The Denver Jewish news., 1923-02-07

q by the time these lines are read the
Golden Jubilee Convention of the Union
of American Hebrew Congregations will
hnve been over. md the many hun
drets of delegates and notable visitors
To Gotham will have returned from
this impressive gathering to their com
munities and normal occupations. a
glnncc even ut the list of delegates Is
sufficient to convince anyone that II is
the "lnrgest. religious gathering
ever held here (New York; by Jews"
There are assembled not only Rabbis
and representatives OF the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations. hut
also of the National Federation of Tenn
ple Brotherhoods. The program is
large and varied and significant. The
conventions were ushered in by II go
To Synagog' campaign.
1t must he observed that this un-
usual gathering has left the great body
Of Jews cold" If the amount of
space In the Yitldish press is any sort
of index TO the interest shown 10y the
Jewish masses in the Reform move
mcnt. then this interest is mighty small.
There has been by nm large far more
publicity in the general press than In
the Yiddish newspapers. The fault
hut it may lie much much deeper. 1t
may lie in rl,e indifference. If not
antipathy of the masses to Reform.
1t indnbtably does rest there. The
million and half Jews-whether Orth-
OdOx, conservative or irreligious-are
not RefOrmers. This is not surprising.
lf the notOriOusly ineXact classification
Of German md Russian Jews still
applies md n reform ts the religion
OF the former, 1t IL not at all astOnish-
ing TINT at most only a possible ten
thousand Jews in New York are on the
roles OF the several Reform Temples.
And IL In the nature of things people
evince interest only in those men.
things and movements with which they
nrc even remotely identified. it becomes
less shocking to bring ones self to ad-
nit that 1t is possible to celebrate the
fiftieth anniversary of the founding of
american Judaism" without causing
as much as stir in the hearts Of the
multitudes of Jews In this city.
That this estrangement exists is
painfully acknowledged by some
leaders Of the Reform movement. and
strikingly indicated by those Of its
adverse ries who have taken the trouble
to notice the Golden Jubilee. Assuming
that there are only thirty thousand
of the old Jewish families affiliated with
reform congregations" the New Pal
estine says:
1T is evident that the Reform move
ment which has in it certain features
that would appeal to large numbers
of Jews. has not. in the first place.
managed to hold even the descendants
of the pioneers of the movement. e.
Nor has this movement been able to
make any impression upon the new
comers. The reform movement has
suffered great deal because of the in
trusion into it of matters that have
no relation to religious ideals or prin-
cioles. The rejection Of those features
of Jewish national life that Ind become
integrated into the religious life made
1t difficult for reform to affect the lives
of those who persisted in asserting
those features of Jewish life that they
regarded as essential for the existence
of the race or nationality
In other words. by the rejection Of
Jewish nntionalism and repudintiOn OF
Reformers are doomed to get along
without the majority of the Jews
This view naturally, and radically,
differs from the views eXpounded by
some of latterday exponents of Re-
form. No Jeremiad about the depletion
of Reform strength is found in the big
holiday number of the American He
brew for example. Arrogating to It,
self the right to reject those ele-
ments in the Bible that were of fugi-
tive value and rejoicing that Reform
Judas accepts only those that pro-
mulgate eternul verities," the Hebrew
delights that Reform has broken
through the barrier of nationalfsm and
the segregating walls of the Ghetto
complex" The goal of modern Judaism
is true universalism," according to this
view. And the road to achievement
leads through the Hebrew Union Col