American Zionists Urged to Spread Knowledge of Hebrew

Zionists throughout the United States were called upon today to spread deeper knowledge of Hebrew, and of Jewish history and culture, not only among children but also among adults. The call was issued by Rabbi Irving Miller, chairman of the American Zionist Council, in connection with the national observance of Jewish Education Month, which starts on September 7.

Emphasizing that he speaks on behalf of all Zionist groups represented on the American Zionist Council, Rabbi Miller said: “As the ‘People of the Book,’ we dare not discard our great heritage. As Zionists we must be constantly conscious of our glorious past and proud of the renascence of Hebrew as the living language of Israel.”

“To the religious Jew,” Rabbi Miller pointed out, “Hebrew is the language of worship and Jewish religious thought. To men of letters, it is the key to classic literature. To lovers of Israel, Hebrew can serve as a bond of unity with world Jewry and the State of Israel. To Jewry at large, it can serve as a potent factor in Jewish survival, for it links the Jew to his past, binds him to the present, and enables him to share in the vision for a creative Jewish life in the future.

“As Americans we must continue the creative Jewish life begun on these shores by a handful of Jews 300 years ago. The accomplishments of those early settlers ennoble our lives and , at the same time, charge us with certain obligations as Americans and as Jews. Through a program of effective Jewish education, we can forge the links with the generations that have passed, and with the communities of Jews in all parts of the world, particularly Israel.”

Rabbi Miller reminded the Zionists that at the first American Zionist Assembly last December, a resolution was unanimously adopted, declaring that “Jewish education is the primary instrument for the development of cultural and spiritual bonds between Israel and Jews everywhere.” The resolution called upon the American Zionist Council ” to accept the furtherance of Jewish education as a primary responsibility,” and urged every Zionist “to participate in the furtherance of Jewish education in his community, and to provide his children with a basic Jewish education.”