Page:Jews and Judaism in America (Ezra).djvu/10

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.

[ 4 ]

would engulf the Jewish religion in the long run, proved sadly to be true, as I will show you later on.

The city of Chicago has become notorious as a hotbed of anti-Judaism. The community is presided over by a distinguished modern Jeroboam, namely, Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, (who, by the way, has recently celebrated his 25 years of activity in Sinai Temple Congregation.) This rabbi, (mind you I do not say Jewish rabbi) has fathered the reform movement with all his might and has carried the campaign so far as to deliberately alter the Decalogue Sabbath into the first day of the week. With characterestic energy this modern apostle of new-fangled Judaism has officiated at a marriage ceremony between Jews and Gentiles. His "radicalism" is so extreme that he is hardly to be distinguished from a Christian clergyman. It is said that he finds pleasure in seeing his views and actions assailed by his opponents, which only proves an incentive to him to add more fuel to the fire.

Cincinnati, is renowned for its seat of Jewish learning, to wit, the Hebrew Union College, which was founded by the late Dr. I. M, Wise for the purpose of raising and equipping Rabbis in Israel with reform proclivities. At present it is presided over by Dr. K. Kohler and his extreme radicalism proves that the College no longer stands for the glory of Judaism but just the opposite. Were Dr. Wise alive to-day he would lament over the departure of this glory. But circumstances have changed and those who are powerful to take action tolerate such differences of opinion.

San Francisco possesses over 20,000 Jews, most of whom are under the baneful influence of Dr. Jacob Voorsanger, a most radical reformed rabbi, and who was one of the advocates at the recent Central Conference of American Rabbis, urging the necessity of substituting