The Denver Jewish news., 1923-10-18

the first century of\ the Republic me
Jewish communities in America de-
pended in the main for their Rnbbis up
on men trained abroad. While there
MAJ Lave been an occasional eNcep-
tion this was the general rule. such
II condition could not he allowed to con-
.inue 1t is true that n considerable
number of distinguished and scholarly
Rabhis were secured from Europe and
10 them the synagog in America is un-
der lasting obligation. But there was
grive disadvantage in the plan. Most
of The men called from the continent OF
Europe were already in full man.
hood when they arrived here. They
were under the necessity of learning
new lnngua.e and of flirting them
selves iI.to n new environment, and
These two processes were not always
successfully accomplished. England.
in recent years at least. has hardly
been able to supply its own need and
that of its colonies.
Ir Judaism was to be maintained
= II tltI aIlltTlcifn wv N''s
tion Of a trained Rnbbinate native to
the soil was recognized as an absolute
necessity But even had it been pos
siblc 10 supply all of our needs from
other countries the presence here of
school,. of higher learning was indis-
pcnsable. 1t may as well he frankly
admitted that we have been passing
through an age of material things. The
conquest of nature by mnn-originally
necessary If the great American wilder
ness was to ,be subdued and made
hnbitable-became passion with the
most ndvcnturesome minds and was
reflected in every walk of life. For
the protection. the self-defense. the
very life of the Jewish community. IL
was necessary that we should have
ccn.ers for learning. for study. for re-
nection so that the people of the book
should not become spiritually illiterate.
Half Of JJewish New York.
And it was particularly important
that in this great city of New York,
which houses half of the Jewish popu-
lation OF America and the greatest
Jewish population that has ever been
brought together in any city of the
world. there should he created and
maintained school Of learning devoted
lat once to the training of n learned
and cultivated Rabbinate and to the
advancement of Jewish knowledge.
regard 1t as statesmanlikc act
that my friend and teacher Sabato
Morai ali Of whose affiliations were
with Philadelphia, should. when old
age was coming upon him. have had
the Courage and the vision to lay the
foundation of the Seminary in New
York. And l further regard it ns
an act of devotion and sacrifice that
Solomon Schechter should have been
willing to rcncunce the peaceful pnr-
suits of pure scholarship in the charm
ing surroundings and delightful as
sociations of the University of Cam
bridge. and cast in his lot with the
difficulties, the perplexities and the
heart burnings which went with the
endeavor to organize and establish more
firmly our seminary in this maelstrom
of Jewish life in New York.
May l be pardoned here for per-
sOnal statement: In 1901 at con-
ference between Jacob II. Schiff. Leon
ard Lewisohn. Judge Mayer Sulzber-
ger and myself. Mr. Schiff and Mr..
Lewisohn made proposals toward the
establishment of an endowment fund
fer the Seminary. In the course of
conservation, we communicated in con-
fidcnce to Mr.. Schiff and Mr. Lewisohn
that n school of higher Jewish learning
would be established in Philadelphia
by Moses A. Dropsie with an endow
ment that was estimated at about
SSOO.O00. then an enormous sum of
money. Both Mr.. Schiff and Mr..
Lewisohn proposed that the Seminary
should he removed to Philadelphia and
ton. and expressed their willingness
to give as literally to the foundation
in Philadelphia as they would if the
Seminary remained in New York. To
follow this course would undOubted-
ly have been much easier, but we both
pointed out to our New York friends
that it would be dangerous to the well
being, the standing. even the morale
of the Jewish community of New York
to be left without a center of Jewish
size i'm the world has ever been without
such an institution.
Hopes Are Fulfilled.
And now we have the Seminary. 1t
has more than justified the hopes and
sacrifices Of those who established and
La fiIrI,icl,od Rahbic