. Rabbi Stolz-I think that this is in violation of the constitution. This provides for a permanent Committee on Card Index. I will read from the last Year Book. (v. Year Book of 1907, Constitution, By-laws, Art. III., Section 11, p. 22.) The Chair-That is of course explicit. Dr. Deutsch will have to be informed that according to the constitution the Committee on Card Index will have to be continued. The second part of the report may call for some action. On motion, duly seconded, this portion of the report was referred to the Executive Committee. The report of the Committee on Contemporaneous Jewish History, Prof. G. Deutsch, Chairman, was then presented. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON CONTEMPORANEOUS JEWISH HISTORY. To the Nineteenth Annual Convention, Central Conference American Rabbis: BRETHREN: The past year has brought us some important questions affecting Jews and Judaism in our country which invite serious thought as to action of this body and as to suggestions for the communal activity of its members. In the first place, is to be mentioned the Russian passport question in which the Federal Government yielded so far to Russian tyranny as to issue a circular declaring it would not issue passports for Russia to Jews. While upon protest in the Committee of Foreign Affairs the Secretary of State withdrew this objectionable circular, the government has not yet acted on the main question, viz., the denying of the rights of American citizens to American citizens of the Jewish persuasion traveling in Russia. In internal.affairs the Sunday legislation depriving Sabbath-observing Jews of their constitutional rights still demands our attention. Of late new attempts are being made to meddle with liberty of conscience by an agitation against the Jewish mode of killing animals. It does not matter what theological position most or all the members of this Conference occupy in regard to the authority of the dietary Jews, they feel with their brethren to whom these laws are divine, and to whom any interference with such a practice rightly is religious oppression. Your committee therefore would suggest that the scope of your Committee on Church and State be extended to include such questions, or if in the opinion of the executive such declaration is unnecessary, that the attention of this committee be called to these questions and that it suggest the proper way for this Conference as a body and for its members as individuals to act in the interests of Judaism. UBRARIES CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS. 53 The case of Professor Feilbogen, of Vienna, whose wife was charged with host-desecration while attending Easter services at the Vatican, has a more than individual import. The declarations of the parties concerned show that the very regrettable incident was not as bad as originally reported, but the matter is serious enough to justify a warning, which the members of this Conference might bring home to their congregations, that Jewish tourists visiting Rome should be careful not to go to places or to attend religious exercises at which they would be bound to participate in acts which, if not done with religious conviction, must appear as mockery and offend the religious sensibilities of those to whom they are a devotion, and, furthermore, that while we Jews respect the religious views and practices of others, we must not forget the rabbinical explanation of Mordecai's behavior, who would not bow down where his fathers had not bowed down. (Midrash Rabba, Esther iii., 2.) While Judaism has no ecclesiastic authority which can interfere with the freedom of teaching, and thus produce internal disruption as in other religious denominations, we cannot deny that there is in our midst, both here and abroad, a strong undercurrent of morbid sentimentality which would decry the whole modern development of Judaism, both in practice and in theory, as makeshift or even as covert apostasy. It therefore seems proper to your committee that we extend the hand of fellowship to our brethren across the water who, like ourselves, stand for the idea of progress in Judaism. Your committee recommends that we send a message of appreciation to Geheimer Oberregierungsrat Dr. D. Mayer, in Karlsruhe, and to Stadtrabbiner Dr. M. Steckelmacher, in Mannheim, for their undaunted activity in upholding the standard of liberal Judaism. Frequent questions as to the merits of appeals for assistance from abroad would suggest that the Executive charge a proper committee, perhaps that of Social and Religious Union, with the work of investigation into such cases, so as to give proper guidance to those willing to help and to prevent frauds from preying upon the charity of our co-religionists. Such a committee would in time be able to take up the propaganda for deserving institutions and societies abroad, as in Morocco, Roumania, Galicia, Palestine and especially for the Alliance Israelite. In reviewing the list of prominent Israelites who died since the Confer- This Conference records its sorrow at the loss which Jewish literature has The Hebrew author in America is still a foreign and almost exclusively a who are doing the work of educators, and he reminds us of the rare specimens of that age of which Emanuel Baumgarten was a relic, when the “Maskil" led in the transition from the one-sided Rabbinism of the eighteenth century into the general culture of our era. It must be mentioned on this occasion that the leading Hebrew authors of Russia, with Bialik at their head, have issued an appeal on behalf of the family of Steinberg and that this appeal well deserves your attention. Your committee further suggests that this convention record its deep sorrow at the death of Abraham Goldfaden, the popular playwright and composer, at New York, January 9, 1908. The Yiddish stage, while of recent date, is no longer an anomaly, but has produced and popularized works of art, elevated the standard of taste, been a teacher of social problems, raised the self-respect of the Jews and the standing of the Jew in the literary world. Be it therefore, resolved, that this Conference express its admiration for the work done by the late Abraham Goldfaden and extend to his widow the most heartfelt sympathy of its members. The cause of Jewish learning, the dearest concern of the members of this Conference, has in the course of the last year lost three prominent representatives, Gustav Oppert, who died at Berlin, March 17, 1908; Hartvig Derenbourg, who died at Paris, April 12, 1908, and Albert Löwy, who died at London, May 21, 1908. Professor Oppert, member of a family of distinguished scholars, has not only bestowed lustre on our faith by his activity as professor of Madras University, not only enriched our store of knowledge by his investigations in the field of Jewish history in India; he has also taken active part in the advancement of the cause of Jewish learning by his unselfish work as trustee of the "Lehranstalt fuer die Wissenschaft des Judenthums," the alma mater of some of our members. Be it resolved, that this convention spread its expression of sorrow at the demise of Gustav Oppert on its minutes and send a copy of this statement to the "Lehranstalt" in Berlin, with the request to inform the family of the deceased of our action. Hartvig Derenbourg, the son of a famous father, followed the traditions of his family by his contributions to our literature and by participation in Jewish communal and educational work, and thus has won a claim on our gratitude. Be is resolved, that these sentiments be spread on the minutes of this convention and a copy thereof be sent to the "Société des Etudes Juives," with a request to transmit them to the family of the deceased. The merits of the late Rev. Dr. Albert Löwy have been duly recognized in our last convention on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday. We need not repeat them. His work is his monument. He has gone home in the fullness of years, even as a sheaf is gathered in its season. This Conference looks up to him as one of the patriarchs of a sincere and yet modern religion with gratitude to the Giver of Life, who has spared His servant to the blessed age of ninety-two and preserved to him to the end vigor of mind and soul. A copy of this statement shall be sent to the family of the deceased. It is an unusual procedure for this Conference to take special cognizance of an event like the death of Esther Ruskay, who departed this life October 30, 1907. Mrs. Ruskay was neither friendly nor even just to our cause. Still her life was our justification. A woman taking a leading position in religious life, American in her education, in her social manners and ideas, is the best justification of what, in spite of all sneers, we are proud to call American Judaism. Far from taking offense at some unkind remarks made by the deceased sister, we pay the due tribute to her sincerity and record our appreciation of the good that she did and the good that she intended, conveying to her family our sincerest sympathy. Not boastfully do we look up to the achievements of individual Jews in the advancement of mankind's good, but rather with gratitude to Him who has given a share of His wisdom and goodness to those who fear Him, and has privileged His people Israel to sanctify His name in the world. Still we may mention of the many noble men whom our community has lost during the last year some whose work is particularly suggestive. Charles L. Hallgarten, who died at Frankfort-on-the-Main, April 19, was, although born abroad and for years domiciled abroad, an American Jew. He not only won the admiration of both Jews and non-Jews in the city which he had made his home, but also forced our bitterest opponents to confess that he had proved that a liberal in religion could be not merely a good and noble citizen, but also a warm-hearted Jew. Otto Salomon, who died at Nääs, Sweden, November 3, 1907, was a world celebrity as a pioneer of manual training. We see in him a benefactor of mankind in a line of work which our enemies usually claim is shunned by Israel. Eduard Glaser, the explorer of Arabia, who died at the age of 52 in Munich, May 13, 1908, is another refutation of the charge that the Jew knows no pioneer work, that he merely wishes to reap where others have plowed and sown. And finally it is just patriotism when we mention the name of August Bondi, scion of a noble family in historic Prague, who fought, when a boy at the age of 15, for the cause of freedom in Vienna, fought by the side of that immortal hero, John Brown, for the cause of freedom in Kansas, and finally for the cause of liberty during the Civil War. He died in blessed old age October 1, 1907. We thank the Giver of Life for all these noble lives spent in accordance with the rabbinic precepts, D שמים מתאהב על ידך Respectfully submitted, G. DEUTSCH, J. MORGENSTERN, Committee. Rabbi J. Stolz-I move that the report be referred to the Committee on Resolutions, with instructions to carry out the recommendations therein. Seconded and carried. The report of the Committee on the Geiger Centeñary was presented by the Chairman, Dr. K. Kohler. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE GEIGER CENTENARY. After a lengthy correspondence between the Chairman of your committee and Prof. Ludwig Geiger, it became evident that the original plan of having the Central Conference of American Rabbis co-operate with the Geiger Committee in Germany for the purpose of publishing a great, monumental work on Abraham Geiger in commemoration of his centennial was not advisable, for the reason that the latter contemplated a work of specifically scientific character, intended for the scholarly world of Germany, and therefore laid great stress upon having it written in the German language, whereas your committee felt that in order to make propadanda among our English-speaking Jews and non-Jews for the principles and views of Reform Judaism, such as were first and for all time enunciated by Geiger, the whole should be written in English. Accordingly the Chairman called a meeting of the committee and had the original plan modified. The following is the report of the committee: I regret to state that of those members of the committee that were not present at the meeting only Dr. Enelow responded, stating his acceptance. We can therefore at present only report progress. And with your approval we would add Prof. David Neumark to the committee. It is proposed to publish a memorial volume of approximately 500 pages, of which 300 shall be devoted to papers and 200 to specimens from Geiger's writings, translated into English. The divisions are approximately as follows: 1. Biography of Geiger, by Hirsch.. 2. Bibliography of Geiger's works, with notes on the Geiger fam ily, by Deutsch..... 3. Geiger as a reformer, by Philipson. 4. Geiger as a historian, by Kohler.. 75 pages 25 pages 75 pages 75 pages 25 pages 25 pages The selection from Geiger's writings shall be made in such a way that each member of the committee shall take one part of Geiger's works and select what he considers best for translation. Out of these selections such a number of essays or chapters from larger works shall be selected, as shall be within the limits of space. |