A plea for the establishment of a secular Jewish university in the United States, voiced from the pulpit of Temple Onabai Shalome on Yom Kippur, is the subject of much discussion in local Jewish circles. The plea was made by I. Adriel Fried, son of Rabbi Michael Fried of that Temple and winner of the international Junior B’nai B’rith award as the youth having contributed the most to Jewish religion.
In his sermon Mr. Fried said:
“If we had a secular Jewish university, that would excuse students from classes on Chanukah instead of Christmas; Passover instead of Easter; Rosh Hashanah and Yom Yippur instead of a Christian New Year’s Day and Good Friday; then indeed would it be possible to establish a greater appreciation of our Jewish holidays.
“If students could study more about Maimonides and Philo instead of Nietzche and Descartes, then we would have a more enlightened Judaism. If collegians could study that there is a God and a soul instead of cynicism and skepticism, then there would be fewer Jewish atheists. With this in mind we can readily understand why the immediate establishment of a system of non-secrarian Jewish universities is the only possible salvation for an intellectual Jewish race.”
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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.
