The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-02
SUNDAY QUESTION
INVOLVES RABBITS
IN CONTROVERSY
Central Conference Is Not Sat
lsfied With the Report of Its
Committee, Which Must Try
Again.

| DETROIT, Mich. July 1.-The re-
port from the Sabbath committee to
| the central conference of the Amerf-
can rabbis today provoked discus
sion which occupied a large part or
two sessions and resulted in the re-
port being sent back to the commit
tee to be placed in more concise form.
The Sabbath committee was appointed
at the last conference to consider and
report on seven questions bearing on
the Jewish Sabbath, one Of the most
important of which was whether hold
ing service on Sunday in Jewish tenn
pies was a schismatic act which would
result in separating the reformed
Jews from their brethren.
The committee was formed of seven
rabbis. The report, as many of those
present pointed out, did not give an
swers to the questions. Instead Of
definite recommendations on the QueS-
tons long disquisitions were given on
them. This brought a heated debate.
DR.. Silverman, Of New York, president
of the conference. rebuked the COM
more specifically.
Committeeman in Defense.
The criticism brought DR.. Sonnen-
schien, of Des Moines, to his feet. with
the claim that he was the one mem
concise, direct answer in the part of
the committees report that he wrote,
and he declared that he resented the
criticism and for that reason wished
to deliberately resign from the COM
mittee. He was prevailed upon to re-
main. After considerable more debate
and discussion, a motion was made to
postpone consideration on the Sab
bath matter until the next conference.
This was strongly opposed. several Of
the rabbis declaring that it would
stamp the conference as being too
timorous to meet the question and
solve it now.
DR.. Philipson, Of Cincinnati. moved
that the report be referred back to
the committee. to be put in the shape
of definite resolutions, making spe-
points. This was carried, and the
committee was ordered again to con-
slider the question.
1t was said the conference had been
misrepreSented on this Sabbath queS-
ton; that the question of substituting
Sunday for Saturday as the Jewish
Sabbath was not before the confer
ence and never had been. The ques-
ton was simply whether it was proper
to hold services in Jewish temples on
Sunday for the benefit of many per-
sons who were not able to attend serv-
ices on Saturday; whether is was a
schismatic act. and whether it would
cause a schism in the church.
What the Committee Reported.
The committee decided that it had
no jurisdiction to recommend anything
in the nature of legislation looking to-
ward any change and declared that the
conference was incompetent to legis-
late any fundamental Jewish institu-
ton out of existence. The committee
reported that a definition of the re-
ligious authority that should regulate
the authority and discipline of the
Jews was paramount to any other
question. 1t recommended the crea-
ed Of rabbis and laymen. constituting
an authority to which all ritual and
discipline questions might be referred.
This plan is in effect. a scheme to
consolidate the conference Of Ameri-
can rabbits and the union of American
Hebrew congregations for the purpose
of creating an organic union between
both bodies.
The committee also reported that
while. historically, it could not find any
argument TO declare change from
Sabbath to Sunday schismatic. it
would prefer to relegate so important
question to any future authority,
properly constituted, to decide it.
The committee on the order Of
services on Passover eve, at the morn
ing session. reported in favor of one of
the rituals at present in use for serv-
ices on this occasion, and the report
was referred back to it to consider a
number of other rituals. and it will
report to the next conference. Rabbi
! Grossman, of Cincinnati, read a paper
on Methods in the Modern Jewish
| School,