A call to Jews everywhere “to draw inspiration from the heroic example of the Maccabees” and not to be discouraged in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles was issued here in a Chanukah message by Rabbi Simon G. Kramer, president of the Synagogue Council of America. A Chanukah-Christmas message, issued by Dr. Everett R. Clinchy, president of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, called for the promotion of human understanding and righteousness.
David Zvi Pinkas, Israel Minister of Communications, speaking at a Jewish National Fund Chanukah celebration, predicted that “the principles of the Religious Bloc will become the foundations on which the State of Israel will be built.” A program of music, speeches and dancing featured the ninth annual Chanukah festival here of the United Organizations for the Israel Histadrut.
A bill of sale for land on which was built the first synagogue in the United States, Congregation Shearith Israel, was exhibited during the Chanukah celebration of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York, which is the new name of the ancient synagogue. The land transfer was completed December 19, 1728, and the synagogue was built two years later.
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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.