Two major problems confront the American people, according to Dr. Stephen S. Wise, who addressed the Central and Free Synagogues Sunday morning on the subject “Shall the Doors Be Shut?” These problems, said Dr. Wise, can be solved only by native Americans.
“First”, said Dr. Wise, “the immigrants must be trusted. Unless they be trusted nothing-will be well. Second; we must believe concerning America that it has a genius for healing whatsoever it touches and, on the other hand, we must have confidence in the immigrant himself and must not look on him as if he were an inevitable inferior. We must believe in him and trust him and he will reward America, as he has always rewarded America up to this time with fine and unflinching loyalty. There is only one cure for the wrong attitude with respect to the immigrant, and that is a new Americanism of tolerance and generosity on the part of those who dream of Americanizing.”
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.
