The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-05-10

have chosen as my theme tonight
sny friends. the subject, America and
It's Possibilities for the jew" In every
land and In every age there have risen
the prophets of evil and woe, preachers
Of pessimism. Droclainning that the times
are "out Of joint the death knell is
sounding for humanity and civilization.
Our own time is not wanting in these
priests of despair who. with mournful
solemnity. intone the funereal dirge over
a scattered. homeless, dying Israel totter-
ing on the brink of the grave
Leaving our homes in the fairest. p0r-
Sion of this fair land and coming hither,
representing this section OF American
Israel. we should find something 10 in
spirit and cheer our deliberations. Most
simely and appropriate, then, for us to
turn our thoughts 10 America and its pos
slbllities for the jew Indeed, between
Americanism and Judaism there is so
much in cOmmOn-AmeTica, the land of
liberty, the noblest type Of democracy in
the realm Of government so faithfully
realizes the ideal OF Judaism, the religion
of ethical monOtheism, the first and unre-
uniting exponent Of equality in the spirit
ual sphere that American and Jew are
practically synonymous terms-one can
not DO a true Jew without being a good
American, and we might properly add
that the scion Of Israel who is a rene
gade 10 mis- faith will never be fitted for
Americanism.
Settled, maintained. and developed by
those who could not bear the yoke of Old
World tyranny, this country has been
consecrated to the cause Of freedom,
guaranteeing to an liberty Of conscience
and right to worship God in their own
way. Democracy, the right Of each 10
have a voice in the government Of all;
the administration of the state by the
viii OF all its citizens. expressed through
their duly elected representatives, is the
foundation on which our institutions are
builded. Our early struggles indicated,
and later experience, bought at a fearful
cost Of blood and treasure, concIusively
proved that nothing short Of absolute, in
dissOluble union would guarantee our
permanence as a nation, so that hence
forth and for all time, wide though our
realm and manifold our interests. in
America IL must and viii be each for al
and all for each Our laws make no dis
tincuons between man and man. between
class and class, and with fullest equality
Of opportunity accorded to all. there is
the rich incentive 10 work and energy.
Thus il is not simply the unbounded
wealth Of varied resources with which a
generous Providence has so bounteously
blessed this land, but rather the splendid
principles Of government and the mag
unanimous policy Of our institutions that
l1Tn QfVnU n fT-v min
nations and its unprecedented material /
welfare.
The jew is the exponent OF Judaism /
His faith, founded on the primal fact Of |
the existence of God, the one absolute !
unchanging unity and therefore the sum |
nation Of all perfection. bidding him BE /
holy. for the Lord your God am holy" |
oonsecrating him TO be "a kingdom of /
priests and a holy nation" calling him /
10 the service of all mankind through the l
prophets voice: Have we not all one
father. has not one God created US" re- |
minding him that the reverence for God
is the beginning Of wisdOm"-this faith
vocal with such sublime truth. utterly /
free from all ecclesiastical regime, admit
ting Of no distinction between clergy and /
laity, but regarding each soul as the /
image Of its Creator, responsible for its
own actions, and in so far as il is true
TO its divine character, the equal and
peer of all Others-this faith. I say. the
prototype and pattern Of our American
Institutions. centuries ago prepared and
nodded the Jew for ideal citizenship here 4
But the Jew, We are told, is a race
separate and distinct among the nations,
of pure Semitic blood and purely ORR
entail ia his characteristics
Abraham, the first of the patriarchs
and he who first perceived and proclaim
ed the truth of Deity. came from far of {
Chaldea; Moses, the first and greatest
Of Hebrew leaders and lawgivers. born
in Egypt, matured in the indian desert,
never entered the land of Palestine. The 4
revelation, with the ole body of He
brsie ethical, moral, and religious law. /,
proceeded from Sinai. foreign soil; the
prophets, those great spiritual cosmopoli-
tans, fOurished, many of them, in alien
lands; it was in Babylonian exile that the
great religious regeneration of Israel. Z
under the guidance of Ezekiel and the /
second Isaiah. took place; in the glorious
MaCCdbean war. Hebraism and Hellenism
locked in a death struggle; liberalism con-
Quered. but Greek ideas and ideals.
chastened and refined. left an indelible
impress on Judaic development When
JCt uSdtcil lCiL tllt Temple lay IN runs
and the Hebrew nation succumbing to
the superior might OF Rome, ceased 10
exist, the vanquished but unconquered
remnant Of Israel sought refuge In many s
lands; again in Babylon do we find the
center Of Jewish life, and from her great
schools went forth the teachings com S
prising that great monument OF Jewish &
learning known as the Talmud; and so
for 1908 years, i'm Babylon, in Spain q
Egypt Morocco, Italy, and the countries I
OF modern Europe hOurished and expand {
ed the light OF Jewish literature, learn n
ing and religion. To all Of which may d
be added that four of the twelve sons of b
Jacob, who constituted the twelve tribes Q
OF Israel, We're the children of non-Israel-
itish wives, EphTaim and AIanasseh. the i
children OF Joseph, had an Egyptian. as {
the children of Moses had a AIidianite {
mother; mixed multitude ACCOMPANIED t
the Hebrews from Egypt and were as il
simulated by them. the Bible informs US b
that there was wholesale intermarrfage n
between the Hebrews and Canaanftes. and II
later between the Hebrews and Rabv II
lonians: history shows the same fact in r
succeeding ages and countries. The great n
kinS David himself was the descendant 4
or Moabitess-Ruth Thus we see tbera a
is absolutely no basis in fact for the .