The B'nai B'rith magazine · 1927-06-01 · 9 (6.1927) · p. Seite 369

EDITORIAL 369 The Universal Challenge of Youth IN NEW YORK last month Jews and Protestants met in a theater to discuss "The Challenge of Youth." The Catholic mayor of New York, James Walker, was one of the speakers. It was seen that Gentile youth, no less than Jewish youth, were under the spell of the influences which are comprehended in the word "jazz." It was found that the Gentile is worrying no less than the Jew as to how to keep the feet of the child in the path of its fathers. "And what are you going to do about it?" is the challenge of youth. For itself B'nai B'rith has answered: "We must not scold them. We must show them the beauty of the way of their fathers. We must not seek by force to go that way. We must show that that way is not only desirable but interesting." So in the universities B'nai B'rith is establishing its Hillel Foundations where the Jewish college youth is taught not only to walk in the way of his fathers but also to lead in it; in the cities it is establishing the Aleph Zadik Aleph fraternities in which the Jewish working youth is likewise directed towards Jewish ends. # # * A Worthy Distinction for a Worthy Jew WE READ that the Richard Gottheil medal for the Jew who has done most for the Jewish people in a given year, this year has gone to David Brown of Detroit. David Brown is a man of large affairs. Many business interests call for his time. These he put aside and went out into the land to serve the humblest of his people. His appeal for the brethren of Eastern Europe stirred the conscience of American Jewry and $25,000,000 was given. Not only because his efforts brought food to the hungry Jew in Europe but also because he touched the heart of the Jew in America with consciousness, is he deserving. # # # The Stupidity of the Roumanians MUCH of the news concerning anti-Semitic outrages has come by way of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of the United States. This news has indicated that Roumania has quite put herself out of the pale of civilized communities. Now, recently, Jacob Landau, of New York, managing director of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, went to Europe and his itinerary of the continent included Roumania. But at the port of Constanza, Mr. Landau was refused permission to land and was placed under guard on the steamship. His friends were prohibited from boarding the boat and permission to send telegrams was denied him. After a day and a night of this and after representations had been made to the American ambassador, Mr. Landau was permitted to proceed to Bucharest. Having been unable to suppress the truth, the Roumanian government attempted to suppress the teller and thus succeeded only in proving that Roumania is hardly more than a barbaric survivor in a civilized age. New Light for the Heart of the Jew HEREAFTER when a national or international Jewish organization comes to the Jewish communities of the United States for funds, it will have to submit itself to an examination on these questions: For what purposes do you require this money? Can you prove that these are essential purposes? Do you really need all the money for which you ask? By asking too much are you not depriving other organizations that are not getting enough? This most useful and necessary service is to be performed by the Appeals Information Bureau organized last month at the Conference of Jewish Social Service. It was reported at this conference that during the past year more than two hundred appeals of national and international character were made to the Jewish communities of the United States. Through these appeals, large and small, there was raised $20,- 000,000 in 1926. So the streams from the overflowing heart of the American Jew will now be guided to the best channels. * # # A Friend of Man is Honored THE Jews of Brooklyn have presented to Dr. S. Parkes Cadman a bronze bust of himself in recognition of his distinguished service in behalf of tolerance and better understanding. In this service he has joined hands with B'nai B'rith. Dr. Cadman accepted the bust "as an expression of the fraternity of man and the common Fatherhood of God." And in conclusion he asked the Jews to forgive the Christians for the outrages the Jews have suffered at their hands. We forgive them, dear Dr. Cadman. But, after all, they have never hurt us. They have massacred us, they have defamed us, but we live. It is we who hurt ourselves more than our enemies have ever hurt us. Religious Education in the Schools THE Union of American Hebrew Congregations has gone on record as opposing "any form of religious instruction as part of the public school system or during the public school hours. "We advocate as far preferable that the public schools reduce their time schedule by closing the entire public school system one hour or more at the end of the school day. The time thus put at the disposal of the children may be used by the parents for such instruction for their children as they see fit." This suggestion seems to offer a solution for a vexed problem. It makes religious instruction voluntary and places the responsibility in the hands of parents. But to what extent would parents accept the responsibility? To what extent would Jewish parents insist that their children take religious instruction after school hours? To be sure, there are Jewish parents with power to compel their children to go to the Talmud Torahs in the various cities; they seem to be in the minority. It is good to place responsibility for religious education into the hands of parents; but how can parents be made to feel responsible?