=University of Michigan=
SOMEONE once said that he could lift the world if he could find a
place to stand on. The Menorah Society at Michigan is still working to
rear a strong foundation which will bear the weight of a large and
beautiful superstructure.
Our Society began its current year with a "Teruah Gedolah." The
trumpet blast was sounded loud and long: and the children of Israel
came out from their tents. Through advertisement in the _Michigan
Daily_, through posters and personal contact with the students on the
campus, a large attendance was procured for the first meeting.
Professor Sharfman was on hand to inspire enthusiasm into the men and
women. An excellent musical program had been provided for. The meeting
was highly successful and brought tidings for a banner year. Some
previously discordant strings were brought to the proper tune. There
had been some friction between the Students' Congregation and the
Menorah last year. This friction arose for two reasons: first, some
Menorah men felt that the Congregation was "cutting out" the Menorah,
that the Congregation was entering upon the Menorah's field of action.
Of course, there is absolutely no reason for such an objection. The
Menorah supplies the intellectual needs of the Jewish students; the
Congregation exists for religious inspiration only. True enough, the
two overlap to a small degree; but not sufficiently to be termed
"encroachment." The second reason was a technical one. The Menorah men
were greatly vexed because the time of the Congregation conflicted
with our time. The Menorah began at 8 P. M. on Sunday evening; but the
Congregation did not adjourn often until 8.15 or 8.30. The
Congregation itself was not to blame, for they could not always
foresee that a Rabbi would become so overheated in discussing the war
situation that he would ignore the element of time in the make-up of
our universe. At the beginning of this semester we determined to put
an end to all friction, though trivial, between the two organizations.
There is no worldly reason for discord between the two Jewish
organizations. We held a consultation with the President of the
Congregation who assured us of all possible support; and in turn the
Menorah assured the Congregation of support. Indeed, the Menorah
conceded a point by moving our meeting time fifteen minutes; and the
President of the Congregation, who is also a Menorah member, was given
the floor at the first meeting to enlighten the audience on the
meaning of the Congregation to student life. A goodly number of
Congregation men and women are Menorah members and _vice versa_. The
two organizations are now working in entire harmony and we are
accomplishing the more for it.
Our second meeting was held on October 31. Professor Leroy Waterman,
the new head of the Semitics Department, led the discussion with an
address on "The Religious Problems of To-day in the Light of Early
Jewish History and Literature."
On November 28, Mr. Fred M. Butzel, an alumnus of Michigan and
President of the United Jewish Charities in Detroit, led the
discussion with a talk on "Some Tendencies in the Social Work of the
Jews." Through the Intercollegiate Menorah Association we were enabled
to procure Professor Edward Chauncey Baldwin of the University of
Illinois to speak before us on December 12 on "Job." Also through the
Association we expect to have Professor Julian Morgenstern of the
Hebrew Union College.
We have this year more members than ever before, and they are
enthusiastic. But it is not in numbers alone that we must put our
trust. We should never worry--I know that some do--when the Menorah
has a small meeting if only it is successful. I think that we never
had a better meeting than when Dr. Kallen addressed fourteen members
two years ago. Isaiah's prophecy concerning the _Shearith Yisrael_,
the remnant of Israel, applies to our Menorah problem. The few will
redeem the many; they will uphold the ideals and culture of the Jewish
race.
But no matter how successful the semester will be, we shall only be
able to say that we have added but one stone to the pedestal which is
to be the permanent and deep foundation of the Menorah at Michigan.