Youths Inducted to Judaism As Feast of Pentecost Begins

Shavouth, or the Feast of Pentacost, begins at sunset today and will be celebrated by Jews throughout the world tonight, tomorrow and Saturday.

Originally an agricultural festival, it is also celebrated as the anniversary of the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai. In modern times this latter aspect of the holiday has been used by Reform congregations as the occasion for confirmation of its young people, who are consecrated to Judaism in impressive ceremonies.

Confirmation exercises will be conducted today, tomorrow and Saturday by religious schools affiliated with temples throughout the city and country. Among the local congregations announcing exercises are Temple Israel, 210 West Ninety-first Street, the Brooklyn Jewish Center, 667 Eastern Parkway, and Rodeph Sholom, 7 West Eighty-third Street.

At Congregation Rodeph Sholom, sixty confirmants will be received into the Jewish fellowship tomorrow morning, it was announced. The class, consisting of forty girls and twenty boys, is the largest confirmed in the history of the congregation, the oldest Reform group in the city. Julius C. Gluck is principal of the congregation’s religious school. Rabbi Louis I. Newman and Cantor Nathan C. Meltzoff will conduct the Shavuoth services and Rabbi Newman will be in charge of the confirmation rites.

A class of twenty-eight boys and girls of the Temple Israel will be consecrated into the Jewish religion tomorrow morning by Rabbi William F. Rosenblum. On Saturday morning, thirty-six children of the Sabbath School will be confirmed in the Temple.

Commencement and closing exercises of Center Academy, affiliated with the Brooklyn Jewish Center, will be held this morning. Eleven children will receive the school’s diplomas at the hands of Rabbi Israel H. Levinthal.