Rabbi Eugene Kohn, in a presidential message to the opening session of the Rabbinical Assembly of America’s 37th annual convention, urged rabbis today to take over many social workers’ functions to prevent the rabbi’s work from deteriorating to “that of a tea-drinking, cake-eating ministry.”
Addressing 200 rabbis meeting at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Kohn declared that “the modern rabbi cannot exercise his function adequately under the conditions of modern life without being trained in the social sciences and arts.”
He hold that rabbis must be able to render “sound, practical advice based on a thorough knowledge of the psychology of religion and the sociology of communal life.” To this end he asked inclusion of sociology, psychology and other social science courses in the curriculum of rabbinical training schools.
The Social Justice Commission submitted a report endorsing the “general spirit of the New Goal,” supporting the Spanish Loyalists, opposing curtailment of Federal relief and expressing satisfaction with the Wagner Labor Relations Act.
The report also endorsed the Tennossed Valley Authority, the President’s proposals for reforming the judiciary, the proposed Child Labor Amendment and urged legislation for “complete neutrality for the United States” in the event of war.
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.
