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Pastor Affirms Belief in Zion As Jewish State

June 13, 1934
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Firm belief in the consummation of a Jewish state in Palestine was expressed by Dr. Will H. Houghton, pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in his sermon yesterday. Dr. Houghton returned Friday on the Berengaria from a trip to Europe in which he studied the question, “Does the Jew of the Continent Look With Hope Toward Palestine?”

“To me,” he said, “Zionism is the fulfillment of the Scriptural prophecy.”

A theory of reconciliation of Jewish nationalism with assimilation was also advanced by Dr. Houghton. “Although it is paradoxical on the face of it,” the pastor said, “there is no reason why the Jews cannot have a homeland, and yet those in foreign countries be patriotic to the countries in which they live, like, for instance, the Irish.”

Dr. Houghton compared Hitler to Pharoah, declaring that “Pharoah realized that the Jews had something to contribute to their civilization, and so was loath to let them leave. This Hitler does not realize, and he will soon learn the lesson of history—that a nation that persecutes Jews ceases to prosper.”

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