After I visited the Young Men's Hebrew Association and became well acquainted with the members, their program and activities, I really regretted that I had not paid my visit two years ago when they began to build this organization, and that during these two years I had not helped them in their laudable activity.

The home or the Young Men's Hebrew Association is located in the very heart of the Lawndale district, at 3350 Douglas Boulevard, where the Jewish life overflows with activity. This organization helps to maintain Jewish life, injects new blood into the veins of Jewish youth, warms their souls, arouses in them a 2desire to participate in Jewish public life, and strengthens their love for their people.

What kind of work could be more important for us than the work of keeping our youth with us, our youth that is becoming more and more estranged from us every day? What organization is better fitted to do that kind of work than the Young Men's Hebrew Association, whose members are young American-Jewish men, who are true Jews and true Americans, who know the needs of the American youth and try to satisfy them through education, social activity and amusements? This is really the reason why in the two years of its existence this organization has reached a membership of seven hundred young Jewish men and five hundred young Jewish women, and has built for itself a beautiful home with all the conveniences. The membership keeps on growing and the activity of the organization increases every day.

The aim of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, as formulated in its official 3monthly magazine, is as follows: "to improve the moral, spiritual, social and physical condition of the young Jewish men and women, to help the Jewish community by all possible means, and to inspire and defend the lofty ideals of Americanism and Judaism".

By its love, its seriousness and devotion to the undertaking, the organization is realizing, within the means at its command, the above program. To give the reader a clear conception of their work, we shall relate briefly their program of activity. First on the program comes educational activity, which is being realized through lectures, classes and discussions. A series of sixteen lectures about Jewish national affairs has recently begun there. The lectures are given every Monday evening. Every Friday discussions are conducted on current events.

A fine Hebrew class, with Harry Morris as its president, gathers there once a week to study Hebrew. Young Judeans, a class of boys from ten to fifteen years 4of age, with Mr. Iran Flags as the director, study Jewish history and become acquainted with Jewish traditions.

Besides these lectures, discussions and classes, the organization as a whole, participates in public welfare work; it helps, according to its means, all public Jewish activities. Recently they helped to found an association in the Lawndale district to see that the neighborhood is kept clean.

The educational work and public activity does not cover the entire program of the Young Men's Hebrew Association. In the program there is a point about improving the physical condition of the Jewish youth and this point has not been neglected at all. This work is being conducted there through a series of sports activities: baseball, football, basketball, wrestling, boxing and soccer games. The members told me proudly that their soccer team is at present the first and only Jewish team in the world. The director of athletics there is Mr. Albert Gottlieb, 5who is considered an expert in his field.

The members of the Young Men's Hebrew Association enjoy, besides athletics, spiritual recreations also. They possess a beautiful library with a fine selection of books, they have a chess club and they issue their own monthly magazine. Mr. Abe Stein, a member of the chess club, represents the organization at all official chess tournaments and has won the championship of the State of Illinois, which is considered a great honor for his club.

The magazine The "Y" News has the following staff: Samuel Kaplan, editor-in-chief, Oscar S. Kaplan, associate editor, Harry Kaplan, sports editor, Anna Grad, reporter Edith Gunansky, staff typist, Max Haber, business manager, Rose Yurkoff, circulation manager, and Louis Breskin, Yetta Waxman, and Louis Schatz, advertising managers.

The most noble achievements of the Young Men's Hebrew Association are: the true 6American spirit of democracy that reigns there, the love and serious attitude towards their work which prevails in every department, and particularly the Jewish atmosphere that permeates the place. Those Jewish-American young men, who join in playing ball games, wrestling and boxing, will not smoke a cigarette on Saturday. They have attached a Mezuzah to their door. [Translator's note: parchment scrolls with inscriptions from the Bible, attached to the doorpost.] Mr. Oscar S. Kaplan, associate editor of the magazine, a son of Rabbi Isaac Kaplan, rabbi of the Kouner Congregation who is much interested in the institution, proudly drew my attention to the Mezuzahs.

The Young Men's Hebrew Association will celebrate on November 19 its second anniversary with a huge celebration at the Ashland Auditorium. There is no doubt that it will be a great success, if we are to judge by the intensive activity of the members who are working for the success of the undertaking as energetically as bees.

The officials of this organization, which has grown so fast in such a short time, are: Isidore Shapiro, president, D. J. Horowitch, vice-president, Oscar Kaplan, corresponding secretary, Jack Rose, recording secretary, Charles Medowsky, financial secretary, Morris Rose, assistant financial secretary, Dr. J. London, treasurer, and Max Hofberg, custodian.

The women's organization always works in harmony with the men's organization, helps in all important social work, has its own drama group and is independently active. The officials of the women's organization are: Miss Anna Cohen, president, Sylvia Pizer, acting president, Augusta Shapiro, vice-president, Eleanor Glickman, corresponding secretary, Gertrude Gore, financial secretary, Ethel Gothold, recording secretary, Ruth Klaimish, treasurer and Molly Gerwitch, marshall.

The Young Men's Hebrew Association's clubrooms are open not only for members, but also for outsiders who are always cordially welcomed. It is a community center 8where every decent young man and young women may enter and may become a member. It is a fine organization which not only justifies its existence, but which also deserves our fullest support.