The Denver Jewish news., 1919-04-02
Isaac M. Wise Cen
tenary Anniversary
ADDRESS BY REV. HENRY BER.
KOWIIZ. OF PHILADELPHIA.

Wise is being commemoratcd by spe.
of American Rabbis, to be held in Gin
cinnai, April to I. 1919. The an
niversary address was delivered
last evening in the Plum Street
Temple from the pulpit occupied by
DIR. Wise for nearly half n century.
The honor of delivering the address
was bestowed on the Rev. DIR. Henry
1;erkowitz, Rabbi of Rodeph Shalom
congregation, Philadelphia, and Chan
ccllor of the Jewish ChautauIua So
ciety.
After an Introductory address by
Dr. Louis Grossman, president of the
Conference, DIR. BerkOwitZ spoke on
DIR. Wise as THE Pioneer Leader of
American Israel He reviewed the
century and pointed out three great
tides of influence that entered into
the life currents of the times, by
which the career of DIR. Wise was
nightly determined. These were the
forces that inaugurated, first. the
political emancipation. second. the in
tellectual freedom. and finally the re-
ligiOus reformation of the jew from
NIedicvalism. Into these currents Dr.
Wise directed the course of his pco-
pie. The rare gifts with which he
had been endowed gave him the Wis
ion-clearcr than that of any of his
contemporaries; and the vigor. more
lusty in energy and more powerful in
execution.-that made him. as all now
freely acknowledge. the pioneer lead
er of American Israel.
His independent spirit revolfed
against the CALLING restrictions under
which the Jews of Bohemia lived and,
in 1916. a young man of -, he e~ven-
tured forth with wife and child to
America. Perhaps the most pathetic
moment in the history of the young
immigrant was that of the disillusion-
ment which came to him on his land
sng When face to face with the
sordidncss and pettiness of the reaii-
ties. his heart sank and gloom en-
veloped his soul. Out of this tOrpor
he was reused by DIR. Max Lilienthai.
then officiating in New York. THE
impression | received in the Lilicnthal
home" he wrote later, perhaps de-
ci,led my career in America"
1t was then that lie proved himself
the man of far-rcaching vision Like
Noses. whom the Midrash portrays as
c, ting his eyes from Mt. Nebo over
the Promised Land, and forccastihs
the great events there to come to pass,
50 DR.. Wise planned n glorious future
Tor Israel in America. With character
iytic vigor he set himself at once to
transforming his vision Into a rcaiity.
Ee wa. to transform the jew in Amer
ica into an American Jew. He iounu
tllc Jew here still Il European. Ihefe
were Sepllardic Jews, ltutch Jews
Polish Jews. German Jews. Each
group kept up the distinct Minhagim-
or modes of worship. languages and
customs. The timid. hunted temper
OF the European Ghetto still ciung 10
them-whom Longfellow depicted as
"The Ishmacls and IIagars of man.
kind"
TO raise the Jew to self-conscious-
ness. to make him realize that he. the
heir of noble traditions. nad come at
last into the heritage of freedom ana
was no longer an outcast; to make
him lift up his head and walk erect
n man among men: to feel in every
pulsebeat of tile Jewish heart an an
swering throb to the inspirations OF
the New World-this was the ambi-
ton that fired the heroic soul Of our
Master. Into that cause he flung MN
self unselfIshly and nborcl for It's
achievement from 1913 to his death. AS
the pioneer leader of that courageous
fight. he soon recognized that lndlF-
i,jual and spasmOdic efforts were uii-
availing. Therefore, he plead, argued
labored. tried, failed and tried again
and again. until at last. in 1865 ne
succeeded in organizing the Union Oh
american Hebrew Congregations. win
its Board of Delegates on tivll ana
Religious Rights.
In the heart of this achievement lay
a still deeper purpose. Tn" Union was
to bring to American Israel its Vithi
participat ton in that second treho VI
mighty influences that had come 10
recrcnte the intellectual life OF the
world. In the spirit of the great IA
tionalistic Jewish philosophers bi'
Wise SGT himself. along with the other
,reotivo minds of his day. to sepnr-
ate the false from the true Ill 'he
great mental upheaval that followed
.ho ,;,oov.ry of the Drinciple of evo-