The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-12
FREUND DEFENDS
JEWISH RELIGION
YAnSWerS Liberal Preachers
y Reference to death of
Judaism"
SAYS HISTORY REFUTES 1T
RABBI JOINS IN DEMAND FOR A
BROADER FAITH.

In a sermon at temple B'nai Israel last
evening Rabbi Freund took exception 10
statements made during the past week by
a certain liberal minister concerning the
Jewish faith. He said in part:
Relying on the trustworthiness or the
newspaper account of discourse deliv-
cred bya liberal minister in this commun-
ity during the past week we have the war
rant of our tonights topic. Speaking or
the need for a more liberal manifestation
of religion, these words were used:
THE religion of today must broacrn.
The day that the Jewish people announced
that God had spoken to them alone, that
day saw the beginning of the death of
their religion. So it will be with every
faith founded by men today on the belief
that all mankind must seek God through
certain narrow channels
Needs Broadening.
ITO the first premise we have no OBJ
lection. Like our friend. we feel that
religion as practsed today needs the vi
talizing touch to broaden the views of
many. We have had frequent opportunity
TO experience the narrowness of people
protesting some phase of religion to make
US wish that they could begin TO be more
liberal and escape the narrowness or
blinded bigotry. 1t is not necessary to
specify brands of religion where this lib
eralizing touch would accomplish untold
good.
No Excuse to offer.
But as we read on in the report of his
words we must part company. For our
reading and Interpretation of the history
of Judaism gives us the assurance that
the death knen of our religion had not
been sounded even to this day. Our pro-
crossing liberalism may make distaSteful
even to us that boasting attitude of our
ancestors which made them feel that they
were the sole recipient of divine favor
We can find excuse for them only in so
far as they thought that by their conduct
they could impart their knowledge TO the
world. The special sphere of lsraeFs &C
tvity may be likened to vessels which
alone can act as the medium for the
transportation of certain article. Con-
Veyed in any other medium the article
might deteriorate and lose its value.
Not Dead, Or Even Dying.
lit is proper to ask then. whether such
narrowness saw the beginning of the
death of their religion? Granting that
there was a beginning to such a death,
we would have TO acquiesce to the even
tual demise. This we are not ready to
do and for very good reasons.
The local exponent of liberalism does
not stand alone in his assertion that Juda-
ism by reason of its narroWness sounded
its death-knell. He and all of them are
mlSled into the error of judgment by the
fact that Judaism has never been pros
elyting religion. The task of trying to
convert the world at large to their way of
thinking has been assumed by certain re
and other brutal means. Judaisms con-
quest has been by less powerful measures.
rs Judaism dead? Then the continued
existence of the Jew is one of the uneX-
planned paradoXies of history. Judaism
and the Jew are inseparable. The expon-
ent of the religion of people supposedly
narrow and tribal. the Jew has succeeded
in preserving Judaism.
Glance at History.
The most casual glance at the wide
range of Jewish history, the merest &C
quaintance with the records of a glorious
struggle for the preservation of Judaism
gives the lie to any who will dare assert
that Judaism is dead. The hardship of
captivity, the tortures which tried mems
souls as we'll as their bodies. the inhu-
manities of most barbarous practices, cru
elites which beggar description, the thou
sand and one methods to force abiuration
of Judaism-despite this and much more
that we leave to the imagination. Juda-
ism has continued TO live and thrive,
gaining I'm strength rather than dying out
No. Judaism is not dead nor are its adj
VOcateS SluInberingf'