Rabbinical degrees were conferred Sunday at Aedran Hall on seven graduates of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. At the same time nine young men and women received degrees from the Teachers’ Institute of the seminary and four more received certificates of graduation from the Israel Friedlaender classes, entitling them to teach elements of Jewish history and religion.
Dr. Cyrus Alder, Acting President of the seminary, conferred the degrees. The graduates, whose completion of the seminary course, entitled them to the degree of “Rabbi and Preacher and Teacher in Israel” are as follows: Nachman S. Arnoff, Benjamin Cohen. Abraham M. Heller, Isidor B. Hoffman, Joseph Marcus, Isidore Newman, Isador Signer.
Felix M. Warburg, director and benefactor of the institution, declared that the speaking of Hebrew in the Holy Land “is unifying Judaism in Palestine quite beyond expectation.” Hebrew is being used, he said, not only in prayers, but on the streets and in business.
Dr. Elias L. Solomon of the class of 1904 and President of the United Synagogue of America cautioned the graduates against sensationalism in the pulpit.
“Do not foist on your people immature, ill-considered ideas,” he said. “Let your preachments be the result of deep study, careful though and earnest relection. Startling the congregation, trying to appear clever, may interest some persons for a while, but the novelty soon wears off. Sensible, serious people tire of the clver, sensational, startling things. They want Judaism, sound doctrine, real instruction, moral and ethical truth.”
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.
