PURELY COMMENTARY
Best-Selling Haggadah
Continued from Page 2
of being accepted unto best-selling
status of children's books. Judye Groner
and Madeline Wikler are in the part-
nership and they function under the
publishing name of Kar-Ben Copies.
Kar-Ben is named after the authors-
publishers' two youngest children,
Karen and Benjy.
It is no wonder, therefore, that these
two publishers' enthusiasm also entic-
ed them to publish a Board Book holi-
day service. The newest is I Have Four
Questions. In cardboard, with the four
questions beautifully illustrated by
Chari Ragen, the youngest who just
learned to take hold of a book are in-
troduced to Passover.
This is another of the Kar-Ben
publishers' great achievements. Their
newest board books also include Shab-
bat Shalom, Israel Is and I Can
Celebrate welcoming the New Year and
other festivals.
Such are the great publishing ac-
complishments inspired by the Hag-
gadah. It is well to acclaim it at this
time. ❑
Young Judaea's
80th Anniversary
A
nniversaries serve us well, for
retention of memories, for per-
petuating historic records, in
giving due recognition to the skills of
social scientists.
An important event with an 80-year
history now invites special attention.
Young Judaea is now octogenarian.
A movement that was set into motion
for very young, for children of all ages,
became a very important factor in
American Zionism. What a pity,
therefore, that it did not retain
enrollments and devotion.
David Schneeberg is a name to be
remembered. He was the founder of the
Young Judaea movement in 1909. He
was a young Zionist idealist who saw
the need to mobilize the youth, to enroll
them as future Zionists, in leadership
and as active affiliates. The need he
wished to fulfill, with purposes he
witnessed as achievements, were to
educate youth Jewishly. The purposes
were seriously treated and there were
triumphs in the efforts.
Young Judaea was a product of the
Zionist Organization of America and at
once became the ZOA's youth move-
ment. Hadassah gave it its blessings.
Henrietta Szold, who founded the
great Hadassah women's Zionist move-
ment in 1914, became one of the chief
sponsors of the movement. Her chief
associate, when she headed the ZOA
education department, was Emanuel
Neumann. Therefore these two names
are among the earliest cofounders of
Young Judaea with David Schneeberg.
Henrietta Szold was the first editor
of the Young Judaean Magazine, the ex-
cellent publication that became for
many years the official organ of the
Young Judaean movement. It is proper,
therefore to indicate that Miss Szold
was the highly qualified editor educa-
tional guide for youth. A decade before
the founding of Young Judaea she was
editor of the Jewish Publication Socie-
ty of America and was the translator of
History of the Jews by Heinrich Graetz
from the German into English.
Every important name in American
Zionist leadership had a beginning in
Young Judaea. This is attested to in this
story about Young Judaea in the
Universal Jewish Encyclopedia:
Young Judaea, children's
Zionist organization, affiliated
with the Zionist Organization of
America and Hadassah, found-
ed in 1909.
Professor Israel Fried-
laender was elected first presi-
dent, and David Schneeberg,
secretary. Succeeding
presidents were Sundel Doniger,
Mrs. N. Taylor Phillips, Rabbi
David de Sola Pool, Rabbi Jacob
Kohn, Samuel J. Borowsky, Rab-
bi Israel Goldstein, Rabbi Louis
I. Newman, David Levine, Louis
P. Rocker and Carl Alpert.
Herbert H. Lehman was for
many years honorary president,
and still held this post in 1943.
In 1916 the Federation of
American Zionists provided a
substantial subsidy, and with
Schneeberg as executive
secretary the body expanded
considerably, opening its own
offices.
Young Judaea was incor-
porated as part of the work of
the Zionist Department of
Education headed by Henrietta
Szold in 1918, and Emanuel
Neumann became director of its
activities. Later the subsidy was
withdrawn and Young Judaea
became self-supporting,
although it retained its associa-
tion with the parent body. In
1941 constitutional changes
were effected whereby it came
under the immediate supervi-
sion of the American Zionist
Youth Commission, of which
Shlomo Bardin was director.
Aharon Kessler served as ex-
ecutive director of Young
Judaea. Others who have
served as executive directors in-
clude Samuel J. Borowsky,
Jacob S. Golub, Mrs. A.H. Vix-
man, and Rabbi Aryeh Lev.
The organization was, in
1943, composed of some 500
clubs, with a total membership
of over 15,000 boys and girls bet-
ween the ages of 10 and 18. It
conducted a diversified pro-
gram of educational, religious
and physical activities. It
published a considerable
amount of literature for young
people dealing with Zionism,
Jewish holiday observances and
contemporary. Jewish life in
America, and issued many
books.
Much of this educational
material was used by Sunday
schools, centers and other
Jewish youth groups.
Periodicals included the mon-
thly children's magazine, The
Young Judaean, and bulletins,
The Leader and Hashachar.
Many of the leading American
Zionists obtained some of their
early Jewish schooling in Young
Judaean clubs.
There was . a counterpart in this
community. We had formed a score of
Young Judaea clubs of all ages. We had
oratorical contests, debates, sports ac-
tivities with Young Judaea field days at-
tended by thousands at Belle Isle.
With me among the leaders and
organizers were Samuel Noah Heyman,
Belle Levin, Irwin Shaw, Rose Copin-
sky, Mary Heyman, Anna Slomovitz,
Bertha Sloan, Rabbi Herbert Parzen,
Sylvia Goldsmith (who became Mrs.
Parzen, the couple having met at Young
Judaea functions), Saul R. Levin and
many young people too numerous to
mention. Saul R. Levin, the father of
U.S. Senator Carl Levin and Con-
gressman Sander Levin, professionally
a lawyer, was Honduran consul here
and was an authority on penology. His
chief social-educational interests were
the youth and Young Judaea was
among his major concerns.
Mike Sumner occupied leadership
in Windsor Young Judaea and there
was close cooperation of the two com-
munities in these tasks.
Rabbi A.M. Hershman and Judge
Harry B. Keidan gave strong support to
Young Judaea and the educator who
especially encouraged the movement
was Bernard Isaacs. As superintendent
of the United Hebrew Schools he
assisted enrollment of students in
Young Judaea, he cosponsored debates
and cultural events by the Hebrew
Schools together with Young Judaea
and his interest inspired increased lear-
ning in the youth movement.
Resulting from such cooperation
was the pursuit of studies by Max
Weine, who pursued rabbinic studies
and became a major Young Judaea
leader.
It is to the credit of Hadassah that
when Young Judaea enrollment drop-
ped, the women Zionists assumed
responsibility for the youth movement
and continues it as "Hashachar."
Related here is not only the story of
a youth movement. It is the retention
of facts about an important chapter in
American Zionist youth and cultural
actions. ❑
When 'Tolerance'
Becomes Difficult
To Attain
N
ews releases and views by heads
of national Jewish movements
on major Jewish and citizenship
matters are issued with great regulari-
ty. Reams of paper are consumed for
such purposes. The views expressed
may be controversial but they avoid
venom.
Even in the dispute over the recent
debates on the "Who Is A Jew" con-
troversy, efforts were made in the hun-
dreds of news releases to prevent
hatred.
Therefore a statement released by
the American Jewish Committee about
a most aggravating incident at the
Kotel, the Temple wall in Jerusalem, is
of special interest. It expressed anger
over an attack that was perpetrated by
extremists upon a group of women who
conducted a religious service at the
Kotel.
That statement even went so far as
to speak of "religious bigotry" While we
have always avoided resort to the term
"fanaticism" with reference to the
group criticized in the AJC statement,
the views promulgated merit attention.
It is in the hope that a similar ex-
perience will not demand repetition of
the released condemnation that this
statement by Ira Silverman, American
Jewish Committee executive vice presi-
dent, is offered for analysis:
The American Jewish Com-
mittee condems unequivocally
the violent and unwarranted at-
tack on Jewish women seeking
to conduct a peaceful prayer rite
at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem. Long considered the
holiest site in Judaism, the
Western Wall belongs to the en-
tire Jewish People .. .
Although the recourse to
violence would be tragic and
unwarranted under any cir-
cumstances, this incident
underscores the ongoing need
to promote a strong measure of
religious respect from the ultra-
Right. Observers constantly cite
the necessity for all in Israel,
with its diverse cultures, to
subscribe to pluralistic
understanding. In this case, the
women involved went to great
length to respect Jewish tradi-
tion and law, and compromised
their own desires to read from
the Torah so as to avoid any
disruption of the peace. They
were met with battering and
assault, which is intolerable in
a society anxious to preserve
civility . and tolerance. We must
promote greater understanding
between different Jewish
groups and find ways to co-exist
without conformity in Jewish
practice.
It is perhaps no accident
that this deplorable incident oc-
curred on the eve of the festival
of Purim. Long considered a
reminder of the evil nature of
anti-Semitism in Jewish history,
Purim symbolizes for Jews their
vulnerability in an unfriendly
world .. .
It is admittedly deplorable that
what could be judged as intolerance
should have been fanned into violence
at a sacred location. A serious study of
the developing disputes in Israel will
prove that what has happened, an at-
tack on worshiping women at the Kotel,
does not represent the viewpoint of all
in Orthodoxy. There is a dominent fac-
tor in Orthodox leadership that not only
disapproves but seriously rejects
anything that might cause critics to
charge "religious bigotry".
The disapproval of what had occur-
red and what is being condemned calls
for firmness. The AJC statement may
add fuel to extremism. Hopefully it will
inspire action in the ranks of those
treated as moderates in Orthodoxy, but
who really are the staunch opponents
of hateful demonstrations within
Jewry. ❑
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
55