Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-25
HEBREW anniversary
Celebration at Hebrew Tenn
pie Last Evening.
ADDRESSES AND MUSIC
LANDING OF JEWISH COLONY $50
YEARS AGO.
President I. L. Blout Presides and
Introduces the Speakers-Those
Who Participated.
ADDRESSES AND MUSIC

Eloquent addresses. filled with praise and
thanksgiving for the enjoyment of liberty
In liberty-loving republic and for free
dom in speech and worship in land to
which they sought refuge during period of
persecution, were delivered last night at
celebration concentrating the landing of
the first colony of Jews in the United States
$50 years ago.
The celebra ton was held in the Hebrew
Temple on 9Th street between II and streets
northwest. There were a number of promi
nent guests present representative OF the
Jewish population of Washington. the meet
ing being directly under the auspices of the
Washington Hebrew Congregation.
In almost every village and hamlet in the
United States where Jewish people reside
anniversary exercises were held last night
to commemorate the event mentioned. The
celebration was in connection with the an
nual Thanksgiving observance.
Addresses were made by Commissioner
Henry B. F. mcfarland, Mr. Simon Wolf
and Rabbi Abram Simon. The musical and
ritualistic services formed the first part of
the celebration and were followed by the
introduction of the speakers of the even
ing. The choir Of the Washington Hebrew
Congregation furnished special music dur
ing the exercises.
Rituahstic Service.
The ritualistic service was particularly i'm
pressive. Rabbis Simon and Stern made ap-
proprfate remarks and special music was
provided by the choir. At the conclusion of
this part of the services President l. L.
Blout who presided at the celebration, an
nounced that invocation would be offered
by Rabbi Louis Stern
Rabbi Stern in words beautiful in thought
and expression offered thanks to God for
hn Of 4he 13T&I
band or lsraelites first sought refuge on
American shores. He prayed for the pres
ervatfon of the republic and the strength
and growth of the liberty which the Jew
ish people helped to bring to fruition A
special appeal was made In behalf Of the
downtrodden Jews in Russia.
MI. Macfarland's Address.
Commissioner Macfarfand was intro
duced by President Blout with appropriate
remarks. He said in part:
The national capital ought to lead the
country in the celebration OF this import
ant anniversary, because of what the Jew
has done in and for the national govern
ment and the national life. The United
States. first among nations to treat the
Jew as man, with equal rights and privi-
leges. has been repaid with his affection
ate loyalty From the revolution to the
present hour his money, his thought his
time. his life, have been freely offered in
the last refuge to this land of liberty and
opportunity from the butcheries which ex-
plain the medieval atrocities as due to the
fiercest human passions Is as grateful and
faithful as the descendants of the
twenty-three who fed from Brazil to New
Amsterdam after the Dutch had abandoned
them to the Portuguese $50 years ago. No
wonder the celebra ton has been set for
Thanksgiving time, for Jew and country
both have cause for gratitude. No wonder
it Is to be commemorated by a special
subscription for the sufferers In Russia,
for the twenty-three who sought refuge
under the inhospitable, irascible Gov. Peter
Stuyvesant from spoltation and persecution
in the land which they had begun to de-
velop. and who had to invoke the authority
of the Dutch West Indies Company to
overcome the refusal of Peter the Testy,
typiied the prosecuted Jews of all history.
Their appeal to our hearts is that of the
pilgrim fathers. a willingness TO secrif1ce
all else for freedom to worship God in
their own way.
Jews sailed with Columbus, other Jews
having helped him with money to sail.
And it is claimed that the first man ashore
in the new old world was Jew. But as
a people the Jews have not been wander
ers but homekeepers. They have chung
with pathetic devotion even to the coun-
tries which treated them worst. And few
of them came to America until driven by
bigotry from Spain and Portugal to
the protection of the Dutch in South Amer
ica and then pursued by the same bigotry
when the Dutch could no longer protect,
the men whom we celebrate settled in New
York. By 1912 there were only 1900 Jews
in the United States, and then after the
German migration only about 100000 in
1880 The evidence of the terrible charac-
ter of the anti Semitic outrages of the last
quarter of the century Is the arrival of
million more Jews, four times as many as
had come in 225 years, New York city,
with her 10000, being now the greatest
Jewish city in the world.
I'm spite of prejudice, racial and re-
xrinu in IfoIS
can proudly boast that the Jew has had
from the state nothing but justice. full
measure of freedom and American oppor-
tunity Moreover, can truthfully say
that our example has brought one country
after another to the same position and
that our influence no less than our gifts
has helped the Jew In the countries where
he Is still treated with injustice. This
rather than Palestine is the land of the
future for the Jew. But the United States
has made all other lands, including Pales-
tine. more hospitable to the Jew. Thank
God that He has saved us from the re-
proach of prosecuting his chosen people
and has led US to treat them as brethren.
TO whom we are indebted IN religion, In
literature in philosophy, in music, in pa
triotism, no less than in commerce and
craftsmanship.
Simon VOLTS Address
n, being introduced, Mr.. Wolf paid high
,ribute TO the fundamental characteristics
10 tho Jews. A race able to live under all
skies and among all peoples is able to climb
TO the highest round of the ladder OF human
DEVELOPMENT An estimate of what Jewish
emigration means and has accomplished
for the United States goes back only to
1855 and the Jews are therefore celebrat-
ing the 25Oth anniversary of their first set
Element in this country. In no other period
of the worlds history has there been SO
much accomplished, SO much progress
made, many useful and practical inven-
lions the speaker declared, nor have there
been in any other period of the worlds his
tory such gigantic wars with astonishing
results as within this period. He declared
II would be difficult to realize the measure
less accomplishments for the betterment
and uplifting of mankind. The one grand
accomplishment that surpasses all the rest
and. like ''Abou Ben Adhem." stands at the