The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-10
The Jewish Question In America

ne jewish SuesIou IN america.
The papers read at the Council Of Jew
ish Women, held at Baltimore last week.
were notable for the very considerable
Intellectual ability displayed in them,
but, more especially, for the profound
sense of duty to thet race which has
been awakened in these feminine breasts
by the great and rapid increase in Jewish
immigration TO the United States. Since
1850 about ono million Jews. or one
tenth Of tho whole number of the race
in the world, have been added to our
population, and the immigration. which
is almost wholly from Russia and from
eastern Europe, continues to be larger,
with the prospect that, il unchecked, 1t
will result in making this country the
home of the majority Of the Jewish
people
Rabbi SILvERMAN, in sermon at the
Temple Emanu-El last Sunday, opposed
to the Zionite movement for the congre-
cation Of the Jews in Palestine a plea
for their assimilation with the peoples
OF the countries where they live, in all
things except religion, on the ground that
the restoration of the Jewish national
ity is an impossible dream. Incidentally,
DR.. SILvERMAN did not seem disposed
to encouragethe massing Of his race in
this country; and, apparently in that
feeling he represents other important
Jews in America, If not many of them.
He exhorted Russian, Roumanian and
Galican Jews to remain where they are
and insist on the rights to which they are
entitled, instead Of making confession
of weakness by flying from the evils
now surrounding them. Ifthe Jew comes
here he would have him renounce every
form of exclusiveness, save the dis
tinctive character Of his religion, give
up his foreign language manners and
customs, his jargon press, literature
and theatre" and he would break down
the barrier of the Ghetto as the great
est obstacle in the way Of assimilation.
Miss HENRIETTA SOLD, in some
what ambitiously philosophic paper on
Judaism in the Cities of the United
States "at the Baltimore Council, did not
go so far as Dr. SILvERMAN. but she
recognized that American Jewry can
never resume a sclf-sufficient course:"
that in this country there are at work
agencies calculated to efrace rather
than deepen race lines" The disper-
sion of the so-callcd Ghettos she looked
on "a "the acutest charity problem Of
the day." because Of the inyidious
distinctions made by Jews Of longer
residence and greater prosperity. Actu-
ally, said Miss SOLD, there is an up
town or West Side Ghetto almost as
pronounced as the downtown or East
Side Ghetto" but the first is only an al
most useless survival. while the second
Is seeming necessity to the Jew, for
IL means synagogue of his own
within easy reaching distance, teacher,
ritual slaughtcrer, ritual bath,
coffee house at which he can read the
Iiddish paper and discuss the latest
Hebrew book, a Yiddish theatre-in
short, Jewish atmosphere 1t is this
atmosphere, however which DR.. SILVER
MAN wishes to dispcl. In New York
such exclusion. according to Miss SOLD
herself, seems to be unnecessary, so far
"a Hebrew literature is concerned; for
New York, shc said, is the only Amer-
can city where one can be sure Of finding
the latest Jewish book" there the
Aston Library acts as Jewish agency"
Dr.. SlLvERMAS would have the Jew
assimi'ate with tho people about him,
except in his religion, in which he would
have him preserve his unique place.
Tho Only shibboleth that remains to the
Jcw OF this time, in the opinion of Miss
Sold, is the sabbath, since the observa-
ton Of the seventh day is the bond which
still bnds together orthodox and re-
formed She questioned il anywhere
else in the world" the contrasts and COM
plcStics of Jewish problems and Jew
ish life and character are brought into
such startling juXtapostion IA in our
great American cities; accordingly, this
Sabbath shibboleth is a common bond of
union SO lulously to be preserved. Zion
ism she described as coextensive with
Jewish life in all its phases, the largest
philanthropic scheme ever devised;"" a
gigantic effort to organize the Jewish
nation" under its touch Hebrew let
tors are reviving, Hebrew art is emerg-
ing into Inconsistencies. And she
closed her paper by asking What part
will ,hr Jews of America have in the great