Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 November 1965 — Page 13

Friday, November 26, 1965

The National Jewish FCST and OPINION

ONLY REWRITING GOSPELS, NOT VATICAN COUNCIL CAN EXONERATE JEWS

it ■ f Editor POST and OPINION: I am glad you published the full text of the Ecumenical Council resolution on the Jews and comments by many Israeli and American Jewish papers as well as the remarks of Rabbi Tannenbaum, who labored so hard to bring forth from the Council a declaration ending for all timo the charge that the Jews killed Jesus and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Sem-itism In all its forms. Of the two objectives, it might be thought that the second would certainly have been forthcoming after the recent murders of six million Jews as the result of anti-Semitism and the terrific howl of the Vatican when Hochhuth’s play “The Deputy" incriminated Pope Pius XII. Instead, the resolution "deplores” "displays of anti-

Semitism.”

Since the word "displays” modifies "anti- Semitism,” it

might well be considered that covert anti-Semitism is permissible. But the main point is that the Council carefully refrained from “condemning” anti-Sem-itism, past or future. Why? Undoubtedly, because it u'ould havO thereby condemned many Catholics who have been made saints as well as the gospel writers, the Apostle Paul and many of the Popes, not to mention hundreds of millions of ordinary Catholics, lay and clergy. For instance, one of the most famous Catholic landmarks in the United States is the Mission of San Juan Capistrano in California. That saint lived in the 1400’s and was called by those who admired his extreme antiSemitism “the scourge of the Jews.”. . . As to the matter of "deicide”: The document says that “the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ.” This is a

specific reaffirmation of the "deicide” charge. It charges the Jewish leaders of that time without exception with murder, (deicide is a crime impossible under monotheism — it is possible under a pagan theology). This is a libol of one of the greatest Jewish leaders of the ages. At the time Jesus was supposed to have been crucified the religious leader of the Pharisee branch of Judaism was Johanan ben Zakkai, the successor to Hillel. We have definite historical proof that Jonathan ben Zakkai was an extremely peace-loving man, and it is inconceivable that he or his disciples pressed for the death of anyone. But regardless of this reference in the schema, if anyone still believes that the Church has exonerated the Jews from the charge of killing Jesus, that belief must be dispelled when the following statement of the text

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is considered: "May all see to it,, then, that. . .they do not teach anything that is inconsistent with the truth of the Gospel. . .” Since the Church accepts all statements in the Gospels as true, that tells Catholic teachers that they can continue to teach that Jesus was crucified solely because of the Jews’ determination that he be killed and even, as St. Matthew reports in his Gospel (Chap. 27:25), the curse, "Then answered all the people and said. His blood be on us, and on our children.” Actually there is no way for the Jews to be exonerated without rewriting all four Gospels. But not enough millions of Jews have yet died because of the libels of the Gospels to cause the Church to do that or even to order that the poisonous portions of the Gospels not be taught. The resolution contains many other statements that cannot be

accepted- by any Jew who it proud that he is one and wants Judaism to survive. To note and discuss all those statements would require a lengthy article. Essentially the resolution is, and was intended to be, a great piece of propaganda for the Church, designed to ob ain goodwill and converts, from the nonCatholie world and salve the consciences of any Catholics who may be worried over the results of anti-Semitism. It has impelled a few Jewish leaders and writers to say some kind things about the Church. It seems to have sa isfied the Arabs — no great outcry from them against it has been heard. It las been applauded by many libe-al Protestant leaders. And, froiij statements of Cardinal Bea reported in the New York Times, even his coascience seems to have been salved by it. PHILIP P. BROWN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKI.A.

Freedom of the Press All letters to the editor should be addressed to the National Jewish Post and Opinion, 811 North Park Ave„ Indianapolis, Ind., 16204. The letters should he typed and should be concise. Anonymous letters will not be printed. No letters will be returned. Short letters get preference.

What Are Our SinsRequiring Atonement?

Editor, POST and OPINION: It was with interest that I read your news article of Nov. 12, about the strong criticism of the Schema voiced by rabbis and editorials. However, I cannot understand Rabbi Jacob J. Weinstein’s statement that "we should be ready and happy to join with the Church in all actions which will help our common humanity atone for all the sins of the past — theirs and ours.” "’Xtieir” sins against our peo-

P-0 Apologizes For Wrong Photo of Lubovitcher Rebbe Editor, POST and OPINION: OCTOBER 15 ISSUE SHOWS PICTURE OF LUBAVITCHER REBBE LABELLED BOB GILr HOOLEY. ISN’T APOLOGY FORTHCOMING? RABBI MARVIN RUBIN New York City Editor’s note: Our apology to Rabbi Menahem Schneerson for this egregious error.

African Students Warned After Attack On Embassy JERUSALEM — Regret over the attack on the British Embassy building here by African students against British refusal to use military force in Rhodesia was voiced this week by a Foreign Ministry spokesman. The demonstrators, the Israeli Government will not tolerate a recurrence of such protests. At the same time the spokesman noted that Israel had formally condemned the illegal regime in Rhodesia. Hie demonstrators broke all window panes in the four-story building.

pie are well known. But in what way have we sinned against them? Perhaps we did not furnish more victims to all manner of persecution, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the blood-libels, etc., etc., not to mention the 6 million of our own days? It would be well for Rabbi Weinstein to explain his statement and to tell us what we have to atone for vis-a-vis the Church. RABBI LOUIS KAUFMAN Manitowoc, Wise.

Husband Gets 1 Year Polygamy OK In Yeman, But Not In Israel TEL AVIV — In Yemen a Jew could have more than one wife. When the entire Yemenite community was moved to Israel where monogamy is the law, the problem arose in connection with those Yemenite Jews with more than one wife. The decision was to permit this polygamy, but not to allow more subsequently. Consequently authorities took a dim view of a Yemenite Jew who took a second wife after coming to Israel. Judge A. Movshkovitch handed Yosef Amar, 52, a father of six, a one-year prison term for taking a second wife — a teenage girl. The judge also gave Aharon Cohen, 77, a suspended one-year sentence and levied a fine for officiating at the wedding. The court acquitted Amar of a charge of relations with a minor when the prosecution failed to prove that the girl was only 14 years old. SPYING CHARGES DROPPED BAGDAD — Four Jews arrested in Basra several months ago have been ao^ 'itted by the Security Court ot charges of spying for Israel.

Jewish Education Not Related To Interest Of Young

NEW YORK — The failure of most current methods of Jewish education to relate to the interest of young Jews was pointed up in a paper delivered here by Manuel G. Batshaw, Director of National Services of the National Jewish Welfare Board. Addressing the Herzl Institute’s two-day conference on "Planning on the Jewish Community of Tomorrow — 1975” Batshaw said, "Our failure to find new methods which are in consonance with the interests and challenges of young people may also explain why our Jewish education services have been frustrating. Some of o u r schools are still using methods and materials which were created and suitable to east European Jewry in a past generation instead of creating new approaches which challenge the minds of young people.” HE RELATED the results of two studies exploring what Jewish teenagers are interested in. One in the midwest called the Harris Study among 200 boys and girls aged 14-16 showed high interests in athletics, socials discussions about themselves and relatively low rating to community services, cultural and Jewish content. A more recent eastern study by Weisman among 231 teenagers (71 male and 160 female) identified as the top five of nine programs which interested them -boy-girl relationships, socials, Jewish identification, college and service projects. BATSHAW SAID our goal in reaching the teenagers is to help him or her develop a close identification with the Jewish people, its history, values, traditions, aspirations, etc. How does identification occur? One scholar describes it as ‘an interplay of experience and memory . . .* in which each generation evolves its own inherent design, thus giving the identification its own identity. Applied to our subject, it means that teen-

agers will develop a positive Jewish identification if t h ey have meaningful experiences, which added to a memory of history, family upbringing, etc. enables them to evolve a design for living which is indigenous to the contemporary society.” In a recent New York study by Carp among 306 high school boys and girls, it was found that 90 per cent of the boys had 3 to 5 years of Jewish education, which was higher than percentages found in other studies, but 50 per cent of the girls had only one year of Jewish education, which was lower than other studies. BOTH MALES and females expressed a clear desire for their children to have a Bar Mitzvah and to provide them with a Jewish education equal or better than their own, the survey showed. The Carp survey also showed that 20 per cent of teens attended synagogues frequently, which was higher than other studies, and 65 per cent attended during the High Holidays only. TWO-THIRDS have a kosher or partially kosher home, although 95 per cent eat non-ko-sher food outside the home. Sixty five per cent said they intend to maintain a kosher or partially kosher home. Other points in the survey reflected an interest in non-Jewish friends, but only 20 per cent inter-dated — mostly girls. THE CARP SURVEY also showed that the teens’ sense of values left a lot to be desired. For instance, 50 per cent believed their world places value only on monetary and other material things. More than twothirds believed it is best to be honest, but nearly one-third would cheat in order to pass an exam. Half of them said their own personal problems are always more important than the problems of others, and one-third believed their parents were "too old” to understand them. "STUDIES OF teen-agers and the S p e c h t Study on Young Adults have indicated,” Batshaw said, that "they are ovolv-

which they accept their Jewishness in a very relaxed way,” he said. "They do not seek to escape it. However, the content or influence of their Jewishness tends to be superficial. . .” Batshaw said the surveys indicate that the majority of teens follow a “minimum amount” of Jewish religious or ceremonial practice. . .some stemming from parental or grandparental attitudes. HE SAID Jewish educational training will not make any appreciable progress until it is mathematics and physics and as made “as exciting as modern useful as preparing for a career.’^ . •" He noted that about 50 p e r cent of Jewish youth, excluding those who may receive formal Hebrew education, do not participate in any Jewish activities. "THE TASK before us is to help Jewish teen-agers to see and be influenced by and to recognize the relevance of Jewish values to everyday living,” Batshaw said. J Despite the various surveys, Batshaw, conceded the Jewish leadership does not know enough about the Jewish teenager. "Thus, we have to mobilize the resources of all national Jewish organizations to provide the necessary research so that we can work more effectively with this age group,” Batshaw stated. HE ADDED that “positive” Jewish identification will result only if the Jewish experiences of teen-agers are seen by them to be "authentic and relevant to their everyday life.”

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