The Pereira Mendes Zion Club, named for Dr. H. Pereira Mendes, rabbi emeritus of the Shearith Israel, Spanish Portuguese Synagogue in New York City, held its first public rally here last night. The meeting was addressed by Dr. Mendes and by Louis Lipsky, chairman of the American Palestine Campaign.
This club has been formed to give Zionism a loftier idealism, Rabbi Mendes explained.
“Besides upbuilding Palestine, we must in Palestine and outside Palestine promote the erection of institutions and the promulgation of Bible ideals, such as, the Brotherhood of man, the End of War,” Dr. Mendes stated. “In every land as well as in Palestine we Jews must be an element making for good citizenship, for civic purity, for social high standards, and for professional and commercial integrity. We must make the name of the Jew respected. It is not respected as highly as it should be. We applaud the splendid accomplishments of Zionism in Palestine, in laying the foundation for a Palestine, a Zion, that shall be a Cathedral whose spiritual influence shall mean spiritual uplift for Jew and Gentile in Palestine and outside of Palestine.
“Zionism has not had the support it should from all Jews all over the world, because it has not sufficiently stressed the ‘spiritual.’ It needs a higher ideal than the materialities. And Zionism
has not the support of nations, because nations do not grasp the fact that our destiny is to be altruistic, to ‘be a blessing.’
“There should be by now a ‘Ho### of Prayer for all the nations.’ The Nations’ Supreme Court should be on Zion, not in Geneva. There should be on Zion a Spiritual Center to teach the world the World’s three great ‘R’s’ —Reverence, Righteousness, Responsibility,” Dr. Mendes concluded.
Dr. Mendes was the first President of the Zionist Organization in the United States. He was asked personally by Theodor Herzl to introduce Zionism in the United States. Dr. Mendes also served as a member of the Actions Committee of the Zionist Organization.
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