The 164th anniversary of George Washington’s famed letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport was celebrated here today at Touro Synagogue, now a national shrine. In that letter, the first President of the United States coined the phrase that has been famous since: “To bigotry no sanction.”
More than 1,000 people attended the ceremonies at which the Washington letter was read. Principal speakers included Governor Dennis J. Roberts of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator Theodore F. Green, Mayor John J. Sullivan of Newport, and a number of local Jewish leaders. This is the first time in 150 years that the Washington letter has been in Newport. It is presently owned by Morris Morgenstern of New York.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
