The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-15

An event OF Importance to American
Judaism as whole, and indirectly to
that of Great Britain well-the COM
pletion of the first translation of the He
brew Scriptures into the English IAN
euage that has ever been made by an
authorized body of SCHOLARSHIPS ceie-
brated by a dinner at the Jewish Theo-
logical Seminary in New York last week
The dinner brought together group OF
people who wished to congratulate the
committee which has been in charge OF
the work for half dozen years, ana
this feeling of appreciation was expressed
in n few brief speeches. Jacob II. Schin
said in paying tribute to the translators:
The present translation of the Bible
which we have come to celebrate with
cheering words. a translation under Jew
ish auspices, marks one Of the greatest
epochs in American Jewish life. We have
had before this time English translations
of the Bible, the King James version and
the Revised version. which have FUR
nished the basis for every English Bioie,
including this. But never before have We
had an English Bible, gone over word
for world and adapted for Jewish uses,
and worthy TO he placed in the hands of
Jewish young people with perfect safety.
whether We are orthodox or reform
Jews, ZIonists or non-Zionists, We are all
American Jews, and even IL We want our
children to understand the language OF
our forefathers that has been ours from
time immemorial, We want before all else
that they shall understand our Bible. our
great heritage. our great Book, In the
language of our country in which We
bring them up as Americans ana as
English-speaking Jews.
but that alone VIII not DO. other
things must follow. Too few know our
great Jewish literature or even OF us
existence More important even than
this Bible translation do / consider the
making of tn / vast literature accessible
to English 81 eaking Jews; and that Is the
next great gift American Jews must give
TO the English-speaking world.
When the Movement Began.
Il hope that right on the heels of this
Bible translation the editors here repre-
scented will devote themselves to that
other great task, and i pledge myself TO
70 as far as in my power in cooperating
with them to the fullest extent
The movement for new version IN
English of the Hebrew Bible took definite
form more than twenty years ago, when
after consultation, a number of proInl-
nent Jews arranged with some OF their
leading scholars to translate the various
books Owing to difficulties, among winch
was that of having large number OF
independent minds agree on questions Oh
textlaI rendering, &C, through the me-
movement was not carried through But
some six years ago compact committee
was appointed of seven eminent scholars
cornpetent to combine the spirit OF Jew
ish tradition as embodied IN the SCRIP
lures. with the result of Biblical knowi-
edge possessed in ancient ana medieval
as well as in modern, times.
Tho chairman of the committee Is Or
CYRUS Adler, president of Dropsie COL
,ere. Philadelphia, and the other :nem-
hers are Solomon Sche .hter, president OF
the Jewish Theological Seminary, OF inns
city; Dr. Samuel Schulman, OF Temple !
Reth-El; DIR. K. Kohler, president Oh the
Hebrew Union College Cincinnau, III.
David Philipson, of the same institution
DIR. Joseph Jacobs, professor OF Enslisn
In the Jewish Theological Seminary and
editor of the American Hebrew, and Prof. |
Max l. Margolis, of Dropsie.
When the committee first was formed
Prof. Margclis happened to be IN Eu-
rope. and the others met for the purpose
of choosing the ablest man they couia
find to serve as chief editor in the work |
Of translation. After canvassinG many |
names, they unanimously decided that |
Prof. Margolis was best fitted in every |
way for the Office, and he accepted their
offer As soon as possible he returned
to this country, and he was apie 10
report in fifteen months that he had
completed a translation lh0o EHshsu VI
the entire Hebrew Bible
This however, was but the first step.
Leading Jewish scholars OF England had
been invited to cooperate in the under
taking but declined: not because they
und.ryalued it, but because, as they said,
the King James version and the Revised
version Of the Old Testament Gas 1t is
terned) would suffice for their purposes
when accompanied by explanatory leaf
lets already prepared. Thereupon the full
committee commenced regular sessions