Dr. Stephen S. wise, leader of American Jewry, who will celebrate his 79th birthday on Friday, will be honored tomorrow by the American Jewish congress and the Zionist Organization of America at a dinner tendered to him at the Hotel commodore in tribute to his distinguished record of public service.
Speaking last night at a dinner given in his honor by the Free synagogue, of which he is the founder, Dr. Wise hailed efforts to bring Christians and Jews closer together, but went on to declare that “no good will movement justifies the the surrender of a tradition of historic loyalty.”
“I speak with earnest approval of every effort made to bring Christian and closer together in the bond of reciprocal understanding and reverence which are far more than mere tolerance, but I want to make very clear that no good will movement justifies the surrender of tradition of historic loyalty. Good will must not be purchased; it must not be bribed; it must not be extort. It must be merited by those who are deeply and unalterably self-respecting. The Jew has every reason for self-reverence, and self-reverence is not to be bartered away at the alters of a cheap expediency.”
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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.
