Called to order by President Sharfman at 3 P.M. in the Faculty Room,
McMicken Hall. Chancellor Hurwitz delivered the report of the Officers
for 1914.
_Abstract of Officers' Report for 1914_
In his report in behalf of the Officers, the Chancellor referred to
the organization in the past year of the eight Menorah Societies which
were admitted into the Intercollegiate Menorah Association at the
previous session of the Convention, making in all thirty-five
constituent Societies, every one having arisen spontaneously at its
college or university, with the full approval and encouragement of the
authorities. Additional Societies are in the process of formation at
several other universities.
With reference to the organization of Graduate Menorah Societies, the
time was deemed inopportune to proceed definitely in the matter, the
war situation absorbing the attention and energies of so many of those
who would otherwise be interested in the idea of Graduate Menorah
organization, and it was recommended that detailed consideration of
the question be laid over another year. But a beginning of Graduate
organization has already been made in Scranton, Pa., where a Graduate
Menorah Society has been formed.
The Intercollegiate Menorah Association has been very cordially
invited to join the Corda Fratres International Federation of
Students, whose objects are: "To unite student movements and
organizations throughout the world, to study student problems of every
nature, and to promote among students closer international relations,
mutual understandings and friendship; to encourage the study of
international relations and problems; to stimulate a sympathetic
appreciation of the character, problems and intellectual currents of
other nations; to facilitate foreign study, and to increase its value
and fruitfulness. The movement is neutral in all special religious,
political and economic principles." (From the official declaration of
principles.) The Corda Fratres at present comprises the following
national organizations as its constituents: Consulates of Corda
Fratres in Italy, Holland, Hungary and Greece; the Association
Generale des Etudiants de Paris, and the Union Nationale des
Associations des Etudiants de France; the Verband der Internationalen
Studentenverein in Germany; the Liga de Estudiantes Americanos,
including student organizations in the Argentine Republic, Brazil,
Chile, Paraguay, Peru and other countries in South America; and the
Association of Cosmopolitan Clubs in North America. Thus, at present,
the sole United States constituent is the Association of Cosmopolitan
Clubs. It was recommended that the Intercollegiate Menorah Association
accept the invitation to join Corda Fratres as a unit co-ordinate with
the Association of Cosmopolitan Clubs, it being understood that the
Menorah Association, while thus expressing its approval of the
purposes and spirit of Corda Fratres and desiring to aid in its
influence and to contribute the element of Jewish culture and ideals
to its spiritual constituency, would not be qualified in any way as to
its autonomy, purposes, and activities.
During the past year the Association continued its lecture system, and
genuine thanks are due to all the speakers, members of the Menorah
College of Lecturers, who have so generously given of their time and
effort to the Menorah Societies.
Similarly, the Association has been enabled to continue sending
Menorah Libraries to its constituent Societies. In most cases these
books have been placed at the disposal of all the members of the
university no less than of the members of the Menorah Societies, and
the authorities have expressed their warmest gratitude for these
contributions to their library facilities, even though the books
remained the property of the Jewish Publication Society of America.
The presence of the books has done a great deal to stimulate actual
reading and study on the part of Menorah members, and the work of the
study groups has notably increased during the past year. This is a
most gratifying evidence of the seriousness with which the students
are taking hold of the Menorah idea. They are still hampered by lack
of suitable syllabi, the preparation of which has been unfortunately
delayed on account of the impaired health of the scholar who had
undertaken to prepare them, but it was hoped that the syllabi would be
made available before long.
The chief visible product of the administration the past year was the
180-page booklet entitled "The Menorah Movement," which contains a
full and official exposition of the nature and purposes of the Menorah
movement, a detailed history of the several Societies as well as of
the Intercollegiate organization, including reports of the conferences
and conventions, besides other material illustrating the attitude of
the university authorities and the general community towards the
Menorah movement. Its preparation took several months of labor on the
part of the Officers of the Association (special credit being due to
the Secretary, Mr. Isador Becker), assisted by the various Societies.
An edition of five thousand, of which only a comparatively small
number of copies remain, was distributed all over the country among
the members of the Societies, other students, university authorities,
alumni, and the interested public. It served to arouse both the
academic and lay interest in the movement and to spread authoritative
information about the nature and purposes of the Menorah Societies.
This publication also prepared the way for the issue of the permanent
and periodical Journal of the Menorah Association, the desirability of
which has been felt almost from the beginning of the Intercollegiate
organization and reaffirmed at the last Convention. It had been hoped
that the first number of THE MENORAH JOURNAL would appear in time for
this Convention, but the demands of an initial number that should in
every way be worthy of the Menorah ideal of the JOURNAL required a
little more time, and the first issue could not appear before January,
1915.
THE MENORAH JOURNAL, it was hoped, would not only spread interesting
and authoritative information about the activities of the Menorah
Societies and stimulate their work further in the future, but would
itself be a potent means of promoting Jewish knowledge and literature.
The JOURNAL was meant to appeal not to Menorah members alone nor to
students only, but to all within and without the universities who were
interested in the literary treatment of Jewish life and aspiration.
The JOURNAL was extremely fortunate in having the counsel and literary
co-operation of many leaders of Jewish thought and action of all
parties (for list of Consulting Editors see Contents Page), the
JOURNAL itself, like the Menorah Societies, being non-partisan, a
forum for the free expression of variant views.
Upon the success of the JOURNAL will largely depend the future
progress of the Menorah movement and its other literary enterprises
contemplated, _e. g._, pamphlet essays and Menorah Classics, which for
the present should be postponed, all energies having to be devoted to
the JOURNAL.
The gratifying encouragement given to the JOURNAL enterprise by many
men in the community is but a specific application of the co-operation
of the Graduate Menorah Committee, headed by Justice Irving Lehman,
which has continued during the past year to assist the Association
generously and in the most admirable spirit, the committee reposing
absolutely perfect confidence in the officers of the Association. To
that co-operation and spirit of confidence the Association owes a
great deal which it can repay only by continued effective devotion to
the cause which is equally dear to the students and the graduates. It
was deemed advisable that for the present the Graduate Menorah
Committee should continue as an informal body.
A gratifying evidence of the mutual co-operation of the Menorah
Societies in a material way during the past year was shown in the
appropriation of fifty dollars by the Harvard Menorah Society for the
Association.
All in all, the Association during the past year may be said to have
advanced satisfactorily, though the Officers are conscious of the
great opportunities which still remain before the organization.
Indeed, the Menorah work is still in its beginnings. With the loyal
co-operation of the students and the graduates, the Association looks
forward confidently to a bright and big future.
_Resolutions_
After due consideration and discussion, the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted:
RESOLVED, _That the Intercollegiate Menorah Association, organized for
the promotion in American Colleges and Universities of the study of
Jewish history, culture and problems, and the advancement of Jewish
ideals, affiliate with the "Corda Fratres" International Federation of
Students._ Note: This resolution was adopted upon the conditions (1)
that the Intercollegiate Menorah Association be received into the
International Federation of Students as a unit co-ordinate with the
Association of Cosmopolitan Clubs, and (2) that the autonomy, purposes
and activities of the Intercollegiate Menorah Association shall nowise
be qualified by such affiliation.[H]
RESOLVED, _That the fifty dollars contributed by the Harvard Menorah
Society to the Intercollegiate Menorah Association be devoted to_ THE
MENORAH JOURNAL.
RESOLVED, _That the Officers be constituted a committee to investigate
the nature and work of student organizations analogous to the Menorah
in other parts of the world and to submit a report thereon at the next
Intercollegiate Menorah Convention._ (Readopted from the last
Convention.)
RESOLVED, _That the Officers be constituted a committee to consider
and draw up definite plans for "Menorah insignia and distinctions._"