Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-06-11
ORTHODOX JEWS CONGRESS.
New York Sun of June 10l

| JlOH WAS auOpuou. 4uS utSb eSCtIou uauc
provision for the name of the orgeniza-
ton, which shall be known as the Or
thodox Congregational Union of Amer
lea. The object of the organization will
be to promote the religious interests OF
Jews in America, and to establish a
C oser fellowship among the Orthodox
Jews.
Considerable discussion arose over a
section of the constitution making all
orthodox congregations eligible to mem
bership. One of the delegates thought
That this section was too broad, because
il would permit congregations to join
which should not be allowed to join;
for Instance. there were congregations
which permitted men worshipers to re-
move their hats in the synagogue; then
there were others that used organs in
worship and still others that violated
tne orthodox rule by allowing men and
women to worship side by side.
A delegate from Montreal said that
all orthodox congregations should be
eligible to membership in the Union.
Congregations which permitted men to
remove their hats were not orthodox,
and, therefore. would be barred out.
The objection was then withdrawn, and
The section providing for the eligibility
II all orthodox congregations was
adopted.
1t was decided to asses congregations
10 the union in proportion to the num-
Der of mbers in the congregation.
A resolution was passed calling upon
all Orthodox Jews to observe strictly
the Jewish Sabbath.
The afternoon session was taken up
with addresses attacking the reform
Jews who were "getting away from
heir religion" as one of the speakers
expressed it.
Rev. DR.. j. H. Hertz, of Syracuse,
says
F'It certainly cannot be necessary to
prove here that Judaism demands of its
followers loyalty to their native coun-
try. Still more superiluous would be
An attempt to deal with the old matter.
|9Can Jews be pstriots?' American
Jewish historians have, once for oil, an
swered the fools who PROFOUND this
question, according to their folly. They
have shown in an incontrovertible
manner that from the Jewish sailor on
Columbus's vessel, who was the first to
sight land, down to the dozen men of
our faith VINO lost their lives on the
noble battleship, the Maine, there is not
AZ important movement in American
history in which the Jewish population
has not hesn fairly represented.
Democracy, we are sorry to say 1t,
has done many things which men
hundred years ago never thought it
would do, and it has left undone still
gresther things they were sure it could
! 10. A great American once defined
democracy to mean not ~ am as good
as you are, but rather, You are as good
am l fear that as class the citi-
zans of this country have not yet learn
ed this simple distinction with its vast
itfert nee.
Another thing we have not yet
learned is that it is just az wrong, II
aot more so, to steal from your Lation,
your State, or your city as it is to pick
your neighbor's pockets. In other
words, we have not yet sufficiently
learned the lesson of purity in public
life. Now, what of the Jew in public
life? How does Judaism intend 10 lm-
part these most important lessons In
civil duty? 1t is just here that the Jew
ish orthodox conference can do eior-
ious work. 1t represents the jewish
Jews in this country, the plain, simple
people, who do not reserve their rell-
gion for Sabbaths or Sundays, but who
live it every day and every hour. An
orthodox Jew will easily learn the re-
sponslblity which the ballot places
upon him as soon as he is told the
meaning of the following 'Ajudge who
delivers righteous judgment, Scrip
ture regards him as if he became there
nv a copsrtner of the Holy One. Bless
ed be he in the creation OF the moral
universe An orthodox Jewish voter
who has grasped that will pause before
he helps an unrighteous judge into pow
or by his vote. Similarly, any one who
has read the first chapter of Isaiah care
fully, sympathetically, even if only i'll
iarcon translation, will see the vision OF
city of righteousness which will never
leave him-the vision of q city, ah, so
different from one whose princes are
low men and companions of thieves,
where every one loves bribes and fol-
lows after rewards Thou shalt not toi'
low a multitude to evil is the only
means by which thousands can be
taught that the voice Of maiorities IN
public life, while we must submit 10 It's
rulings. is not always the voice OF God.
"A Jewish thinker thirty years ago
declared every country has the Jews 1t
deserves. And, my friends, our beloved
country deserves Jews with high ideals,
sterling political honesty, and unsuliled
| loyalty to the higher interests OF our
national life. No other Jew will do.
All citizens of the union are willing to
be patriots in times of war. The Jew,
because he is Jew, ought 10 show
fort h an example of something higher,
holirr: u patriot in lime of war, Of
course, but also, and above all, patri-
OF in ime Of peace AL Citizens