Evening star., 1925-04-05
Jewish Community Center Here
elimination Of Years of Effort
Serveth Locale

1
Jewish Community Center,
will be the elimination of - years
| of Jewish endeavor in Washington,
| the final step in the evolution of So
cial service throughout the United
States and contribution to the
welfare of the entire community.
AS the ultimate development of
that basement congregation of
dozen eager-eyed Jews and Jewesses
in 1911, and as the realization OF
| dream which. despite financial diff
culties. tagging interest, and even
opposition. persisted in the minds OF
it's sponsors, the Jewish Community
Center is indeed the elimination of
Jewish ideals and enterprise in
Washington.
AS the particular protege OF body
of social service experts and con-
sultants for all Jewish social organi-
cations in the country, namely, the
Jewish Welfare Board, the Jewish
Community Center is verify the re-
suit of years of national social serv-
ice experiment.
AS an institution whose essential
purpose is to promote American cul-
ture and ideals among all who wish
to imbibe them. the Jewish Commu-
nifty Center is truly OF civic impor-
tance and service.
Fourteen years ago when II young
men and women focked to the base
ment of the home of Sarah Roberts,
now vice president of the Young
Women's Hebrew Association, with
ideas and suggestions for forming
"Y," they had no conception of the
large proportions their nucleus would
take. They were merely a group of
young people whose athletic and So
cial inclinations demanded an outlet
At that time the only possible salts
"a at
Mems and Young Women's Christian
Associations. where the limited facil-
tiles made their welcome a sacrifice for
| the others.
They needed their own recreational
| center, but, unfortunately, financial
| membranes wrecked all their at
| tempts to maintain one. The less
| than 1000 Jews in the community
| had not yet discovered the need for
such a project, and until 1917 all the
ardent juniors could afford was three
hours in Flynn's Hall. an old con-
verted residence on X and Eighth
streets, every other Sunday after
noon.
AT these sessions they planned
minstrel shows, encouraged athletics
and arranged for intercity debates,
| which were judged by members of
Congress. These debates were evi-
IDENTIFY not futile. for the five original
incorporators of the Young Mems
Hebrew Association, David Wiener,
Frederick NJ. Pelzman, Joseph Stein.
Joseph l. Topper and Louis Z.
Spiegler, are now local attorneys.
4 4 = y
Until 1917, the problem of these
- young men and women had been
| to provide themselves with enter
| tainment. Then came the war. 1t
| transformed a purely personal move
ment into an altruistic one.
The problem now became: who is
| to afford recreation to the hundreds
| of Jewish men and women in the
service of the Government? Where
will the homesick, unacQuainted
young men and women spend their
evenings?"
The "Y'' had to answer. The COM
munity had to be talked to. With
the help of a few local merchants.
| the first real headquarters was pro-
cured at 134s Pennsylvania avenue.
now a chop suey restaurant. It was
maintained, lamely to be sure. with
| the cooperation of the B'nai Birth,
a Jewish independent order; the
Jewish Welfare Board and the newly
born Jewish clubs, which rented the
''Y' space. but never had the funds
| to pay for it,
The influx of Jews and the measer-
| ness OF these quarters made a change
imperative. Milton Strasberger, then
judge of the Municipal Court,
| and David Wiener, president of the
"Y," obtained a. two-year lease at
| their present headquarters, Eleventh
street and Pennsylvania avenue, at
a reasonable rate, because their work
dealt with eX-service men.
But in 1920 the Jewish Welfare
Board. devoting itself exclusively to
the wounded war veterans, ceased its
aid, leaving the "Y" supporters
| dispirited and disarmed. They sur
veyed their dull, drab dwelling place
| where two dozen Jewish organiza-
tions had to conduct their business
amid the tramp of the Boy Scouts
and the jazz emanations from the
social hall; they observed their well
chosen books buried under g. layer Of
dust because of the conglomeration
of activities in the so-called reading
room; they saw their inkless stands
and waterless sponges-and were
disheartened.
And so Jewish activities in Wash
ington might have died out or drag
ged on had not the idea of a Jewish
Community Center germinated-an
institution which would offer Jewish
organizations a home; which would
alleviate their conflict and rivalry;
| which would bring together Ortho-
dox and reformed, Zionist and anti
Zionist; which would express the
totality of Jewish life, not a cross
section of it; which would establish
| unity in community.
These are the ideals with which the
bricks of the magnificent building
are being laid.
X X x *
NOV that we have traversed the
path from basement to mansion,
| let US see why this center has been
built on the highest rung of the social
service ladder.
munity Center was born no local at
tempt was made to make 1T feasible.
In 1929 the Jewish Welfare Board
was invited by the "Y" to make
| survey of the needs and facilities Tor
such an organization. With 30 soc1ai
service institutions of experience be
hind them, the Jewish Welfare Board
studied the community. They saw
that the need was appalling; that the
| facilities could be made. So they
started the job of rousing approx
mately $4,000 Jews from their inertia,
of educating them to the desirability
| of the munificent project; with the re-
| suit that by November of 1928 $685.
| 900 was pledged by the community
! for this enterprise, making it the
most successful institutional cam
paign of this city.
Then the Jewish Welfare Board did
what it had never done before. 1t
supplemented its efforts with $780,
| 600 pledge to characterize this, not
as a local organization but as IT,
| tiona1 Jewish center-an institution
not designed primarily to lodge the