“In religion the Jew must be distinct, in politics he must be an American citizen without any hyphen,” Dr. Alexander Lyons, rabbi of the Eighth Avenue Temple, Brooklyn, declared last night in a lecture on “A Jewish Democracy” before the Midwood City Fusion Party, 1708 Avenue J.
“We must not have the Jewish Democracy,” he said. “We must have more democracy in America because it is being threatened. There seems to be the suggestion of a danger of too much dictation. All American citizens must be on their guard against a discouragement of loss of their rights as individuals.
“The Jew has always stood for a responsible individualism. He must not secure this by united Jewish action. This will only call for organized opposition of other groups. The Jew must so exercise his religious influence in cooperation with other liberal Americans as to safeguard democratic rights for the entire citizenship.” Gaston Koch, executive member of the Midwood City Fusion Party, introduced Dr. Lyons.
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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.