Judaism Will Have to Make Terms with Modern Scientific Knowledge if It is to Survive in Russia, Rabb

Judaism, if it is to survive in Russia, will have to make terms with modern scientific knowledge, or is bound to disintegrate, Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman of Temple Israel, declared in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency upon his return from Russia. He was one of 50 prominent Americans who affect public opinion, that recently visited Russia to study the social and economic problems of the country.

Rabbi Isserman favors the immediate recognition of the Soviet Government. He was emphatic in declaring that the official Soviet is fighting anti-Semitism and spoke with great optimism about the future of the Jews in Russia. The attitude of the present government in ridding the country of anti-Semitism was illustrated by the Rabbi with official posters and other government literature in which “anti-Semitism is denounced as reaction.”

There is much intermarriage and assimilation among Jews. This must be attributed to the general conditions of the country and the Rabbi believes that it is only a “temporary situation that is bound to change as things are normalized.”

“The struggle between the older generation, orthodoxy, and the younger generation has reached an acute stage. The cleavage is irreconcilable. The youth is growing more radical, while the orthodox refuses to compromise. This creates strife and bitterness, threatening the unity of the Jewish family life. Unless some adjustment can be made, it is not necessary to point out, that there will be division and struggle,” he said.

Observing a liberalizing movement in Russia that challenges the whole foundation of religion, he pointed out that Judaism is not exempt from this influence, “the four-day week—the present working plan—has broken down the official Sabbath for both Jew and Christian, and unless there is to be a change in the social sytem, the Jewish Sabbath, as in America, is doomed. This has naturally created hardship among those who wish to observe the Jewish Sabbath.”

Favoring the immediate recognition of Russia by the American government, Rabbi Isserman did not hesitate to state, “We must begin to understand the reality of the present Russian situation. To ignore the existence of a powerful government with a huge population having tremendous economic possibilities with advantages to gain by trading with Russia is ludicrous, those of us that had an opportunity to see for ourselves the workings of the present government in Russia concluded that it is time that America recognizes Russia.”

Asked whether Trotsky still moulds an influence in Russia, he continued, “Trotsky was not expelled from Russia because he was a Jew. There was a clash within the Communist Party. While he was a dominant figure under Lenin, Trotsky lost his hold later. He is completely out of the picture. The Communists are political realists, and are not wasting time with him or others who do not harmonize with the present regime.”

Russia has a great future in the opinion of the Rabbi. The fact that the government officially is fighting all forms of racial prejudice is an indication that in this respect Russia is advancing more than other European countries. We may or not agree with the new social experiment, but we cannot ignore its existence. He continued, “There is no religious baiting in the sense that it has been described here. The synagogues are not closed.” He cited the fact that he had maftir in Moscow and Leningrad. On the other hand he admitted that the government officially is anti-religious, and is far from encouraging religion. The psychological situation is such that the younger Communists still believe that religion and reaction have been responsible for the terrible plight of Russia in the past.

He struck an optimistic note in discussing the economic situation as it affects Jews. “It is to be expected that an adjustment to the change that has revolutionized the social system could not take place over night. The government, however, is friendly and seems to understand that the Jews having been middle class must receive special consideration in the adjustments that they must make. The government is giving employment to large numbers of Jews and one can note the large number of Jewish officials. The rights of Jews are not jeopardized because one is a Jew. As far as I have observed, Jewish life in other countries in Europe, I do not hesitate to state that there is a greater future for the Jews in Russia.” He praised the work of the Ozet and the Ort in providing tools and in teaching trades to the declassed Jews. He also observed that the government is giving special attention in furthering the efforts to colonize Jews on land. Speaking with praise of the American Jewish share in colonizing Jews in the Crimea, Rabbi Isserman stated that more work along these lines will go a long way to relieve the conditions of Jews in Russia. “Jews will not disappear in Russia. There are changes taking place in the civilization with forms and dogmas changing rapidly, but with a proper appreciation of the existing facts, we can be very hopeful that Jewish life will never become extinct in this country,” he said.

Asked what the attitude of the Jewish Communist is to Zionism, Rabbi Isserman concluded, “While I deplore the oppression of Zionists, I found that the feeling among the Jewish younger men in Russia is that it is their first duty to solve their own complex economic problem, and then, to use their own words, ‘We will think about Zionism.'”