Jews -- Periodicals; Jews -- United States -- Periodicals
I believe that what we need in our universities, what we need in the
Jewish community, is more insistence upon Judaism and more light upon
the inspiration which Judaism can bring us, and less insistence upon
the particular kind of Judaism which you or I or some one else may
consider the acme of truth. Indifference to religion and not error in
religion is the great danger of these modern times. If we really want
religion, if we want to stir again the Jew's traditional passion for
religion, if we want to inspire once more the Jew's genius for
religion, let us try to understand all aspects and all manifestations
of it, let us bend our efforts to a renaissance of religious
influence. The future of the Jew in this country will not be
determined by the theories or the practices of any one group or sect
of Jews. The result will be a composite result, to which the reform
Jew and the Zionist, the orthodox Jew and the anti-Zionist, will alike
contribute. Let us leave it to the growing generation to determine for
itself the content of the theory of life best suited to the future
destiny of the Jew. At least, within our university walls let us be
tolerant, let us be liberal-minded, let us listen to and understand
every man's point of view.
MR. HURWITZ
In the free and honest expression of adverse views which we have heard
to-night, this, indeed, has been a characteristic Menorah meeting. It
may fittingly be closed by a word from one of our staunchest friends,
one of our staunchest friends because he is an ardent and
public-spirited Jew and a patriotic American, Justice Irving Lehman of
the Supreme Court of the State of New York, the Chairman of the
Graduate Menorah Committee. He addresses this word to the convention:
"I am very sorry that I am unable to attend the
convention of the Association this year. I feel that
during the past year we have made some progress upon
which you have reason to congratulate yourselves, but
we must remember that our movement is still far from
having the force and power which I think it deserves.
We have a great and difficult task to perform if we
are to succeed in bringing back to the Jewish youth a
pride in their Jewish heritage and a knowledge of
their Jewish past, and I know that such work is worthy
of all effort. I trust that your convention may
possess the spirit and the wisdom necessary to further
the work, and I wish to renew to you my assurance of
willing co-operation."
II. The Luncheon
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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