(By our Cincinnati Correspondent)
The entire community is watching with interest the experiment of the Reading Road Temple in conductng a Jewish choir. This is the first temple in Cincinnati to try this innovation, and the other temples are watching it with interest. The choir has been rehearsing all summer and will sing at the temple during the High Holydays. In addition to this, Rabbi Samuel Wohl has secured the services of Vladimir Bakaleinikoff, assistant conductor and solo violinist with the Cincinnati Symphon Orchestra, to play Kol Nidre on Yom Kippur Eve as a viola solo, accompanied by members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
In conformance with the recent trend in Reform circles toward a more traditional form of service, as exemplified by the new manual of prayer approved by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Dr. A. Z. Idelsohn of Hebrew Union College has brought out a “Jewish Song Book,” which, among other things, is scored for congregational singing in harmony with the choir.
The Congregation Adath Israel of, this city, said to be the oldest Orthodox congregation in the country, having been founded in 1847, is about to hold its eighty-second annual dinner.
From the Union of American Hebrew Congregations there is being sent out a booklet entitled “A Set of Holiday Sermons,” issued by the Tract Commission. This booklet is being sent out to Jewish Communities throughout the country who are too small to summon a rabbi for the High Holydays and who gather to conduct services themselves.
The booklet contains thirteen sermons suitable for all the fall holidays. They are written by Rabbis Max Raisin, Paterson. N J.; Louis J. Kopald, Buffalo, N. Y. Lee J. Levinger, Columbus, Ohio; Joseph Stoltz, Chicago, Ill.; Harry Weiss, Brooklyn, N. Y.: Louis L. Mann, Chicago, Ill.; David Alexander, Akron, Ohio; Irving Fredrick Reichert, New York City; Hyman A. Iola, Steubensville, Ohio; Beryl D. Cohon, Cumberland, Md.; Jacob B. Krohngold, Tulsa, Okla.; and Joseph L. Fink, Buffalo, N. Y.
The Tract Commission is one of the joint commissions of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. During the past few years they have published four tracts a year, on a wide variety of subjects to a mailing list of twenty-five thousand individuals and corporations. On this mailing list are non-Jewish ministers, legislators, judges editors. In addition to this the Tract Commission sends notices to the daily press morning and evening, telling of the coming of Jewish holidays and of their special significance.
In September the Commission is sending out a tract on the Jewish Prayer Book, written by Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof. Scheduled for the coming year is a tract by Rabbi Israel Bettan of Hebrew Union College on “Post Biblical Judaism-Its Spiritual Note”; “Jewish Philanthropic Institutions of the Middle Ages”, by Rabbi Abraham Cronbach of Hebrew Union College; and “Judaism and Democracy”, by Rabbi Louis Witt of St. Louis. Many more manuscripts have been accepted but will not be published at once, due to lack of funds.
The members of the Tract Commission are Leo M. Franklin, of Detroit, chairman; Solomon B. Freehof, of Chicago, vice-chairman; Louis I. Egelson, of Cincinnati, secretary; Milton M. Alexander of etDroit; Israel Bettan of Cincinnati; Morris M. Feuerlicht, of Indianapolis; and Samuel Hirshberg, of Milwaukee. “A Se of Holiday Sermons” was compled by Rabbis Hirshberg and Egelson
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