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• I M E REPAIR In Our Store "Your. Something SpecialShoppe" The nations which dealt fairly with the Jew have prospered; the nations that tortured and oppressed him wrote out their own curse. —Olive Schreiner Oak Park Center 9 Mile & Coolidge 545-1399 — MINK Abe Cherow, Says: IT'S SELDOM THAT YOU CAN GET THE FINEST QUALITY UPHOLSTERING BUILT BY A VERY REPU- TABLE FIRM - IN BUSINESS SINCE 1920 - FOR SUCH A CONVENIENT PRICE. WE WILL BUILD YOUR FUR- NITURE TO- YOUR EVERY EXPECTATIONS. CALL US FOR FREE HOME ESTIMATES. ARTISTIC UPHOLSTERERS- INC. 5755 SCHAEFER RD. (1 block North of Ford Rd.) 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