Hebrew Union College to Erect Library and Museum in Cincinnati

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

The erection of a library building in Cincinnati, the presentation of a budget calling for the expenditure of $625,000 for Reform Jewish religious activities in this country, and the criticism of the indifference and lack of responsiveness of New York Jewry to the promotion of Jewish cultural work were the features of the meeting of the Executive Board of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations held here at the Hotel Ritz Carlton on Sunday. Ludwig Vogelstein, of New York, chairman of the Executive Board, presided.

The valuable collections of the library of the Hebrew Union College will be adequately housed, Mr. Vogelstein declared in his report. He announced that a quiet campaign had been conducted during the past few months and that sufficient funds had already been raised to start the erection of a new building on the campus of the Hebrew Union College. The campaign for the new building, which will cost $250,000, was carried on under the leadership of Mr. Marcus Aaron, of Pittsburgh, Pa., chairman of the Library Building Committee, and Adolph S. Oko, librarian of the College.

The idea, Mr. Vogelstein said, was suggested by Mr. Ben Selling, of Portland, Oregon, who started the campaign with a contribution of $25,000. During the past six years Mr. Selling has made gifts to the library totalling more than $100,000. Following Mr. Selling’s gift, considerable impetus was given to the fund by gifts of $50,000 from Julius Rosenwald, a bequest of approximately $30,000 from the estate of Mrs. Jennie Kutz, of Brooklyn, N. Y., $25,000 each from Ludwig Vogelstein and Adolph S. Ochs, of New York City, and an anonymous gift. of a very considerable amount. In Chicago a group headed by James Davis and Jacob M. Loeb pledged $23,000.

The Hebrew Union College library and museum has absorbed several important collections.

Plans for the new building are now being drawn and ground will shortly be broken for the library and museum.

A budget of $625,000 is being requested by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and its affiliated bodies for its enlarged activities for the current year. This represents an increase of $100,000 over the budget expended last year. The budget was presented by Mr. Jacob W. Mack, of Cincinnati, chairman of the Budget Committee. Of the sum asked, the Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati, requested $300,000 representing an increase of $25,000 over last year’s budget. The sum of $133,000 s sought for the Synagogue and School Extension Department and its allied enterprises, this sum representing an increase of $20,000 over last year’ demands. The Executive Board is in need of $96,000 for its various activities, and a request for $18,000 was made by the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, and $14,000 for the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods. For the New York office and the seven religious schools conducted in that city, $24,000 net is wanted.

Funeral services were held on Monday for Ely Rosenberg. lawyer and active in communal and civie affairs, at the Riverside Memorial Chapel.

Mr. Rosenberg, who was fifty-two years old, died Saturday. Rabbi Herbert Goldstein, who conducted the services said: “His many-sided charitable activities speak for him. He was a sucessful Jew; he reached the pinnacle of success in his profession, but without sacrificing any of his loyalty to Judaism. He was a confessing, professing and practical Jew.”

Gedalla Bublick, president of the Mizrachi Organization of America, has just returned to New York from a six weeks’ tour to the Northwest and South in the interests of the Mizrachi.

He visited Cleveland, Toledo, Milwaukee, Minneapolls. St. Panl. Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha, New Orleans, Savannah, Atlanta. Cincinnati, Akron, Canton, Rochester, Syracuse. In these cities Mizrachi Societies were re-organized and new ones established.