“Unhappy Austria was the unconscious agent that precipitated the World War, and Austria may again be the innoucent cause of a great conflagration into which the whole world may be drawn,” warned Dr. William H. Fineshriber, preaching in Keneseth Israel Temple.
“In 1914 no one thought we would be involved in the World War,” he said, “but we drifted unknowingly into it. It is not improbable we may be drawn into another one. The world is not divided into airtight compartiments.”
Attacking bossism and the neglect by citizens of their duty, Dr. Fineshriber declared, “democracy is the only thing that’s going to save England, Germany, France, America. Let’s bein here,” he admonished. “Assume a sense of responsibility. Know something about by own town.
“Our churches and our synagogues should join together and as a religious duty instruct people on their responsibilities as citizens.
“We need genuine democracy. It is the answer to Fascism, war, avarice and greed. God grant that we grow conscious of our responsibility and awaken to our task.”
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.
