New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-16
REFORMER OF JUDAISM
Centenary of Geiger, the German
TheoIogian, Commemorated.
PRAISED BY EMINENT PUPIL
DIR. Felix Adler in Address at
New Synagogue Pictures
Burdens of Orthodoxy.

Dr. Felix Adler, head OF the Ethical
Culture Society. showed his Impotence with
orthodox Judaism in the pulpit of the Free
Synagogue, in s1st street. between Column
bus and Amsterdam avenues, yesterday
| morning in the course of an address on
Abraham Geiger. the Pathfinder of Re-
form Judaism in Germany" or, as he
phrased it, 1.-THE Geologist of Judaism"
Yesterdays service was in commentator
of the centenary of Geiger.
''It has come about that orthodoxy is
cluttered with so many commandments
that even TO remember them is burden"
said Dr. Adler The orthodox Jew is not
content with attending religious service
once a week and having prayers at home;
he is haunted by his religion; 1t pursues
him during the day and far into the night
He rises at midnight TO utter benediction
He is weighted with prayer, with gesticula-
ton. with washing his hands before meals.
AS for the lady-the woman in the kitchen
oh. such trouble in the kitcheni"
Loud laughter greeted DR.. Adler as he
pictured the gestures of the orthodox Jew
at prayer. his manner of LAYING his hands
before meals, and the gesticulation of de-
spair with which he emphasized the diff
cuIties of the Jewish housewife sincerely
DESTROYS of observing the Mosaic dietary
laws
The Demonstration of Judaism.
DR.. Adler studied theology in Germany
under Geiger. whom he described as "a
broad minded, liberal soul" He said
Geiger never doubted that Judaism was the
true religion. He could rot see judaism
debouching into the ocean of universal
ism, but he saw a universal religion be-
coming jewish
Living, as he did, in the midst of anti
Senlitisu, said Dr.. Adler, 'he recognized
orthodoxy as the characterization of Juda-
ism, and he. did not accept, as hypocrftes
do, the New Testament Interpretation of
certain men who Intellectually had no place
there. He pointed out that their aim was
to place the people on level with the
priests to make of the Jews a people of
priests, upon whom the Mosaic law i'm
posed certain duties and prerogatives. The
Pharisees, feeling that these laws were too
sacred to be abolished, made them general
thus bringing about the condition that he
ridieuled.
But" continued Dr. Adler after the
laughter had subsidized, "Geiger was not
satisfied with this sweeping verdict against
orthodoxy. His was not the judgment of
the man in the street. He recognized that
it contained noble elements. and the task Of
life was to separate the precious from the
worthless-the spirit from the form
THE failure of his life was that he never
indicated the new form. He merely indi-
Gated that a new form was permissible
To Geiger the Bible was not book, but a
literature to him the Bible was not sacred;
only certain best words in it were sacred
Lack of Jewish Self Respect.
''It is the fault Of men like Geiger, in
that they did not indicate the new form,
that the reform movement in Germany Is
to-day such a lifeless thing But what he
did had an historic basis, and therein he
differed from the man in the street, who
throws off his religion without any other
reason than that 1t has become inconven-
lent that ii has become an impeachment
The man in the street does not reason. He
does things unthinkingly and without
knowing why Much of the aversion to the
Jew existing to-day is due to the lack of
Jewish racial self-respect. This lack of
self-respect is due TO the fact that the Jew
knows so little about himself and his race
Previously Dr. Adler had said that the
Jew was a mystery. not only to the out
T.
concept Of the Jew, he said. is the one so
wildly described in the story Of 1.-THE Wan
dering Jew" the cobbler who would not
permit Jesus to rest, and upon whom the
curse of wandering has been laid until
Jesus has returned to earth again. DR.. Ad-
Ter explained that the Jew did not look
upon himself as a wanderer, but, sus-
tanned by an indomitable pride and an over
wheIming ambition, looked forward to the
hour of triumph. He has been wide awake
but segregated. Even in the days of Moses
he was by himself; the Jews were lonely
people
DIR. Stephen g Wise, minister Of the Free
Synagogue, preceded DR.. Adler in the pull
nit and finished short address by saying
that Geiger was "a seeker after and
sneaker of truth; therefore he was foe
of all untruth and opposed 70 the dead hand