At the present time, the Chicago Jewish community is playing a great role in the world. Not only in America, but also in Europe, Chicago is known for its philanthropic services and its wonderful institutions, which can serve as a model for other communities. Of all the Jewish centers in America, Chicago's prestige ranks highest, and no Chicago Jew, traveling in America or abroad, need feel ashamed of the community of which he is a member. The greatest virtue of the Chicago Jewry is its generosity and mercifulness. The Chicago Jews respond more quickly to philanthropic appeals than do the Jews of any other city in America. A five-dollar bill for charity means nothing even to a poor Chicago Jew. The Chicago Jews are generous and give wholeheartedly.

Chicago, however, also has its dark side and the dark side sometimes covers 2so much territory that it eclipses the bright side.

Jewish Chicago is very generous, but it is also very irresponsible and negligent. In many respects, the Chicago Jewish community does not take the religious question seriously. Chicago [Jewry] does not care about its community problems nor about its organizational problems. Chicago [Jewry] permits [the existence of] a condition of chaos, which would be impossible in any other community, and Chicago [Jewry] moves very slowly. In every other Jewish community, a certain sincerity prevails on the question of carrying out certain improvements in community life. The Chicago Jews know that certain improvements must be made and that the attitude of irresponsibility must be curbed immediately. But it is difficult, infinitely difficult, to induce them to do the work. That is why certain evils exist--evils which are known to everybody and which could easily be eliminated.

For a number of years, the Chicago Jews have been taken up with the question of Kashruth and have sought to settle it peacefully. But it is still 3unsettled. For a number of years, the Chicago Jews have been engaged in regulating the question of Shehitah [laws governing slaughter of fowl in accordance with Jewish ritual] and the shohatim, and the question still remains unregulated. For many years the Chicago rabbis have been contemplating the establishment of a Beth Din [Jewish court of arbitration]. This question has often been discussed; committees have been appointed, and resolutions adopted. But there is still no Beth Din in Chicago. We could enumerate a number of questions which affect the Chicago Jewry and which could easily be settled, if our leaders were a little more energetic and serious about their responsibilities. These questions remain unsolved because the leaders of Chicago Jewry move so slowly and because they are not sufficiently sincere.

The dark side of Chicago Jewry totally eclipses its bright side because instead of being a well-organized community, the Chicago Jewish community gives the impression of being a large colony of immigrants who are still helpers, or of an unorganized group who live from day to day and care 4nothing about tomorrow.

Chicago cannot become a model Jewish community if its present dark side remains. Chicago has the requisite forces -- economic and financial--to make it a first-class community. If it does not change its attitude toward organization, if the present condition of chaos continues, it will not only be unable to develop, it will retrogress.

It is difficult to say what Chicago needs most, because it has nothing that a well-organized community should have. It does not have a properly functioning Kashruth organization, nor a Beth Din, nor a [Jewish] Board of Education, nor a Central Committee for Foreign Charities; it has no community organization which would be responsible for the life of the community and to which we could appeal in case of need. There are many isolated committees in Chicago that work independently in various fields of our community life. There are trees, but there is no forest.

There is a Council of Synagogue Presidents in Chicago which could have become the nucleus of a large community organization, but this Council works without plan or aim, and, therefore, accomplishes very little. This Council of Synagogue Presidents could have easily provided the means necessary for productive work. It could have worked methodically and laid the foundation for a large community organization. It is difficult to say why it did not do so.

What does Chicago [Jewry] need most at this moment? Its primary need is uniformity in community work and systematic organizational work. If the synagogue presidents are sincere in their efforts, they must, at their next meeting, which is to be held tomorrow evening, appoint a competent ways and means committee to draw up plans for the future, in order to unite all the groups in the community and to co-ordinate and consolidate their work. Then, perhaps, the many shadows that now obscure the bright side of Chicago Jewry will be removed.