THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.
יום כפורים
…Therefore all nations and religious creeds have invented some mode of atonement. Cruel and barbarous, as the ancient Heathens were and the modern Heathens are, so was their mode of atonement…Milder and more reasonable than the above is the Christian mode of atonement. The blood of the founder of their religion, they say, has made atonement for all sins of mankind,…
…But we believe not, that the death of any body can make atonement for the sins of another…
…We believe, that no intercession is necessary between G-d and man, between the Father and his sons. Man is his own agent, gifted with free volition and intellect, directly connected with his Maker. It is in his power to separate himself from the Divine nature, by acts of impurity and sinfulness; it must also be in his power to return by his own acts to the Divine nature without any one’s aid…
…We, therefore, celebrate our Day of Atonement as our fathers did, abstain from all enjoyments, repent and confess our sins, pray to G-d for pardon and determine upon doing good henceforth. We hope in the mercy of our G-d, confide in His unrestrained grace, and He who once said סלחתי, “I have forgiven,” who taught us, that He pardons sins, transgression and iniquity, that he will be atoned unto you this day, he will heal every wounded heart, silence the accusations of every conscience hurt by sin and transgression, and erase the guilt from the book of memory; he will look down graciously upon Israel and all mankind. Amen!—September 21, 1855
New Year, 5637 A. M.
Hebrew Union College
…Did you ever succeed in getting together twenty-four students anywhere in America to take up Jewish literature besides their classical and scientific studies? Echo says, No. You know the cause? …Do we need it? Echo again says, No. At present we have enough in one, and one more would be a mere waste of treasure to no earthly purpose. Those who want to study, in whatever section of the country they live, would just as soon go to Cincinnati as to any other city. Our students hail from all parts of the country, also, from New York City. Would it not be wiser, first to build up one institute, and then whenever we need a second to build that up? This time echo says, Yes. Would it not be more advisable to lend a helping hand to the “Union,” in order to be lent a helping hand by it, whenever the proper time comes? The echo has again said, Yes.) The time may come, and we hope it will be soon, when we will need two, three, or five such preparatory institutes; but it has not come now; and we do not wish to delude any congregation in behalf of the “Union.”
The College, as far as that is concerned, is located permanently in Cincinnati; and please G-d, in three years from this month the first collegiate class will be duly opened for students of the university or graduates thereof. This is established. But who ever said that any other city is preferable to Cincinnati in this respect? We have here all the higher schools and libraries which we need for this purpose; and a student of theology can learn as much in our temples as in any other. The reputation of Cincinnati Hebrew congregations is as good as any other, and the Cincinnati rabbis are second to none. Why is any other city preferable to Cincinnati? We can not see it, can not think of any material in support of an anti-Cincinnati argument; but if we could, it would be useless, for the Hebrew Union College is permanently established in Cincinnati, and is so chartered.
—September 15, 1876
THE KING IS DEAD—
LONG LIVE THE KING.
Thank G-d, the country is in good hands! Theodore Roosevelt, that man of destiny, has always been to my thinking one of the finest types of American this country has ever produced. He has manifested excellence on so many sides. He has all the fearlessness of Cleveland in the prosecution of a just cause. Into whatever he enters, whether it be work or play, he throws himself into it with hearty thoroughness. He is all there—be it hunting in the Rockies or fighting Tammany in the Metropolis. In whatever he undertook, he distinguished himself—Soldier, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Police Commissioner, Author, Governor.
I well recall the last occasion on which I heard him speak. It was at the dedication of the Sanitarium of the Montefiore Home. (I had the privilege, by the way, of being on the same program with him). How he stirred us all! He said at that time that the type of the Maccabee particularly appealed to him. Yes, he is that kind of man. Let us hope that the Maccabean spirit at its best may pervade his whole administration.
—September 19, 1901
ATONEMENT, LIKE CHARITY, SHOULD BEGIN AT HOME
…these are the elementary requirements of our religion with reference to “at-one-ment”: That we exert our utmost effort to become at one with G-d, with our fellowmen, and consequently with ourselves. Now, our civilized life is so rich and varied, and our duties as well as the temptation to fall short of those duties, are so manifold that it is by no means a light task, this search and scrutiny of conduct in the light of conscience. For where life is simple and elementary, as with primitive peoples, the temptations and temptations are few, and correspondingly the opportunities for sin and defection are rare. Where the taste is simple and the mind unimaginative, there is less opportunity for jealousy, covetousness, and envy—the three cardinal weaknesses which destroy our sense of happiness and contentment. But our civilization is so complex, and our mind so imaginative that sin literally lurks at us from every corner, so that only a highly cultivated conscience could withstand the inducements for defection…
—September 16, 1926
AIR FORCE RECALLS GEORGE NEWBURGER, EXECUTIVE OF JVS
Herbert R. Bloch, Jr., president of the Cincinnati Jewish Vocational Service, announced today the recall to the Air Force of George Newburger, executive director. Mr. Newburger has served as head of the Jewish Vocational Service since 1940, when the agency was established. His previous term of duty with the United States Air Force was for 3½ years, during which time he was assigned to the 8th Air Force in England.
The JVS Board of Directors has approved the employment of Miss Bertha Newman for the duration of Mr. Newburger’s absence. She is assistant to the executive of the Cleveland JVS. Miss Newman has had extensive experience in vocational guidance and placement in the Cleveland agency, where she served successively as interviewer and supervisor. She possesses the M.A. degree from Western Reserve University and is a certified licensed psychologist in Ohio. Miss Newman holds membership in a number of professional societies, including the National Vocational Guidance Association and American Psychological Association.
Mr. Newburger’s present term of military service begins at the end of September.
—September 20, 1951
Rabbi Marc Berlove Is The New Associate at New Hope Congregation
Jerry Schottenfels, president of New Hope Congregation, announces the appointment of Rabbi Marc Berlove to serve as Associate Rabbi of the Congregation.Rabbi Berlove, who was born in Rochester, N.Y., received his High School and undergraduate education at Yeshiva University in New York City. He received his B.A. cum laude from Yeshiva in 1972. Upon graduation, he spent a year studying at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel. In Sept. 1973, he returned to Yeshiva University and was recently ordained there…
—September 16, 1976
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion celebrated convocation ceremonies on Wednesday, August 24, on the historic HUC campus. Rabbi Jonathan Cohen, PhD, Dean of the Cincinnati campus, welcomed all rabbinical and Pines School of Graduate Studies students and faculty to the new 2016-2017 academic year during the first week of classes.
President Aaron Panken gave a tribute to the faculty, thanking them for teaching and inspiring Jewish leaders…
—September 15, 2016
Festival of Faiths
…Rabbi Zola quoted British author Jan Struther, creator of the character Mrs. Miniver: “to achieve unity without uniformity is the whole essence” of democracy. He closed with the words of the Shabbat song, Hinneh mah tov umah na’im shevet achim gam yachad, which he translated “Behold how good it is for brother and sister to dwell together in peace.”
—September 16, 2021