A warning to the effect that the Zionist movement must now devote as much attention to the cultural survival of the American Jewish community as it gives to the support of Israel was voiced here tonight by Dr. Ezra Spicehandler, chairman of the national council of the Labor Zionist Organization of America Poale Zion.
Addressing 300 delegates at the opening session of the 60th anniversary convention of the LZOA, Dr. Spicehandler, who is professor of Hebrew at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, at Cincinnati, said that the sensitive American Jew faces only two alternatives–immigration to Israel “or a superhuman effort to build a strong Jewish communal consciousness in the Diaspora.”
“Only by concentrated effort in the areas of Jewish education, community structuring and cultural development, can American Jewry hope to continue as a Jewish community, ” he emphasized. Appealing to all American Jews, “secularists or religionists, Hebraists or Yiddishists, ” he said. “You who are concerned with the statistics of intermarriage, the loss of a sense of Jewish particularity–join our ranks; help us to create the community, the schools, the culture which will guarantee Jewish survival. “
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
