The Jewish Publication Society of America

JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY 409 THE JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA OFFICERS PRESIDENT SIMON MILLER, Philadelphia FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT ABRAM I. ELKUS, New York SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT HORACE STERN, Philadelphia TREASURER HENRY FERNBERGER, Philadelphia SECRETARY BENJAMIN ALEXANDER, Philadelphia ASSISTANT SECRETARY I. GEORGE DOBSEVAGE, Philadelphia EDITOR DR. B. HALPER, Philadelphia TRUSTEES DR. CYRUS ADLER 2 Philadelphia HART BLUMENTHAL * Philadelphia CHARLES EISENMAN 1 Cleveland ABRAM I. ELKUS 2 New York HENRY FERNBERGER 3 Philadelphia DANIEL GUGGENHEIM * New York JOSEPH HAGEDORN 3 Philadelphia S. CHARLES LAMPORT S New York EPHRAIM LEDERER1 Philadelphia SIMON MILLER1 Philadelphia JULIUS ROSENWALD ' Chicago 'Term expires in 1919. 2 Term expires in 1920. s Term expires in 1921. 410 AMERICAN JEWISH YEAR BOOK SIGMUND B. SONNEBORN * Baltimore HOEACE STERN 3 Philadelphia SAMUEL STRAUSS 3 New York HON. SELIGMAN J. STRAUSS 3 Wilkes-Barre, Pa. CYRUS L. SULZBERGER " New York HON. MAYER SULZBERGER 2 Philadelphia A. LEO WEIL 2 Pittsburgh HARRIS WEINSTOOK ' Sacramento EDWIN WOLF 2 Philadelphia HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS ISAAC W. BERNHEIM * Louisville REV. DR. HENRY COHEN 2 Galveston Louis K. GUTMAN 2 Baltimore REV. DR. MAX HELLER * New Orleans S. W. JACOBS * Montreal Louis E. KIRSTEIN S Boston HON. JULIAN W. MACK S Chicago REV. DR. MARTIN A. MEYER 1 San Francisco HON. SIMON W. ROSENDALE1 Albany, N. Y. MURRAY SEASONGOOD 3 Cincinnati HON. M. C. SLOSS 2 San Francisco REV. DR. JOSEPH STOLZ * Chicago HON. SIMON WOLF " Washington, D. C. PUBLICATION COMMITTEE HON. MAYER SULZBERGER, Chairman Philadelphia DR. CYRUS ADLER Philadelphia REV. DR. HENRY BERKOWITZ Philadelphia DR. S. SOLIS COHEN Philadelphia REV. DR. HYMAN G. ENELOW New York DR. HERBERT FRIEDENWALD New York DB. ISRAEL FRIEDLAENDER New York FELIX N. GERSON Philadelphia REV. DR. MAX HELLER New Orleans DR. JACOB H. HOLLANDER Baltimore REV. DR. JACOB KOHN New York REV. DR. J. L. MAGNES New York DR. MAX L. MARGOLIS Philadelphia DR. ALEXANDER MARX New York LEON S. MOISSEIFF New York REV. DR. DAVID PHILIPSON Cincinnati REV. DR. SAMUEL SCHULMAN New York 1 Term expires in 1919. * Term expires in 1920. 3 Term expires in 1921. JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY 4H HON. OSCAR STRAUS New York SAMUEL STRAUSS New York HENRIETTA SZOLD New York JEWISH CLASSICS COMMITTEE DR. CYRUS ADLER, Chairman Philadelphia REV. DR. H. G. ENELOW New York DR. ISRAEL FRIEDIAENDER New York DR. LOUIS GINZBERG New York REV. DR. KAUFMAN KOHLER Cincinnati DR. JACOB Z. LAUTERBACH Cincinnati DR. HENRY MALTEK Philadelphia DR. ALEXANDER MARX New York REV. DR. F. DE SOLA MENDES New York REV. DR. DAVID PHILIPSON Cincinnati REV. DR. SAMUEL SCHULMAN New York HON. MAYER SULZBERQER Philadelphia The Board of Trustees meets in January, March, May, and October. The Publication Committee meets in the afternoon of the first Sunday in January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November, and December. 412 AMERICAN JEWISH YEAR BOOK THE ANNUAL MEETING OP THE JEWJSH PUBLI- CATION SOCIETY OP AMEEICA The Annual Meeting of the Jewish Publication Society of America was held on Sunday afternoon, March 24, 1918, at the Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning, Philadel- phia, Pa. The meeting was opened with prayer by Eabbi Samuel Fredman, of Philadelphia. The President of the Society, Mr. Simon Miller, acted as Chairman, and Mr. Prank J. Eubenstein, of Philadelphia, acted as Secretary. The President then read his annual address. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Ladies and Gentlemen: Thirty-one years ago a group of Jews met in Philadelphia to discuss ways and means by which the Jewish Community of America, numbering then about 400,- 000 souls, might be supplied with the necessary books " giving instruction in the principles of the Jewish religion and in Jew- ish history and literature." The founders of the Society were actuated by the belief that no people can be called great unless it possessed and had available a great literature. They felt that this literature, the common heritage, must be widely disseminated, if that people is to maintain its identity. Par- ticularly is this true of the Jews who are a minority people and must struggle against overwhelming odds to avoid being engulfed in their non-Jewish surroundings. How effectively the Society has been the medium for the wider dissemination of our sacred heritage the list of the one hundred and four books published and the number of copies distributed testify. That thousands of Jewish homes are being JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY 413 supplied by us with shelves of Jewish books is a fact well known. This year alone we have printed and reprinted about 180,000 books, bringing the total copies distributed by the Society to about 1,200,000. While we are far from our goal, it is note- worthy that our ratio of membership to Jewish population would represent in one of the dominant churches fully 100,000 to 125,000 members. What publishing house, sectarian or secular, has such an assured distribution of its output? That thousands of sets of Graetz's " History of the Jews," and thousands of copies of the writings of such men as Schechter, Lazarus, Ginzberg, Ahad ha-'Am, Abrahams, Karpeles, Perez, and Zangwill form the permanent collections of Jewish books in Jewish households testify that the wished-for consummation has been at least partially realized. Statistics at best are annoying, but may not one refer with a modest and justifiable pride to a membership of 15,000, about 3500 of whom were enrolled during the year; to sales of books amounting to $46,000; to two editions of the Bible consisting of 40,000 copies, most of which have been distributed and sold; to 60,000 copies of Prayer Books and Bibles intended especially for the use of Jewish Soldiers and Sailors in the service of their country? Comparison with figures of previous years reveals a continued and progressive growth. In fact, when one watches the growth of Jewish intellectual movements in America, one is justified in agreeing with Mr. Jacob H. Schiff, who expressed the belief that on American soil the world will yet behold a Judaism rivalling the glorious spiritual and intellectual splendor of the Spanish period. Our Society is doing its share, in co-operation with the several institutions of Jew- ish learning, to hasten the realization of this desire. But to do this we require the help and good will of our people. If thirty 414 AMERICAN JEWISH YEAR BOOK years ago we could aspire to a membership of ten thousand, we ought to have at least fifty thousand members now. A community which numbers scores of national organizations with constituent memberships running into hundreds of thousands ought to be a fertile enough field for one large educational organization. We seek a larger membership because we desire to be of greater service. Our joy on this occasion is marred by the loss which our people and our Society have sustained in the passing away of two of our distinguished colleagues. Mr. Morris Newburger, our first President, did pioneer work during the first ten years of the Society's existence, rendering inestimable service, and his co-operation as a trustee in the twenty years following was of an equally valuable character. His memory will always be a blessing. Dr. Henry M. Leipziger was first Vice-President of the Society since its organization and a member of the Publi- cation Committee for over seventeen years. He was a man of varied accomplishments and unremitting industry. His ear- nest labors in the cause of popular instruction made him a marked figure in the educational life of New York, and gave him a national reputation. Though feeble in health, he jour- neyed to Philadelphia to take part in our meetings and do his share in the work. His death is a loss to the Society and to the whole community. All the books sent to members of the Society last year have been favorably received by them and by the press. In The Story of Bible Translations Professor Max L. Margolis traces the history of the most important translations and the influence they exerted. He tells us how the translations spread through- out the world, how some were epoch-making, and how new reforms of thought resulted from them. The author's mastery JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY 415 enabled him to treat the subject with authority and in a style at once attractive and popular. Following within a few weeks after the publication of the monumental new translation of the Bible, this volume served well to explain to Jew and non- Jew the importance of our version and the influence it would exert upon Jewish life in English-speaking countries. The American Jewish Year Booh for 5678 was generally ac- claimed the most successful issue since the first one appeared in September, 1899. This issue was edited by the accomplished Director of the Bureau of Jewish Statistics and Research, Dr. Samson D. Oppenheim. It contained, in addition to the store-house of timely Jewish statistics and other information, an important article by Mr. H. 0. Sandberg, introducing the Jews of Latin America to us and bringing their history and present interests nearer to us. Mr. Max J. Kohler's able article on Jewish Eights at International Congresses is of special value at this time. Miss Emily Solis-Cohen's translation of Judah Steinberg'.- collection of tales, issued under the title The Breakfast of the Birds and Other Stories, was the third book sent to our members. These delightful tales of Steinberg are fanciful, alle- gorical, and some satirical, but all of them are possessed of literary quality well worth rendering into any tongue. The make-up of the book as to format and type, particularly the four charming illustrations in color, prepared especially for the book by a girl fourteen years of age, and the attractive cover design, make this volume as fine a juvenile as could be desired.

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