News Brief

Conference of Religious School Teachers, the liberal group headed by Rabbi William F. Rosenblum of Temple Israel of the City of New York, met Sunday afternoon in the Community House of Temple Emanu-El. The theme of the Conference, “Educating for Worship in the Religious School,” was discussed in several departmental meetings and epitomized in the general session which concluded the Conference.

Papers were read by Toby Kurzband, Tremont Temple; Herry Gutman, Temple Israel of New York; Miss Nellie Reichert, West End Synagogue; Mrs. Edward J. Levine, Temple Israel of New Rochelle and Rabbi Max Schenk of Temple Israel Religious School. Rabbis L. Eliot Grafman, B. A. Tintner, Benjamin Schultz and Nathan Stern presided over the respective Primary, Intermediate, High School and Youth divisions.

Rabbi Rosenblum stressed the importance of greater teacher participation in the formulation of school curriculi. “The men and women who teach our children,” he said, “should have a hand in the shaping of the courses they are asked to present. They are in the classrooms. They are better equipped to know what children will and what they will not learn. It is useless to teach any other information, either in a religious or secular school.”

Rabbi Morris S. Lazaron of Baltimore, Md., the principal speaker, in his address on “How Shall We Teach Worship in Our Religious Schools?” stressed the need for prayerfulness and a sense of worship as an aim of and part of the technique of the religious school. Rabbi Lazaron instanced some of the practices in his own school and synagogue. “Reform Judaism has thrown out too much that was fine of the old traditions and ceremonies. We are reintroducing them,” he said.

CONFERENCE STRESSES CONTINUING JEWISH EDUCATION

Cooperation between Jewish religious schools for the purpose of continuing and strengthening Jewish Education in the Metropolitan district was the keynote of the Educational Conference held at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America yesterday under the auspices of the United Synagogue of America. The principal speakers were Professor Mordecai M. Kaplan of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Dr. Israel S. Chipkin, and Rabbi Alter F. Landesman, chairman of the Education Committee of the United Synagogue.

A critical situation in Jewish education was pictured by Professor Kaplan who declared that “the chaos which exists at the present time in our Jewish educational work is almost hearbreaking.” Discussing the causes of the present apathy towards Jewish Education Professor Kaplan denounced the psychology of Jews who believe that it is possible to get along in this world without a knowledge of things Jewish.

“There is no demand on the part of parents that their children should receive a Jewish education,” Professor Kaplan declared. “The problem is fundamentally how to overcome this lack of demand, the absence of the demand for Jewish education and what to do to create a demand for Jewish education where no such demand exists in Jewish life today. It is important for our congregations to come together and coordinate our efforts in order to develop the kind of Jewish educational system which will augment the demand for Jewish education.”

In his introductory remarks Rabbi Alter F. Landesman. Chairman of the Conference, drew attention to the importance of Jewish education for American Jewry and declared that “We need a re-acceptance of the proper importance of Jewish education.”

Speaking on the subject of Budgeting the Congregational School, Mr. Chipkin urged practical budgetting in Jewish religious schools, and condemned the practice of cutting the salaries of teachers.

The subject of cooperation among Jewish schools was treated by Israel L. Eisenberg, principal of the East Midwood Jewish Center of Brooklyn.

Other speakers at the conference were Louis J. Moss, President of the United Synagogue of America, Samuel Rothstein, of the East Midwood Jewish Center, and Rabbi Samuel M. Cohen, Executive Director of the United Synagogue of America.

The conference adopted resolutions uring cooperation among congregational schools, urging schools to accept only licensed teachers, requesting congregational schools to continue every effort on behalf of Jewish education, and urging schools to support “Jewish Current Events,” an organ of Jewish current events for the Jewish youth.