Articles and Letters to the Editor Regarding Rabbi Eliezer Silver's Ruling on the Opening of the Jewish Community Center on Shabbat

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Southern Israelite, Letter to the Editor, regarding the opening of the JCC on Shabbat

Dear Editor:

Would you allow me to point out that the custom of keeping Community Centers closed on the Sabbath (Saturday) is being re-evaluated, now, by some of our most orthodox leaders. I have read recently that there has been expression that we would indeed perform a Mitzvah if we opened these Youth Centers for the var-ious club meetings and cultural activities which are truly Sab-bath fare. Can one really argue against this?

There is a tremendous need to keep our Atlanta Jewish Com-munity Center open on Satur-days. provided, of course, that its activities be kept within the above context. Many of us are disturbed that our children have nothing better to do Saturday afternoons than to wander about up-town.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if Atlanta might be one of the first communities, instead of waiting to the last, to take this giant step forward for its Jewish youth?

Following is a direct quote on this subject from a very recent issue of The Jewish Spectator, Dr Trude Weiss-Rosmarin, Editor, lest someone label my sug-gestion as other-worldly.

Page 2 of the April, 1961, issue carries this item: "Rabbi Eliezer Silver, eighty-year-old dean of the ultra-Orthodox group and Chairman of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis .. . has taken a complete turn-about, changing from a militant Orthodox isolationist into a progressive advocate of keeping Jewish Community Cen-ters open on the Sabbath for ac-tivities which do not violate the Sabbath laws."

Joseph Glazer, D.D.S.

We would like to hear some re-actions to this controversial proposal. Remember, keep your re-ply under 300 words.—The Editor