American Jews Are Not Doomed to Assimilate, Prof. Bar on Says

The prediction that the Jewish community in America will survive “even if it doesn’t want to, “because the Jewish people will never succumb to assimilation, was made here by Dr. Salo Baron, Jewish historian, addressing the fourth B’nai B’rith Institute of Judaism.

Dr. Baron, professor of Jewish history at the University of Columbia, and author of “Social and Religious History of the Jews” and other works, presented his conclusions without qualification, “Even if the Jews did not really desire to survive, they would do so despite themselves, “he stated flatly. He belittled any idea that American Jews were doomed to assimilate, pointing out that the present vibrant condition of Jewish life in America has completely disproved the gloomy prophecies of 30 years ago.

Conclusions drawn by some scholars and teachers, that earlier Jewish communities in various parts of the world perished because of ignorance and assimilation, are based on lack of knowledge or faulty interpretation of the facts, Dr. Baron said.

Dr. Robert Gordis, professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, felt that the American Jewish community would increasingly assume a spiritual rather than a secualr or community-service character. Its major identification would be with religion. Dr. Israel Chipkin, vice-president of the Jewish Education Committee of New York, differed. He thought that the distinguishing characteristic of the future Jewish community would be its concern with education.