President Dwight D. Eisenhower paid tribute today to the spiritual teachings of Judaism and to the contribution of American Jews to this country. In a message issued through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on the occasion of the Jewish New Year, which starts at sundown tonight, President Eisenhower led a distinguished list of men and women in greeting the Jewish community. The President said:
“At this season when men and women of the Jewish Faith sit in judgment on themselves, reviewing their personal practice of moral and religious precepts during the year just ended, I join with my fellow Americans” of all faiths in cordial greetings to them.
“Rosh Hashanah is significant to every American for, in the deepest spiritual sense, we are all of the seed of Abraham and Isaac. Our moral code, the ideals that animate us, the faith in God that strengthens us–all these were most clearly and most inspiringly proclaimed many centuries ago by men of Jewish blood.
“Their descendants, in race and in faith, have contributed greatly to the knowledge and the skills and the culture of America. In war, they have freely given their lives for the preservation of the Republic. In peace, they have contributed greatly to the advancement of the general welfare.
“At this Rosh Hashanah, I know that all Americans join with me in best wishes to their fellow citizens–their friends and neighbors–of the Jewish Faith.”
NIXON URGES NATIONS TO ACT WITH BROTHERHOOD
Vice President Richard M. Nixon, extending “best wishes to all members of the Jewish faith throughout our land,” declared that “the outstanding wish for any New Year of this atomic age is that the shadow of war should pass from the world. To all sane persons it must be altogether too plain that civilization, itself, could not survive another world war and that no people would be spared. It is absolutely essential that nations, as well as individuals, should make special efforts to act with understanding, restraint and brotherhood.”
STEVENSON OFFERS PRAYER FOR PEACE FOR ISRAEL
From his home in Libertyville, III., Adlai E. Stevenson, leader of the Democratic Party, issued the following message:
“As Jews all over the world observe Rosh Hashanah this year, I am grateful for the opportunity to express my own hopes and prayers for the New Year.
“This year, as we offer our prayers to God, we pray especially that peace and understanding may surround the brave new land of Israel and that the courageous citizens who have worked so diligently to carve out this new world may realize their fond hopes and dreams of peace and freedom.
“In wishing a happy New Year to all Americans of Jewish faith, I join with them in praying that the spirit of brotherly love–the endless seeking for peace, which are found in the ancient Hebraic teachings, can become reality this year for all men everywhere.”
KEFAUVER VOICES HOPE FOR LASTING PEACE
Senator Estes Kefauver, in his message to all Americans of the Jewish faith, expressed “sincere wishes for a year which will bring lasting peace.” He said that “I am fully cognizant of the great debt our Republic owes to the principles of the Mosaic. Code and to the utterances of the Hebrew prophets. Their vision of a family of nations living side by side in brotherhood is still our vision and hope today.”
New Year’s greetings to the American Jewish community were also issued by Leonard W. Hall and Paul M. Butler, chairmen, respectively, of the Republican and Democratic National Committees.
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.
