President Roosevelt’s letter of greetings on the occasion of Purim emphasizes that “this day is one of deep religious significance for a large and important section of our people” and that “it is at all times desirable, and especially so in times of widespread readjustment, to keep unimpaired the sources of our spiritual strenght and to maintain the tenets of our American political faith, particularly the vital principles of equality, of opportunity and justice to all.”
Purim is as good an occasion as any on which to restate that it is desirable to keep unimpaired the vital principles of equality, of opportunity and justice to all. The forces of reaction and bigotry must be reminded that there is no room in the United States for their pernicious doctrines and their destructive propaganda.
Governor Lehman’s Purim message points out that “the Jews today face a twofold crisi one physical and the other spiritual,” and he urges that the Jews “must reawaken to their rich heritage and great traditions; must consider their individual obligations to keep this heritage alive by their support of the religious and educational institutions through which Judaism is perpetuated, and must renew the strength and courage which has brought the Jewish race victorious through past periods of suffering.”
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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.
