Torah Jewry "Down Under" New Morality - How New Is It? the JEWISH OBSERVER
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ELUL 5728 / SEPTEMBER 1968 VOLUME 5, NUMBER 4 rHE FIFTY CENTS The Rising Cost of Life Torah Jewry "Down Under" New Morality - How New Is It? THE JEWISH OBSERVER In this issue ... THE RELEVANCE OF SANCTITY. Chaim Keller .................................... 3 ORTHODOXY IN AUSTRALIA, Shmuel Gorr ............................................. 8 THE NEGRO AND THE ORTHODOX JEW, Bernard Weinberger 11 THE RISING CosT OF LIFE, Yisroel Mayer Kirzner ........................ 15 THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except July and Aug~st, by the Agudath Israel of America, DR. FALK SCHLESINGER, n,,~~ i'"lt ,,T ............................................... 18 5 Beekman Stret, New York, N. Y. 10038 Second class postage paid at New York, N. Y. THE SUPREME COURT TEXTBOOK DECISION, Judah Dick......... 19 Subscription: $5.00 per :year; Canada and overseas: $6.00; single copy: 50t. Printed in the U.S.A. THE Loss OF EUROPE'S ToRAH CENTERS: A LEssoN FoR OuR GENERATION ................................................................................ 22 Editorial Board DR. ERNEST L. BODENHEI~!ER Chairman SECOND LOOKS AT THE JEWISH SCENE: RABBI NATHAN BULMAN Jews Without a Press.......................................................................... 26 RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI MoSHE SHERER A PERSONAL NOTE .. ..... ............. ......................................................................... 29 Advertising Manager "RABBI SYSHE HESCHEL Managing Editor RABBI YAAKOV JACOBS THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for t_he J(ashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages. SEPT. 1968 VOL. V, No. 4 Chaim Keller The Relevance of Sanctity How New is the "New Morality"? Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will set your paths straight Be not wise in your own eyes Fear G-d and turn away from evil. Proverbs, 3 : 6-7 At a time when society faces a disintegration of all separation between the sexes which has given the moral standards, King Solomon's words-especially in authentic Beis Haknesses that sanctity which alone translation-take on a puritanical ring. What the wisest makes it a Beis Mikdash Me' at-a miniature sanctuary. of all men is saying to us is that there is an objective Authentic Judaism, having taken its stand at the standard of what is right and what is wrong, what is Mechitza has paid dearly in terms of its image, but good and what is bad: that morality is not decided by has thereby re-affirmed the cardinal significance of the consensus. principle of Kedusha to the eternity of Kial Yisroel. We have been taken to task lately by the forces of The Meehitza, besides fufilling the halachie require "liberal" religion for not relating to the problems of ments of separation between men and women without society. The measure of relevance in these circles is which the synagogue is unacceptable for public worship, one's commitment to civil rights or stand against the has served as the symbolic representation of the fence war in Viet Nam. If Orthodox Jews are not manning against the immorality which must result from the the ramparts in the fight for racial equality or carrying mingling of the sexes. the signs in the anti-war demonstrations, then we have, in this view, retired from the arena of world involve Speak to all the congregation ment and isolated ourselves behind impenetrable walls of the People of Israel of seclusion. and say to them: Yet these same religious leaders are silent on what is perhaps the most serious and far-reaching social Be holy, for I the Lord your G-d am Holy. problem which faces civilized man today: the break Leviticus 19-2 down of morality which portends the abdication of the Rashi, quoting the Medrash, explains this seemingly Divine image in Man. abstract concept of holiness enjoined on the collective It is of no small significance that the line of demarca body of Israel: "Be holy: Separate yourself from sexual tion between those retaining their allegiance to Torah immorality and from sin, for wherever you find a ii~ law and those who have shed this allegiance has been mi;, a fence against immorality, there will you find the Mechitza in the synagogue. holiness." Names can be very confusing: a synagogue can call Certainly the Viet Nam war has some bearing on itself Traditional, or Modern Orthodox, or simply Or Jewish life and survival, as does the problem of open thodox, and still have set off on the one-way street occupancy. But towering above these problems is the which leads away from Shulchan Aruch and Daas realization that Kedusha is vital to our survival, and Torah. The Mechitza has been the one tangible, dis immorality among Jews is a greater threat than any timmishincr factor, over which the battle of "the Chris- o 0 social issue external to the Jewish people. This does tianization of the Synagogue" has beeu fought, and not mean that Jews shonld adopt a policy of callous which has removed a great deal of the confusion en disregard for the problems of others or that we should gendered by these labels. It is the readily discernible be insensitive to the ideals of peace and social justice. It does mean, though that Jews as Jews and Jewish RABBI CHAIM KELLER is Rosh Yeshiva at the Chicago Branch organizations as such, must first and foremost address of the Telshe Yeshiva, and a frequent contributor to these pages. themselves to the problems which affect the very exist- The }elvish Observer / September, 1968 3 Relevance in the Synagogue Conservative rabbis and their congregations Rabbi Harlow said that the remarks by Mr. throughout the country have received booklets Alston, a Protestant, had appeared in The Chris that include special prayers and pronounce1nents, tian Science Monitor, adding that they were used including remarks by Walter Alston, manager of because "wisdom and virtue are inherent among the Los Angeles Dodgers, for use on the High the pious of all faiths." Holy Days. Mr. Alston, in an interview in the paper, criti More than 50,000 copies of the booklet en cized ballplayers for spending "too much time titled, "Yearnings, Prayer and Meditations for the talking about what happened last year or com Days of Awe," have been distributed, Rabbi Jules paring this season with last," adding, "its not Harlow publications director of the Rabbinical only useless conversation, it's dangerous." Assembly, the international association of Con Mr. Alston concluded with: servative spiritual leaders said. "Each spring I try to wipe my slate clean and "We feel," said Rabbi Wolfe Kelman, execu start all over again, and I think that the new tive vice president of the assen1bly, "that we nzust spring is the 1nost important in my life." keep the services in our congregations 1nore re lated to the lives of our people." -The New York Times, August 25, '68 ence of their own people and culture. We are not at closing, he wrote something like this: "Now please all that secure in our positions-no one else will secure don't 1nisunderstand me. I'm no square. I am opposed them for us-that we can afford to dissipate our ener to the draft and the war in Viet Nam. l favor a federal gies and substance in combating all the injustice that open housing bill. I endorse selective free love and an1 there is under the sun. Too long have we guarded all for the legalization of marijuana. But I feel that the the world's vineyards. with the result that our own administration should . ...'' vineyard is in such a state of neglect. Apparently be felt ill at ease in voicing an opinion From all sides we hear what has already become a which was at odds with the prevalent mood on campus monotonous refrain: we must concern ourselves with and therefore hastened to present his credentials, and the defection of our college youth, who have become to assert that he, after all, was "no square" but one disenchanted with Judaism because our rabbis refuse of the crowd, who conformed with the "in" thinking to talk out on the burning issues of our day. Those on all other matters. who sound these alarms, however, seem to overlook To compound the problem: not only do those who the most obvious factor in the loss of these young speak in the name of religion not speak out forcefully people. The real problem is that they are introduced on this and related subjects; not only do they not con on the college campus into an intellectual at1nosphcrc demn the trends which are corrupting our youth, un of agnostic disdain for spiritual values and-what is dermining the family structure and gnawing at the very even worse-into a life of sheer hefkairus--of heart roots of our society; not only do they not clamor for rending and soul searing amorality which no manner an end to profane living as they do for an end to the of anti-war or civil rights pronouncements can cure. Viet Nam war. Their silence on these matters would be bad enough. But when they do speak out on matters THE UNIVERSITY CAM PUS has become the center of of morality, more often than not, they speak of "up intellectual ferment, the focal point of social agitation. dating" and "revising" moral standards. They turn the source of militant idealism-and the breeding to, of all people, these very same college students for ground of Ubertinism and promiscuity. guidance as to what should or should not be considered A recent letter to the editor in the Chicago Sun acceptable human conduct. Times signed by an undergraduate with a typical Amer ican Jewish name, brought this point home most poig The National Jewish Post and Opinion (May 17, nantly to me. The student protested the tactics of a 1968) recently reported: group of black students who had taken over the ad Fallowing through on its previous view that 'the ministration building at his school.