(News Letter from Minneapolis)
A continuation of the growth in the cultural, educational and religious life of the Jewish community of Minneapolis which was so evident during the last year is forecast for the present year by the leaders of the Jewish community here.
At the present time “Jewish Education Week” is in full swing. The week opened formally February 19th with a banquet attended by about 1,000 persons. At this banquet the $25,000 scholarship campaign fund sponsored by the Talmud Torah system in Minneapolis was launched.
“Keep a child in the Talmud Torah for One Year”, is the slogan of the campaign during which 500 scholarships of $50 each are to be raised. Present indications are that the quota set will be easily reached.
Dr. George J. Gordon is the chairman of the committee in charge of the campaign.
The Talmud Torah has now an enrollment of more than 800 pupils. A larger attendance is prevented because the necessary space is not available. Leaders declare that the enrollment would be about 2,000 if proper facilities were to be had. The need for these enlarged facilities is one of the outstanding problems of the community and a satisfactory solution is expected to be reached this year.
Temple Israel of which Rabbi Albert G. Minda is the head, is to be dedicated this spring. The new building, started in April of last year, will cost $350,000 and will have a seating capacity of 1,800. The congregation is fifty years old and the original enrollment was about a dozen families, while now there are 325 families.
Arthur H. Harris has just been installed as president of Gymal Doled Club and Albert Feinberg as vice president. It now numbers fore than 350 and is very active. Prominent epeakers from Minneapolis and St. Paul and throughout the state are giving a series of addresses before the club Governor Theodore Christianson of Minnesota was a recent speaker.
All of the Jewish organizations have mapped out a strenuous program for the year. The Jewish community participates every year as individuals in the Minneapolis community fund campaign which now totals more than one million dollars annually. In April the Palestine fund will be sought, the quota of Minneapolis being about $40,000.
Rabbi Jesse Schwartz was formally installed rabbi of Adath Yeshurun synagogue a few weeks ago. He has occupied the pulpit since September when he succeeded Rabbi C. David Matt who now has charge of a pulpit in Buffalo, N. Y.
The “King of Kings” was not exhibited in its original form in any theatre of the two cities. A tentative agreement had been reached by leaders and the mayors of both cities that the showing of the film was to prohibited. When it was stated, however, that revision had been made, the picture was shown, although many Jewish leaders of both Minneapolis and St. Paul declared that it would have been better not to have shown the picture in any version.
Plans are being discussed for the establishment of a Jewish hospital in the Twin Cities. That such an institution is needed is not denied by anyone but as yet the plans are in the process of evolvment.
The progress of the community has been equally shared by all three divisions of the Jewish community. During the latter part of last year construction was started, and in some cases, completed, of four synogogues at a total cost of $480,000 and an large increase in active membership of the Synagogues thirty five per cent, was shown.
All the congregations are stressing the education of the children.
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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.