Jacob Henry Letter First Plea for Jewish Rights in North Carolina.
CINCINNATI —"The citizens bly, and that the same be va-
Were his colleagues "prepared published in The Ajnerican Ora- tion, t'he Jacob Henry letter,
of the United States of Amer- cated."
to plunge at once from the sub- tor, a widely - used children's and thousands of other docu-
ica." wrote George Washington
The next day, while the lime heights of moral legisla- reader which influenced a gen- ments relating to 19th-century
to Newport Jewry in 1790
House was debating the Mills tion into the dark and gloomy eration — even in states which American Jewish life are to be
-
"have a right to applaud them- resolution, Henry took counsel caverns of superstitious ignor- maintained Jewish disabilities.
found in the American Jewish
selves for having given to man- with two prominent jurists, ance?" But, said Henry, he Copies of the Mills resolu- Archives.
kind examples of an enlarged William Gaston, a Catholic thought it impossible that they
and liberal policy. a policy member of the House, and "could ever assent to such ab-
worthy of imitation."
Judge John Louis Taylor of surdities." He said:
"Nothing is more easily demon-
Yet, as the 1800s dawned, North Carolina's Superior Court.
than that the conduct alone
seven of the original 13 states
Gaston, who later became strated
is the subject of human laws. and
still denied their Jewish citizens Chief Justice of North Caro- that man ought to suffer civil dis-
Located of
for what he'does and
full political rights, according lina's Supreme Court, as a Cath- qualification
12650 LINWOOD corner LESLIE
not for what he thinks . . The
to Dr. Jacob R. Marcus. direc- olic had cause to fear for his religion I profess inculcates every
Hurry
do not wait for lost minute to buy seat tickets—
tor of the American Jewish own seat if the Mills resolution duty which man owes to this fellow-
prices reasonable.
men: it enjoins. the practice of
Services conducted by Rabbi Israel Flom
Archives, the American Jewish were passed. He and his broth- every virtue. and the detestation of
Office Open All Doy Sunday; Doily: 6 A.M. - 10 A.M.
historical research center on the er-in-law, Judge Taylor, later to every vice: it teaches (its adher-
to hope for the favor of
and 4 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Cincinnati campus of Hebrew be elected the first Chief Jus- ents)
Heaven exactly in proportion as
union College-Jewish Institute tice of the State Supreme Court, their lives are directed by just.
of Religion.
carefully consulted with their honorable and beneficent maxims."
Henry was sure that his col-
Drawing on historical docu- Jew's associate and from their
ments in the Archives files, Dr. deliberations emerged an ex- leagues could not "see anything
Marcus tells the dramatic story traordinary letter, signed by in this religion to deprive" him
of Jacob Henry, a Jewish land- Henry, but, thought by some:to of his seat in the House. lie
had never concerned himself
owner, whose election to the bear Taylor's stamp.
with the religious beliefs of his
North Carolina legislature ex-
North Carolina's declaration fellow citizens, nor sought "to
ploded the contradiction be- of rights, extending freedom of
tween liberal policies and re- worship to all, wrote Henry. had make converts" to his own faith,
You can help your children to develop their
strictive laws into public con- to be "considered paramount." nor ever excluded any man frotn
own inner strength mid emotional security by
troversy and whose champion- Religion, Henry insisted. his "esteem or friendship" on
religious grounds.
enrolling them—today—in a Jewish school.
ship of religious tolerance "is surely a question between a
"The same charity, therefore,"
helped lay the ideological man and his Maker. and requires
more than human attributes to pro- he declared, "it is not unrea-
groundwork for elimination of nounce which of the numerous sects
sonable to expect, will be ex-
such flaws.
prevailing in the world is most
acceptable to the Deity. If a man tended to myself, because in all
The Directors Council of the
The North Carolina constitu- fulfills the duties of that religion things that relate to the state
tion, adopted in 1776, piously which his education or his con- and to the duties of civil life, I
science has pointed to him as the
JelVish Religious Schools of
avowed "that all men have a true one. no person ... in this, our am bound by the same obliga-
natural and inalienable right to laud of liberty. has a right to ar- tions with my fellow-citizens."
raign him at the bar of any in-
Metropolitan Detroit
worship Almighty God accord- quisition."
Influenced or not by his elo-
ing to the dictates of their own , Henry trusted, as he said, that quence, the House permitted
conscience," but it went on to religious conformity could. no Henry to retain his seat. The
Adas Shalom
B'nai Moshe
Shaarey Zedek
declare that "no person, who longer be compelled by force. dilemma was resolved by a re-
Beth Sholom
Ahavas Achim
Temple Beth El
shall deny ... the truth of the God desired, above all else, "an markable constitutional inter-
Protestant religion, or the di- humble spirit and sincere mind" pretation which held that non-
Cong. Emanuel
Beth Aaron
Temple Israel
vine authority either of the Old in man. He contended:
Protestants, while constitution-
Evergreen
or New Testaments . . . shall
y
denied executive or judicial
Beth Abraham
"The proud monuments of liberty
Jewish
be capable of holding any of- knew . . that intolerance In mat- orfice, did not violate the state
litinai David
fice ... in the civil department ters of fith had been, from the constitution by serving as legis-
Congregation
earliest ages of the world, the se-
within the state."
verest torments by which mankind lators.
Non-Protestants could
could be afflicted, and that govern-
Compounding the contradic- ments were only concerned about make the laws; they could not
tions in the state's political life, the actions and conduct of man. interpret or execute them!
il. not his .speLuXivieimnollonS.
North Carolina continued to
the- North Carolina electorate
am ong
so
proceeded in 1781 to bestow the exalted above his fellows as to have withhold full rights from Cath-
right to dictate to them their olics until 1835 and from Jews
governorship on Thomas Burke, a
mode of belief? Shall this free
a CathOlic, and in 1808 and 1809 country set an. example of persecu- until 1868. In the meantime.
which even the returning however, Henry's address was
the voters of Carteret County tion.
reason of enslaved Europe would
chose Jacob Henry, the son of not Submit to? Will you bind the invoked in 1818 and later by
WEST 7 MILE ROAD AT CREENLAWN
a Bavarian immigrant, to rep- conscience in chains . . . in spite the protagonists for Jewish
of the conclusions of reason, and
resent them in the lower cham- of those ties . . which are blended equality in Maryland. A few
will hold auxiliary high holiday services led by
with every pulsation of the heart?" years after its delivery, it was
ber, the House of Commons.
His first term passeil without
Cantor Eugene Greenfield and Mr. Irving Schlussel
challenge. but Jacob Henry had
not served a month of his sec-
in its main floor air conditioned social hall.
ond term when, on Dec. 5. Hugh
C. Mills, representing Rocking-
Tickets Available Doily 9 A.M. - 4 P.M. At Synagogue Office
ham County, rose without warn-
Signatories to the contract
ing to complain that "a certain mend this week signed a con- were U.S. Ambassador Edward
and Evenings 6:30 - 9:00 P.M. in Synagogue Lobby.
Jacob Henry, a member of this tract with Bar-Ilan University, B. Lawson and the university's
House, denies the divine au- the American-patterned uni- director general, Dr. Tuvia Bar-
thority of the New Testanient, versity in Israel, for the estab-
Ilan. Also present at the cere-
and refused to take the oath lishment of a Chair of American
Information regarding membership, wedding and
monies on the suburban campus
prescribed by law for his quali- Studies, it was announced by
site
at
Ramat
Gan,
Israel,
were
Bar Mitzvah reservations cheerfully given at the
.
fication, in violation of the con- Rabbi Joseph
Bernard Katzen, special State
stitution of the slate." Mills , chairman of the university's I
Department
consultant
wh
o
Synagogue
office — UN 1-6696.
moved that Henry "is not en- academic council.
I made the survey of Israeli in-
titled to a seat in this Assem-
The chair will be underwrit- , stitutions prior to the granting
Registration for Sunday Religious School —
ten by a grant of 100.000 Israeli of funds, and Dr. Max Jammer,
Sunday, September 7 at 9 a.m.
DRIVING LESSONS
pounds ($55.000) from currency chairman of the school's physics
accumulated in Israel by the department, who has accepted
ay LESSON S3 0
a
visiting
professorship
at
Bas-
United States under its currency
I COURSE
guarantee for American pub- ton College for the coming
Dual Controls
academic
year.
lishers who sell books, mag-
No Permit Needed to Start
Ambassador Lawson handed
Professional Instructors
azines and technical publica-
Day or Evening
tions in Israel. The grant is over the initial installment of
In the place of heavenly music, there should
Appointments
part of a multi-million dollar the grant. The first occupant of
prayers
be offered .
Talmud
Safeway Driver Training
program to aid Israeli cultural the Chair of American Studies
and educational institutions un- has not yet been chosen.
TO. 9-7600 LI. 2-6742
Ground was broken on the
dertaken by Washington.
campus last February for a new
Abraham Lincoln Physics Cen:
ter toward whose construction
24061 Coolidge at 9 1/2 Mile Road
costs the United States Govern-
ment also contributed the equiv-
Oak Park's First Synagogue
14200 WEST 10 MILE RD. at CLOVERLAWN
alent of $100,000. When the sci-
ence building is in full opera-
Cordially invites the Community to
Announces that
tion it will have facilities for
the science education of 1,000
undergraduates.
I
Congregation Bnal Israel
For Hiih Holidays
—
HAVE YOU REGISTERED YOUR CHILD
IN A JEWISH-SCHOOL OF YOUR CHOICE!
wy
CONGREGATION BETH ABRAHAM
U. S. Underwrites American Studies
Chair at Bar-Ilan University
•
Young Israel Center of Oak-Woods
f
Cong. Shaarey Shomayim
HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES
High Holy Day Services
6th
Will be held in their new, airy building
Century Mosaic
Excavated in Negev
A prominent Rabbi and Cantor David Tanzman
will conduct traditional services
JERUSALEM (JTA)—A large
mosaic floor dating back to the
sixth century C.E. has been un-
earthed at excavations in the-
The Synagogue Office at 25010 Gardner at Wales is open doily
horn 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday from 9 o.m. to noon
southern Negev.
Membership Invited
The floor, approximately 15 by
30 feet, was recovered near the
site of the ancient Byzantine
town of Shivta. Greek inscrip-
tions can be made out in the
For Information Call: H. T. Wechsler, LI 3-2545
or Mr. Golden, LI 6-6469
border of the mosaic.
I.
Rabbi Yaakov I. Hoinnick Officiating
Prominent Cantors will chant the Liturgy
Reservations: Monday - Thursday 7:30-10:00 p.m.
Sunday
9:00- 1 :00 p.m.
The Hebrew, Sunday and Nursery Schools
have a limited number of openings for the fall term.