PROCEEDINGS ס־ סכ Oo M M ס Z O (0 NOVEMBER 14-18, 1971
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Cz 4־ n ס (0 < z> G O Q UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF AMERICA C PI o z < 1971 Biennial Convention PzI H oz PROCEEDINGS ס־ סכ oO m m ס z o (0 NOVEMBER 14-18, 1971 (0 CONCORD HOTEL, KIAMESHA LAKE, N. Y. "To renew the old, to sanctify the new" (Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook) K 3 tl mi UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF AMERICA 1971 Biennial Convention PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 14-18, 1971 CONCORD HOTEL, KIAMESHA LAKE, N. Y. "To renew the old, to sanctify the new" (Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook) TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword v Program xvi Welcome Address — Harold Stubenhaus 1 Induction of New Congregations — Maxwell Kaye 3 Plenary Sessions 4 President's Biennial Report — Jacob Stein 7 Jewish Education, The Number One Priority — Bernard Segal 17 ״ Greetings and Introduction of Rabbi Robert Gordis — S. Gershon Levi ..19 The Amateur Spirit, the Secret of Vitality in Judaism — Robert Gordis .... 22 Not Identity, But Identication is the Problem — Gerson Cohen 35 On the Alienation of Our Youth — Elie Wiesel 37 Watershed for Conservative Judaism — Mordecai Waxman 40 "If I Forget Soviet Jewry, Let My Right Hand Wither Away" — Gideon Hausner 44 Schechter, the Man . And Another Man — Bernard Mandelbaum 47 Revolution in Man's Heart — Louis Finkelstein 50 Calling a Halt to Hopelessness — Jacob Stein 53 Divrei Torah: Memorial Tribute to Charles Rosengarten — A. Joseph Heckelman 55 Two Impulses of Man — Mordecai Kieffer 58 Conferences in Convention: The Brutalization of Society Why is Health a Luxury? — Edmund O. Rothschild 61 The Role of the Synagogue in Mental Health — Sydney R. Katz 66 Drugs and Drug Abuse — Simon Slavin 70 The Jewish Poor —Ann G. Wolfe 83 Drug Abuse is a Jewish Problem — Elliot T. Spar 87 Conference on Summer Activities One Attempt to Activate the Sluggish Summer Activities: The Synagogue Moves to the Home — Joel T. Klein 90 iii The Current Scene in Education: Opportunity and Challenge The American Jewish Community, The Public Schools and Cultural Pluralism: The Reality and the Myth — Seymour P. Lachman 95 The Jewish Day School—Our Only Hope — Howard D. Singer 106 American Jewish Education: Realities and Prospects — Eli Grad 111 Jewish Education—Day School and Supplementary — Elvin I. Kose 117 Experiment, Experience and the Supplemental School — Alvin Mars 122 The Alienated Student—and His Institutions — Norman Adler 129 The Adult in Education — Louis M. Levitsky 135 Conference on Jewish Identity No Jews, No Jewish Identity — Milton Himmelfarb 140 Synagogue Long-Range Planning — The Changing Society and Its Effect on the Synagogue Cooperative Action — Arthur J. Levine 146 Future of the Synagogue — Wolfe Kelman 150 The Congregation Program — Raphael Ellenbogen 157 Laboratory for Leaders The Future of the Small Congregation — Simcha Kling 163 Administration and Finances in the Small Congregation — Robert Fischer 168 The Religious School and the Small Congregation — Abraham Gittelson 170 Religious Services in the Small Congregation — Joseph Wiesenberg 173 Special Conference for Rabbis on Intermarriage Introductory Remarks — Irving Lehrman 176 How to Prevent Intermarriage — Israel Mowshowitz 177 No Half-Way Conversions — Judah Washer 185 Where Intermarriage has Already Taken Place — Armond E. Cohen 189 Jewish Law in Our Times — Benjamin Kreitman , ,193 New Affiliates 195 Solomon Schechter Awards 196 Citation to Outgoing Officers 198 Revised By-Laws 199 Introduction to Guide to Congregational Standards — Judah Gribetz 207 Bingo Resolution 216 Resolutions 217 iv FOREWORD "The old must be renewed—the new must be made sacred." With this sage teaching of the late Chief Rabbi Abraham Kook as its 1971 convention theme, the United Synagogue of America has charted a future course for itself which is constructive, authentically Jewish and entirely in consonance with the philosophy of the Conservative Movement. The convention delegates found Rabbi Kook's counsel especially valuable when applied to the problems of the wider society of our times. For it is crucial that we examine the old as well as the new in confronting the powerful and conflicting forces that have shaken the very foundations of our civilization. The old contains rich insights and values which can be most helpful in insuring the future of the world and the role of Judaism in resolving the dilemmas of modern life. At the same time, as Rabbi Kook reminds us, we must be bold enough to study new ideas and undertake new approaches to unprecedented problems. Never must we be found wanting in our receptivity to novel and creative attempts to improve the lot of mankind. But the new ideas must be tested by fundamental and eternal verities. They must be sanctified by reverence for God and love of man. One of the chief tasks of the convention was to analyze and evaluate the demographic, social, and economic changes that have transformed American life, and in the process point to the need for some drastic restructuring of the synagogue. The knowledge derived from these deliberations will be essential to enable the synagogue to respond to the needs of our times and to remain the central institution of the Jewish community. Jewish religious education, youth activities, adult studies, summer activities as well as every other area of synagogue activity were likewise subjected to a searching reexamination. The United Synagogue of America utilized its 1971 Biennial to subject itself to the most thoroughgoing self-examination and reassessment since the time of its founding in 1913. The very by-laws of the organization were com- pletely revised at this convention. The Guide to Congregational Standards was extensively restructured for the first time since its original adoption in 1952. Convention speakers and delegates addressed themselves vigorously and forthrightly to the religious and ethical dimension of problems posed by current and expected developments in science, technology, industry, and government. Informative and illuminating sessions were devoted to such subjects as the brutalization of society; narcotics addiction; public vs. parochial education; population control; environmental and cultural pollution; the welfare quandry; the human impact of computerization and the problem of ethnic identity. The 1971 Biennial provided a careful appraisal of the most agonizing questions of our generation. Its deliberations and evaluations can contribute not insignificantly to the development of ideas and programs that may well insure the survival of the world. These Proceedings of the 1971 United Syna- gogue Biennial are published, not only as a historic record of an important meeting, but in the confidence that serious students of society will probe its treasure trove of information and insights for a long time to come. RABBI ALVIN KASS, Editor RABBI ALVIN KASS, Editor JEANETTE WEISSBRAUN, Assistant Editor vi UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF AMERICA OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1971-1973 President JACOB STEIN Vice Presidents HARRY ARON FRANCIS MINTZ JOSEPH BERLIN ABRAM PIWOSKY HORACE BIER MORRIS ROTHSTEIN HAROLD GROH PHILIP SELBER VICTOR HORWITZ JERRY WAGNER ARTHUR J. LEVINE EDWARD D. WYNER BEN MAGDOVITZ Treasurer Secretary HAROLD STUBENHAUS HAROLD PRESSMAN HONORARY DIRECTORS MILTON BERGER VICTOR LEFF ABE BIRENBAUM REUBEN H. LEVENSON HYMAN BRAND JOSEPH M. LEVINE ARTHUR S. BRUCKMAN PERRY LEVINSON JACK; GLADSTONE BENJAMIN MARKOWE BERT GODFREY CHARLES OLIFF REUBEN GOLDMAN ISRAEL OSEAS HERMAN GREENBERG JOSEPH I. SACHS B. L. JACOBS SIDNEY L. SCHIFF DR. MAXWELL M. KAYE DR. HENRY SIMON HARRY LAKIN SAMUEL WOLBERG REGIONAL PRESIDENTS Empire State: Ontario-Canada: DR. SHELDON I. KRIEGEL HAROLD COHEN Vll REGIONAL PRESIDENTS (Cont'd.) Central States: Pacific North-west: HERMAN FRIEDSON EDWARD! MOSKOWITZ Connecticut Valley: Pacific Southwest: WALTER FRIED CHARLES L. LIPPITT Eastern Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Branch: ALVIN WEISS EDWARD B. ROSENBERG New England: Seaboard: HYMAN PAVE HAROLD GROH New York Metropolitan: Southeast: VICTOR ZAGER DR. HAROLD C. RIVKIND Midwest: Southern New Jersey: MAX CHILL ISADORE SILVERSTEIN Northeast: Southern Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky: JOSEPH BERLIN CHARLES ABRAMOVITZ Northern California: Southwest: ARTHUR ZIMMERMAN DR. BERNARD FLANZ Northern New Jersey: Western Pennsylvania: SIMON SCHWARTZ DAVID L. CHAMOVITZ, M.D. Northern Ohio: NATHAN I. DIMOND CANTORS ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE HAZZAN YEHUDAH MANDEL EDUCATORS ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE DR. SHIMON FROST JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY REPRESENTATIVES RABBI MAX ARZT RABBI DAVID KOGEN RABBI NEIL GILLMAN DR. BERNARD MANDELBAUM DR. SIMON GREENBERG NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SYNAGOGUE ADMINISTRATORS REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD S. DANZIG viii NATIONAL FEDERATION OF JEWISH MEN'S CLUBS REPRESENTATIVE MAX M. GOLDBERG NATIONAL WOMEN'S LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVE MRS, HENRY N. RAPAPORT RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVES RABBI S. GERSHON LEVI RABBI SOL LANDAU DIRECTORS AT LARGE Gerrard Berman Judah Gribetz Emanuel Scoblionko Martin D. Cohn L. Louis Karton Nathan Shafran Monte Daniels George Maislen Arthur Siggner Franklin Feder Hyman B. Meltz Dr. Solomon Soloff Fred R. Fine Joseph Mendelson Morris Speizman Dr. Morris Fond *Henry N. Rapaport Jerry Sussman Seymour Goldberg Meyer Robinson Harry Tarler Morton Grebelsky Samuel Rothstein Louis Winer Philip Greene Sheridan Schechner David Zucker * Honorary President NATIONAL COUNCIL 1971-1973 Representatives of the Representatives of the Morton Tabas Cantors Assembly: National Association Hazzan David J. Leon of Synagogue Representatives of the Hazzan Saul Meisels Administrators: National Women's Hazzan Samuel Mrs. Larry Jaffe League: Rosenbaum Martin Leichtling