If there were any signs of abatement in the newspaper comments on Dr. Charles Elior’s address on the subject of assimilation and intermarriage, they are now cropping up again in all newspapers as a result of Dr. Eliot’s letter in the Boston “Post” in which he reaffirms his attitude against assimilation and states that “there never has been any ‘melting pot’ in the United States, and there is not likely to be in the future.”
The N. Y. “Evening Sun” of Dec. 26 in its editorial “Does the Melting Pot Melt?” takes the stand that the different races in America cannot remain “unmelted” very long. The editorial says:
“Dr. Eiot’s idea that each race makes its best contribution when it stays “unmelted” may be a perfectly good idea. But to call a good idea a fact is another matter. The “pure” racial contribution is not important in American life as yet. for few if any races have kept to themselves. By the time a race has become sufficiently at home in the United States to make a contribution it has become enough at home to begin ceasing to be a separate race. To Dr. Eliot this may not be the happiest of facts, but is one of the most important in our history.”
Mr. B. Rozman, discussing Dr. Eliot’s theory from the Jewish point in the “Forward” of Dec. 27, takes occasion to direct arrows of sarcasm at Rabbi Schulman who. as is known has criticized Dr. Eliot in a sermon delivered in his temple.
“There is one kind of assimilation which is logical and consistent, and that is complete assimilation-national, cultural and religious. Which, of course, would lead to the demise of the Jewish people. One may disagree with this attitude but it certainly has logic. But there is no logic whatsoever in the attitude of Rabbi Schulman and his like. He preaches complete assimilation in everything except the Jewish religion. Which Jewish religion? Of course, Rabbi Schulman’s! And could Rabbi Schulman point out any radical difference between his Reformed Jewish religion and Dr. Eliot’s Reformed Christian religion? Could Rabbi Schulman show wherein his religion is more Jewish than the Unitarian religion of Dr. Eliot? The Unitarians believe in the Bible as much as Rabbi Schulman does. and maybe a little more than he does; and that Christ was not the son of God the Unitarians likewise believe in the same measure as Rabbi Schulman.
“The truth is: there are rabbis from whom you must not expect logic.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
