Charging that the synagogue has been occupying itself with other interests, to the neglect of its primary relious purpose, Louis J. Moss, chairman of the finance committee of the United Synagogue of America, in a radio address delivered Sunday over Station WEAF, demanded that the synagogue divest itself of non-relious activities and restore the rabbi to his former sphere of influence.
“Many of the activities of the synagogue may well be left to other agencies upon whose domains the synagogue at present has been wilfully trespassing,—without gain to itself and to the hurt of others,” he declared. “The synagogue as such, and not as an adjunct to other enterprises, must again be made a vital force in Jewish life. It must never permit its predominant heritage, an abode of worship, and a home for the dissemination of learning and idealism, to be subordinated to other activities, no matter how laudable they are in themselves.”
Speaking of present conditions, as they affect the rabbi, Mr. Moss declared, “The new synagogue has produced a new type of rabbi. Piety and scholarship, while desiderata, are no longer indispensable qualifications. Ability to attract members and stimulate their generosity is at least of equal weight. The leadership of the congregation is no longer in the rabbi. He has yielded this position to the layman, often poorly equipped by training or sentiment to exercise the powers of leadership.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
