JEWS. 



465 



ters, and removal from crowded tenement houses 

 in the great cities. The work is done in a sys- 

 tematic way, with agencies in New York and 

 Philadelphia. 



The Jews of England have been stirred by the 

 death of Rev. Dr. N. M. Adler and the election 

 of a successor in the person of his son, Rev. Dr. 

 Hermann Adler. The discussion as to modifying 

 his powers has not yet reached its close, and in- 

 dicates the growing dissatisfaction with a cen- 

 tral rabbinate and the desire for unity instead 

 of uniformity. Lord Rothschild took the lead- 

 ing part in the movement to unite the three sec- 

 tions of English Jews, but it failed of any prac- 

 tical results. The large increase of the foreign 

 Jewish element in London led to the appoint- 

 ment of Dr. Lerner as special rabbi for them, 

 and the project of erecting a central synagogue 

 received its first impetus from Lord Rothschild's 

 proposed grant of 10,000. Under the direction- 

 of the Rev. Dr. G-aster the Judith Montefiore Col- 

 lege at Ramsgate was reorganized. A new home 

 for incurables was opened in Victoria Park, 

 London, and a movement was begun for erecting 

 a new synagogue in West Hampstead, London, 

 and a new one was opened in the Hammer- 

 smith district, while new synagogues were conse- 

 crated in Nottingham and Northampton. Solo- 

 mon Shechterwas appointed Reader of Rabbinic 

 Literature at Cambridge. Prof. Sylvester re- 

 ceived the degree of LL. D. from Oxford and D. 

 C. L. from Cambridge. 



The ferment, in the industrial world affected 

 Jewish artisans, who showed their sympathy to- 

 ward strikers in the tailoring and boot-making 

 trades. The final report of the House of Lords' 

 committee bore further evidence that there is 

 no foundation for the popular notion that the 

 Jews have a monopoly of sweating, or that the 

 conditions of English labor are necessarily de- 

 graded by the influx of foreign Jews. 



The " Diaries of Sir Moses and Lady Monte- 

 fiore " was one of the notable books of the year. 

 The Rev. Dr. H. Adler had a correspondence 

 with Cardinal Manning in connection with the 

 alleged imprimatur by the Pope to a book giv- 

 ing credence to the il blood accusation," and the 

 Cardinal's letter removed all ground for fearing 

 that the Pope approved of the book. The twen- 

 ty-fifth anniversary of Cardinal Manning's work 

 in London was made the occasion, on Oct. 30, of 

 an address presented to him by the Jews of Eng- 

 land, testifying to their appreciation of his char- 

 acter and 'services. In his reply the Cardinal 

 said : 



I have found you forward in all good works. In 

 the care of your children, of your sick, and of your 

 poor you give us a noble example of generosity and 

 efficiency. You are inflexible, as we are, in main- 

 taining that education is essentially a religious work. 

 Your schools, as ours, are firmly and fearlessly relig- 

 ious. I have been witness of your care of the sick in 

 the festivals of the Metropolitan Free Hospital. Of 

 the watchful care of your poor I have had full evi- 

 dence. When, driven out by .tyranny in Russia, 

 they came over in multitudes* to our shores, I was 

 witness of your wise and efficient administration. 

 ... I should not be true to my own faith did I not 

 venerate yours. There are, I believe, only three in- 

 destructible elements in the history of man the peo- 

 ple and faith of Israel : the Catholic Church, sprung 

 from it ; and the world, which has persecuted both. 

 Sometimes, perhaps, we have wronged one another, 

 VOL. xxx. 30 A 



for all are not Christians who are called Christian, 

 and all are not of Israel who are called Israelites. 

 Many deeds dark and terrible have, no doubt, been 

 done of which Israel is guiltless ; as, also, in many 

 misdeeds the Catholic Church is without a stain. 

 The world is perpetually recruited from both sides by 

 those who are unworthy of the name they bear. As 

 the world grows in mass it grows in malice ; and if 

 our forecastes are true, I might even say for as much 

 as what is foretold is certain the warfare of the world 

 against all who believe in God will grow and spread 

 in power for its final conflict and its final destruc- 

 tion. . . . Men become what their rulers make 

 them. Penal codes make loyal men disloyal, and so- 

 cial vexations generate animosities which crush the 

 weak and sting men to madness. The greater the 

 power, the greater should be the humanity and the 

 tolerance of those whom ages have brought low. 



The anti-Semitic movement met a severe check 

 in Germany by the unwillingness of Emperor 

 William further to countenance Court- Preacher 

 Stoecker's methods and the summary interdict 

 put upon his Jew-baiting. It is true a motion 

 was passed in the Upper House of the Prussian 

 Parliament to separate Jewish from Christian 

 pupils in the public schools ; but the unveiling 

 of the Mendelssohn Memorial in Dessau and the 

 erection of the Lessing monument in Berlin, to- 

 gether with the resolute attitude of the young 

 Emperor, who on more than one occasion has 

 assured the Jews of his sympathy and protec- 

 tion, are proofs that a better feeling prevails. In 

 Prance the slight ripple of anti-Semitism has 

 passed away. In Austria-Hungary, the anti- 

 Semitic party is either dead or dormant. In 

 the Austrian 'Parliament, on Feb. 21, Rabbi Dr. 

 Bloch spoke against anti - Semitic agitation. 

 Meanwhile the st,ream of activity in religious 

 and charitable work continues. A new home 

 for the aged was erected in Vienna, a technical 

 institute in Wilna, a home for convalescents in 

 Warsaw, an orphan asylum in Vienna, and new 

 synagagues in Berlin and Bucharest. Baron 

 Bleichroeder gave 100,000 marks for the relief 

 of patients by Dr. Koch's method. 



The condition of the Jews of the United States 

 shows a healthy progress and a resolute deter- 

 mination to advance along the lines of charitable 

 and educational work. The order of Benai Be- 

 rith held its biennial convention in Richmond. 

 The subject of optional endowment was rele- 

 gated to the district grand lodges, resolutions 

 were passed offering co-operation with the De 

 Hirsch Trust for Russian immigrants, and sug- 

 gesting an improved ritual. The official strength 

 of the order is as follows : District No. 1, 8,037 ; 

 No. 2, 2.874; No. 3, 1,980; No. 4, 2,293; No. 5, 

 1.835 ; No. 6, 2,562 ; No. 7, 2.265 ; No. 8, 2,456 : 

 No. 9, about 900. At the spring conference of 

 the Jewish Ministers' Association addresses were 

 given by the Rev. Drs. Kohut, Silverman, and 

 Jastrow. A prize of $250 was offered by the 

 Rev. Dr. Gottheil for a theological and scientific 

 work on Judaism, and $100 for the best essay on 

 rabbinical training. No fall conference was held. 

 Efforts are being made by the New York Jewish 

 ministers to provide a prison chaplain for the 

 penitentiaries and mission work. At the first 

 meeting of the Central Conference of American 

 Rabbis, at Cleveland, July 13-15, of which the 

 Rev. Dr. Isaac M. Wise is president, the speakers 

 and subjects were as follow : " Marriage Agen- 

 da," Rev. Dr. M. Mielziner ; " Judaism in its Re- 



