Orthodox Union Decides to Create National Board for Jewish Education

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Gompers’ devotion to the cause of the American during his fifty years of service can never be forgotten, he said. The President of the American Federation of Labor also lauded the many thousands of Jewish workers who are affiliated with his organization, declaring that by their heroic stand in the fight against Communism they uphold the structure of the American government at its weakest point.

A series of resolutions concerning the problem of Jewish education were unanimously adopted after the convention had listened to papers on the question presented by Dr. Meyer Waxman of the Hebrew Theological Seminary of Chicago, Dr. P. Churgin, Rabbi Leo Jung and others.

The resolution providing for the creation of the National Education Board, read: “The representatives of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America in convention assembled hereby declare that the aim of Jewish Education is a religious one, namely, that it aims to impart to the Jewish child Jewish knowledge to such purpose that it will imbue it with love to, and the practice and observance of traditional Judaism in all its aspects.

“The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America hereby resolves to create a National Board of Jewish Education, which shall cooperate with all existing bodies who work for the advancement of traditional Judaism. The functions of such a Board shall be to make a survey of present conditions of Hebrew Schools throughout the country: to formulate standard curricula for all grades of Hebrew Schools; to make provisions for writing and the publication of appropriate text-books for the various subjects of instruction.”

A review of the activities of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations was presented to the Convention by Rabbi Herbert G. Goldstein in the president’s message.

“The future of American Jewry in this country.” he stated, “will rise or fall in proportion to its loyalty to Judaism. The Jewish people have never been dependent upon outward material conditions. We need never fear any outer enemy, so long as we remain faithful to God and His Holy Torah. No human agency can interfere with the indestructibilty of Israel so long as Israel is true to the source of its own indestructibility-the Torah.”

Dr. Goldstein also touched upon the friction obtaining now in many cities between the Orthodox and the modernized congregations known as Conservative particularly with regard to seating men and women together, this being the crux of the controversy in the celebrated Cleveland Jewish Center case.

At a public meeting held January 25, 1926 at the Ohab Zedek Synagogue, the following proclamation was issued,” Dr. Goldstein stated. “I want to read it to you, so that you may realize what is the proper stand in this matter, and to call a halt to any inroads attempted by our so-called conservatives in our orthodox synagogue:

“Orthodox Judaism is the faith and practice of the Jews as laid down in the written and oral law (The Bible, The Talmud and The Codes). The need today in religion, as well as in government, is obedience to the law. It is unthinkable, according to the Jewish religion, to have a vote taken in the congregations in regard to this or that practice of the faith. It is not the vote but the “Din” (The Jewish Law) that is supreme. Today there is danger in the gradual break from Jewish tradition. It has even reached the synagogue itself. We proclaim, most strongly, that the worshipping together of men and women (without any separating partition) is in conflict with the law of Judaism.

“The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, as an evidence of this law, does not accept into membership congregations worshipping in synagogues in which the seating arrangements violate this tradition.

“The Agudath Harabonim -the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of America and Canada-has gone on record in regard to this matter in the following terms:-‘We warm all our brethren that it is a grave transgression for the sexes to commingle during prayer in the House of Worship.’

“The most eminent Jewish authorities of Europe and Palestine have signed the following proclamation:-It was with grave concern that we heard of the breach in the sanctuaries among our American brethren, which permit the promiscuous congregation of men and women during the services. There is an old established prohibition against mixed pews, proclaimed by our ancients, which no real Jew ever dared to violate deliberately. Far be it from us now to be guilty of such a transgression. It is incumbent upon every God-fearing loyal Jew to call a halt to this violation and to remove this stumbling from Israel. And concerning this the Prophet Hosea warned us in Chapter IX, Verse 14: And Israel forgot His Maker and built Temples.’

“The Agudath Harabonim and the Rabbis whom I shall now name and whose proclamation you have just heard, have issued and repeated the ‘Issur’-the interdict-against breaking the law in regard to the tradition of the Jewish sanctuary-the synagogue. The Rabbis of Europe and Palestine who have signed the proclamation are as follows: Israel Mayer of Radin; known as the Chief Rabbi of the Chofez Chaim; Abraham Isaac Kook, Chief Rabbi of the Holy land; Chaim Oser Grodzinsky of Wiino; Abraham Dove Ber Shapiro, the Chief Rabbi of Lithuania; Ezekiel Lifshitz, Chief Rabbi of Kalish; Meyer Ara, Chief Rabbi of Torna; Abraham Isaac Bernstein, Chief Rabbi of Tavrig; Meyer Hildesheimer, Rabbi of Berlin.

“The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America has therefore called this meeting to summon the Jews of America to this loyalty, as well as every other loyalty of our Holy Faith as delivered into Moses, Joshua, the Elders, the men of the Great Synagogue and the Rabbis.

“With the prayerful wishes that Jewry may bestir itself to a consciousness of fidelity to its Faith and with the hope that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, may pardon our transgressions and receive these pious resolves at this deliberation the further well-being of America as well as to the Jews of the whole world and to mankind in general, we are this day, the tenth day of Shevat, bound in solemn assembly, the representatives of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, to make this proclamation known throughout the land, as well as throughout the world.”

“In line with the foregoing, we came to the assistance of Rabbi Benjamin Axelman, when in Richmond, Va., and helped him in getting his congregation to separate the sexes in prayer, which they bad failed to do for the last ten years.” Rabbi Goldstein continued.

‘Later we were called in by a committee of 200 Jews from the Cleveland Jewish Center who asked us to cooperate with them in urging their minister to change his sinful policy which had led to the conversion of their traditional or orthodox congregation to a Conservative one by permitting the commingling of the sexes in prayer, abolishing the Duchaning and sanctioning thirty-two other violations of traditional Judaism. Your president held two conferences, with the minister and one with his president, urging them to keep this case from being dragged into the courts. No suggestion toward this end met with the minister’s approval. We then offered and gave them the aid of our leading attorneys. Captain N. Taylor Phillips of New York City, and Mr. Israel S. Somborov of Baltimore, Md. in addition to the Cleveland a Mr. Hamilton. The courts. permitted our friends to come to New York the early part of this month and take expert testimony showing that the violations of which the congregation and the minister were guilty were absolutely in contradiction to traditional or orthodox Judaism.” he declared.