The Denver Jewish news., 1923-10-18
Optimistic Ouer the Future
of Jelpry Abroad
An Interview With Israel Herbert Levinthal Rabbi
Brooklyn Jewish Center, the Greatest Jewish City
in The World
BY HAROLD BERMAN

~
shop .Ohel' (MausOleum) that covers
1t. ! was anxious to see with my own
eyes that which l had heard ever
sine, | was child-lOw from This
of a human creature. with arms and
legs and mouth and eyes. The Polish
soldiers, during the recent war. have
almost destroyed this tree but enough
of II yc. remains to have evoked my
wonder and amazement. Legend i'm
Wilnn has 1t that this tree grew Of
itsclf--thnt 10 mortal hand had ever
planted it-that the spirit Of the great
martyr has produced this tree over
his own grave as a living protest to
the Poles who refused to allow the
Jews to place a monument, over it.
However. you may accept or inter-
pret the legend. TO me that tree was Il
living Interpretation of East European
sia may I've burnt. tortured and mas
sacred. yet. like this tree. he Is un-
conquernble and indestructible Though
laid low, he rises again and. like this
tree. draws snp even from his own
grave
This IL the impression l received
as Il result of my visits to the Jewish
communities Of Warsaw and wilma
during the past summer. Thanks to
the generosity Of their American broth
ers. the people are gradually coming
to their own once more. Wherever l
went heard the heartiest appreciation
| expressed to American Jewry for
having helped to save the Jews of
shall never forget the American Jews.''
'.Tisank our American brothers - Give
our BLESSING to America ~ These were
the sentiments that greeted me every
where.
Yet. though they nre gradually. and
by slow stages. coming to themselves.
vc dare no. and must not forget them.
The important fact is that 1t will take
them n great deal OF time before they
will he able to care entirely for their
spiritual needs They may not need our
loavcs and shoes. but they do need
our fclp in the maintaining of the
Torlh. 1t is beyond their own slender
abilltics-iiinancial abilities. mean.
schools as well as their students. They
are making earnest efforts to help
thefnselves. While at wilma, l Wit
messed tOwn-wide '.Tag-Day" for the
benefit OF the local school. They make
great efforts everywhere to meet their
own budgets. People make great sac
rifices for the cause of the young folks,
but their means are us yet woefully
sean. and limited.
If we will but give them little more
time. then they may never again need
our help. and will he eternally CRATE
full OF us. And / can bear testimony
not only to the excellent work that
these schools are doing but also to the
absolute necessity--fOr the time being,
mt lcas'-of American help. The ven-
cradle wilma Rabbi, Chain Ezer Grod
zinsky. said to me: "American Jewry
has not only saved the body Of Polish
Jcwry but it has saved the Torah in
our land. - AT Warsaw had the rare
privilege of examining the Tachkemoni
school. n real High School
in very modern sense, contain
ing 800 pupils. At Byalistok, I
saw even a larger school. with great
er number of pupils and equally as
modern. The Yabneh schools for girls
cover practically the entire Poland and
Lithuania. with their network of bene-
fcent influence and achievement. They
even have women Teachers Training
Schcols-something previously unheard
of-for the proper training of teachers
for girls schools of the future. At
Berlin. ! visited DIR. Heller's Beth
Sephcr Govooh' (High SCHOOL, and was
deeply impressed by what / saw there.
beheld new type of Jewish student:
young men with University educa-
tion. polished and gentlemenly in their
bearing and some of them in possession
of 'Semichah' ca rabbinical certificate)
attending the lectures. I saw in one
classroom professor of the Berlin
Tnivcrsi Y delivering n lecture on Les
sing and in the other. DIR. Heller teach
ing the 'Yeruslialmi.'