Tradition Is Broken As Jews Hold Holy Days Services in Mem Church

The University has quietly reversed a long-standing tradition by permitting Jewish High Holy Days services to be held in Memorial Church. The blowing of the ram's horn at sundown Saturday ended the first non-Christian service open to the public in Mem Church's 35-year history.

The decision to permit the services was made this summer by the Rev. Charles Price, Preacher to the University after Rabbi Ben-Zion Gold of Hillel House told him that it was difficult to find a hall large enough to house the Reform services, one of three sets of services held for the Holy Days. Price said yesterday that he discussed the matter with President Pusey, but that the decision was his own. The question was not discussed at all by the Corporation, Sargent Kennedy, secretary to the Corporation, said last night.

The case with which the change was made is in sharp contrast with the bitter battle eight years ago over the use of Mem Church for non-Christian weddings and funeral services. At that time, President Pusey wrote, in a letter to the CRIMSON, "Harvard's historic tradition has been a Christian tradition" and Memorial Church "has always been thought of as a house of Christian worship." He offered non-Christians the use of PBH for their services.

Many members of the Faculty objected strongly, and presented a petition to Pusey asking that Mem Church be open to services of all religions. The Corporation decided to permit weddings and funeral services of all faiths in Mem Church.

But non-Christian services open to the community were never held there until last week, when services for Rosh Hashonah (the Jewish New Year) were conducted in Appleton Chapel by Rabbi Maurice L. Zigmond.

This past Friday night, more than 900 people attended Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) services in Memorial Church. Conservative services, which draw as many people as the Reform for the evening Yom Kippur service, and more for the morning, were conducted by Rabbi Gold in the Rindge Tech Auditorium.

Rabbi Zigmond expects to continue to use Mem Church for the High Holy Days in the future, although Reform and Conservative services may be held there in alternating years. Orthodox services are always conducted in the Hillel House, 5 Bryant St.

"Probably the only reason we haven't used the Church before this year was that we hadn't asked for it," Rabbi Zigmond explained. "Perhaps," he added, "we might have had some trouble getting it under previous regimes [before Price took over three years ago]."

Rabbi Zigmond would have had some trouble if he had tried a decade ago, when Mem Church was under the leadership of the Rev. George A. Buttrick. But-trick said "it would be intellectually dishonest for Christian and Jewish marriages to be carried on beneath the same roof."

Memorial Church has been a problem child since before she was born. In 1919 the Associated Harvard Clubs formed a 43-man committee to decide on a memorial to the dead of World War I. Five years later, they chose a church.

Immediately, many alumni objected. A church, they said, was inappropriate as a war memorial. Those men who died at war were making a secular sacrifice, they asserted. Only some of them were religious, and not all Christian.

Memorial Church was nevertheless built, and dedicated in 1932 as a Christian house of worship.