Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-11-26
TO DIE, BUT NOT TO LIVE.
Rabbi Wise Gives Only Reason Why
Jews Remove to Palestine.

Rabbi Wise Gives Only Reason Why
Jews Remove to Palestine.
The Jewish congress which met in
Switzerland in the latter part of Au-
gust, with the object of securing Pales
tine for recolonization by the Jews has
attracted widespread attention in this
country, and has given rise to much
comment and speculation. In reference
to the matter Rev. DIR. l. NJ Wise, rabbi
of the Plum Street Temple, had this to
say:
"The ancient kingdom of Judea was
overthrown in the year 70 A. d., and the
people became merged into other ma
tions. Judea had ceased to be nation,
and all the heroic attempts to restore
its nationality We're signal failures,
Those who voluntarily left Judea pre-
yious to the fall, or were carried away
as prisoners. becal' subject to the
laws of the land Ia which they lived,
though remaining faithful to the laws
of Moses. These wanderers from Judea
saw that their brethren to the east and
west of them were steadfast subjects
of the land to which they had been
migrated, and still remained steadfast
to their religion, so that the conviction
soon grew upon them that their re-
ligion was not dependent upon the
preservation of national government.
"Of Jerusalem, its temple, altar, and
the ancient cult they had only mem
ories, but of their religion and the
obedience of their brethren to the laws
of the land of their adoption they had
living examples. Their religion and
their history, therefore, became the
center to which the scattered particles
of the nation gravitated. For IS CEN
turies the Jews have lived and thrived
on their religion and their history with
out social or national auxiliaries.
$50 long as the Jews enjoyed equal
rights with the other inhabitants of the
/ country they were loyal citizens and
true to their religion. When driven to
desperation by persecution and intol-
erance they sought consolation in their
religion and the ideal that redeemer
would come to lead them back to Pales-
tine. But, Notwithstanding their hopes
and prayers for such consummation,
they never evinced any particular de-
sire to go back. They migrated from
land to land, but not to Palestine.
Some extra pious souls went there to
die, but very few went there to live.
'In Russia and Roumania, where the
jew was never treated as human be-
ing, and his every ideal trampled under
foot, the morning of redemption
dawned under Alexander II. But un.
der Alexander III. the Jews were again
driven to madness and despair. Like
their fathers of old, they fell back upon
their Messianic ideals, in theory. and
emigrated to all countries - except
Palestine. One M ION Jews have left
Russia since 1881, of whom certainly
not more than $4,000 went to Palestine.
These facts prove that the Jews even
Of Russia and the Balkan states do not
wish and will not go back to Palestine
under government of their own or
any other government.
'The so-called Jewish congress in
Basel was, properly speaking, neither
congress nor Jewish. II was really g
convention Of some voluntary advo.
Gates of plan for the relief of the Jews
in the orient. 1t was not Jewish be
cause it represented neither the senti.
ments nor the religious propensites oi
the Jews as body. The entire pro
ceedings of the convention, as giver
through the press of this country, are
that there were 200 delegates present
Dr. Herzl and DR.. Nordau were elected
presiding officers and a telegram wa!
sent the sultan thanking him for tn,
kind and just treatment accorded hi!
Jewish subjects.
Throughout the civilized world ther,
is no desire on the part of the Jews t,
returnoto Palestine under any circum
stances, and those who have had tn,
best opportunity to return, and TO
whom the whole movement was orig
inally planned, viz, the Russian ant
Roumanian Jews, are the last to talk
advantage of any such offer. On tn
contrary, they strive to get as far ava.
from the orient as possible and seek tn
free, advanced and civilized countrie
of the west.
'The whole plan is a dream of roman
tic and impractical minds, and will b
forgotten as soon as the newspaper
become tired of using it."-Cincinnat
Commercial Gazette.