Morgenstern’s Address Shows Reform Judaism and Zionism Changing, Dr. Freehof Finds

“Dr. Morgenstern’s address clears the air. Being stated with the authority of an honored position, it gives weight to what many others have thought and said. It is an evidence that Reform is changing and Zionism is changing. Both are diminishing in dogmatism and growing in tolerance and the ability to co-operate. The extremists will continue to squabble. The rest of us will work together.”

This is the observation of Dr. Solomon B. Freehof, rabbi of Temple Anshe Maariv of Chicago and contributing editor of The American Israelite, in an editorial in that publication’s issue of October 16th, based on the address “Is Reform Judaism a Failure?” delivered Saturday, October 4th, by Dr. Julian Morgenstern, president of Hebrew Union College, at that institution’s opening exercises.

“The unchanging anti-Zionists will hold up their hands in horror at his statement that he does not oppose an eventual Jewish state if that expresses the actual will of Palestine’s entire population,” says Dr. Freehof. “Anti-Zionists needn’t be horrified at this ‘heresy’, for it will be quite some time before ‘Palestine’s entire population’ (including the Arab Notables) will express their desire for a Jewish state. The doctrinaire Zionists will scoff at his denials that the whole world (except Palestine) is a barren exile for the Jews. They may continue to scoff, but Jews everywhere will continue to build schools and synagogues and permanent social institutions all over the world.”

Editor’s Note—The attention of the editor has been called to the fact that in reporting Dr. Morgenstern’s opening address, the headline on the story was misleading. The headline, which read “Morgenstern Approves Jewish State in Palestine in Future If Jewish Population Wills,” should have read “Morgenstern Approves Jewish State in Palestine in Future If Palestine Population Wills.”