American Jewish philanthropy is a joint venture between the synagogue and the community’s social agencies, according to Jerold C. Hoffberger, of Baltimore, president of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds. Hoffberger stressed this during recent services at Temple Beth El here which marked the 125th anniversary of the temple as well as the 75th anniversary of the United Jewish Charities and the 50th anniversary of the Jewish Welfare Federation.
“The temple must continue its historic mission of identifying new areas of need and awakening the conscience of the community to meet them,” Hoffberger said. “The Federation is the operational arm which is enforced by the spiritual motivation of the synagogues. The synagogue is a prod and a catalyst to help awaken and mobilize the conscience of the community.”
Hoffberger praised Temple Beth El for its historic spiritual and leadership contribution in the founding of Jewish Federations. He said the two most important tasks of the Detroit temple, as for all synagogues, is to develop a new generation of Jewish leaders and to strengthen the role of the synagogue in mobilizing the conscience of the community. “Just as the automotive industry of Detroit is retooling to meet America’s energy and transportation crises of the future, so must the American Jewish community have new models which can carry out tomorrow’s needs,” Hoffberger said.
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.
