Jewish Teachers

Berlin.

The last eighteen months constitute the beginning of a new epoch in the history of German Jewry, Dr. Adolf Leschnitzer who is in charge of the Schools Department of the Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden, writes in the Juedische Schul-Zeitung (Jewish School Journal).

The most important event in inner Jewish life during this time has been the creation of the Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden, the first all-embracing representative body of German Jewry.

It falls to the Reichsvertretung to fulfil the difficult task of representing German Jewry worthily and forcefully both externally to the outside world and internally to the Jews themselves, and it must assume the leadership in the solution of a large number of specific tasks which have arisen as a result of the changed condition of German Jewry.

Among these, first place is taken by the Jewish school system. The existing schools must be saved from the menace of economic collapse and the new schools must be established. Only in that way will we get the preliminary conditions for carrying on our educational work, of the fundamental importance of which since April, 1933, the overwhelming majority of German Jewry is convinced.

The way in which after some little hesitation, large sections of Jews who had previously been against the Jewish school, or had been indifferent to it, recognized instinctively last year that at a time of unexampled difficulty and fateful collapse, only the most powerful realization of the eternal values of Judaism could provide strength and inner hold, how then the realization spread that it is the duty of the hour to create a school system which will be able to lead the youth to this inexhaustible source of strength of our existence, how ultimately almost the whole of German Jewry was unanimous in calling for the Jewish school—that will be evaluated perhaps one day as an event that cannot be denied a certain historic greatness.

The increased importance which fell to the Jewish school as a result of this historic development also gave new importance to the Jewish teachers, which is at bottom a reversion to the original state. It has given the word Jewish teacher a significance that was foreign only to to ears of our recent generations.

Teaching and teachers! What tremendous historic forces of the Jewish past come to life is enshrined in them!

The Jewish teacher has regained in our present-day life, and we hope also for the future, that fine status that he always held in the great days of our history.

The Reichsvertretung is at one with the Jewish teachers of Germany in their faith in the fundamental importance of the Jewish school, and as the recognized guardian of the interests of German Jewry, it desires to be in closest touch with the Jewish teachers, in order to overcome all those difficulties which still confront us.

The Reichsverband of Jewish Teachers’ Organizations, has in connection with this article, published the following statement:

“We welcome the declaration of the Rapporteur for school questions in the Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden, and we give every assurance that we shall actively assist the Reichsvertretung to expand and consolidate the Jewish school system. We also expect, however, from the Reichsvertretung that it will not overlook the need of providing for the schools and looking after the interests of the teachers. A school able to carry on its work requires a qualified body of teachers and teachers can do their work only if they are provided with living conditions which correspond to the needs of their work and their worth.

“Since we are aware that the Reichsvertretung can grapple with these problems only if its work on behalf of German Jewry is backed by the full interest and confidence of all German Jewry, we wish to assure the Reichsvertretung that the teachers will help with all their strength to prepare the ground for a beneficial activity by the representative body of the whole of German Jewry.