The Denver Jewish news., 1924-03-13
Ian AMERICAN WOMAN'S
IMPRESSIONS
Jewish Paris Inside 0at
BY IRMA KRAFT.

turn il inside Out-One chances upon
a lining of rich, uncut velvet. ,Fhis is
the new fashion in gloves; a quiet ex-
terior-a rich, waning velvet lining.
Is it the fashion of mems lives-and
souls? Do they purposelessly don the
smooth appearance, and reserve the
tumult Of their lives, the fever Of their
emotions for their inside hid
den souls?
In Paris one wonders whether men
have souls The varied life of the
beautiful capital, with Its countless
cafes and places of pleasure-leaves
little opportunity for soul exercise.
III, however, one bends ones steps
toward the Temple Israelite in the Rue
de Ia yictoire for an eight-thirty MORN
ing service or at 4.3O in the afternoon,
one might catch a glimpse of many
Jewish souls.
1t is exhilaratihg in these years of
carnal living to find even proportion
of population turning their thoughts
towards religion. In the splendid sanc-
tity of the Temple Israeiite one is i'm
pressed with a rare quality of Jewish
fervcur, the absolute sincerity of their
religious lives.
No day is too severe, no hour too
extreme for these devoted children Of
Israel to serve their God. The holy
quality of their service permeates one
with joy.
To che who has come from Il Goddess
New York, where religious services. II
they are to be attended at all, must
conform to social hours and hours for
pleasure; when one sees n large attend
ance Mt any Temple, only at holiday
services, or on the .'M0urners' Benches
-. when, unless one happens to
he follower OF Reform Rabbi, who
has freed his Temple from every trace
of Objectionable Judaism" when one
even then apologies for going to Fem
pie by remurking Its my
.Iahrzeit. or it's Confirmation Day, or
Yom Kippur!' l have yet to find the
famiIy in New York City among the
modern, up-to-date, stylish Jews, who
include going to services as part of the
weekly regime.
There are many arguments for and
gainst Reformed Judaism. 1t Is not
my purpose. now, to enter into any OF
them. 1 merely want to note the ever
increasing laxness of the Jews in the
great cities of America on the part Of
their Reformed Religion. In the Re
fUrniIig," could it hot have been pos
sible 10 have extracted all the sub
stance. the rare. sweet kernel Of abso-
lutte faith which Orthodoxy brings
his worship to his God.
In the great Temples Of Paris and in
the small ones, one finds unswerving
allegiance to the old rites and customs
of the faith. Women bring their chill
dren in implicit. unquestioning dcvo-
ton; and as they stand. faces to the
East, with henrt and lips merged into
holy, devout, unquestioning prayer to
God of Israel. who does not change
with the fashions the observer
becomes imbued with the enormous
value Of their Judaism: lie it archaic
or oItl-fashioned. as its modern reform
ers would SO coldly deem it.
1t is. tragic, in America. in many of
the large cities to one who at
least, wants to see the spirit of the
faith observed . to note the ever
increasing call for style. Has Rabbi
any idea of the old hours of worship,
he is Stunned and his Temple is empty.
But let him choose a popular evening
hour. or Sunday morning, when hay
ing leisurely digested the sporting
news Of the day, and at the end of a
stroll down the avenue (when one can
see the new styles. one can drop into
his Temple for an hour to hear politics
or art Or Egyptology or drama, with
perhaps Jewish hymn Mt the end to
give the service some label, that Rabbi
will be popular and his hall well filed.
But let him beware and go gently! If
lie be ever so careless, and let more
than a few Jewish hymns slip in, or
let him make too many references to
Judaism. -. he, too, will be on the
black list, and his "halF' deserted.
And he will have to conjure up new
devices to attract the crowd.
Ycs, the spirit of Judaism in Amer
lea must be stylish if it is to be adopt
ell at all. Its sleeves must be changed
yearly and the length of its skirt. 1t
must have the ''hall-mark" of the lat
est fashion il one continues to follow
| it. And to Journey over to the East
high hats, Or no hats ut all, is an ex-
cursion into the aboriginal parts of
the city where folks do not know how
\ to live