE APPAREL FOR MEN AND BOYS
SEARS-SOUTHFIELD SHOPPING PLAZA
557-2290
SOUTHFIELD & 12 1/2 MILE RD.
MON.-SAT., 10 to 9—SUN.; 12 to 5
Bank
Cards
Honored
t
(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.)
The synagogue in Amer-
ica—one of the major pil-
lars of Jewishness in this
country is now undergoing
a • severe financial crisis.
Most of the congregations
find it difficult to meet the
mounting cost of maintain-
ing their synagogues and
schools without constantly
increasing membership
dues and tuition fees for
children. This, in turn, dis-
courages many from mem-
bership.
It is estimated that 25 per-
cent of the existing syna-
gogues are on the verge of
bankruptcy. A process of
merging congregations—ei-
ther because of growing
deficits or because of loss
in membership — has been
going on in a number of
communities. Some syna-
gogue buildings are being
sold because of shifts in pop-
ulation.
ulation.
Greater New York, which
some , 20 years ago had
about 1,200 Synagogues,
today has only about 800,
not counting small prayer-
houses of Orthodox groups.
A third of all synagogues
have been "lost" in the larg-
est Jewish community in
the world during the period
following World War II.
The proportion of Jews af-
filiated with synagogues in
Manhattan—where Jews
number over 170,000—is
only 10 percent of the Jew-
ish population according to
a report by Rabbi Isaac
Trainin, head of the depart-
ment for religious affairs at
the New York Federation of
Jewish Philanthropies. And
Manhattan has most of the
largest synagogues in Great-
er New York.
In Brooklyn, where the
Jewish population is three
times as large as in Manhat-
tan, synagogue membership
is about one-third of the
Jewish population despite
the fact that there is a
heavy affiliation there with
Orthodox synagogues.
It was after the end of
World War II that the num-
ber of newly-built syna-
gogues had increased. This
was due largely to the fact
that many young Jews re-
turned from the war fronts
more religiously inclined
than before.
Today these Jews are
middle-aged, married and
have -children. They have
family obligations. Their re-
ligious sentiments have con-
siderably evaporated. They
are willing to . continue their
membership in the congre-
gation and to support the
synagogue, but not when
dues increase substantially
every -year. They want to
give their children a Jewish
education in the congrega-
tional school, but not at pro-
hibitive tuition, which many
of them cannot even afford
to pay.
A good many of the young-
er elements who have been
active in the synagogue are
now drifting • away more
and more to activities in
other directions. They give
their time more to the local
Jewish Federations, to the
-
Jewish organizations en-
gaged in fighting for human
rights and in protection of
rights for Jews in the So-
viet Union. The synagogue
is taking a back seat with
them.
For newlyweds, the high
congregational dues are def-
initely a hindrance to join a
synagogue, as it is for par-
ents of children of school
age who find it difficult to
meet the high tuition in
synagogue schools.
The questions of admit-
ting newlyweds to free
membership in congrega-
_ tions for several years is
now on the agenda of nu-
merous- synagogues where
membership is shrinking.
Histadrut Official
on Morocco Tour
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Shaul
Ben Simchon, member of
the Histadrut Central Com-
mittee and president of
World Federation of North
African Jews, is in Morocco
at the invitation . of its Jew-
ish community.
•
JOE MILLER 1
and
HIS ORCHESTRA
Music For All Occasions
.354-'124•
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