THE JEWISH OBSERVER Is Published Yitzchok: the Bringer of Ge'ulah, Based on an Address Monthly, Except July and August
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Subscription Moshe Akiva Druck 19 $7 .SO per year: Two years, $13.00; Three years, $18.00: outside of the Judging Your Fellow Man (based on a lecture by Rabbi United States $8.SO per year. Avrohom Pam) I Mendel Kaufman and Nisson Wolpin 21 Single copy seventy-five cents. Printed in the U.S.A. Report from Jerusalem: Someone Cares in the Bukharian Quarter I Nehama Consuelo Rezac 27 RABBI N1ssoNWoLPlN Editor The World of Novardok I Chaim Shapiro 31 Books in Review Editorial Board Shir Hashirim, A Translation and Commentary 38 DR ERNST L BooLNHEIMER Chairman The Haggadah, A Translation and Commentary 39 RABBI NA THAN BULMAN Reviewed by Aryeh Kaplan RABBi JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH fRIEDENSON A Summary of Halachos of Pesach 40 RABB! MosHE SHERER Encyclopedia Judaica 41 THE JEWISH OssERVER does-. not Second Looks at the Jewish Scene: assume responsibility for the Breira: Are There No Alternatives? 43 Kashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages. Letters to the Editor 47 FEB.-MAR. 1977 VOL. XII, Nos. 3, 4 Typography by Compu~Scribe af ArlScroll Studios was attended by more than 100,000 Jews, in cluding the leading Torah scholars in Israel as The well as many thousands of the disciples and followers of the Gerer Rebbe. The Rebbe, who was the scion of one of the most il Gerer Rebbe lustrious Chassidic dynasties, donned the mantle of leadership in 1948 upon the demise at the age of 82 of his saintly father, the previous Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Mordechai Alter, 7"ll!. His first and foremost task then was to rebuild the Gerer movement, which had suf fered most heavily at the hands of the Nazi murderers. He also played a leading role in injecting a new vitality into the Torah Yishuv, and was recognized as the pillar of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel). His love and enthusiasm for Agudath Israel is legendary; he had constantly encouraged the Agudath Israel leadership in the struggle for kedushas ha'aretz in the most difficult of times. He was one of the founders and leaders of Chinuch Atzmai - Israel's independent Torah School network. The Gerer Rebbe was the grandson of the famed Sfas Emes, who in turn was the grandson of the Chidushei HaRim, the founder of the Gerer Chassidic dynasty. His influence reached far beyond the confines of hb own followers, who today constitute the la1gest Chassidic group in Israel, and one of the largest in the world. He was revered, and his counsel was sought by both Torah leaders and Jews from every walk of life from every part of the world. He placed a major stress on Torah study, and was responsible for the founding of a complex of Gerer educational World Jewry mourns the loss of one of its institutions in Israel and in Jewish com foremost leaders, the Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi munities in the United States and Europe. His Yisroel Alter, 7"ll!, who passed away sudden passing leaves a void that cannot be filled. ly in Jerusalem at the age of 82, on 2 Adar/February 20. A more extensive article on the late Gerer The funeral, which was the largest such Rebbe r,"ll! will appear in a subsequent issue gathering in the recent history of Jerusalem, of The Jewish Observer. The Jewish Observer I February-March 1977 3 a position paper by RABBI MOSHE SHERER The New York Federation of Jewish Philanthropies survival. The rhetoric is admirable, but how much of its is not just a federation of charities. To many people, it total budget is actually ear-marked for Jewish is FEDERATION - the penultimate Jewish charity - education? serving the world's largest Jewish community on behalf According to the Federation's financial reports out of of the wealthiest Jewish community in history. As such, a total of $24,841,197 in grants during fiscal year 1975- it spends as much as 25 million dollars annually, year 76 (ending June 30, 1976) only·5.9% ($1,465,698) went after year, allocating them to a broad spectrum of for Jewish education. ':\he Federation budget for fiscal "Jewish" concerns, ranging fron hospitals and old age year 1976-77, which according to its professed shifting homes to community centers and summer sleep-away in priorities should reflect an appreciable increase in camps. educational support, allocates an additional paltry sum One of Federation's claims to the Jewish charity dol of $80,950 to education - increasing the education lar is that it guarantees "Jewish survival" - no less! share of the total to a mere 6.1%. The cumulative in Yet, over the decades, the very guardians of the Jewish crease over these past seven years of greater concern essence and the perpetuators of Judaism itself - the in over Jewish education is only .6% (from a 5.5% share in stitutions of Torah study - have been near the bottom 1970-71 to the current 6.1%), hardly a serious expres of Federation's concerns. Criticism of this Federation sion of a meaningful adjustment of its priority system. policy has been growing this past decade, especially in With Jewish assimilation on the increase, it is in view of several very strong factors: assimilation and the credible that those who hold the pursestrings of the intermarriage rate have been spiraling upward in spite Jewish charity dollar in New York City continue to dis of all the traditional Federation efforts to thwart them; play such glaring insensitivity to the root cause of the the yeshiva population has been growing, as have the tragic phenomenon of Jewish assimilation. The Jew is budgetary needs of yeshivas; the general financial dropping out of the fold, not because he lacks hospitals crunch has hit the yeshivas harder than any other seg or communtiy centers, but because he lacks the type of ment of Jewish communal life. Government funding of Jewish education necessary to enable him to withstand higher education has brought absolutely nothing to the ravages of a secular society. The puny percentage yeshiva elementary and high schools. Federation officials continue to allocate for Jewish Recently, Federation has responded to the pleas on education, compounded by less than a 1 % increase over behalf of Jewish education - at least its public seven years, puts the lie to their repeated claim that they pronouncements have been making much of its are now increasingly aware of the importance of educa heightened concern for Jewish education as the key to tion to Jewish survival. RABBI MOSHE SHERER is Executive President of Agudath Israel of Other "Federation Monies" for Education America. As of late, Federation publicity has with sleight of Parts of this position paper were previously released to the public hand laid statistical claim to special funds contributed 4 The Jewish Observer/ February-March 1977 by philanthropists for very specific educational pur The 70's - Small Change in Yeshiva Grants poses, to be distributed under Federation aegis. Incor The 70's, then, have been marked by only one porating the increased flows of these special monies positive change: The Jewish day schools and Yeshivas into the overall Federation budget has swelled the have been subjected to huge portions of sympathy. But figures to indicate a vast increase in allocation for the dosage of money has remained pitifully small. The education in 1976 as compared to 1970. But a closer Jewish community simply cannot afford to wait look at these other funds is in order before congratula anymore, and is tired of receiving lip service and pleas tions are extended to Federation for leaving behind for patience from Federation - especially at a time their inverted priorities of the past. These special funds when Jewish educational institutions are crumbling;U'i'.\:o-: include: der the weight of constant financial crisis. The Program Development Fund for Education ac With the Federation education pendulum swinging counts for $600,000 in 1975-76 distributed primarily to so very, very slowly over this past seven-year period of day schools. But these funds do not represent one dollar professed heightened concern, the time has come for of the $26,000,000 collected by Federation for its Federation to either 'put up or shut up.' When one con general fund, nor one cent from the solicitations made siders that many of the Torah institutions in this city through newspaper ads and synagogue appeals for the which are educating 50,000 children are on the brink of purpose of "Jewish survival." These are primarily the bankruptcy, with their teachers waiting insufferable contribution of an Orthodox philanthropist, Mr. periods for their 'coolie' wages, the sum allocated by Joseph Gruss, who cares deeply about yeshiva educa Federation for education is clearly not commensurate tion and whose example has inspired some other in with the scope of this crisis situation.