The Denver Jewish news., 1924-01-31
Je,Dish Theological Semi
nary Campaign Well
Launched
Confirmation

country, 10 whom is due the rennalS-
sallcc of Jewish thought in America.
and whose work will 90 on to eternity,
when DIR. Schechter was inducted into
the offices of president of the I'heolo-
gical Seminary, he took as his text the
charter of the organization, which was
for all purposes sufficient to indicate
the program on which that organization
was to he conducted. Let me read it.
One of the hands that framed it was
that of our beloved friend and bene-
factor. that noble Jew, that command
ing spirit-Meyer SuIzberger.
The object is stated TO be:
For the perpetuation of the ten
cts of the Jewish religion, the cultiva-
ticn of Hebrew literature, the pursuit
of biblical and archaeological research,
the advancement of Jewish scholarship.
the establishment of library, and the
education of Jewish rabbis and teach
ers
is there anybody here who is not
willing TO come in on that platforms Is
there anybody here who feels that there
is anything omitted from that plat
form which is necessary for the well
being of Judnism? Is there anything
narrow. bigoted, fanatical, in the words
that l have read?
1T is as broad as the universe. il is
aS comprehensive as Judaism it is AS
exalted as any program upon which
men have ever united since the world
began. Has the Seminary carried out
that program? My predecessors on this
floor. have shown that it has. What in
stitution which is less than forty years
of age can point TO n greater, nobler
GALAXY of scholars, of leaders of
thought, than those who established il
and those who have followed them in
the faculty of the institution: What
Institution can point to men who were
more welded TO the feeling of keeping
buddhism alive than one that has in its
ranks such men as Meyer Sulzberger,
Jacob ii. Schifr. Leonard Lewisohn.
.idolphus S. Solomon and others of the
builders of that institution? What in
stitution but forty years of age can
point to graduates who are carrying
out the spirit of the institution in al
most every city in the land and in every
state of the union than that list Of rab-
bis and of teachers to which we point
with pride?
is Seminary necessary: Is it de-
sirable that this program shall he car
| ried out?. Is the next question that I
desire TO have You answer.
Il say nothing hut words of apprecia-
zion Of those rabbis Of whom DIR. Adler
has spoken who came to our country
from foreign lands in our earlier days: !:
who came here between 1S4S and 1885
from Germany and England and other
countries, for those rabbis who have
come from eastern Europe in various
years since 1885 and who have been
loyal Jews. lovers of their faith. But let
us understand that we are now con
cerned with the preservation of Juda
ism and its perpetuation here in Amer
lct. we are nor concerned 81 Iuucu ny
those whose cradles rock in European
lands: they are passing away; they may
consider themselves as going through q
wilderness for forty years before their
children can reach the sacred soil. We
are concerned with young Israel. with
thc youth of the present generation.
with the children that will come after
them. Our interests is in the young
American born boy and girl. We must
remember that they are the product of
American soil. that they are permeatetl
with the ideas of America. They love
this, their country; nothing we can say
should wean them from that love. They
love Judaism if they know for what
Judaism stands. but they must be
taught. THE average mother and
father is too much concerned in the
work of the day; Assuming even that
they have the necessary training to
educate their children in the principles
of Judaism they cannot give instruc-
ton: and do you believe. knowing as
You do the surroundings of the Ameri-
can boy and girl trained in our Ameri
can schools with their orderly methods
Of instruction. do you believe that they
would listen to instruction coming to
them in Chcdor, in which the Ian
cuage of instruction is one which they
do not understand of which is even
rcpellent to them? Even the boy and
girl trained in a house in which the
parrots are able to speak Iiddish do
not become adopts in that lansua ge and
do not desire TO speak it. Understand
me. have the greatest interest in Yid-
dish literature; have spent many
pleasant and agreeable hours in reading
the writings Of some of the great mas