PURELY COMMENTARY

Jewry's Predominant Citadel: The School

ty structuring. Without the schools there
could not have been the immensity of
our communal accomplishments. There
Editor Emeritus
will always be a priority in archiving
chools, with children in their history for the United Hebrew Schools.
classrooms, teaching and learn- There was deviation a while ago when
ing, libraries and books, these are they were referred to as "The New
the indestructible foundations of Jewish United Hebrew Schools." A new name
life.
appended is "Agency for Jewish Educa-
A community without a school is tion." From the original designation
judged as a calamity and cannot survive. there can never be a forgetfulness and
All our scholars and dedicated func- the system will always remain the UHS.
tionaries devotedly act for priority for
Now we have the deeply satisfying
learning and the obligation to the school privilege of recording history. There
is primary.
were the earlier commitments which
The eminent philosopher and author were the obligations to our schools. The
Ahad HaAm provided the important UHS was preceded by Division Street
definition for Beth HaMidrash, the Talmud Torah and the private classes in
House of Study, quoted here:
what became a growing Detroit com-
munity. The Division Street Talmud
The heart of the Jewish peo-
Torah has as its principal and head of
ple has always been in the Bet
the teaching staff Hyman Buchhalter,
HaMidrash; there was the
whose devoted labors served as guides to
source from which they drew the
an enriching continuity.
strength and the inspiration that
The leadership that started with the
enabled them to overcome all
UHS
in 1920, under Esser Rabinowitz,
difficulties and withstand all
is now being given glorious recognition.
persecutions. If we want to go on
There is also the need to remember the
living, we must restore the
first students who gave credence to UHS
center to the Bet HaMidrash,
communal glory. It is the granddaughter
and make that once more the liv-
of the head of the Division Street
ing source of Judaism.
Talmud Torah that gains recognition as
The obligation to the school is so the UHS students' historian. Naomi
vital in Jewish responsibility that there Buchhalter Floch is that archivist. Her
is a veritable jeremiad in the Talmud inspiration is from Hyman Buchhalter.
that bemoans the destruction of Her father was William Buchhalter who
Jerusalem as having been the result of was for many years the volunteer
chidlren roaming the streets instead of secretary of the Hebrew Hospital
attending classes in the schools. It is a Association out of which developed the
reference to Jeremiah (6:11) and Ham- local Jewish hospital dream's fulfill-
ment, Sinai Hospital. Her aunt was
muna (in Talmud: Sabbath).
Therefore the current jubilation over Dora Buchhalter Ehrlich, the dedicated
the 70th anniversary of the United scholar and pioneer founder of the
Hadassah Women's Zionist movement.
Hebrew Schools.
lb Naomi Buchhalter Floch goes the
In the compilation of Detroit's
Jewish historical records, this will credit of having provided me with the
always be a major event in our communi- major facts about the United Hebrew

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

S

Schools and the Detroit Jewish school
system, herself having been in the first
class.
Naomi calls attention to the Divi-
sion Street school having functioned
from 1916 to 1918. The building has
been demolished and the area is part of
an expressway.

Wilkins Street Talmud Torah, the
first unit of the UHS, opened in April
1919 and had an enrollment of 400
pupils. That's when Bernard Isaacs
came here to become superintendent of
the schools. He had abandoned engineer-

ing, receiving his degree from Cooper
Union, to turn to Hebrew education
which was his first concern. He had
helped advance the educational system
in Indianapolis before coming here.
"Other units which were opened
kept pace with the growth and move-
ment of the Jewish population of
Detroit?' Naomi Floch states. "These in-
cluded Kirby Center, opened with 800
pupils. That's when the students
presented the operetta "Saul • and
David," March 17, 1921, and "Samson
and Delilah" in 1923. Both operettas

were written by Bernard Isaacs with
music by Cantor A. Minkowsky. Delmar-
Westminster branch opened with 370
pupils. Philadelphia-Byron unit and
Tuxedo-Holmur schools followed the
next two years?'
It is interesting to note in Naomi's
accumulated facts that the first elemen-
tary class graduation took place in 1923.
The graduation of the first high school
class was on July 21, 1928. At that time,
March 7, 1929, another operetta written
by Bernard Isaacs, "Jephtha's
Daughter," was produced at Orchestra
Hall. The musical scores were written by
Cantor Eliahu Zaludkowsky of Shaarey
Zedek. Emma Lazaroff Schaver had im-
portant singing roles in the UHS
operettas.
With the graduation of the first high
school class, July 21, 1928, the UHS
Alumni Association was formed with
Max Weine, later a distinguished Con-
servative Rabbi.
Of major interest is the faculty of
noted scholars in the annals of the UHS.
Three of them, Bernard Isaacs, Max Gor-
don and A.D. Markson, gave up
engineering as their profession to devote
themselves to Hebrew education.
Markson has earned distinction in
American literature as translator into
Hebrew of The Prince and the Pauper by
Mark Twain. It was inspiring to learn
that Theodore Baruch, who gained
recognition in the local schools' educa-
tion system, asssited Markson in the
Mark Twain translation.
Much can be added about the UHS
faculty whose scholarships and com-
munal loyalties inspired student bodies
to valuable leadership.
The list of presidents of the UHS
also is noteworthy. Like Bernard Isaacs
and his associates. there were in their

Continued on Page 36

An Internal Dispute Over Redemption

Z

ionism always had opponents,
and its evil interpreters; views
differed in many ways. At the
outset there was a Reform Jewish op-
position to the movement for Jewry's
redemption from the "galut," the exile
that was marked for centuries and
generations by hatreds imbedded in in-
ternational anti-Semitism. There was
an opposition that divided Orthodox
ranks, with an emphasis on the mes-

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Vol. XCV No 14

June 2, 1989

sianic. Even upon the fulfillment of the
prophetic, upon the rebirth of Israel
statehood, there remained a group that
rejected Zionism and adhered to the
waiting, of anticipating the coming of
the Messiah.
The extremest of the opponents to
the Zionist ideal are in Israel. They are
mainly the Neturei Karta, a name im-
plying "Defenders of the City." They
live mainly in the Jerusalem section
called Meah Shearim, which is the
Hebrew for "Hundred Gates." They are
so dedicated to the interpretation of the
messianic that they totally reject Israel
statehood. For a number of years they
went to such extremes as to send
telegrams to King Hussein and the Jor-
danian government, inviting them to
come to the Israel they reject and to
rescue them from such Jews as the
Zionists and enable them to await the
Messiah.
It is necessary to understand this
background as well as this movement's
hatred for current Israelism to know
why this group inserted a paid adver-
tisement in the New York Times (May
10) in which they appealed to all

peoples of all faiths to multiply hatred
for Israel and Zionism. Their
hatemongering stated:
Peace for Jews cannot be
realized until the Zionist state
ceases to exist.
Let the world know that
Zionism and Judaism are
diametrically opposed and their
use of the name "Israel" is a
falsification. The Zionists have
no right to speak in the name of
the Jewish nation.
Quoting this venom should not be
interpreted as giving a platform to the
haters who have been granted full
rights by the Israeli government to
speak their minds in an advocacy of
Israel's destruction. They are honest in
this respect, in their admission of con-
sistency: they listed their advertise-
ment as number 24 in a series. Since
this venomous group continues an ex-
itence within Israel and resorts to an
appeal awaiting the Messiah, the mean-
ing of messianism is important in judg-
ing the hatred of Jews for Jews. Zionism
and Israel.

There is a very valuable definition
of Messiah in Leo Rosten's Treasury of
Jewish Quotations. Rosten has gone in-
to such depth for a study of the subject
that this. explanation has great merit.
The history and different
connotations of "Messiah"
deserve careful explanation.
The word comes from Hebrew:
ha-mashaiah: "the anointed?'
The Hebrew meshiah in Greek
became messias; in translation,
christos; hence, messias5mes-
siah; christos5Christ — and each
denotes "the anointed one."

In the old Testament,
meshiah was the title given to
king" ("God's anointed") and
priests, who were initiated by
being anointed with sacred oil.
Later, meshiah meant a prophet,
or anyone with a special mission
from God. Then meshiah came
to mean the awaited Deliverer of
the Jews from their bondage
and oppression, who will
restore the kingdom of Israel.

Continued on Page 36

