About 1,000,000 Jews in the United States are not affiliated with any branch of Judaism, it was estimated here last night by Benjamin H. Swig, general chairman of the Combined Campaign for Reform Judaism, at a dinner which marked the official opening of the $2,396,000 drive for 1955-56. The money will be used to meet the annual maintenance needs of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, national parent body of 520 Reform Jewish congregations in the United States and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Expressing concern for “isolated Jewish families residing in small communities throughout the United States, hungry for Jewish knowledge and Jewish guidance,” Mr. Swig declared that larger Jewish communities in the country have “a moral responsibility to pool their material resources in order to assure adequate spiritual resources for the entire nation.” He stated that a successful Combined Campaign this year would assure the adoption of the following five-point program to strengthen Reform Judaism:
1. An intensive training program for religious school personnel to staff new Sunday and religious schools in small, large and intermediate communities.
2. Caravans of rabbis and lay leaders to visit on a regular basis Jewish communities in outlying areas too small to maintain their own rabbis.
3. The establishment of a special loan fund to make possible the construction of smaller sanctuaries for new residential communities.
4. The establishment of a special fund to facilitate the preparation and distribution of prayer books and religious school text books in communities lacking these materials.
5. The establishment of Labor Synagogues in industrial areas to enable workers to study and worship in their free hours.
Emphasizing that the Combined Campaign for American Reform Judaism had sparked in recent years “a gratifying religious reawakening among American Jews,” Mr. Swig reported that in the last decade the Reform movement has increased from 300 to 520 congregations with a total membership embracing 1,000,000 persons. He predicted that by 1960 the number of congregations affiliated with Reform Judaism would jump to 1,000 and the membership to 2,000,000.
The dinner, attended by 500 leaders of the Reform movement, was in honor of Frank L. Weil, prominent Jewish leader, who has been designated American Reform Judaism’s “Man of the Year” for 1955. Also honored last night was Richard Rodgers, distinguished American composer, for “his great contributions to the happiness of the American people.” Both Mr. Weil and Mr. Rodgers are members of Congregation Emanu-El in New York. Marvin J. Silberman, chairman of the Greater New York Combined Campaign, announced that advance gifts to the current drive totaled $575,000, including $230,000 pledged by those attending the dinner.
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