News Brief

New Judaism for old is the thesis of “The Future of Judaism in America,” by Eugene Kohn (The Liberal Press, New Rochelle). The author does not advocate, however, a new reform in ritual or ideology. His wish is to see all the factions of American Jewry united religiously, culturally and, if possible, socially. Under the prevailing circumstances many of the beautiful traits of Ghetto life have been lost. But the author does not deplore the fact, nor does he urge a return to an existence of isolation. What he would like to see, is the ancient ideals of Israel re-stated so as to make it possible for the present and coming generations of American Jews to appreciate and live up to them. It seems that if such a reformation could be prought about it would indted solve it completely, for it would mean, above all, unity–something we Jews have not been able to achieve in all these centuries of dispersion–hence, nothing short of a modern miracle. Be that as it may, Mr. Kohn’s book is very ably written and deserves careful perusal whether or not one agrees with him that “the goal ever to be kept in mind must be an American Jewry, organized nationally and locally on a democratic functional basis and acting as a unit of a world Jewry with it heart in an autonomous Jewish settlement in Pallestine.”