Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 January 1962 — Page 4

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Fciday, January 5, 1962

Th« Notional Jewish POST and OPINIO*

Jewish Youth Criticized

For Ignorance of Judaism

IsONDON (P-OI — A non-Jewish social worker criticized Jewish fpMith at a recent young people’s meeting here for failing to acquire a knowledge of their religious and cultural heritage.

The speaker was Stanley Rowe, leader of the Manchester JLB and Club. The occasion was the Thirteenth Annual Coaference of the Members’ Council of the Association for Jewish Youth at the Stepney Jewish Club and Settlement.

Mr. Rowe has devoted himself so ardently to the interests of the Jewish community for the past eight years that he is now practically accepted as a member of the community, according to the London Jewish Chronicle. He said he was distressed to fjnd that often when his best club members went on to universities they displayed a woeful lack

of knowledge concerning Judaism and the historical and cultural background of Anglo-Jewry. Rowe urged the club members to take the problems of youth into 'their own hands instead of looking to the grown-ups to solve them. Raymond Apple, Religious Director of the AJY, said it was the duty of youth to undertake the tasks which the older generation might be too tired to attempt. Nearly a hundred young people in their late teens attended the conference. They represented clubs in London, Bristol, Leeds, Luton, Manchester and Cheshire. According to the Chronicle, Rowe “deplored” what he called the failure of the Jewish community to value voluntary social workers and the tendency on the part of Jewish parents to dissuade theirchildren from taking up social work as a career.

Japanese Not Among 10 Lost Tribes, But

Hold No Bars in Respect for Their Jews

Romantic theories have traveled from Japanese shores in 1642. were < appear at Friday Tnohr serrires as to Japan, hopefully trying to veri-, two gravestones in a small Dutch the synoeogae m Takyo. remaining fy the idea that the Japanese peo- j trading mission in Deshima, to join tbeir uber refresh pie are the descendants of the ten which indicate that they cover merits are served. theory

lost tribes, or that the Ainus, the indigenous inhabitants of Japan of whom only a small remaining group now lives in the nothern island of Hokkaido, are (A Hebrew origin. Ibis theory, unlike the communities of Bene Israel in India or the Falashas in Ethiopia, has

the remains of Jewish traders. that there are voiai-be Jews m There are now from about 50C Japan can be returned tc irytho-

to 600 Jews living in Japan. Tok- logical intrigDe.

yo houses the largest Jewish com-1

again ex-

tended a polite reieeptuni by dual

munity, while about 25 families

live in Kobe.

Japanese Jews have been very Jews to mxY* then- homes m

, ....... . lucky. Even during the war. when anese soil and second. Jews are been quietly laid to rest as the the Germans, allies of Japan, were treated as social brinbers on a current search for World Jewry a t wa r against the Jews, the Jap- communal rehgious basis by the

anese were most sympathetic to tKWant people of Japan. the plight of the Jew's,allowing

them to live in peace in Japan.

Now that is is known that there Jewish Anhmert Leaves Iridge were no original Japanese Jews, Thousand Islands intemaiiana!

continues.

The history

of the Jewish

community of Japan can only be traced back to a few years after the Meiji restoration of 1868. It is possible, of course, that there had been Jews among early 16th century travelers to Japan from Por-

another theory is beginning to per- Bridge, which links the CIS. and colate. It is the custom in Japan Canada across the Sr LawresBCf for Buddhists. Shintoisls and River via a senes off five bridges

tugal, Spain, Holland and Great Christians to either profess two and viaducts that hop iron i&iand Britain; however, the only visible religions or to visit and pray in to island in Alexandria Ray. was marks left by Jewish visitors be- other temples “to keep their designed and bn£h by Jewish Dafore all foreigners were banned friends company.” Japanese also vid B. St e-nan ar.

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Christmas, Hannukah, Past -

Can You Spell

Church-State Question Lingers

Hanukkah?"

A new approach to the problem community of observances of Christmas and understood.

should be properly .through their own channels. These

Your

Patronage

Hanukkah was broached at a recent meeting of The Queens Dialogue Group, held at Antun’s Restaurant, Queens Village. Dr. S. Andhil Finebcrg, Community Relations Consultant of The American Jewish Committee, urged that the observance of Christmas and Hannukah in the public schools be removed from the arena of public controversy. This, he said, could be done by having advisory committees of Protestants, Catholics and Jews help the superintendents of schools determine programs that are acceptable and educationally desirable. In every instance the school authorities should

Everyone w'ould have advisors, in turn, would main HELENA Arkansas P-OI —

the right to urge a change of pro- j tain a dialogue to achieve as much Now that its iigfa: is past bsr's gram of any kind that he might individual understanding as possi- a small bit off b^»t from “RanAkar desire, provided that the request ble and be in position to give the — how do yon speH it ? be made enough ahead of time school authorities the best advice Rabbi Samuel 3L SMfaw off so that no demands would be made they can. jTfeaapie Bulk B, Iwg loBc—t

in December for change.

Rabbi Fineberg stated: “By October 1st, everyone should know

Dr. Fineberg proposed a plan ^hereby responsibility in each

“It is inevitable,” Dr. Fineberg ^ question off such value that he concluded, “that programs that consulted a half dozen nr mure would be acceptable in one com- authorities on the subject-

that the plans for the current year munity would not be accepted in ‘iffost scholars off Hebrew.’" he are set and cannot be changed by another. This is a genuinely local writes m the Temple Rei± E3 Bninublic debate during the period problem for which only general tetm. “speL the w ord H-A-X-T-X-v hen emotions run high.” He went standards and broad rules can be K-A-H. The Beth the first tetter on to say: “All must accept for offered from national sources.” should be transirterated with m

In respect to the 1957 state- H-dot (a dot under the and arc ment issued by the Synagogue with a Ch The Gh sound b rtaSh Council of America opposing the like the German word in A. a observance of religious festivals, softer gutierai than the Hebrew

HannnVah Heth. If the printer has m> H-dnc

that year whatever program is

projected.”

According to Dr. Fineberg’s plan, there would be orderly pro-

make the final determination, was cedurc for dcalin e with the iss "'!« ven i 04 * Chr ‘ stma '

his feeling.

FIST JEWISH ROMAN COLONY OUSTED BY CAESAR'S ORDER

of Christmas and Hannukah ob-J observances. Dr. Fineberg said it is better Is pram a simple 3_ servance by having people of all “No objections can be raised ie- «j ^ efea cv* the wnre religious groups communicating ( gaily against that statement,” He . mrWf-ir.i T i umlihiu their wishes to the advisors advocated the “interculturaT ap- _ to wersam

preach whereby children could be 3ewist £lld entua whr fir not exposed to each others beliefs and ^ Hebrew and mvariarcr

He believes they pronounce the first svllahle as that beyond the mere legality off ^ china,

the issue the child's feeling shnnlri “Editors off newspaiker wh» re-

LONDON (P-O) — While historical records of Jews in ancient Koine arc somewhat sketchy and often confusing, the earliest evidence concerning Jews in the ancient Latin world is that the first Jewish community was expelled in 139 BCE for making propaganda on behalf of the Jewish faith, according to Arnaldo Momigliano, professor of ancient history at the University of London. Writing in the London Jewish Chronicle, Prof. Momigliano states that Hie Jews rebounded from this development sufficiently to inspire Cicero to describe them 80 years later in 59 BCE as a “political pressure group” in his Pro Flacco. Momigliano declares that the Jews established and consolidated a substantial “beachhead” in Home during the reigns of Caesar antl Augustus. However, “partial expulsions” followed under Tiberius ami C Iambus. Four thousand Jews were drafted into the Roman Legions and sent to Sardinia by Tiberius, according to Prof. Momigliano. The remains of an ancient Synagogue have been discovered at Ostia, the professor writes.

“Some medieval Jewish fami-t “But there is almost

be taken into consideration, with-

out offending the child's religious cejve Hanukkah stones from _lbesensitivities. Union off Amerirac Hebrew CnnHe said:* “A radical legalistic * Headquarbrs anc imm nothing | abstention of any reference to ebs<?where and fmc H spehsu^ wni.

lies,” states Momigliano, “claimed a bout their professions and their Christmas, which is a part of the * Cfc, hare asM jb* why aednart

to go back to the times of Titus and more recently the aristrocratic Scola-Tcmpio boasted continuity from CE 70. There is in Kimchi the famous story of a Torah scroll brought to Rome by Titus and preserved in the Synagogue of Sev-

erus.

The National Jewish Post and Opinion Publithed Weekly—$7 per year Office of publication, E. Market St., Celina, O. Entered as second class matter ot Postoffice in Celina, O. Postmaster*, send forms 3579 to 611 N. Park, Indianapolis, Indiana. Editorial and Circulation Offices Indian-

apolis Edition St. Louis Edition National Edition Louisville Edition Chicago Edition

611 N. Purk Ave 8235 Olive Blvd. 84 5th Ave., N.Y.C. 423 Citizens Bldg. 72 E. 11th St.

“From C.E. 49 to C.E. 1943 Rome was one of the safest places in the world for Jews to be, though it would be too much to say they felt invariably comfortable in the city. In 1943-44, as is well known, one fifth of the Roman Jews were killed and the whole life of the Jewish community was disrupted for the first time. “Nineteen hundred years of fairly undisturbed residence create a formidable presumption of historic’al continuity in social structure, communal institutions, liturgy and language. But alas, concrete evidence for all these points is so far lacking. “The fact is that we know anuch about the Jews of ancient Rome but we have not found the evidence which would enable us to answer about them. “Three catacombs (Montevcrde Nuovo, Vigna Randanini on the Via Appia and Villa Torlonia on Via Nomentana) have provided the majority of the inscriptions and two of these catacombs (via Appia, via Nomentana) are still available for study. The inscriptions tell us a great deal about the languages (Greek and Latin, very little Hebrew or Aramaic) of the Jews of ancient Rome and provide some essential information about the organization of their Synagogues.

social standing What we learn countr y’s culture, would deprive §«* t°g«i*er andaE ^*1 the ware social standing, wnat we Jearn; the child aD(j probably m the same maw. Oh «■* aoutsam I

about their beliefs does not nor-

will in the community. Objection took ^ eaitar '■ebster f

mally go beyond platitudes about should not, therefore." be pressed Internationa] P. 75 where ex nnr‘observances of the Law and fear to a point of no return’” He added: Ell - ch sh alphabets are translnsrof God.’ “There is no reason why there be was ctnrvineec that in

“Only the so-caUed Regina Epi-' sh ^ d no K ** Perfect harmony

laph - which states at leneth a ^y s ’^5“

faith in eternal life - and the t” ." ' * ^ ‘ Manx on

In a discussion, following Dr. iterate the Beth the first teoer Fineberg’s speech, Rabbi ’ Saul of Hanukkah. with a €h six I

Kraft stressed the need for strict think they are racorrwi ’

grim reminder from Leo, surnamed Leontius — “My friends I await you here” — break the mo-

notony. In addition, there are a >, » *

few inscriptions of proselytes. The ^ -ugLSriJSTS ~

Jewish or non-Jewish symbolism r “ lmS th ' relationship between the nyy KP* Cl ROW DC of the surviving painiings in j state and religious bodres. ***» ■XFUJi

catacombs is not of a kind to ere- ”~ "

ate serious problems for the in- 1 terpreter, though of course he who looks for a mystery will always

find one.

“References to Roman Jews in pagan literature are comparatively few and not illuminating. Negatively, it is interesting to see how ignorant an educated Roman could

Do Non-Jewish Schools Produce ‘Good Mixers?'

wwvuu DUBLIN (P-O) — Attendance by a number off schbLarships -wrrmanage to remain about his Jew- ^ cw ^ s b children at non - Jewish denaking to proode a new exiaiish neighbors. Augustus and his schools does “ot help make the sion to the coflege. contemporary, Trogus Pompeius, youngsters “good mixers despite Jewish Qirameie. believed that Jews fast on Sabbath, coiniction of many Jewish par- repanjug cm die rmfvrmr cs-.i* the

history n or”rit l uals^Inde^fTTl 1 is*not|agogup 6 HaU^here.'^aihel’s^d ffis

easy, with the sources we have, to attendance at a Jewish school 7-,-form a picture of the Jewish com- which will give the Jewish child a aSVjdSSTl^ munity of Rome during the cen- sense of security vital to proper ' f ‘*'

turies of the Roman Empire. Phi- education and the development of lo’s works and the papyri make self confidence and self respect

the Jews of Alexandria comparatively more real; we know at least what one of them thought, and we

which will make him a good mixer. The Dublin Lodge of B'nai B rith was praised by Dr. H. Tomkin,

have some idea of how they lived chairman of the Board of Goverand behaved.” 'nors of the College, for sponsorin?

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