Jewish Education Association Starts Campaign for $1,000,000

The sum of $125,000 in the $1,000,000 campaign conducted by the Jewish Education Association for the purpose of providing the necessary buildings for housing the Jewish educational institutions of Greater New York was raised at a testimonial dinner given Monday night at the Hotel Majestic, in honor of Mr. Israel Unterberg, president of the Jewish Education Association.

Mr. Joseph Leblang was toastmaster and called upon Dr. De Sola Poole to make the invocation. Dr De Sola Poole urged cooperation in the great work which Mr. Unterberg was sponsoring with particular reference to the building program launched for one million dollars, of which this dinner was the starting point.

Mr. Felix M. Warburg urged a greater use of existing temple and synagogue property. He offered his support of the program being undertaken.

Mr. Warburg paid a compliment to Dr. J. L. Magnes, President of the University of Jerusalem, and read a letter from Dr. Magnes encouraging the work of the Jewish Education Association. He pledged his own assistance and said he favored using the empty vestry rooms in the temples and synagogues for the advancement of religious teaching. He said he liked rabbis when they talked religion, but not when they criticized each other, and expressed the opinion that “the country would be better off if people would stop finding fault with various institutions.”

David M. Mossensohn defined the policy of the Jewish Education Association as non-interference with the text books or curriculum. He stressed the point that the Jewish Education Association was not orthodox. Its position was merely to encourage religious observance and devotion by Jews. He stated that better Jews would be better Americans and that to improve the conditions of some of the schools where Jewish children are receiving religious instruction is absolutely necessary.

Mr. Arthur Lehman quoted Dr. Finley, formerly president of the New York State Bureau of Education and now associate editor of the New York Times, that when he was at the head of City College he found a deplorable lack of religious viewpoint in the Jewish students who attended this institution. Dr. Finley’s recommendation to Mr. Lehman was that a more thorough grounding in the elements of the Jewish faith is necessary for the younger generation to insure a better Jewish manhood and womanhood. Mr. Lehman stated that it would be necessary for Jews to give liberal support to such institutions as the Jewish Education Association, so that complaints of such nature would be obviated.

Justice Samuel Levy of the Children’s Court stated that he had seen Jewish children guilty of many crimes, and that the majority of these upon being questioned confessed to an utter lack of religious instruction. “I consider it of the greatest importance,” he said, “from my experience as an officer of the law, that Jewish children receive religious instruction. This would have prevented many of those that came under my purview from having erred and strayed from the righteous path.”

Judge Otto Rosalsky accentuated the influence of the Mosaic laws upon the laws of all nations and pointed out the abnormal situation of Jewish children growing up in ignorance of these laws. Rosalsky stated that more modern Talmud Torah and religious schools must be built and that the purpose for which the Education Association was projected must be met in a liberal spirit by all Jews of New York.

The following contributions were made: Mr. Felix M. Warburg, $10,000; Mr. Joseph Leblang, $10,000; J. Wuterberg, $5,000; H. H. Liebowitz, $5,000; Morris Namm, $2,000; Sam H. Golden, $2,000; Max Goldfine, $2,000; Joseph Durst, $2,000; Max Goldstein, $2,000; Bernard Semel, $2,000; Samuel C. Lamport, $2,000; Mrs. Joseph Leblang, $5,000; Max Schwartz, $1,500; Anonymous, $1,500; Mose Ottinger, $1,000; William Prager, $1,000; Max N. Nathanson, $1,000; Benjamin Hollander, $1,000; Samuel Levy, $1,000; Mrs. J. Wuterberg, $1,000. Mr. Joseph Leblang pledged $15,000 for the theatrical profession.