I

Opinion

OTHER VIEWS

Rabbi Adler
Remembered

Legacy Of Counsel
And Heart

T

Editor's note: This is an abridged ver-
sion of a sermon that Rabbi Groner
gave at Congregation Shaarey Zedek
in Southfield on March 23,1996, in
commemoration of the 30th anniver-
sary of Rabbi Adler's death.

his month coincides with the
that day for Rabbi Adler. Like many oth-
occasion, 40 years ago, from the
ers of his generation, he rebelled against
tragic moment when Rabbi
the denominator of affluence and change.
Morris Adler was shot to his loss of life
Likely he did not identify with the pro-
four weeks later.
gressive architecture of the new syna-
Rabbi Adler graduated from the Jewish gogue that our parents built and moved
Theological Seminary at the age of 29 in
into in 1963. By chance, he felt betrayed by
1935. His rabbinic career began in
the eminence of this new sanctuary.
Buffalo at Temple Emanu-El.
Surely, he felt confused by the growing
In 1938, at age 32, he accepted the
assimilation of his generation.
position of assistant rabbi at Shaarey
Zedek. The synagogue was at that time
mired in debate, as the shul was shedding
its Orthodox structure and becoming
more Conservative.
It is said that Rabbi Adler struggled
with the conflict among the congregants.
He was, however, contemporary in his
thinking and resolute as to our future.
In the years to follow, he created a new
vibrancy at our synagogue. He was
promptly recognized as an "intellectual
light" in the new Conservative movement.
On Feb. 12, 1966, on a Saturday morning
in front of more than 700 members attend-
ing Shabbat services, a member of our
synagogue took center stage at the pulpit,
spoke ramblingly of the transgressions he
felt existed in our Jewish faith, and shot
our venerated rabbi. He then shot himself.
Ironically, Rabbi Adler once wrote, "My
association with the young people is, for
me, the most satisfying part of my work!' It
was incongruous that one of his pupils
would approach him on his bimah, defy
the rabbi's principle and wound him ... The
Rabbi Morris and Goldie Adler
student that shot Rabbi Adler died from
his self-inflicted wound on
Wednesday, Feb. 16, 1966. He
The bullet skimmed off the
was 23.
bone of Rabbi Adler's left fore-
I was at Shaarey Zedek that
arm and ricocheted into the
Shabbat. I was 12 years old. I
base of his skull behind his left
remember it vividly. It reminds
ear. A second bullet lodged in
me of the frailty of life and
the brim of his black kippah.
both the happiness and sorrow
Rabbi Adler was alert at first
that has taken place within
and inquired as to the safety of
these walls ...
the
bar mitzvah boy. Thereafter,
Greg g Orley
In the world we live in today,
he
slipped
into a coma.
Corn munity
we are regretfully accustomed
The tragedy 40 years ago
Persp ective
to transgressions and tragedy.
and the influence Rabbi Adler's
We hear of someone else's grief as we are
life had on our synagogue seems vital to
standing in line to buy our coffee, and
understanding who we are and how we
then pay our charge, nod and move on.
have arrived at this time and place. The
Forty years ago, however, we did not
decisions we face today are bound in the
know from such indifference and the 700
book of our history. Our past defines our
people in attendance that Saturday watched future.
in disbelief, puzzled at what occurred in
front of their hearts and minds.
Gregg Orley of Bloomfield Hills is president of
It is said, "Time is a storm in which we the Oakland County-based Congregation
are all lost." ... Perhaps this was the senti-
Shaarey Zedek. He gave these comments on
ment that the 23-year-old student felt,
Feb. 25.

32

March 9 • 2006

IIN

I

t hardly seems possible that 30
years have passed since the untime-
ly death of Rabbi Morris Adler. We

have come to recognize,
over the decades, that his
was a life of greatness. He
had seemingly inex-
haustible resources of
strength — physical and
moral — that he imparted
to all who came within the
magnetic field of his per-
sonality.
Even in his last conscious
moments, when he sat on
this bimah, moments of
extreme peril in the presence of a
deranged student who was his assis-
tant, the rabbi was unshaken and
unshakable as he directed others to
safety with firmness and courage.
In 1966, I was his younger colleague.
He was my guide and mentor. He intro-
duced me to the Conservative move-
ment and shared with me his philoso-
phy of Judaism. Hardly a day passes in

which his memory does not enter my
consciousness.
The breadth of his sympathy and the
scope of his vision made great the range
of his influence. Leaders of business,
government, labor and religion coun-
seled with him. He was chairman of the
Public Review Board of the United Auto
Workers since its inception in 1957, a
unique position established for him by
Walter Reuther. The Jewish Theological
Seminary of America, the B'nai B'rith,
the United Jewish Appeal, the Zionist
movement, the Jewish Community
Council, the Jewish National Fund and
the State of Israel all received the gener-
ous outpouring of himself. He built
bridges of understanding between
Judaism and other faiths.
He was a distinguished author of the
Great Passages from the Torah, The
World of the Talmud and two posthu-
mous books, May I Have a Word With
You? and The Voice Still Speaks. His
books and essays attest to the depth of
his learning.
But his ministry was not spent in
cloistered solitude or public forums or
scholarly contemplation, but rather in
close association with people.

His Brushstrokes
I share with you these images of him
in his study. He had an amazing collec-
tion — on his desk at all times. —
mementos of trips, books, pamphlets,
letters to be read and answered, news-
papers, magazines and clip-
pings. He read everything and
was interested in everything.
Although the world was his
library, his library was never
his whole world.
His office was kind of a spir-
itual laboratory where one
could find in the course of a
single day: a visiting scholar
who received support for his
research; a bewildered child
seeking an answer to a ques-
tion she could not fully articu-
late; a bereaved parent in search of
comfort; a communal leader wrestling
with a serious decision; a Catholic
priest in search of Jewish understand-
ing; a couple on the threshold of mar-
riage listening to sage advice, co-min-
gled with warmth and humor; a young
colleague who was warmed by the fire
of his spirit.
People turned to him in all matters,