The Jewish Herald-Voice (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 1949 Page: 2 of 12
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SEPTEMBER 29. 1949
PAGE TWO
THE JEWISH HERALD-VOICE
WE NEED k RE-EVALUATION OF JEWISH LIFE
This is the beginning of a New Year. The stark reality
of Jewish existence faces us as we begin to contemplate
concerning our Jewish heritage. We cloister ourselves in
the synagogues for two or three days of the holiday. We
hold a closer communion with things spiritual and there
may be an outpouring of pent up emotion and true relig-
ious fervor.
To many, this is the beginning and the end of their
contemplative thinking. These are days of reminder and
with this reminder the Book is closed and the final read-
ing given until the Book is again opened in another year.
But to those who find Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
the beginning of a year of intensive thinking there is much
to be said. We need to re-evaluate our Jewish way of life,
the many institutions and organizations making up our
communal existence.
It is not an aasy task to dolvo Into tha many facets of
our Jewish existence. It is not always the opportune time
to think out the solutions to the problems facing us. It is
even leas opportune and certainly moye difficult to air
▼lews and concepts of Jewish life at such times. It is said
that this year is a year of crisis. It Is said we must not
disturb the cooperative effort at finding a solution or
solutions. It is said that we should hush our criticism
and our suggestions, for people will misunderstand.
Every year in the past has been a year of crisis. Every
year has been a year of great need. Every year will con-
tinue to find some crisis to challenge our spirit and to
test our mettle. It has ever been—it might continue to be.
We must not continue to err. We must not continue
to encourage the continued waste of money, of energy, of
effort and accomplishment simply because Jewry faces
an additional crisis. We must speak out. We must make
our voices heard—else there will be a continuance of the
present evils. We need to forget the past, its turmoil and
its hates, and begin to plan for tomorrow.
From week to week I shall take up various facets of
our communal life and ask the eternal "why." There are
loopholes in our living, in our mode of existence. There
certainly should be the answers available, or else the cor-
rective methods employed. Among the vexing problems
comes the reality of diminishing returns. Our group liv-
ing has been geared to high finance these past two de-
cades. Bigger and bigger sums of money have been raised.
There is a leveling off process. And this. too. must be
taken into account. So I raise a number of questions.
1. Why do we continue the existence of individual or-
ganizations within the UJA sphere? The conflicts between
Zionists and non-Zionists have disappeared in fund rais-
ing and distribution. Why must we continue to support
the overhead and added luxury of additional offices, office
staffs and high priced executives? If money is so precious
and can save lives why do we feed the well-fed in this
country and starve out those who need this food else-
where.
2. Why must we continue to include organizations whose
efforts duplicate the efforts of other organizations? Should
HIAS continue its own existence because it once fulfilled
a splendid role and did a fine job? How about the over-
lapping of over-seas agency work of the Council of Jew-
ish Women, of the Labor Committee, the American Jew-
ish Committee, the B’nai B’rith and other organizations?
Why should we build and maintain offices and personnel
for organizations simply because there is a pride in those
organizations?
3. Why should we have so many defense organizations?
Why can’t the functioning of the organizations be directed
by one central force? Why should we spend thousands and
thousands of dollars—and I could say millions—in back-
ing up one or the other organization? These are precious
dollars and there is a limit to thad bulging pocket which
we call American Jewry.
4. The entire field of social service has grown like Top-
sy. How are we going to sit down and place our evalua-
tion upon this phase of our communal development. Are
many of these social services essential? Are they too cost-
ly? Are we getting dollar for dollar value from them?
What about the personnel? About personnel practice?
5. We have many institutions, many organizations. Have
some outlived their usefulness? Can we consolidate some?
Can we bring chaos out of the turmoil of fund raising? Can
we combine fund raising of kindred institutions dedicated
to the same cause?
6. What about our religious life? Can we begin to see
the future in terms of American living? Can we originate
an American orthodoxy? Do we have the vision to. break
chains of traditional modes and recognize those changes
and make them official? Can we give direction to our fu-
ture generations or are they going to drift between a ghet-
to orthodoxy and a cold Reform—or nowhere? What about
our religious education? Is it adequate, is it worthwhile?
7. How can we dissolve the conflict between defini-
tions of the terms “Judaism” “Jew”? Too much has been
lost in unity of action because these terms are loosely
used. We can avoid the heartache and the misunderstand-
ing if the terms are understood and properly used.
These are momentous questions and require careful
thinking and clear analysis. It may not sit well with ad-
herents of the many organizations and institutions that
make up this Jewish communal life of. ours. Ours is a
small voice—but the voice of the people is a powerful
one. We must not continue our blissful slumber and per-
mit the routine of yesterday to dominate today and over-
shadow tomorrow. In the weeks to follow, I shall, from
time to time, try to give my analysis of these questions
and the solutions which might be effected. This is a New
Year—let us make it a good year, a year of accomplish-
ment, a year of advancing greatness in the art of Jewish
living.
Pictured is Mrs. C. M. Coguenhem of Houston, address-
ing the Southwest Regional Council meeting of the Save-
A-Llfe League, held in Dallas. Sept. 10-11. At her right
is Mrs. Jack Charnow and
Houston.
Some two hundred men and
women from all over the South-
west met Saturday and Sun-
day, Sept. 10 and 11, in Dallas,
and set up the first Southwest
Regional Council of the Save-
A-Life League. Mrs. Maurice
Schackman, Dallas, was elected
president; Mrs. George Wein-
stein, Ft. Worth, Mrs. M. Wat-
man, Waco, and Mrs. M. H. Ja-
cobs, Houston, vice-presidents;
Miss Doris Barish, Dallas, sec-
retary; Mrs. Rose Mayer, Okla-
homa City, treasurer; and Mrs.
I. Freed, Galveston, parliamen-
tarian.
Highlight of the Conference
was the talk by Edgar Saper,
Houston, a recently discharged
patient of the City of Hope, the
institution supported by the
Save-A-Life League. Mr. Saper
told how his tuberculosis was
arrested within nine months;
he being one of the first pa-
tients in the country to under-
go a new type of surgery. He
explained how his left lung has
been filled with thirty-three
plastic spheres resembling ping
pong balls, and said that had
he beat able to afford hospi-
talization, he could not have re-
ceived the care and treatment
received free of charge at the
al her left Edgar Saper of
City of Hope.
Other speakers heard were
Louis Tabak, former president
of the City of Hope, and Mrs.
Jack Charnow, National Chair-
man, Auxiliary Expansion Com
mittee. Emphasis was placed on
the need for establishing new
auxiliaries in the Southwest in
order to give greater support
to the work being done by the
City of Hope. Announcement
was made of a new group start-
ed in Dallas by a teen-age
group of girls, known as the
SALLYS (Save-A-Life League
Youth). A men’s group was al-
so formed in Dallas, with Jo-
M. M. SOCIETY MONTHLY
SQUARE DANCE TO BE
HELD OCTOBER 8TH
The M. M. Society will hold
its second monthly Square
Dance on Saturday evening,
October 8, at its Clubhouse.
Dancing will be from 9:00 un-
til 12 midnight. Barney Garri-
son, well-known in the Hous-
ton Square Dance area, will be
the caller, and several guest
callers will also be present.
Music will be provided by a
local square dance band.
All interested in square danc-
ing are cordially invited to at-
tend. There will be an admis-
sion charge of $1.50 per couple.
I shall pass through this
world but ones; any good
things therefore that I can do.
or any kindness that I can
show to any human being or
dumb animal, let me do it now.
Let me not defer it or neglect
it for I shall not pass this way
again.—Galsworthy.
seph Berger temporary chair-
man.
Mrs. Mel Crohn, Dallas, was
named Regional Expansion
Chairman, and she and her
committee plan to start func-
tioning immediately to further
the cause of the City of Hope
in the Southwest.
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White, D. H. The Jewish Herald-Voice (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 1949, newspaper, September 29, 1949; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1101905/m1/2/: accessed June 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .