The combination of the international, national and religious spirit of the Jew will cause Jewry to accomplish its mission in the world. This is the viewpoint of Oscar Wasserman of Germany, director of the Deutsche Bank. The distinguished Jewish leader, who is chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, states this belief in a message to the first issue of “Jewish Current Events,” published by the Jewish Daily Bulletin, which will appear on Oct. 28.
Herr Wassermann is one of a group of distinguished Jewish personalities who greet the publication under its new aegis.
“It is a pleasure to be able to say a word for the first number,” Herr Wassermann writes. “Your remark that the three tendencies, that of the international Jew, that of the national Jew and that of the religious Jew are decisive in Jewish life gives me my cue. If each of these three tendencies goes its own way, there are bound to be division and weakness, which severely sap the strength of Jewry against the outside enemies that we have always had and whose number are today on the increase. But Jewry will remain unconquerable and accomplish its mission in the world, if the three tendencies manifest mutual understanding and strive to reach the great goals pointed out to them in the first three parts of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Shmonahesrah. These first three parts say that the three tendencies have equal rights, but likewise have the duty of acting in concert.
“Even though the fundamental ideas and the aims remain unchanged, the terms internationalism, nationalism and religion vary with the times, and every generation must place its own interpretation upon them. That is the task of youth. It is our great task, however, to stimulate youth and furnish it with the means of forming its own opinions.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.