Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-12-16
SPEAKING FOR ASSIMILATION.


DR.. Joseph Silyerman. Of the Emanuel
Temple, New York. is not In favor Of a
gathering Of the Jews to Palestine. or
10 any other country According to
him the solution Of the Jewish problem
Is In the assimilation OF his brethren
with the nations In the midst of which
they dwell. He is quoted as having
said recently In sermon, that Israel
has passed the stage Of It's infant life,
and that now In its manhood" IL need
live no longer in its own home under its
parental roof" Israel, he continued,
has gone forth to gain the world for a
home, just as the young man goes forth
into the world to seek greater sphere
OF Usefulness for himself.
In the view o I DR.. Slovenian, the
gathering would look too much
lige a flight, and flight Is a
confession OF weakness, of cow
ardice He would solve the Jew
ish question by calling out to the Rus
sian, Roumanian. and Galiclan Jew.
stand your ground; flee not He coun.
sells that they firmly insist on their
rights, demanding equality before the
law, and fighting for justice and
humanity. He would have the Rouma-
MAN Jew stand his ground, using every
means at his command to bring about
more favorable conditions.
The speaker uttered one great truth
in the course of his address, which Is
very much applicable TO all residents
OF foreign extraction in this country,
where all enjoy equal privileges before
the law. He said that foreign lam
guage, manners and customs, all dis
unctive foreign institutions, like jar
gon press, literature and theater, must
be abandoned and old and young taught
the methods Of acquiring the life of the
land In which they live" The Ghetto,
for instance, is the great bane OF Jews
In every large city. 1T is" he said,
the greatest obstacle In the way of
assimilation. How TO break down It's
gates is one Of the most difficult prob
lens to solve in every large COM
munlty.p
There is much in the address Of the
Rabbi that commands attention. There
Is no doubt that many troubles have
come to the Hebrew race, because OF
their exclusiyeness. The more closely
they can Identify themselves with the
leople that surround them, the more
can they be a power for good The
prominent Hebrews Of the exile to
Babyonia became the saviors OF their
brethren, because they took part in the
affairs of the empire, as statesmen and
otherwise
But this does not mean that they
must not look forward toward day
when they shall again occupy as their
special Inheritance, the land OF prom
Use. Israel was once gathered there,
In order to learn the principles OF truth
and righteousness which they could not
have learned In a dispersed condition.
When the time came. they We're dis
persed, in order that those principles
should become the common property
OF mankind. But there is more to learn.
Israel and Judah win therefore once
more be gathered. for the general bene-
fit OF mankind. This seems To be In the
divine plan from the beginning. and it
cannot fail. DR.. silverman says history
does not show that a people that for
2eoO years lost their nationality ever
regained it.
Perhaps not Does history show a
people that kept themselves distinct for
1000 years among other nations. as the
Hebrews have done2 II not. may we
mel conclude that this is for special
purpose?