Page Two
A Message To Southern
Jewish Communities
The “Free Lance” Epidemic
And How To Cure It
By RABBI MAURICE A. LAZOWICK
Congregation Ahavas Chesed, Mobile, Ala.
(Editor’s note: Rabbi Lazowick’s stirring appeal for justice
for our legitimate religious leaders throughout the South is ex
pected to bring much comment throughout this territory. The
writer of this article is a graduate of Gratz College (1919),
College of thv> City of New York, B. A. (1927), and was or
dained a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
In 1928. His last post was in Norwalk, Conn., (1934-1940)
where he was president of the Norwalk Ministers* Association.
Rabbi Lazowick has served as a member of the administrative
committee of the American Jewish Committee as well as the
administrative committee of the Zionist Organization of Ameri
ca. He is a frequent contributor to Jewish publications. The
Southern Jewish Weekly will also print a splendid New Year’s
message by Rabbi Lazowick in our Rosh Hashonah issue of
September 27th.)
No sane person in need of an
operation would consider a sur
geon who was not a graduate of
a reputable medical school. We
would not consider engaging an
attorney to help straighten out
our affairs unless his reputation
and scholastic standing were
above reproach. Yet many Jewish
communities, for lack of know
ledge, foresight or funds, have en
gaged self-styled, self-appointed
and self-ordanied “rabbis” to take
care of their spiritual needs. This
is particularly true of many sou
thern communities. The writer of
this article, though a newcomer
to the South, can name many men
of this type who are commonly
and properly known as “free
lances.” These men, having nei-
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ther ordination, standing nor in
stitutional backing, always un
derbid the ordained rabbi and rob
him, who has spent many weary
years preparing for his sacred
calling, of a chance to serve a
community and to earn his liv
ing.
The harm done by these roving
"rabbis” is incalculable. In these
critical times when all of religion,
including our own, is faced with
annihilation by philosophies
spi’ead by totalitarian powers;
when Jewish education i,s at a
very low ebb; when the faith in
the goodness, mercy and justice
of God has more than begun to
waver, Judaism is in desperate
need of carefully trained men, men
of proven high character, men of
scholarship and faith that there
is purpose and meaning to life.
Let us describe this muscle man
who nearly always turns out to be
a “Kol-bo” —a schochet, mohel,
cantor, shamesh, collector, organi
zer, teacher and financier. He usu
ally recommends himself as a
“ba-al moosmech” ordained by
some mythical “Yeshiva” in a
mystical part of Russia. He may
even show some kind of a yel
lowed, illegible document to one
or two of the “unlearned,” to put
it mildly, of his congregation who
are then willing to swear that
they saw his “smeecha.” Some
times, when pressed for a sight
of their precious parchments,
these “free-lances” assume an air
of injured innocence and haught
ily leave the “chutspahnick” who
dares to ask such questions. Let
congregations, on this holy sea
son of “Yomin Noraim,” search
their collective souls, and resolve
never again, for the sake of eco
nomy, or for any other cause, en
gage the services of a man who
could not be much of a spiritual
guide when he is willing to enter
the holiest of callings under false
pretenses.
Let us, once and for all, realize
that a “jack-of all-trades” is a
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THE SOUTHERN JEWISH WEEKLY
• ■II I—————^<
RABBI MORRIS A. LAZOWICK
“master of none.” Shechitu and
preaching do not go together, can
toring and teaching do not mix,
and a good preacher is not a “mo
hel.” Let us resolve to unmask,
once and for all, this charlatan
who is anxious to use the little
Torah he has as “a spade to dig
with.”
The writer recently interviewed
such a “rabbi,” who bragged—
mind you—that he was responsible
for every penny that entered or
left the congregational treasury,
that he was an expert mohel, cha
zan, preacher, teacher and had
a van-dyke of 32 hairs on his chin
to prove that he was a 100% or
thodox Jew. When aslfed about
his “semicha” he became vague
and rather hurt and finally con
fessed that he was ordained “by
another rabbi in the east” some
where.
How can spiritual leaders estab
lish a uniform, progressive sys
tem of Hebrew teaching if the rab
binate is honeycombed with such
racketeering? How can the moral
tone of Jewish religious life be
raised if congregations pick men
from newspaper advertisements
and, sometimes, literally off the
street ? How can conscientious
young men be induced to spend the
best part of their lives in prepar
ation for their high callings when,
at ordination, they find so many
pulpits encumbered by these un
principled charlatans?
Let us be more discerning, more
discriminative, more logical and
more paistaking when we come to
select a man for the highest of
fice in the power of a Jewish com
munity to confer. A man who has
an agreeable voice, or “kabala” for
slaughtering, or speaks a little
Hebrew or wears a beard or can
tell a Jewish joke well and as
sures all and sundry that he is an
expert in every phase of Jewish
life, is still very far from being a
true spiritual leader. These men
are to the rabbinate what natur
opaths or chiropractics are to
medicine—short cuts that very of
ten lead to disastrous results.
Let us start our New Year in
the proper fashion. Let us rele
gate this type of “rabbi” to the
retirement list where he right
fully belongs. Let us not stoop to
bargain-hunting— to fire sales—to
second-hand discards for the high
frank
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position of spiritual guide. The
following precedures are good
rules to follow in the selection of
a rabbi:
1. Write or send a committee
to a recognized yeshiva or semi
nary for the man you seek.
2. Don’t ask for a man who is
an expert on too many things.
Preaching, teaching and organiz
ing is the limit of talents in any
one rabbi. Most are experts in
only one of these.
3. Do not advertise for your
spiritual leader.
4. If you engage a man as sho
chet or mohel or cantor or sha
mesh, limit him to just that duty.
5. Never engage a man who
“just happens to be in your town”
—no matter of what fine appear
ance or what excellent sermon he
had prepared and preached for
you.
6. Never engage a man who
comes armed with credentials. If
you think they are genuine, write
to his yeshiva or seminary for
confirmation. Insist upon sending
his credentials to the institution
which he claims ordained him.
7. Never engage a man upon the
recommendation of his relatives or
acquaintances in your community.
8. Never engage a man who
claims ordination from another
ndividual or group of individuals.
A modern rabbi requires school
training and practice—just know
ing alone is not enough for the
modern pulpit.
9. Never engage a “shochet” or
“mohel” and expect him to just
naturally overflow into your pul
pit or rabbinate. It can’t be done.
A "shochet” is not a rabbi any
more than a druggist is a physi
cian.
These are a few guides for the
selection of a properly trained
person for your post. Let u*s hope
that this High Holy Day Season
will see a marked improvement
in the terrifying condition as it
exists today. Maybe the printing
of the names of the “free-lances”
ought to do a great deal of good.
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