The Denver Jewish news., 1921-06-22
Rabbi Feldman Exhorts
Confirmants
ELOQUENT CHARGE TO YOUNG
PEOPLE TO BE TRUE TO JUDA-
ISM,

In his discourse to the members OF
the Keneseth Israel confirmation class
at Philadelphia. Rabbi Abraham J.
Feldman made the following eloquent
plea to the boys and girls to ''he
Jews."
Il charge You of the Jewish youth
Be Jews! l charge you in this way
because there are those who would
ask, and do ask: why continue to
be Jews?' Be Jews ! say to you, TO
you who are in the full bloom of your
youth, N the vigor of your develop
ing young manhood. in the refreshing
sweetness of your maidenhoOd, to you
who are about to step ont into the
world pledged to bear the name Jew"
honorably, not only, but more especial
ly to defend the name. he Jews,
charge You, my pupils. because l Know
of the negative forces at work in
Israel and without. forces that will
hinder you, forces that will disheart-
Ell You, forces that will threaten you.
that will embtter your lives, that
will put gall and wormwOod into the
cup of joy and happiness out of which
you are entitled 10 bring the waters
of life full and undistu, bed. l bid
you. BE Jews. just because there are
those within and without Jewish l1e,
who shamelessly and shamefully would
have YOU give up your identity. would
have You hide the name Jew. would
have you deny and renotince twenty
five centuries of Jewish history Gas
distinguished from Hebrew and Is
raelitish history. would nave you be
ashamed of the name under which and
for which your fathers and mine SUI
fered and served, assembled the stake
and the gallows rather than stoOp to
release and salvation thru renuncia-
tion! / bid you at this tiiue of solemn
resolution and youthful determination,
to be Jews, today. and on the. morrow,
and on the days and years that Will
follow these. because l know of that
softness of heart. of that weakness
which oft comes at the heels of spirit
lial oppression and physical persech-
ton. BE Jews, l beg of you. come
what may.
For the brightly luminous pages of
Jewish history there certainly is no
cause to blush or bow the head in
shame. And for the dark and gloomy
pages there is abundant reason for
pride. for even those arr greatly i'll
spring. The history of the Jew is
history of service and mnrtydom for
an ideal. and ia claim Jewish descent
is to proclaim not only physical fact,
but to be heir to great spiritual
heritage. Think not of yourselves as
the descendants of a horde of slaves
in Egypt. but rather as the descend
ants of men enslaved who struck for
freedom and who wrote upon Free
rlom's banner by them unfurled the
word .Service''-"Send forth My peo-
pie" was the demand bat only that
they might serve God and humanity
..Thina not of yourselves as the de-
scendonts of people that has mt diff
ferent periods of its history forsaken
Ine Nubu VI tHe S''Nh
itself to the service of Baal on the
high places and Ashterah in the val
leys: think of yourselves rather as
the descendants of people which
ever. in sin and idolatry had the vi
tality to produce Elijah. the prophet
of uncompromising Truth, the bitter
foe of FalsehOOd. the prophet of con-
scious honesty and clarity of vision,
lie who proclaimed: How long halt
sc between two opinions? If the
lord he God. follow Him. nut if Baal.
follow him.
Think not of yourselves as the de-
scendants of defeated people led
captive to Babylon. Think OF your
selves as the followers of those who
IN captivity evisioned the dawn of an
ora of universal brotherhood, conceiv-
ed of God as the Father of all. and
proclaimed the eternal principle OF
holiness. of holiness thru service.
"Think rot of yourselves as the off
spring of people which in the genesis
OF its history was a warrior people
Think of yourselves as the heirs OF
the prophet of your people, who
dreamed of the day when swords will
be beaten into plowshares, and when
r.ations will learn war no more.
Think not of your people merely
ms the prey of Antiochus the Syrian,
Ind of Titus. the Roman; rather
think of Judah. the Maccabbee, cour-
ageous defender and liberator, and of
Ben Zakkai. the unassuming student
who in replacing sacrifice with pray
cr, and hierarchy with scholarship
has saved the soul and spirit of the
conquered Jew from the crushing heel