Evening star., 1942-09-21
Capital Jewry
.Fdsts and Prays
On Yom Kippur
Overflow Services
From Temple Held in
Protestant Church

ITOtCStUU( SHuTCn
Washington Jewry began it's OBJ
servance Of Yom Kippur-Day Of
Atonement--at sundown last night
and will continue the "a hours Of
fasting and prayer until sundown
tonight.
The solemn chant of the "Kol
Nidre,' representing the deepest re-
ligious feelings of the Jews, was
heard in a Protestant church, as
we'll as in a Reformed temple and
Orthodox synagogues last night. An
overflow crowd of Jewish service
men and civilians from the WASH
ington Hebrew Reformed Congre-
CATION attended services in the au-
ditorium of the First Congregational
Church, Tenth and G streets NV,
loaned by DR.. Howard Stone Ander-
son, pastor of the church and for
mer president of the Washington
Ministerial Union.
The overflow services were con-
Quoted by Rabbi Morton Fierman,
director Of religious education at
the Washington Hebrew Temple
and civilian chaplain at Boiling
Field.
Protestants Send Greetings.
THE warm breath of religion has
not been present for many years,
the breath that gives moral purpose
to mans creations and conscience
to man himself" the rabbi said.
If we remove the spiritual lock
from the door of civilization. do we
not let in such animal manifesta-
tions as Nazi-ism and Fascism?
If we destroy the religious main-
spring Of the mechanism of civiliza-
ton, does it not refuse to work."
Rabbi Norman Gerstenfeld, speak
ing at services at the Washington
Hebrew Temple, read his response
to holiday greeting from the
Washington Ministerial Union, COM
prising 400 Greater Washington
Protestant churches.
"Out of the depths of the worlds
tragedy said Rabbi Gerstenfeld,"
We pray that God will bless the
members of the Washington Minis
terial Union and the religious life
of our American community so that
with clean hands and pure hearts
we will have the strength to help
our generation find its way to Gods
covenant of the Righteousness for
all the children of men,"
In his formal sermon, Rabbi Ger
stenfeld declared that now is the
time when all free men, in every
way and in every hour, must not
only fight the war but affirm the
peace. Now, when mankind Is in
the valley of the shadow of death,
when our souls see that except the
Lord buildeth' the future we labor in
vain.
Free Men Must Press Forward.
Now is the time" the rabbi said,
when all free men must press for
ward with an ever-clearer vision Of
the peace of righteousness; now to
| prevent the blind from destroying it
and our souls from failing it; now
to bring new strength to those who
are faint and new courage to those
who may become weary. Now, in
this hour of mankind's travail. with
brave hearts lifted in prayer, across
the dark altar of the world we must
| raise the sacred fame of a mighty
covenant of the new peace: the
peace that shall be to him is far and
to him that is near; the peace Of
Almighty God who is from everlast-
ing to everlasting"
In message broadcast yesterday
over Radio Station WINK, Rabbi
Zemach Green, spiritual leader of
the Ohev Sholem Congregation,
said:
In the midst of the World War,
when destruction and killing are the
order of the day, when cities are re-
duced to ashes, when the tens of
thousands of the flower of humanity
are being daily moved down on the
fields of battle in the midst of this
dreadful harvest of death. Israel,
wherever he is, prays to God for
the life of mankind"
Rabbi Green added: "As viewed
from a broad perspective, the world
calamity today is the consequence
of a disillusioned Goddess age cut
adrift from the anchor of religious
reverence of life"
The Ohev Sholom Choir was di-
! rected by Samuel Bugatch. Yom
Kippur services will continue at the
synagogue until pm. today, with
Cantor Israel Flusberg chanting the
prayers.