Secretary of Commerce Harry L. Hopkins, in a message on the Hebrew New Year issued today, deplored the “shameful persecution in foreign lands” and the fact “that certain un-American elements are resorting to the spread of vicious propaganda, stirring up racial animosity to fit their questionable ends.”
“In these trying times,” Hopkins declared, “you as well as all of us, must reaffirm our faith in the principles upon which this Democracy was founded. We all know that onceracial antagonism gets a firm foothold in this country, democracy will be imperiled.
“For courage, I call upon this nation’s four-and-a-half million Jews to look to their glorious past. This is no time for despair. You have withstood inquisitions and pogroms before. Only by clinging steadfastly to your credo, by fighting bravely for individual liberty, no matter how hard the going, can you help those of other creeds preserve this democracy.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
