The San Francisco call., 1898-12-10
Beginning of the Jew
 ish Festival.
SERVICES IN THE SYNAGOGUES
SERMONS AGAINST ZIoNISM BY
 THE RABIES.
Jerusalem Was Not a Walled City, but a Spiritual Abode, Is the Idea of the Reform.
 Jew.

Last night was begun by the people of
 the Jewish faith the celebration Of the
 Chanuka. or the feast of<the lights, the
 anniversary of the rededication of the
 temple by the heroic Judas Maccabeus
 after a successful revolution against An
 tiochus, King of Syria.
 In commemoration of the victory an
 eight-day feast or celebration was lnstl-
 tuted in which candles are lighted, recall
 ing the relighting of the fires on the aitars
 of Jehovah This partial returning of
 Palestine to the Jewish faith is being
 compared to the present Zionistic idea, or
 the re-establishment of the Jewish nation in it's ancient home. This plan of colo
 nization and nationality finds no favor
 among reform Jews, on the ground or us
 utter impracticability and as not being Ill
 accordance with divine will.
 In his sermon at Temple Emanu-El, pr. Voorsanger Fast evening eloquently op-
 posed this scheme for the return or the Jews to Jerusalem. Tt was, ne Saiu,
 "a visionary idea of the sending thither
 a company of poor. Jews by a few r1cn go themselves. The herolsm of Macca- beus, the Washington of Palestine, ana
 the rehabilitation of the Holy Lana as ; the victorious result of that struggle.
 could in no wise be initiated by this new idea, and tonight is the time to speak
 against the plan proposed that VIII over
  Israel backward. On to Zion is apt | to create more mischief in the world than | anything that has ever come before the Dr. M. s. Levy of Temple Beth-Israel said that around this festival. is, clustered | Maccabees. Connecting with the feast of lights are some of the prettiest ideals which a people ever possessed. IT Cha.s nuka, coming as 1t does in the month g. or or | December and frequently apout the 25th thereof was observed by the Jewish peo- l pie instead of Christmas it would be the ! means of creating a greater a.f1 nauonal ha bond of mutual friendliness and would l inspire us to deeds of heroism in the name of and for the glory of Israel. It would bring to the minds of your children | the memory of the all-inspiring epoch of their own religion and their hearts could | be turned from Santa Claus and be made pr. Jacob Nieto of Congregation Sher- 1 ith Israel said: '"Fhis is Chanuka, the time of the rededieation of the temple | and the recommendation of Israel to the holy mission of proclaiming the unity or 1 God and announcing perfection or man, l the worlds greatest ideal. 1 the Maccabees a thrill of pride courses | through our frames as imagination lm- 1 pelled by sentiment opens to our mental | gaze view of numberless fields Of glory. l The Syrian power was broken and Israel | left at rest in the principles Of yore and | took again the oath or realty to God sovereign power. But this was changed and the Jew was made to wander forth | over the world long pilgrimage with the burden of iniquities he had not com mitted added to those he had; despised and scorned while the world worshiped at the shrine of his creation. They de- tested him but loved his ideals. But his song was still of Zion and his hope was of her restoration
 '.Now we come to Zionism. In it's new
 form it is neither poetical nor practical. It is only phantasy-a dream of the over-Sangune soul. One of the
 means to be adopted to bring about this
 end, this return of the Jew to the old
 home of his race, is the establishment of bank for the assistance of the future Palestine farmer. Banks cannot be made solvent unless they can loan on an inter est-yielding industry, and there are no industries in Palestine worth mentioning, and no coloniStS can progress under con
 ditions that are utterly visionary.
 And there is the religious part of the
 question. If the so-caled orthodox Jew
 IS right the reconstruction of the temple
 would necesState the reintroduction of
 the old sacrificial rites which he prays for
 daily, and a return to barbarism would
 be the inevitable result. Jerusalem will
 never be in the possession of the Jew,
 neither will the introduction of the blood
 rites of his forefathefs be possible or