Contemptuous references to community centers as “gym or swimming pool Judaism” were sharply criticized yesterday by Dr. Mordecai Soltes, director of Jewish extension education of the Jewish Welfare Board, who addresed the quarterly conference of the New Jersey Federation of Y. M. and Y. W. H. A.’s held here in the afternoon.
With “The Jewish Youth and Their Place in the Jewish Center” as the theme of the conference, Dr. Soltes declared that those who speak sneeringly of physical culture “reveal a lack of understanding of the contemporary situation in Jewish life.
“They fail to realize that the recreational function of a center is basic and fundamental and that the present growth of leisure time has increased the responsibilities of character-building agencies to see that the time is wisely expened.”
Dr. Soltes held that it is up to the center to “inculcate the desirable qualities and ideals of sportsmanship, hospitality, cooperation and fair play.” He praised the Roosevelt administration and the New Deal, declaring that “a new day is dawning and the Jewish youth of the world seems determined to take a more active part in leadership.”
Other speakers were: Israel Harold Mistofsky on “How the NRA Leisure Is Affecting the Jewish Youth”; Herman W. Klausner on “How Will the Jewish Youth Fare Economically in the New Order,” and Miss Rosalie Wahl on “Changes in Education of the Jewish Youth.” About ten communities from all parts of New Jersey were represented at the conference.
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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.
