President Bush told rabbis that there is a role for religion in democracy. In his annual Chanukah meeting Thursday, the president discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his plans for the future of Iraq. While expressing an understanding of the separation of church and state, Bush said religion could play an important role in democratic countries and touted the faith-based initiative program that would give religious charities federal aid for social services, a source in the meeting told JTA. Bush also lit the White House menorah with three children of Capt. Shmuel Felzenberg, the senior Jewish chaplain now serving in Iraq. “The Talmud teaches that the Menorah lights should perform no function other than to proclaim the miracle of a just and loving God,” Bush said. “Every generation since Judah Maccabee has looked on these candles and recalled the sacrifices that are made for freedom. And in every generation, these lights have warmed the hearts of th! ose not yet free.”
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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.
