The times., 1897-09-27
BENEATH THE SAME ROOF
Jew and Christian Worship in
the Same Place.
CELEBRATING NEW YEARS
The Washington Hebrew Congrega-
tion Observes the First Day of
the Jewish Ecclesiastical Year
With Appropriate Services in n
Christian Church.

Jew aud Christian worshiped under the
same roof last night. The Washington
Hebrew Congregation celebrated the Jewish
New Year with imposing services DIT Con
gregational Church, and began their worship
just as the Young Peoples Society of
Christian Endcavor concluded theirs.
just as the Young Christians sang
Praise God, From Whom All Blessings
Flow" the great organ pealed forth
Jewish anthem. The platform was dec
GRATED with great clusters of golden rod,
and these strictly American flowers lid
duty 1t the Congregational service in the
! forenoon, as wei SIS at the Jewish service
in the evening. They were just as yellow
and aa odorous at one service as at the
| other.
Just as the sun hung a crown Of gold
| on the brow of the Virginia hills, and the
bright sUaIs Vega, Capella and Affair
| twihkled in their homes of blue, the He
| brews began TO gather at the church a
| great many Christians came, too. large
! percentage of these Christians expected
| something funny, something barbarOus,
| something sensational, i'll the Jewish ser
| vice. 'rhey Went away feeling that the
service was impressive in It's dignity and
| Solemnity.
AS The organist began to play, RaDDi
Stern gowned In the vestrnents uf his OF
! flee, appeared on the platform. He was
| flanlted on either side by /. l.. Bluut, presi
dent OF the congregation, and Mr.. Philip
! PeyEer, an officer of the congregation.
The service began with the singing by
the choir OF psalm cxxi. At the close Of
! the psalm Rabbi Stern read from the Rosh
| Hoshana liturgy the following:
Heavenly Father! in the twilight of the
| vanishing year we lift up our hearts to
Thee To thank Thee for all the benefits
which we have received at Thy hands in
/ the past, and 10 Implore Thy guidance and
| Thy blessing n the future. Thy provid enCe
| hast watched over our lives and over the
] lives Of thOs who are d ear 20 us.
In affliction Thou hast strengthened us
and In sorrow Thou mas comforted us.
| Thou hast frightened our lives with the
| Joys of home and friendship. Thy loving
! kindness las provided abundantly for our
wants and hast ena bled US TO give or our
| bounty u the poor. Aud as we thank Thee
/ Tor tile JOYS OF life, even 50 do we praise
| Thee for its sorrows. Many a tear hast
/ Gurrowed our cheeks, many tender tie
hast been severed by the hand OF death,
! but Thou dost not willingly aiflict Tny
! children. With Father love h ast Thou
! disciplined US that We might turn unto
| Thee
After hymn had been sung, Rabbi
| stern delivered an address as follows
"Of doubly deep and solemn slgnifi-
cance is to our hearts this sacred hour OF
service. The profound interest that ordi-
narily attaches to the hour marking the
death OF the old year and birth of the new,
| is materially enhanced b the place and cir
! cuIns,ance OF our worship tonight.
The privilege cordially extended to us
| by The worthy pastor and good people Of the
| First Congregational Church to hold our
services during our present holiday season
! in this, their beautiful, spacious place or
| worship, together with a similar offer com
| ing TO us from the Church of Our Father,
| are facts which in deed cause our hearts to
rejoice.
The new year dawns upon US most
| auspiciously. With the inspiring, neverto-
| be-forgotten scenes OF the laying of the
| corner stone of our new temple still fresh
/ in our minds, and our souls filled with
! happy visions Of our sanctuary complete,
| OF an increased religious enthusiasm and
| bFoadened and enlarged spiritual life
| and activity in our midst as promising
| gifts of the coming year, we are delight ed
| at its very threshold with the kindly, fra
| ternal feelings manifested toward US on
| the part of our fellow-citiZens of other
| creeds, feelings which we most heartily
and sincerely reciprocate.
Truly, the best means Of wiping out
even the last vestige Of prejudice is the
| gradual removal of such Ia rriers between
creed and creed as would prevent their
nearer approach TO and contact with each
other. The Ieveling Jf such barriers tends
To expand and broaden the view. 1t opens
the eye TO the truth that goodness and
Godliness are not confined TO any particular
| creed or dogna-a truth which Judaism
recognizes in the maxim: The righteous
Of all denominations will inherit the life
| t. come It causes us, like Jacob OF
| old awakening from his sleep, TO cheer
fully acknowledge: Truly the good is
il this place and knew it not
with such sentiments foremost in our
minds and hearts. we assemble in these
| precincts sacred to others, and, therefore,
also sacred 10 US, for the most solemn
services of the Jewish year. But it is
not alone the spirit of fraternity and kind
illness manifested toward US that makes
US TT once feel at home in this sanctuary.
The very inscriptions on its walls seem
to exteud to US friendly greeting. The
| sentences TO your right embody noble
thoughts, effusions of inspired men Of old,
IN whose veins coursed Jewish blood
| Those to your left, commonly known To
| our Christian brethren as The Lord 5
| Prayer, voice Jewish sentiments through
oat that may be paralleled in almost their
exact literal construction in Biblical and
post Biblical Jewish writings. The open
| ing words, Our Father, who art in II ca ven, :
strike the keynote of the underlying thought
Of true religion in general, and Of this
solemn day In particular.
They at once call to mind the sublime
sentiment voiced by the latest of Jewish
prophets: Have we not all one Father?
Hath not one God created US? Why, then,
should we deal treacherously one man
against his brother, profaning the covenant
| of our Father
Our ritual of the New Year abounds
with prayers and petitions for the ulti-
mate complete realization of the ideal of
| the Fatherhood of God and the brother
| hood OF man-not alone our revised modern
| ritual, but the ancient liturgy as well,
| still in vogue in the orthodox synagogue
"In no wise does the Jewish new year
| partakc of the spirit of levity by which
| our common secular new year is more or
less characterized. Opening a season of
| earnest religious thought, of self-eXamina-
| ton and repentance, eliminating in our
| day of atonement, it leads and directs
~ l..