The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-03
RABBI SCHULMAN'S. ADVICE
Progressive Judaism and Liberal
 Christianity Carried Too Far.

Atlantic City, N. J., July s3-Rabbi Samuel Schulman of New York. Pres l ident of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in session here, de- clared, in his annual address yester- day against the organization. of sec tiona1 conferences as detrimental to the interests of the national body; called for a stricter observance of the Jewish Sabbath; recommended the election of Rabbis by their congrega- lions for a life term and urged that amended so as not to prohibit the re- election of president after two terms of service.
 Dr. schuIman also discussed the tendency to identify progressive Ju- daism with liberal Christianity" and said that it could be carried too far in the4 wrong direction. As an ex- ample he referred to the Jewish Re Hg1ous School Union in New York City which, he said, had selected a professor in Christian theological seminary as its theo1ogian.
 We are told,' said the speaker, that this professor interpreted the whole Of Jewish biblical history as a struggle between the letter and the spirit between Priest and Prophet, be- and that, finally, he held that the spirit triumphed completely in Jesus. It goes without saying that such an interpretation was resented. The re- Hgion of Israel has to-day interests of its own, which are profoundly diff ferentiated from the religion of Chris tendon, even in it's most liberal form and no Christian scholar, no matter how liberal he may be, can really take the place of a Jew in telling Jews how they should organize their re- ligious educational systems. There is  Judaism and Christianity to make possible a real and hearty co-opera- ton between Jew and Christian on behalf of civic and social progress, moral education and humanitarianism without indulging in such theologi- cal sshatnez' mixtures, which can pro- duce no good.''
 Rabbi Schu1nan denounced the late ly organized Eastern Council of Re formed Rabbis as a sectional organiza- ton which could only t'ineptly dupli- cate the work of the national body or strive to overshadow and discredit it.' The conference, he said, should ''in no uncertain terms make it clear that sectional conferences are detrimental to the Central Conference of Ameri- can Rabbis, should not be encouraged and as soon as possible their mem bers should be earnestly requested to disband and reorganize, if a new or ganization is at all necessary, along purely local 1ines-''
 On the subject of life tenure of of flee for Rabbis, the speaker said that such a provision was "in accord with the best traditions of Israel and can only make for the increased efficiency and independence and sedvice of a. ministry, free from care and worry for the daily bread
 t'In encouraging this procedure he added, congregations will do very much to lift the status of the minis try m small places and in not a few large congregations, and will innnaeas- urabIy increase the moral authority of the Rabbi and will render a. solid service to Judaism
 In his plea, for stricter observance of the Jewish Sabbath, Rabbi Schul-
 man recommended the appointment of a sabbath Observance Conmittee'' in America.
 we want to solve this problem" he said, eff we can, not only as Jews, but as Americans. The object of such committee should be to create inter est in various parts of the country for the Sabbath idea, to bring to mems
 minds the right of the Jew to oh- serve his own Sabbath without moles- tation and without the questioning Of his Americanism."