Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-23
Jewish TheoIOgica
Seminary Drive On

The local committee which has
undertaken to raise Perth Amboy's
quota of $2500 in the nationwide
effort to raise $1,000,000 for the
Jewish Theological Seminary of
America has received a letter of
gratitude from Louis Marshall, hon
orary chairman of the national cam
paign committee for having assum-
ed this task. Mr.. Marshall's letter,
addressed to the local chairman,
Isaac Alpern, is powerful and
moving plea to the Jews of this city
to do their bit in order to save the
institution and give 1t the means to
continue and expand its efforts to
spread the message of Judaism in
this country.
Mr.. Marshall's letter to Mr.. Alpern
follows:
II learned with much pleasure
that you have accepted the chair
manship of committee which Will
endeayor to raise funds in your COM
munity, in connection with the CAM
paign for a million dollar endow-
ment for the Jewish Theological
Seminary.
II am quite sure that the efforts
of yourself and the splendid men
and women who are cooperating
with you will be crowned with sue
cess because l have the feeling that
every Jew in the United States is
vitally interested in the success of
this effort. 1t cannot be otherwise.
This campaign must succeed If
the Jews of this country are to make
that spiritual and cultural progress
which is expected of them by reason
of the opportunities and the relig-
ious freedom which has been couch
safed to them as citizens of the
United States. 1t is the greatest con-
tribution which the Jews of this
country can make to the spiritual
and cultural development of Amer
lea.
1--WE owe 1t to ourselves, we owe
it to our neighbors, we owe it to
the communities of which we are
citizens, to develop in our youth a
keen consciousness of Jewish
values; to impart to them an intel
ligent understanding and knowledge
of the history of our people and of
the tenets and traditions of our
faith. The better the Jew, the better
the American, is trite, but true slo-
gan and as we preserve our youth for
our faith, we develop them into a
higher and more useful American
citizenship.
"The Jewish Theological Seminary
has during the forty years of it's ex-
istence, graduated sew er a |
hundred English speaking rabbis,
exponents of traditional Judaism,
who have become important factors
in the spiritual development of their
own congregations and equally i'm
portant factors in the spiritual and
cultural development of the COM
munities in which they are located.
1t has sought to stimulate the de-
velopment of scholarship and re-
search and it has trained teachers
and leaders for religious schools and
Jewish centers throughout the coun-
try. 1t has been in financial diff
culties for number of years and the
time has come when the Jews of
America must make adequate pro-
vision for that trem mendously impor-
tant work with which the Jewish
Theological Seminary is charged.
II am very glad that the re-
sponse to our appeal for cooperation
in this effort has not been limited
to one particular shade of Judaism
Orthodox. Conservative and Reform
Jews have with equal spontaneity Of
fered their assistance. because they
feel that in matter touching the
strengthening of Judaism in Amer
lea, every Jew, regardless of the par
ticular shade of his affiliation. is
concerned.
MAY l bid you and your commit
tee, God speed in your work, which
I am surg will be crowned with every
success and will meet with the ap-
proval of every element in your COM
munitvn