Dear Rabbi Lamm: With reference to your inquiry may I state first of all that we in the Rabbinical Council deem you an authority on Halachah and that as Moro D’asro of your community you are the authority to decide all questions of Jewish Law and it is within the province of your prerogative to make the decisions which need to be made. We know that whatever decisions you make will always be based upon Halachah without any deviation from its principles. With regard to the specific items under discussion, our Halachah Commission has on numerous occasions studied the various facets of the problems and has always come to the conclusions that: The ״mechitzah״ is an integral part of the synagogue and is ordained by the Halachah. Its absence reflects upon the synagogue as a sanctuary and deprives it of the ״Keddusha״ which differentiates it from another building. A house of worship must according to Halachah have a separation between the sexes in order that it might be a suitable place for worship. There can be no other opinion on this in the Halachah.On the question of microphone, may I say that our Halachah Commission considers the use of a microphone on the Sabbath a forbidden act involving issurim proscribed in the Torah.I am confident that because your authority and scholarship are recognized that the decisions which you will make will be accepted without questions.Kindest personal regards.CordiallyRabbi Israel Klavan

Dear Rabbi Lamm: Thank you very much for your manuscript. Would you be good enough to send a copy to: Rabbi Dr. J. Newman, Federation of Synagogues of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, 24, Raleigh St. Yeoville, Johannesburg South Africa. With all good wishes. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Leo Jung

My dear Norman: Thank you very much for sending me the address that you delivered before your Sisterhood, entitled "Separate Pews – A Mark of Jewish Dignity." I read it with a great deal of interest, and so did Haskel. I want to compliment you on a beautiful presentation on a forthright and courageous statement and on a scholarly treatment of the subject. In spite of the apparent scholarship, you nevertheless managed to make it sufficiently popular, so that a group of average lay people could understand it. It is one of the finest statements on the subject that I have read. Congratulations.Very cordially yours,Joseph H. Lookstein

My dear Rabbi Newman: Upon the advice of Rabbi Leo Jung of the Jewish Center of New York, I am sending you enclosed a copy of my talk, "Separate Pews – A Mark of Jewish Dignity." I hope it can be of some assistance to you and our fellow-Jews in South Africa. If any references are made to it in any printed matter, or if by chance the article should be reprinted in whole or in part, please be kind enough to make available to me several copies of the same.With best wishes once again,Sincerely yours,Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Thank you very much for your congratulations and wonderful wishes. It was really very nice of you to have taken the time to express them. By the way, my father showed me your speech on mixed pews (not in mixed pews) and I thought it was literally out of this world – in the right direction, of course. I read it, reread it, tried to memorize the arguments, and then put it in my file cabinet in case I shood forget its contents. I think that it is far and away the best treatment I have seen or heard on the subject. Congratulations! I hope you can keep doing this sort of work. It’s really excellent, Sincerely, Haskel. Regards to the rebbetzin

Dear Rabbi Lamm, The transcript of an address delivered by you re: separate pews was to me both enlightening and heartwarming. More than ever before I am convinced that l am correct in my adherence to the principles you espouse. Though a congregational vote soundly defeated me, the platform on which I ran – separate seating – gave cause for thought about the subject. Even this was a more healthy condition than previously existed. However this community – insofar as Orthodoxy is concerned – is failing fast. Enclosed is a contribution to your congregation made in your honor – a token of my appreciation for your interest. I shall look forward to personally making your acquaintance. With kindest wishes , I am.Very respectfully, Emil B. Dere

Dear Friend: On February 19, 1959, there will be an Executive Committee meeting of the Yeshiva University Rabbinic Alumni at 10 A.M. in Klein Hall. Following this meeting, we will have the pleasure of listening to our distinguished colleague, Rabbi Norman Lamm, Associate Rabbi of The Jewish Center, who will speak to us on "The Orthodox Position on Family Pews: Interpreting it to the Laity." If you remember, we had originally scheduled Rabbi Lamm’s paper to be read at our last annual Convention in Lakewood. Since, however, Rabbi Lamm was unable to attend, we had postponed his lecture until further notice. We are now very happy to be able to enjoy Rabbi Lamm’s address at our next executive meeting.In accordance with our resolution passed at the Convention, we are engaging on an enlarged schedule cultural programs for this coming year. One of the resolutions called upon the Rabbinic Alumni to arrange various work-shops and seminars in the field of Practical Rabbinics. As a result, I am happy to inform you that arrangements have been made for us to visit the 999 Real Kosher Sausage Co., on 15 Rivington Street, New York City, on Monday, February 9, 19590 Incidentally the factory is owned by Rabbi David H. Hill, an alumnus of our Yeshiva.This visit will commence at 10 A.M, and we will have an opportunity to watch the preparation of meats in accordance with Halachic requirements-. We assure you that you will find this most enlightening, and an experience which will be worth your while in the field of Kashruth. Please be good enough to fill out the enclosed card indicating your intention to be present.Very sincerely yours,RABBI FABIAN SCHONFELD, Chairman CULTURAL PROGRAM

Dear Colleague: Now that our highly successful Mid-Winter Conference is over, our Executive Committee is ready to meet again and take up important matters pertaining to our annual program and calendar. Accordingly, our next executive committee meeting will take place on February 19, 1959, at 10 A. M. in Klein Hall, P.G. The agenda will include: 1. Chag Hasmicha 2. Report on Mid-Winter Conference 3. Report on Alumni Fund 4. Standing committees- report and activitations. Please be prompt so that we may conclude our business meeting with dispatch and start our cultural program by 11:30 A. M.The address will be given by Rabbi Norman Lamm, Associate Rabbi of The Jewish Center, New York, who will speak on ore of the dost important problems facing us these days- "The Orthodox Position on Family Pews: Interpreting it to the Laity”,Sincerely yours,RABBI ISRAEL MILLERPresident Rabbinic Alumni

Dear Rabbi Schonfeld: I have before me your announcement concerning the interesting program scheduled for February 19. Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to come to New York again before the end of March. I am especially unhappy, however, over the prospect of missing this session since Rabbi Lamm’s topic is of the greatest pertinence to my own situation, as you know. I am in Wichita with a “heter” from Rabbi Soloveitchik giving me a reasonable time to correct the special arrangement in our small synagogue. I have read many favorable comments on Rabbi Lamm’s treatment of this touchy topic, and, for all that I have written and spoken and read on this subject to date, I still feel that I would benefit from his presentation. I daresay, there are probably far more rabbis in outlying areas, unable to attend these meetings, who are in need of this discussion than there are in the metropolitan area. This gives a pressing immediacy to the step I urged Rabbi Bernstein to take at our Mid-Winter Conference last month. At that time, I suggested similar sentiments about even so informal a discussion as that which the Rabbinic Alumni held at our last dinner: important services and the responsibility of the Yeshiva should impel us toward the regular dissemination of this effort in the field. Since the rules of a convention and the constraints upon the papers presented, I don’t think this would in any way diminish the stature of Yeshiva. I believe that such transcripts or tapes would be equally welcomed by those who attended, but were unable to hear clearly, as well as those who found it very slip by the listener, who would be refreshed for the opportunity to review the material back home. This is not really a difficult project. The technical end could be easily arranged, especially if first services of the Audio-Visual Department were employed. I am sure that our colleagues would be happy to pay for these transcripts or tapes and help to defray the costs of the program. There…

Dear Harvey: 1. Please prepare to print two thousand copies of Vol. I, No. 2 of TRADITION. 2. I want 4,250 reprints of my "Separate Pews" article in the forthcoming issue. The total bill should be sent to Rabbi Klavan with the statement for TRADITION, Vol. I, No. 2. 3. Have the reprints distributed as follows: a) 2,000 to Rabbi Morris Finer, c/o Yeshiva University, Amsterdam Ave. & 186th St., New York 33, New York. b) 1,000 to Mr. Saul Bernstein, c/o Union of Orthodox Jewish Cong., 305 Broadway, New York City, N.Y. c) 1,000 to Rabbi Harun, Rabbinical Council of America, 331 Madison Ave., New York City, New York. d) 250 to Rabbi Norman Lamm, 131 West 86th St., N.Y. 24, N.Y. I am Looking forward to meeting with you soon so that we may finally prepare the proofs for printing. Cordially Rabbi Norman Lamm Editor