The last Mizrachi convention, held in Chicago, resolved, among other things, to agitate for the observance of the Sabbath; to try to influence the Jewish employer and worker to divide the Saturday working hours among the other five working days. This is the way in which the Sabbath Question should be solved. The idea of a five day work week, which has been widely discussed, has recently come to life again. To gain this objective, a strong campaign is now being carried on, chiefly in New York, through the initiative of the Mizrachi (The religious wing of the Zionists) and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis.

It is true that this question presents many difficulties. But in order to carry through this great and important undertaking, we must involve not only individuals, we must awaken and arouse the whole Jewish public opinion. Our 2objective can be attained if we are united. The desecration of the Sabbath in America has reached the point where some of our pious Jews, even the wealthy ones, can hardly wait until their children become of working age, so that the latter can begin to earn money and also desecrate the Sabbath. For more than half a century, the Jews in America have desecrated the Sabbath either through compulsion or willfully. There is a danger that Jews in America will forget entirely that we have a Sabbath, which is the very foundation of Judaism.

Is it possible that the day of the Sabbath is to be forgotten, here in America, where one-fourth of all the Jews live? Some imagine and will claim that lately Jewish life in America has become more Jewish in character; that we have a vast number of Jewish educational institutions, such as Talmud Torahs (Hebrew schools), theological colleges and other necessary institutions.

For those who have been in America for some time, these institutions of learning are probably more than enough, but such is not the case with those 3who have recently come from eastern Europe, and know what the character of a truly Jewish life should be. Those people recognize that the holiness of the Sabbath and of holidays--the most beautiful and most sublime aspect of the Jewish tradition--has completely disappeared. The Sabbath, with the holy sentiments it evokes, which have been a consolation to the Jews, has unfortunately lost its holiness.

It is fascinating to conjure up the picture of the Sabbath as it was observed in the old country. The members of the Jewish household were seated around a handsomely set table on which the Sabbath candles were lit. On his way home from the synagogue, the head of the household was escorted by two angels, and when he entered his home, it seemed as though the angels had said "amen". The holy mysteries of the Sabbath hovered about the house. The mother would look at her children with pride, wishing that they were as bright in the study of Hebrew as they were in the light of the candles. Unfortunately, in America, we know neither the Sabbath nor the holiday; that glory of the people [of Israel] has disappeared.

The American Jews have created new concepts of Judaism which are contrary to the old traditional Jewish life. There is a physical law that everything is subject to change. In the course of time, many plants and animals became extinct when the conditions which made possible their existence, changed.

So also with man, nature's noblest achievement, does this law hold true. Of the many powerful nations which existed [centuries ago], there remain today only memories. Their destruction has been explained as natural. When the conditions of their national existence disappeared, or when their enemies became much more powerful, these countries were destroyed.

If there is any people who continue to exist, despite all obstacles, it is the Jewish people. This is because we were taught to cherish our past and our spiritual heritage.

But what can we expect from our children? We often become angry with our children because we think they are becoming estranged from us. But aren't 5we causing this estrangement ourselves by not giving them a Jewish education? Aren't we causing this estrangement by not conducting ourselves as Jews?

Sometimes Jewish education is discussed, and arguments arise, at times, over the system of Jewish education. But, unfortunately, we have not yet heard that the pious Jews had taken upon themselves the educational problem. The erection of Talmud Torahs is often mentioned, but never is a word said about the inner spirit of the Talmud Torah. We ought to improve our [Jewish] education if we want to keep our children from drifting over into strange camps. We must place our educational institutions on a sound basis. When we look at the eastern European system of education, we must consider the two chief factors which have influenced the spiritual development of our children: one, the rabbi instilled Judaism into the children by teaching them the Scriptures, the Talmud, or as we shall call it--the theoretical side of Judaism. Two, the home practiced the teachings of the rabbi. The synagogue and Beth Ha-Midrash [house of study] influenced the children to pursue a 6religious course. The parents were not merely satisfied with the fact that their children might be able to recite Kadish (a prayer for the dead) and read the Haftarah [usually a section from the Prophets or Writings of the Bible read after the selected portion from the Pentateuch is read]. They looked forward to something higher--if their children did not become rabbis, at least they would know a chapter of the Pentateuch with the commentary by Rashi, and a chapter of Mishnah [the part of the Talmud codified by Rabbi Judah Hanasi around 200 A. D.]

But the situation is quite different in America. The child spends most of the day in public school where he receives elementary instruction, but no conception of Judaism. The atmosphere, which is filled with forces disruptive to everything pertaining to Judaism, affects the child indirectly, and in his home there is almost no observance of Judaism. The only place where the child can acquire some knowledge of Judaism is the Heder [Old World type of Hebrew school]. But what can we expect of a child who begins a two-hour study of Hebrew at a time when he is tired, after a whole day spent in secular studies. Which study should he consider of greater 7importance: the study to which he devotes his best time during the day, in modern, light rooms, or the study he gets in two hours in the narrow, dark rooms of a Hebrew School?

The only remedy for this situation is to establish parochial schools. When we have such educational institutions, the child will acquire a different slant on Judaism. It stands to reason that the child will not consider the Jewish studies inferior to the secular because he will spend an equal amount of time on both. The child will realize that secular studies go hand in hand with Jewish studies. Only by such means, can the educational problem be solved. We must create a Jewish atmosphere which shall rear a generation to whom Judaism shall be above everything else. With such a form of education, we can hope to rear children who will be a pride to American Jewry.

This is a thing which requires great enterprise. In New York such schools already exist. From these schools have graduated children who have an understanding of secular studies, and at the same time, an adequate knowledge of 8Jewish studies.

Recently, the local Adas Bnai Israel, an organization of young people, interested in the propagation of religious and national Judaism, has been propagandizing for the establishment of parochial schools. Many prominent Jews have even pledged to contribute annually toward financing this undertaking.

It is erroneous to believe, as some people do, that it is impossible to observe the Sabbath in America; that it is impossible to rear children here in the true Jewish spirit. In eastern Europe, we see Jews being driven into the wilderness of Siberia, where Jews never dreamt of living. But shortly after settling there, they built synagogues and Hebrew schools. They did this because they understood the importance of the religious aspect of life.

Unfortunately we lag far behind our European brothers in the realm of Judaism. In America we have created nothing along spiritual lines. Everything that we needed was brought to us from Europe.

Let us, therefore, espouse the cause of the revival of Jewish nationalism, of the creation of a Jewish culture.

Especially, let us revive our sacred traditions, and let us tie up the work of the present with the work for the future.