Page 19 - HaShofar 5709 1948

away from ~ne of it.s two traditional functions. It
has n.,eglected the function of instruction. It is no
longer a House of Study; it is ofily a· House of
prayer. But with that alone we cannot rest · com-
placently. S~ long· as the synagogue will remain
amerely Beth Haknesseth, it will remain empty.
We must rejuvenate the old, time-honored adjunct
of every synagogue, the Beth Hamidrash. Of course,
it must be modified to suit our needs and to con-
form ·to modern Jewish life, but the need foi: its
reinstitution should be felt by all. The Beth Hami-
drash must cease to be a legend of ancient days.
It must again become a House of Study. Once more
must it become a potent factor in Jewish education.
The new Beth Hamidrash must be~ome a seat
of learning for all Jews. It should be that source
where anyone desirous of Jewish knowledge may
come and obtain it any evening of the week: The
synagogue should organize popular classes in Bible
and Jewish history, and varied lecture courses for
the education of every one in the community. For
where there is no knowledge of Judaism, it cannot
endure. Therefore must the synagogue ·be the in-
.str_ument for disseminating an understanding of
Judaism, standing for Jewish . education in its
widest and broadest sense. It .is interesting to note
that _oh this ·day we .call the synagogue a "shule,"
which is derived from the word "schule" and means
as~o~. . wherefrollithe.Jewish people might draw inspira-
True, the synagogue is the guardian of Jewish
education, in that ·it discharges its duty with respect has violated its- h_istoricaL function of teaching
to the young. It does administer the Talmud Torah,
where children are instructed . in the Hebrew . lan-
guage and taught the basic principles ~f )uda-
hm1. Jfowever, a school merely for the young can-
not suffice. There must also be a school .for ado-
lescents and adults as well-in the Beth Hamidrash.
Under present Conditions, our young .people see ·
no use in later life from their Jewish studies. For
they do not have the possibility of continuing them.
The .old Beth Hamidrash provided this possibility
·EXCERPTS •
*FROM .OUR FRIENDS IN ISRAEL
From Jacob Greenberg, Tel Aviv, August 16, 1948:-.-
I h~ve arri~ed here a few weeks ago and it .was
certainly good to return to an independent State,
independence for which we have waited and ·worked
for so long. I wish you and all' our ch·averim wciuld
be here with us to feel and enjoy the spirit and
life of freedom arid independence.
" . · .. Tirat Zvi has received its generator and
is very pleased with this wonderful gift from Chi-
cago. · Neighboring Sdei Eliahu now inquires as to ·
the ·possibility of obtaining such a machine. . .. .
.''We are very anxious to keep in ciose · contact
with you. I believe it is most appropriate that the
· OCTOBER; 1948
in the d&ys of our fathers and grandfathers. There
was a "blatt" for .those who understood the Tal-
mud-"Jews ·who forget their daily· toils over a
page of Gema.rah" (Bialik). . Even the simple
tradesman had his "Chaye-Adam," which the .un-
learned could follow. But today the Hebrew School
education is not being applied in adult life. The
synagogue does not offer the opportunities for a
continued adult education, A new type of Beth
Hamidrash, designed to' serve this .need, is indeed
a prime necessity. . · .
Furthermore, synagogues have failed to keep
pace with · the iconstruc:tive movements· of modern
Jewish life. For example, hol_V ni;my synagogues
support the revival of the :Hebrew la11gU:age? And,
incidentally, how many of the. corigregants speak
oi: write Hebrew? .. Yet the synagogue does nothing
in the way of teaching Hebrew so that. the wor-
shippers mighi: · at leas,t understand the prayers.
Which institution .in . Judaism should today help
. foster a. knowledge of .tiie Hebrew tongue, .and
. teach its literature, especially in these days of the
renaissance of the Hebrew · culture in Eretz Israel,
·if not the synagogue; which for ' twenty .centuries
has . preserved it? But all is quiet on the educa-
tional fr·orit of tlie synag6gue;. ti: is not abreast
of the current of .the time> . .. . . . . .
The sy11agogue of, today :is not a true sanctuary, ·
tion. and instruction. · The synagogue of the present
ItJudaism. It needs, therefore,- to be re-established
as a true center-for· the Jewish- spirit.a must be-
come a center of Jewish Learning as well as a
House of Worship. If the Beth Haknesseth is to
be im important .factor in modern Jewish life, if
it is to strengthen our eternal values_:_,it must again
assume its neglected function of Jewish education
for all in the ·Modern Beth Hamidrash·. Only then
can the Beth -IIamidrash again be . termed, in the
words of Bialik, "the treasure-house of our souL"
Hapoel _Hamizrachi of Chicago, the pride of _all
our branches, should keep in contact with Eretz
Israel, the source and inspiratic;m of the whole
movement. I am sure that Hapoel Hamizrachi of
Chicago that has ·always •been the most active
branch will double and treble its activities now that
we are at the gates of victory, please G-d.
. " Best regards to .the chaverirn." .
"'In the Hebr~w s,:c.tion there appear letters fro.m
Moshe . Shapiro, Minister of Immigration, arid Mosh·e
Kalcheim, close friend of Chicago Hapoel Hamizrachi,
and also some recent items from Kibbutz Hadati ·in
Israel: ·
17