Dr. Cyrus Adler Celebrates Seventieth Birthday Today

Dr. Cyrus Adler, one of the foremost leaders in Jewish affairs and noted educator, celebrates his seventieth birthday today. Dr. Adler, who is returning from a vacation spent in California, will not arrive in New York until September 19.

Through his work on behalf of the Jews in many lands, Dr. Adler, who was born in the United States, has become known in all parts of the world. He is president of the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Provisional Committee of the American Members of the Administrative Committee of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and Dropsie College. For twenty years he was president of the American Jewish Historical Society.

As an educator, Dr. Adler is very well-known. When he was twenty-one years old he became a teacher in Johns Hopkins University. He was a member of the Philadelphia Board of Education for a number of years. He wrote books and articles on archaeology, biography and American Jewish history. He was one of the editors of the “Jewish Encyclopedia” and of the English translation of the Bible issued by the Jewish Publication Society of America.

For many years he held positions in the Smithsonian Institution and the United States National Museum in Washington. He has made many visits to Jewish communities in Europe, Africa and Asia, including Palestine.

Dr. Adler belongs to the Conservative wing of American Jewry. As one of the founders of the United Synagogue of America, he believes that Judaism in this country must strike a happy medium between extremists on both sides. For to Dr. Adler, the Synagogue offers a noble opportunity for reverence and service. “It should be,” he says, “a congregation rather than an audience.”