Nahalat tsevi · 1931-09-01 · Heft 11-12 (September 1931) · p. Seite 369

&69 ubiquitous in Jewish life as the soul is omnipresent in ,the human organism. It is upon this basic Jewish doctrine so ably de'ined and propounded by Hirsch דל that the Renaissance, so to speak, of traditional Judaism in America depends: the recognition of the uniqueness and sovereignty of Torah. It must be reeognizeä that Torah can never become anachoristic or anachronistic. It is sacred and binding at all times and under all conditions. It must always remain the supreme law of life. * * sfc If the Qoluth has dissolved all unity in Israel, nowhere is this more noticeable than in America. Nowhere and perhaps at no other time in history has any country harboured such a heterogeneous Jewish population. The unparalleled economic opportunities offered by America plus the intolerable Jewish suffering, especially in East-European countrics, caused thousands upon thousands to emigrate to America. But this emigration was unique in Jewish history. All previous emigrations, if not instigated by Jewish leaders, were at least sanctioned by them. On such occasions the Torah did not accompany the immigrants; it preceded them. From their father Jacob they had learned to found ״Yeshivoth“ in a country before they entered it. The sun of Torah had not set in one country before it rose with increased intensity in another one. The Torah was merely transplanted to new soil. Not so in the migration to America! For a long time only people of the ignorant and inferior classes ventured to travel to America. Manifestation of a desire to migrate to America was a sign of religious weakness. Far from encouraging emigration, Jewish leaders disapproved and opposed it vigorously. But the desire of the people prevailed and an endless stream travelled to America, Deprived of proper Jewish leadership, cut off from the h'eart of Jewish life, American Jewry naturally became estranged from true Judaism. They became nonreligious if not irre'.igious. True, Jewish leaders have reoognized their error and have come to recognize that America with its immense Jewish population is to be reckoned with. True, many Rabbis have come to America and are striving to rebuild Judaism. But they have not yet been able to make a perceptible transformation. Ignorance עם האחגות are too deeply roated in Jewish life. It suffers from