Dear Mr. Green: Rabbi Jung and I are very grateful to you for having presented a luminous example of consistently punctual attendance during the two weeks of your "Jewry duty." May I hope that in good health and spirits you will be able to perform a similar Mitzvah for many years. With warmest wishes to you and your dear ones, Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm cc: Mr. Julius

Dear Morris, It has come to my attention that several members of the Hebra Kadisha were unhappy about the custom followed by the Hebra of applying the egg to parts of the body after it has been cleaned, and considered it unesthetic and counter-productive to the whole purpose of the taharah. After pondering the matter, I find that I cannot permit the Hebra to dispense with this custom altogether. However, I have no objection to reversing the usual order we have followed, and performing the application of the egg before the washing. In this manner, we will have satisfied the esthetic sensibilities of some of our people, without in the least sacrificing either the halakhic or traditional integrity of the ceremony.Cordially,RABBI NORMAN LAMMNL\:cw

I asked Rabbi Arthur Silver to represent us at an emergency meeting called at the home of Barry Eisenberg on the night of our Annual Dinner, May 22. Rabbi Silver reported back to me that there is an emergency need of $102,000. If the Mikvah can settle with some of its immediate creditors, they will have a deficit of $56,000. They have decided to invite the presidents of all mid-Manhattan synagogues to an emergency meeting on June 5 at 8 P.M. at the home of Eisenberg, at 262 Central Park West, Apt. 2A. Their recommendation thus far was that every synagogue add to its membership fees a community tax to cover mikvah and kashrut. In addition, they assessed each synagogue a certain amount of money. They are asking for \$5,000 from The Center.Apparently, they are unaware of the fact that we have been following the system of adding a special tax for mikvah and kashrut. The problem is the \$5,000 we have to raise if we are to accept this assessment.I know that Mr. Stern will probably be overseas at the time of this meeting. I would appreciate it very much if either Mr. Green or Mr. Kobrin would undertake to attend that particular meeting. Do be kind enough to let me know which one of you will represent us.I suggest that after the meeting we form a committee of five people to make a few phone calls and do our duty toward the mikvah. I strongly recommend that Rabbi Silver be involved in that sub-committee.

Dear Elmer, Just a note or two about the Hebra Kadisha: (1) Rabbi Wermuth told me that Mr. Dorfzaun and you had raised some questions about the coffins that we permit for burials which take place under the aegis of The Jewish Center. I would like to inform you that we do not insist upon the very cheapest pine box. As long as there are no halakhic violations, we like to give the family some area of choice. The Riverside people therefore know that there are three boxes of which we approve.In the next few weeks, I will be making up the schedule for the three lectures that had been requested by the Hebra Kadisha. At the suggestion of some of the members, these will be kept restricted only to members of the Hebra. My present plans call for one lecture on , one on (these two to be given to the men's and women's Hebra Kadisha together), and one, to each group separately, on the practical techniques. The last lecture should be more in the form of a seminar by the older members to the newer ones. If there are any questions, they should be submitted to me in advance by the individuals who will be leading the discussion.I would like the Hebra Kadisha to consider the following idea, which I propose tentatively. At present, our tasks seem to be exclusively related to taharah. As you yourself had indicated, we ought to broaden the scope of our activities. My thought is that if that is the case, we ought to enlarge the Hebra and invite participation even by those who may be too squeamish to participate in a taharah. We might, for instance, set the number of 18 members for each group, knowing that there are at least half of each group that we can count on for taharot. The others could be assigned specific duties, such as telephoning. But much more important would be the following two areas: men members of the Hebra, especially those who do not volunteer for taharot, would be expected to attend minyanim of families sitting shiva, so that there never be any problem of a family of Th…

Dear Member: Please give this your utmost attention. It is simply too important to ignore. For the last ten years we had been very proud of the new facilities which have housed our Midtown Mikvah. We have had every reason to be happy with it. However, the community has unfortunately neglected this extremely vital part of our communal life. We are sorry to tell you that the Mikvah (under the name “Jewish Women’s Club”) finds itself in severe financial difficulties – threatened with mortgage foreclosure and with lawsuits on our obligations. Unless these will immediately be funded, the community stands to lose the Mikvah to its creditors, who will take it over in the near future. We can hardly imagine a more disastrous comment on the Jewish community of the West Side – on the dozens of thousands of Orthodox synagogues. Certainly, we cannot permit that to happen. Last year we raised funds from many, amongst others. Despite generous giving, it was not sufficient to meet our needs. Obligation to the Mikvah falls upon you immediately, since we are all equally responsible. If not for our family life, then for our wives and children and the many users of the Mikvah. We urge you, with all the sincerity at our command, to immediately make available to the trust fund of 510 West End Avenue (make all checks to “Jewish Women’s Club” and mail to the enclosed envelope). Please, please do not delay, lest we actually lose the Mikvah. Sincerely yours, Moses L. Green, Rabbi Norman Lamm, Rabbi Leo Jung