The Denver Jewish news., 1924-09-11
TIE DgNvHa JEWISH NEWS


mad the province. The foregoing ac-
copnt Of the life Of the Jeys IN ien
York may he accepted rs characteristic
OF thu sHperIsnce oi The JeAs Nv Rhosls
Island. South Carolina, Gcorgis, Penn
syivsnia, Ohio, and the New Ebginn,
states.
''fbc keen and responsive sense of
duty with which the Jewish character
Is ipieucd hgs never failed to manifest
ltSsf whsf occasion bias called II forth.
Jews bare never been found wanting
la patriotism, and though u peace
loving nation libc very mission Of
Israel being peace, and goodwill to-
ward neixblsOrs onr NJ the cardinal
principles ~ Judaism, tlcs have at
ways espousesi, eagedly AMI esracstly
the cause of their country, wherever
u might be, The heroism and self
devotion which marks the course Of
Jewish history from the earliest Bibili-
cal records, embln Ioning the era Of the
Maccabecs, signslizIng the Roman per
isi, and Illuminating the Dark Ages,
has found msny a worthy exsmuis In
modern aars.' At the beginning OF
the Revolution. Jewish settlers Of the
colonies numbered less than 5000 or
only one Jew TO 1880 of the population.
And yet, this comparatively small mum
her Of Jews furnished, as usual in all
struggles for liberty and freedom, more
than their prop0rflonate siare Of sup
porters ip the colonial cause. To-day In
Carpenters ball, PHILADELPHIA, the
names Of nine Jews are found affixed
to the Non-ImpOrtntiOn resolutions. the
adoption Of vhia,h was the Rrst crgan-
lied movement IN the agitation which
led eventually 70 tkr Independence OF
The colonies. Haym SalOmon stands in
the front rank Of these WHO donated TO
the cause much Of time, energy, and
money. He was captured b ythe Brit
ish when they entered New York, and
was sentenced to be hung on the ground
thai he had receiyed orders from Gen
eral Washington to burn their fleeis
and destroy their supplies. He es-
caped. h0veyes. Nv means of a bribe,
to Phiiadlelphis. where he was receiyFd
with earnest praise and esteem. The
United Btates government has yet to
discharge to his heirs the debt Of x334,-
600 (interest not compOunded) which
Saicmon loaned TO the cause Of the
Revolution.
At n0fable example Of patriotic devo-
tlon was that OF Manuel MOrdecai
N0jh, Of South CsroliDa. who not only
served on General WashingtDn's staff.
and likewise oH General Marian's, but
who gave the sum Of 10000 pounds to
further the cause In which he was en-
listed. Colonel Isaac Franks Of Phil
adelpaia entered tie army after the
battle Of Lexington and served ms aide
de-camp to Washington Throughout the
war. When the brave French general,
De kalb, fell mOrtally wounded at
Camden, s. C., Major benjamin Noils,
u native Of bordeaux, France, together
with two other Jewish officers, carried
him of the field.
A fine Testimonial OF the regard in
which Washington held the early jew
ish citizens is indicated In the following
letter to the Jewish congregation, of
Newport, Rhode Island. Washington
writes in part: 1T is now no more
thai liberation Is spoken of as if it were
BY the indulgence of one class OF people
that another enjoyed the exercise Of
their inherent rights, for. happily. the
government OF the United States, which
gives to bigotry no sanction to persecu-
tion no assistance. requires only that
they who live under its protection
should demean Themselves as good citi-
zens in giving it on all occasions their
rffectual support. May the children of
the stock of Abraham who dwell in this
land continue to merit and enjoy the
goodwill Of the other inhabitants, while
everyone shall sit in safety under his
own vine and fig tree, and there shall
be none to make him afraid"
Mordicai Noah delivered an eloquent
address in 1878 upon the dedication of
a synagogue and seI,t copies to several
prominent men, of the time. Among
the replies Thomas Jefferson's is wor-
thy of note:
"The prejudice still scOwling on your
section of our religion, although the
elder one cannot be unfelt by your
selves; it is to be hoped that individual
dispositions will at length mould them
selves to the model Of the law, and
consider the moral basis, on which all
CUR religions rest, as the rIllying point
which units them in common interest; /;
while the peculiar dogmas branching
from II are the pNrlusiyp concern of the