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737-2666
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ EDITOR EMERITUS
W
0
Greg
Internal Problems Test
Light Unto The Nations
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Greg
SHOES
"Serving the Community for 36 Years"
ith many areas in
the world in great
distress, with
human rights
unbelievably agonized, con-
stantly addressing ourselves
to internal and personalized
urgencies may compel some
limitation. Nevertheless, the
endlessness of problems dic-
tated by many, especially
the mixed marriages, cannot
be overlooked.
When so universally
prominent a non-Jew as
Robert St. John, whose au-
thorship on issues affecting
Israel and the Jewish people
dominate libraries, shows
concern, they must demand
our attention.
The significance of a mes-
sage addressed to me some
weeks ago may well
dominate the evaluations of
the demands. The thought-
provoking letter dates back
weeks because it required
Mr. St. John's assurance
that there would be no objec-
tion to my quoting it. It was
dated Oct. 20, and I offer
from it:
Your column on mixed
marriages was, of course,
of much interest. It
reminds me of the
following:
Some years ago I ad-
dressed a B'nai B'rith
youth conference up in the
Catskills and in the ques-
tion period an earnest
young lady, aged about 14,
asked me: "Mr. St. John, if
you are so enthusiastic
about Israel and feel as
you do about Jews, why
don't you convert?" To
which I replied: "My dear
young lady, how many of
you would come to hear a
lecture by a Jew named St.
John?"
Because the audience
was amused, I was saved
from a more serious
answer. Actually, I have
been told matey, many
times by Jewish leaders
that I have been much
more valuable to the cause
as St. John, the non-Jew,
than I would have been
had I converted.
My only embarrassment
is when I overhear so-
meone who has found out
that Ruth is a Jew, saying:
"Ah, that explains
everything, doesn't it?" My
reply: "Anyone who says
Robert St. John has written on numerous Jewish issues.
that, mixes up CAUSE and
EFFECT.
I have been an ardent
supporter of Israel and
many other Jewish matters
for 44 years. Ruth and I
have been married for 27
years. Ruth is an EFFECT,
not a CAUSE."
However, when I asked a
Reform rabbi 27 years ago
if he would marry Ruth
and me, and pointed out
that I am not a Jew, he
replied: "St. John, you are
a better Jew and most
members of my congrega-
tion:'
Very incidentally, I spent
seven hours in synagogue
on Yom Kippur, in distress
because the rabbi
delivered such a good ser-
mon that I wanted to take
notes, but of course . . . of
course . . . of course . . . by
Jewish laws or customs I
could take notes only
MENTALLY.
Robert St. John introduced
an important aspect of the
mixed marriage theme. His
approach gains significance
with his introduction of his
wife Ruth.
On Nov. 23, Mr. St. John
wrote to me with his ap-
proval and stated:
Incidentally, again, it
seems to me that Jews can
follow the advice of Isaiah
about being a light unto
the goyim by mixing with
non-Jews, better than by
isolating themselves in
their synagogues and
Jewish community centers
and what some Jews
themselves refer to as their
"golden ghettos," meaning
such almost-all-Jewish
places as Pikesville, Md., a
suburb of Baltimore. (I
don't know if Southfield
falls in that category.)
What I DO know positive-
ly is that our mixed mar-
riage has not weakened in
any way Ruth's Jewish-
ness, while it has shed
some light on this goy.
Communal
problems affect all
of us as well as
non-Jewish fellow
citizens.
Herein we have the St.
John reminder that there is
a message from Jewry that
our people should be "A
Light Unto Nations." It is
clear that the implication is
teaching principles of
morality and ethical codes
will guide mankind.
At this point we need to go
back to the treasured book of
Ruth which we read and
have repeated on Shavuot
through the centuries.