(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
Dr. Cyrus Adler, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of American and Dropsie College, returned after a three months tour of Europe.
Dr. Adler went abroad to pursue research work and to acquaint himself with Jewish-conditions abroad.
To a representative of the Jewish Daily Bulletin, Dr. Adler related his experience with European leaders with whom he had taken up matters pertaining to the future of the Jews in these countries.
It will be some time, Dr. Adler declared, before the Joint Distribution Committee will be able to discontinue the relief it is extending to the various Jewish cultural institutions, to the Yeshivas and Chedarim, abroad. Everywhere, he added, even in Germany, the need is urgent. Although many over there are beginning to help, te dislocation of communal life is of such a nature that it will be many years before they will be in a position to resume their full share of educational work.
The students, too, create a serious problem. Many students who, because of the numerus clausus, or other reasons are unable to obtain an education, are received favorably in Germany, France and Italy, but the Jews in these countries cannot afford to support them. In many cases these students have formed useful, self-helping societies, but the possibilities are lacking to see themselves through college. If there is to be a Jewish professional class in these countries, the Jews of America must help, he stated.
“I had an opportunity,” Dr. Adler said, “to examine the administrative and executive offices of the Joint Distribution Committee abroad and I was greatly impressed with the thoroughness of their work and with the excellence of the system.”
While Dr. Adler was in Paris he spent three days attending the sessions of the Institute of Jewish Studies of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem of whose governing board he is a member.
He was most profoundly impressed with the religious life in the city of Frankford-am-Main, where he spent some time. He found the true Jewish spirit there, he said. Friday afternoon all the Jewish business places are closed and there are very few vacant seats in the synagogue either on Friday evening or Saturday morning.
Asked whether in his opinion Reform Judaism had made much progress in Europe, Dr. Adler said: “I have not been able to keep up with the results of the Liberal Conference in London. Unless I am very much mistaken, the so-called Liberals on the continent of Europe have a Jewish point of view of a type entirely different from Reform in America or the Liberal movement in England. If, however, it is satisfactory to them to belong to one group, that is another matter. To an observer at a distance it would appear that this union of Liberals is a union in name only.”
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.
