The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-08-18
For The Presbyterian Standard.
The Jew Of America

The Jew Of America
CThe Rev. DR.. H Pereaa Mendes. Rabbi
Spanish Synagogue, N. Y. city,
You ask me to write upon the Jew In
| America
Which Jew?
The Jew, who ike any American,
merely helps TO build up the ountry's
material prosperity or adds 10 ITS IN
telectual triumphs. or Jews OF history.
the Jew who Is historically he founder
OF Americas greatness and the sole
s~uarantor OF her existence?
Perhaps you have never though OF
the subject you assign to me-TheJ Jew
, In America"-in this latter light.
) Let me explain.
! Concerning the Jew in America. who
like any American, or as m American
citizen. helps TO build III American pros
perity or intellectually, my pen may
well be silent The Rev. DR.. Madison
Peters book, Justice to the Jew" in
dicates sufficiently and very graphically
what the Jew has done and is doing in
America In the material and intellectual
walks OF life. Enough to say the Jew
Is prominent in all industries. and one
need only talk up any daily paper to
see that the Jew in America, IS in any
other country, is conspicuous by the
disproportionabe infreQuency Of his ap-
pearance in the columns ms II
graphs that tell OF actual crime, drum
kenness and immortality. II occasional
ly a Jew is committed for a crime. it
only serves to indicate by contrast what
/ al unusual. VIA an extraordinary
thing IL is that a Jew Is actually guilty
OF a crime. Perhaps this is why sons
newspapers always add the words, "a
Jew" TO the name as IL to indicate his
religion. 1t is really to express their
establishment that a Jew should be
guilty, and to 50 advertise the law
abiding nature OF the Jew, his integri-
ty, his industry and his sobriety. II is
but an exempliication by those editors
of the old adage,, t exception proves
the rule"
That some Jews are not l~aw-abiding.
honorable. industrious-yes. There
Judge all American Christians by the
so-cafled Christians who fill the pris-
ms. Enough to state that Jews are
disproporionately few in criminal sta
tistics. Let other pens take up the Jew
in America from the commercial, in
dustrial, intellectual or social stand
point.
Let me utilize the space you assign
me by explaining what I mean by the
Jew in America, who is historically the
founder OF Americas greatness and the
guarantor Of her existence.
I mean the Jew who. by fulfilling his
historical mission, is the teacher of
the world. I mean this:
81 Lyra o lyrasset, Lutheras non
%saltasset. Just as Luther studied un-
der Nicholas de Lyra, the Jew; just as
Albertus Mangus. William OF Au-
vergne, Duns Scotus. Sifer Of Barbanr
gtudied MaimonideS or other Jewish
writers, so did other leaders OF Chris
tan thought, taught in Spanish and
Italian universities by Jewish profess
oors, consciously or unconSciously work
Tor the Reformation.
And it is the Reformation, Protest
antism, which has been n factor OF
Americas greatness, one cause Of her
existence, and which is one guarantee
of her continuance.
If a general, an architect, or a mu-
sician is known by what he effects or
has effected, the Jew must be known
in America by the effects Of the Refor-
nation.
One of the earliest results was the
translation of the Bible into English
Q604-161D. The Bible is the Book OF
the Jew, the Book by which he has
taught and is teaching the world.
In only thirty years time. the teach
ings of the Jew S o o the English
that they opened the Book Of his teach
ings at I Kings, IL, and when Charles
1 refused to understand the seventh
verse, declaring "a a king rules by
, grace OF the ruled, they quoted from
the 10th verse, and mutinied. They rode
into battle singing the Bible psalms and
inspired by the Bible prophets. And
those grand-hearted men-Puritans
J they were called-learned from the
Book of the Jews the word Liberty
Some of these Puritans carried the
echoes of the word to this country. Pill
grim fathers they were called! They
fought their battle of life comforted by
, the anne nca1rpC incnirod hv tho CO a
! prophets. And so through them the
teachings of the Jew were brought to
America
Presently the time came when the les
sons of Liberty and Right of the ruled
had to be learned again. And the Jew
was present again, by his Book. For
those sturdy pilgrim fathers, or their
descendants. read in it the line. PRO
claim We freedom throughout the land
to all its inhabitants" (Lev. 25:10. They
wrote the words on Liberty bell and
the song Of the bell rang through the
land! The Jew in America, by having
taught the Puritans the lessons I have
named, through them created America.
And in this way the Jew in America,
the Jew of history, the Jew whose mis-
sion is ito teach the world. called this
great country into existence.
And as long as Americans cherish
the teachings Of the Jew in America, in
plain words, as long as the Bible, the
Book of the Jew, is honored with its
psalms to comfort, its prophets to
inspire and its law to guide, the exist
ence of this great nation is guaran-
teed.
To sum up:
AS long as we recognize that neither
nation nor man is to be judged only by
material prosperity or Intellectual en-
inence, blu by spiritual attainments. so
long must the expression, The Jew
in America" be recognized as meaning
the ideal and spiritual force in this
country by reason Of his Book and its
teachings.
HOsti1ities HeneNyec in ~rmoa