The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-11
american Jewry All ARoR."

1t Is possible that Rabbi WILLIAM Ro-
ENA spoke with moro emphasis than pre-.
cision when he said that American Jewry
Is all agog" over the Sunday-Sabbath ques-
tion. Nevertheless. we are aware that,
within recent times, the question has been
brought into prominence in many syna-
gogues, and In the Jewish press, and in
rabbinical conferences, and In Jewish So
~cleties. 1t is OF much interest to Jewish
business men, especially in this country.
Shall Sunday be substituted for Saturday
as the Sabbath Of Judaism1 May faith.
full Jews observe the first day of the week
instead of the seventh, resting from labor
on the first and working on the seventh,
worshipplng in the synagogue on the first.
and doing their own pleasure on the
SEVENTH To questions Of this kind differ
emit answers are made by doctors in the
Jewish law, by those rabbis who adhere
to the Orthodox party, and by some of
those who belong to the Reform party. In
another column of The Sun we print the
arguments that are presented by both sides,
for which we are indebted to that dignined
organ Of Judaism, Je11ish Comment.
1t will DO observed that those Of the dis
putants who desire that the day for the
Jewish Sabbath shall DO changed from
Saturday to Sunday deny that this change
would be q violation Of the Mosaic law.
They maintain that the numerical order Of
the days Of the week Ii merely an arrange
ment Of the calendar for the sake Of con-
venience; that the only requirement Of the
Fourth Commandment is that one day in
seven shall be kept as a day for rest from
1ahAr. &hak 49,. 49, - klA ,rnoI, ta 80 an
propriate as another for this purpose; and
that the day named as the Sabbath by the
Jews of ancient times was chosen by rea-
son of a misunderstanding Of the Biblical
account Of creation. They found another
argument for he proposed change upon
practical experiences, saying that, in this
country, tho keeping Of the Saturday.Sab.
bath interferes with business, to the detri-
ment Of its keepers, and that, for this rea-
son, very many Jews have already aban-
doned the observance of their Sabbath.
1t is on the side of tho Saturday.Sabbath
that Rabbi RosENsTEIN and Rabbi Ro-
sENAu a their stand. In their opinion,
the abandonment OF that day would be
ruinous to Judaism. Rabbi RosENAU adj
mits that the business and social customs
Of this country are unfavorable to the jew
ish Sabbath, which is consequently suffer
ing from neglect. "For many Jews" he says,
1.-THE Sabbath as our fathers observed 1t
is a thing of the past; and this statement
holds good, not only for the Reformer,
but for the most Orthodox as we'll" The
rabbi goes far in the following statement:
"1f the present universal disregard of the
historical Sabbath is to continue, l feel safe
" auuarttD- fkat -ttht, la.a tI,n Gft-
years, there will be few sy~nagogues in this
country In which Sunday services will not
be established" 1t Is possible that in max
ing this remark, as In making the other
remark, that American Jewry is all agog."
Rabbi RosENAu may have spoken with
more emphasis than precision; yet his
words are deserving Of notice. 1t is after
the utterance of this representation that
he exclaims: "Woe unto Judaism"
1t seems to US that his judgment is not
founded upon observation. In every one of
the many synagogues of this city the jew
ish Sabbath is faithfully observed. In this
city the great majority of Jewish merchants
close their places Of business on the seventh
day Of the week; and upon the east side OF
the city, where dwell more than 200, 900
Jewish working people, labor is suspended
on Saturday and the synagogues are
crowded. We can say that, so far as New
York is concerned, the ancient Sabbath Is
yet the stronghold Of Judaism. 1t cannot
be justly said that the "Jewry" which
exists here is all agog" about the Sunday.
Sabbath question.
One of the ~disputants whose language is
quoted elsewhere argues that, as the Jews
in this country live under entirely novel
conditions. they ought to abandon those
ancient institutions which nave lost their
significance. That is a matter about which
we do not desire to offer any suggestion
but we may say that we do not see any sign
of the abandonment Of the Jewish institu'
ton Of the Sabbath, which has been OBJ
served by the Jews scattered all over the
earth, during a period of between three and
four thousand years.