The Denver Jewish news., 1924-06-19
EDITORIALS
is JUDAISM IN DANGER?

Several times the history the world Judaism
threatened with ahation but always has arisen the
asion and out of the fray stronger than before In the
of Israeli the two chief centers Babylon and Alex
andra When Alexander the Great with satesmane foresight
had taken the Egyptian fishing village of Rhacos founded
there his magnificent port and city, he settled in large numbers
of Jews These grew rapidly and steadily reinforced by
immigrants from the homeland until Alexandria became largely
Jewish city. Fully half the inhabitants Jews 1t
Israel in Egypt set at the very heart of the Empire
As generation after generation passed. the exies far
from the faheand lost touch altogether with their national
Greek the universal language the time and
became their language Hebrew became classic language with
them.
Naturally with world largely Greek speaking Greek
learning culture and ideas became Even Palestine
where least expected appeared surrounding
sappng the rigid exusivenes There opposing
tendencies the spirit of rigid Judaism spirit easy
tolerance and liberal thought sympathy Gentle learn
ing.
The Greek spirit with easy tolerant liberal attitude had
IN the seeds of great things good and evil It's tendency
to make bridges between the strict Hebrew religion and the broad
of Gentle philosophy.
yet dangerous tendency, too its easy
graceful tolerance had not much depth of spiritual knowledge
conviction behind it. The of the agonzng
the of separation from evil world all that which the dis
cpne of had wrought into the ebood of Israel lit
tie nothing to the polished easygog Gentes seeking in their
light way the beautiful and good.
1t easy therefore to understand that the foreign living
for in close friendly intercourse people
around them would be likely to lose great deal of the strict jew
sh discipline
But Judaism shattered The keepers of the faith
tile philosophy swallowed Jewish thought and the He
brew scriptures translated into Greek and Latin became the bull
wark of Christianity.
Today Judaism is facing similar crisis History repeats
ITSELF and English is taking the place of Greek universal
la For generations in this country form of Gentle
thought similar to that of former day sapping vitality
Judaism Certain Gentle leaders, with background of
dtion history filled with suffering persecution deerance
and protection of living God have sought through propaganda
to undermine the great faith of fathers.
To break this great citadel of humanity against which
physical force could prevail they have sought seeds OF
dscor The modern tendency of assimilation of dropping the
of people and the neglect of children r
regard religious training all bearing fruit The result
dissatisfaction intolerance Indifference and crime which
is sweeping the country.
present generation not versed in Jewish law Many
beautiful traditions and of people entirely
unknown the average Jew Worse still many of
people the faith for which foreathers suffered
sacrificed died These traditions found in the law
being preserved by the Genes and taught
their children the Sunday schools But among the Chris
ans spirit modernism has and the tina
was used to undermine the strength of Judaism reacg upo
the Gente that launched it. To-day there is tendency to
away from Biblical teaching and follow material gods form