Purely Commentary:

'Prophecy as a Matter of Hope'

There win be much prophesying in
this historic year of 5715. The Tercen-
tenary of American Jewry is the occa-
sion for evaluation of our position as
citizens and as perpetuators of the great
Prophetic ideals of our ancesters.
This year will be important only if
it will serve to re-inspire American Is-
rael for the advancement of the highest
ideals inherent in our heritage. Our
Americanism and our Judaism is inter-
linked. Both are rooted in hopes for
democratic uplifting of all mankind.
The Tercentenary celebration therefore
Is occasion not only for celebration of
a significant anniversary but also for
re-dedication to great causes — the
American and the Judaic.
We turn to modern American proph-
ecy in evaluating our future as Ameri-
can Jews. We recall a significant augury
made on Dec. 8, 1907, in a lecture de-
1 i v e red in Philadel-
phia by the late Dr.
Israel Friedlaender
of the Jewish Theo-
1 o g i cal Seminary of
America. It will be
recalled that Dr.
Friedlaender, who
was one of our dis-
tinguished s c h olars,
was murdered in Po-
land, in 1920, while
on a philanthropic
mission for the Joint
Distribution Commit-
tee. The lecture to
which we refer was
reprinted in Dr. Fried- Dr. Friedlaender
laender's inspiring collection of essays
published in 1919 under the title "Past
and Present." In it he defined prophecy
and offered his views on the future of
American Jewry. Let us quote him and
let us learn a lesson from the profound
message he uttered 47 years ago. Dr.
Friedlaender said at that time:
"There is an old rabbinic saying to
the effect that after the destruction
of the Temple the gift of prophecy
passed over to children and fools. I am
not young enough to claim the pri-
vilege of a child, nor am I modest
enough to use the pretext of a fool.
True, prophecy without_ inspiration,
which predicts the future as a matter
of fact, is childish and foolish, be-
cause no human eye can perceive and
no human mind can calculate the in-
numerable and imponderable effects
of the concatenation of human events.
But prophecy as a matter of hope, the
prediction of the future not as it will
be, but as it ought to be, is indispens-
able for all those who have, or desir-e-
to have, a clear conception of their
duties towards the coming generations.
And when we thus try to penetrate
the mist that encircles the horizon of
the present., a vision unfolds itself be-
fore our mind's eye, presenting a pic-
ture of the future American Israel.
We perceive a community great in
numbers, mighty in power, enjoying
life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness: true life, not mere breathing
space; full liberty, not mere elbow
room; real happiness, not that of pas-
ture beasts; actively participating in
the civic, social and economic progress
of the country, fully sharing and in-
creasing its spiritual possessions and
acquisitions, doubling its joys, halving
its sorrows; yet deeply rooted in the
soil of Judaism, clinging to its past,
working for its future, true to its tra-
ditions, faithful to its aspirations, one
in sentiment with their brethren
wherever they are, attached to the
land of their fathers as the cradle and
resting place of the Jewish spirit; men
with straight backs and raised heads,
with big hearts and strong minds, with
no conviction crippled, with no emo-
tion stifled, with souls harmoniously
developed, self - centered and s el (-
reliant; receiving and resisting, not
yielding like wax to every impress
from the outside, but blending the
best they possess with the best they
encounter; not a horde of individuals,
but a set of individualities, adding a
new note to the richness of American
life, leading a new current into the
stream of American civilization; not
voters, but a sharply marked com-
munity, distinct and distinguished,
trusted for its loyalty, respected for
its dignity, esteemed for its traditions,
valued for its aspirations, a commu-
nity such as the Prophet of the Exile
saw it in his vision: 'And marked will
be their seed among the nations, and
their offspring among the peoples.
Everyone that will see them will point
to them as a community blessed by
the Lord.'"
We have just quoted what may be the
longest sentence in prophecy. It is a
profound utterance--and we concur in

The Historic Significance
of the Tercentenary Y&ir
1 ,

it. We accept it as a logical viewpoint
and as the only way of judging a great
Jewish community: with confidence in a
good future.
It is easy to build up a disparaging
case. Many American Jews are, indeed,
indifferent to Jewish needs. Some Jews
are unhesitant in their assimilationist
tendencies. But most of us are conscious
of our heritage as Americans and as
Jews and know how to value both as
conjointed and as mutually asssociated
in common aspirations.
We have faith in American Jewry's de-
velopment as a strong spiritual entity—
"One in sentiment with their brethren
wherever they are . . . adding a new
note to the richness of AnPerican life,
leading a new current into the stream
of American civilization."

*

*

*

The End of a Legend
The American Jewish Tercentenary
marks the end of a legend—the legend
of the Wandering Jew.
The establishment of Israel ended that
legend for world Jewry. Jews who are
subjected to persecution in many lands
now can look for haven in the redeemed
Holy Land. But this legend was nullified
a long time ago when it was decreed, by
the -establishment of the first Jewish
community in New Amsterdam, 300 years
ago, that within the boundaries of this
great land Jews who seek refuge shall
no longer be wanderers, that they shall
have freedom and the right to the pur-
suit of happiness. So it has been decreed
300 years ago and so it is for the 5,000,-
000 Jews of America whose numbers
have grown from that pioneering ele-
ment which was the first to settle in this
land—first the Dutch in 1613 then the
Pilgrims in 1620—and the . Jews in 1654.

•

The New American Jew
The end of a legend marked also the
beginning of a new era: the rise of
proud, courageous,
dignified Jews, who
compose the Ameri-
can Jewish communi-
ty. In 1904, on the
occasion of the 250th
anniversary of t h e
settlement of the
Jews in the United
States, Louis Mar-
shall, one of the great
Americans and one
of Jewry's most dis-
Louis Marshall tinguished leader s,

writing on "The Jews as Elements in
the Population, Past and Present," made
these significant comments:
"In 1880 the number of Jews in the
city of New York did not exceed 100,-
000. Since then, owing to the un-
speakable horrors of Russian and Ro-
manian oppression, and of the dire
poverty in Galicia, the tide of Jewish
immigration has increased in volume
year after year, until today the Jew-
ish population of • New York City
amounts to well nigh 750,000, and that
of the United Sttaes to upwards of
1,250,000 and the numbers are con-
stantly 'increasing.
"Many of these-new arrivals have
not as yet attained the highest stand-
ard of citizenship, are still struggling
with poverty and misery, are yet un
acquainted with our vernacular, and
have brought with them unfamiliar
customs, strange tongues, and ideas
which are the product of centuries of
unexampled persecution.
"But what of that! They have come
to this country with the pious purpose
of making it their home; of identify-
ing themselves and their children with
its future; of worshipping under its
protection, according to their con-
sciences; of becoming its citizens; of
loving it; of giving to it their ener-
gies, their intelligence, their persistent
industry.
"The Pilgrim Fathers did no more
than this. The progenitors of the lead-
ing families of this country were not
otherwise. The lineage of the Russian
Jew runs back ,much farther than
theirs. He is the descendent of men
who were renowned for learning and
for intellectual achievements, when
from the St. Lawrence to the Rio
Grande, from Sandy Hook to the Gol-
den Gate, this was a howling wilder-
ness.
"The Russian Jew is rapidly becom-
ing the American Jew, and we shall
live to see the time when • the present
dwellers in the tenements will, through
their thrift and innate moral powers,
hitherto repressed and benumbed, step
into the very forefront of the great
army of American citizenship.
'When the first Jewish settlers land-
ed in the village of New Amsterdam
they were also poor, wretched and mis-
erable, Their goods were insufficient
for their passage money. Each had

stood as surety for the' other, and each
stood prepared to stand as a hostage
for his brother. Like the famous Mus-
queteers, their motto was: 'One for all,
and'stll for one.'
"This is a wholesome thought for
the Jews of the present generation.
It is well that we commemorate not
only the fact of settlement, but also
the conditi olis and circumstances
which surrounded the pioneers. If they
in their misery did not shrink from
the responsibility of brotherhood, we
would be contemptible beyond expres-
sion, if, in our prosperity, we should
shrink from a like sacrifice. The
proudest title of distinction that the
Jews of New York have thus far
achieved lies in the fact that they have
hitherto sacredly observed and strictly
performed the condition imposed upon
them 250 years ago, in the charter of
their liberties, of seeing to it that 'the
poor among them should not become a
burden to the • community, but should
be supported by their Orli nation.'
"Although the Dutch West- India
Company, which imposed that obliga-
tion, has long since disappeared;
though the flag of Holland has been
lowered before the flag of Great
Britajn, and the flag of that powerful
nation has vanished before the glory
of the stars and stripes, the moral
obligation accepted by the first Jew-
ish settlers, and which has been as-
sumed as a charge by each succeeding
generation, remains in as full force
and Virtue today, as it did in the dawn
of our American life, sanctioned by
the unimpairable behests of religion
and humanity, and hallowed by bless-
ed memories."-
The truth of the late Mr. Marshall's
prediction already is in evidence. The
East European Jew (he spoke of the
Russian Jew) has become the American
Jew (who has stepped) into the very
forefront of the great army of Ameri-
can citizenship."
We have proof of the wisdom of that
augury in our own community. In 1904,
when American Jewry celebrated its
250th anniversary, the three co-chairmen
in Michigan were German Jews : the late
Dr. Leo M. Franklin, the late Mr. David
E. Heineman and the late Dr. Max Wink-
ler, this Commentator's German profes-
sor at the University of Michigan. Today
it is the great privilege of your humble
Commentator, the Russian immigrant, to
hold that post. It is a blessed day to en-
joy such an historic privilege!
*
*
*
The Challenge to Optimism
We speak optimistically of our future,
while realizing that we can be chal-
lenged by the pessimists. We were im-
pressed by the views on "integration and
survival" made by Abraham G. Duker,
research consultant for the American
Jewish Tercentenary, who wrote:
"Documents of great value to Ameri-
can and Jewish history have been de-
stroyed or are not available to scholars
because their present owners fear that
they might reveal their Jewish origin.
Had those early Jews considered their
integration to Jewish life to be as im-
portant as their integration into Amer-
ican life, the roster of the Sons and
the Daughters of the American Revo-
lution would now include tens of
thousands of Jews.
"Many early settlers and patriots
were good Jews, pious and observant,
who knew their Hebrew, although of-
ten not too well; some ,Sephardim were
not averse to mixing Yiddish expres-
sions into their English vocabulary. We
have a man like Gershon Mendes
Seixas, who was integrated in both
American and Jewish life and was a
learned Jew. On the other hand, Judah
P. Benjamin was hardly aware of him-
self as a JeW. Benjamin was a good
American, but in teaching American
Jewish history to children we should
not emphasize Benjamin's stature as
a Jew.
"L ieutenant Albert Moses, who
changed his surname to Lurie to pre-
serve the ancient Sephardic family
name, and who was killed at Seven
Pines fighting for the South, was a
good Southerner, a good American and
a good Jew. On the other hand, Gen-
eral Maurice Rose, killed fighting the
Nazis in World War II, was a great
hero—possibly, a great American—but
he did not want to be identified as a
Jew, and a wise and sensitive Jewish
chaplain refused to give him a Jewish
burial. General Rose had a perfect
right to leave the Jewish community;
it is the privilege of any human being
to choose his own group and faith.
Surely, therefore, his own wishes
should be respected — at least in the
sense that his name should not be
listed among those of distinguished
American Jews.„

By Philip

1'1

N4'

•
"Perhaps . there has been too much
stress on the participation and con-
tributions of individual Jews rather
than on their contributions and par-
ticipation as a group, a chore requir-
ing arduous research and historical
evaluation. It is regrettable that our
knowledge of American Jewish history
and of contemporary Jewish life per-
mits only generalizations on the sub-
ject. The most frequently mentioned
group contribution is the Hebraic in-
fluences on American life. Originat-
ing as it does from the Hebrew Scrip-
tures, it is certainly a Jewish group
contribution, although it cannot in
most cases be traced to direct contact
with Jews. While not all peddlers be-
came department store founders, their
role in bringing the amenites of civ-
ilization to primitive settlements should
not be minimized. Because Jews con-
stitute a high proportion of this oc-
cupation, the peddlers' contribution
can, perhaps, be called a Jewish con-
tribution. The role of Jews in the
needle trades in promoting democracy
in the dress industry falls into the
same category. The contribution, of
Jews to America's social welfare
through pioneering in social work, and
in. helping, to make philanthropy the
normal obligation of the citizen, has
been generally acknowledged. And
much has also been said about the
pioneering of both Jewish labor and
capital in industrial arbitration.

"Much has been said about Jewish
contributions to civil liberties and re-
ligious equ'ality." In fact, the very set-
tlement of the first group of Jews, in
September 1654, involved the struggle
to broaden human rights for all and
may well have been a harbinger of the
intense Jewish interest in civil liber-
ties and minority rights. Jews have
also made an important contribution
to the concept of separation of Church
and State by insisting on the equality
of Judaism as a religion and, there-
fore, on the psychological equality of
the Jews as a group. Although no leg-
islation was involved, the first prayer
by a rabbi at the opening of the House
of Representatives on Feb. 1, 1860, and
the campaign to amend the law to en-
able Jewish clergymen to serve as
chaplains in the United States Army
during the Civil War, can properly be
considered landmarks in the history
of separation of Church and State in
this country.

"These attempts to balance Ameri-
can and Jewish integration involved
bold struggle. Nineteenth century Jew-
ish communal leaders were forceful
in their fight for equality of the
American passport in Switzerland and
Russia. This, too, was a contribution
to equality of all Americans in the in-
ternational arena. Perhaps it should
inspire us to resist the present re-
ligious discrimination in the issuance
of United States passports to Jews for
travel and work in Arab countries.
"American Jews are now predomi-
nantly native-born. Over 75 per cent
of us were born here. American cul-
ture-is composed of many ingredients,
some of which are common to all, re-
gardless of religion, while others are
the singular heritage of followers of
particular religious faiths.

"The American Jewish Tercentenary
affords us the opportunity not only
for evaluating our contributions and
our adjustment to America, but for
determining what we must do to
strengthen our self-respect and our se-
curity as Jews. To do this de need re-
search, publication and interpretation
in American Jewish history and con-
temporary life.

"Ours is the largest Jewish commu-
nity in the free world. Our very sur-
vival is a challenge to political, re-
ligious and cultural totalitaridnisms.
Let us live up to the demands of the
new era in Jewish life, and to the de-
m-ands of a democratic and expanding
America."
We concur in the conclusion and we
embrace the sentiments of those who
believe that we have become established
as an important American entity. We be-
lieve, further, that conditions which
caused - earlier American Jews, and some
in our time, to destroy family records in
order to sever the chord that holds them
to Jewry are less threatening in our
time. We have faith in the loyalty of our
people and we have confidence that the
future of American Jewry will be more
wholesome as time goes on. The signifi-
cance of the Tercentenary mounts with
such optimism. This is a great year on
our calendar.

2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, September 24, 1954