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The
Study Institute (Lehrhaus) in our community has become
an important center of Jewish intellectual life in Mannheim
since its establishment, and thus has preserved its original
purpose. Creative forces have here found the right soil for
their development, whether the occasion is a commemorative
meeting with its effect of Jewish self-renewal, the discussion
of more or less urgent topical problems, or even new artistic
interpretations of ancient religious celebrations. For those
with an acute ear the Study Institute always served as an
indicator of the level of spiritual problems of the Jewish
intellectual....
Great
masses of people who formerly stood apart from whatever the
Study Institute had to offer now crowd into its premises. Our
previous efforts to supply the needs of the hour are now faced
with entirely new tasks. The German Jew of the present day is
in difficulties which direct his attention away from his
current circumscribed position and far beyond his former
sphere of activities. The well-known need for new occupations
demands more varied qualifications than before from those
involved. It is plainer than ever that one necessary
requirement among the adults is the knowledge of foreign
languages. The Study Institute was always a place for Jewish
adult education, and now it must make itself available for the
demands of occupational changes and "re-education."
We accept this as a fruitful development of our original
aim....
Israelitisches
Gemeindeblatt Mannheim,
July 28, 1933. |
