Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-01-28
Faith and Ideals Of the
Jewish People VI
Address Delivered Before the State
Genealogical Society
BY RABBI T.. VI. BuRSTEIN
Rabbi of Monte6ore Synagog,
Salt Lake City
CRcportcd by Joseph Anderson)

PART
Honorable Chairman, members of
the Utah State Genealogical Society
and ladies' and gentlemen; appear
before you this evening as a self
appointed ambassador Of my people;
first, to present to You our heartfelt
appreciation for your deep-seated
sympathy with us in our great ma
tional striving toward the rebuilding
Of Palestine, that ever-longed for,
that eternally dreamed-of homeland
Of the Jew; secondly, | want to thank
you in behalf of our community, be-
cause of your unusual treatment of
US, not as objects of suspicion and
hate, as We have been treated by
many nations heretofore, not us out
casts of civilization, not as strangers
in a friendless land, not as devil-in-
carnate hends responsible for all the
evils of mankind, but as human be-
ings, children of the same great
Father above us, should be treated.
For we who have hungercd for friend
ship. we who have hungered after
sympathy and kindness on the part
of an unresponsive world for thou
sands of years in vain, feel that AT
last we have touched n responsive
chord in your hearts. And lastly, l
want to paint for you picture of
the jew as he really is. ! feel that
because of misunderstanding, people
do not know what the Jew really is,
do not know what he stands for, and
therefore treat him like an outcast,
like the filth of civilization. And !
want to give to you as frank and un-
disguised picture as | possibly can.
Last Wednesday Lord Balfour OF
England, author of the famous Bal
four declaration which recognized the
right of Israel to return to the LAND
OF its fathers. officially unlocked the
doors of the new Hebrew University
at Jerusalem. And | tell you this be-
cause feel that you too will rejoice
with my people, for you too have
prophesied the restoration of Israel to
its ancient homeland. You too have
made it distinctive and integral part
of your faith, and you too have given
not only moral, but even financial aid
to bring back to us our lost pristine
glory. .ls
Even Like Beacon Light
Zionism. the movement to restore
Palestine, the movement to restore
Israefs home to Israel, has ever beer
like a beacon light to the scattered
ships of Israel. 1t has been like q
star of hope guiding them, taking
them out of their sea of darkness. II
has been like the rescuing life buoy
tossed about on Israels treacherous
waves of despair; and l want to say
in this connection that the words OF
your worthy president last Sunday
morning to the effect that may GOD
bless the people of Israel, may Goo
fittingly reward it for all its years OF
striving and give it back its land
these words came like sunshine to the
Jewish people, for we rarely get sym
pathy, we rarely hear of word OF
friendship, of mark of friendship
on the part of other peoples, and
can assure you that we who have for
given our worst enemies of all the
crimes they have heaped upon oul
heads, will ever treasure in our hearts
this sacred gem that came from your
president. But this, the rebuilding OF
university, is the dream of dreams
we hardly dared hope for!
For out of the ruins of an ancient
culture, and yet breathing, living
dynamic culture; out of the rotting
decaying stones that once graced tenn
pies and palaces, that WED in majesty,
in beauty, in grandeur, with the finest
structures of the fabulously wealthy
of the mightiest potentates of time
immemorial; out of the dark earth
that thirstily drank in the streams OF
life-blood that flowed from the hearts
of our people, there arises new
structure, new edifice, dedicated to
learning, to the arts and the sciences,
new structure that will be spring
of life; not only for us but for man
kind, the supreme realization of our
fondest, of our mutual hopes!
A Fervent Cry
Oh, to see this as the elimination
of century after century of oppres-
sion, to see it as the realization of
decade after decade of bitter perse-
cution, to witness Israel coming into
its own, to hear again the famous
prophecy of Isaiah brought before us
in its reality, that once again from
Zion shall go forth the law and the
word of God from Jerusalem" we