A rare letter from the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt, stressing the wartime President’s interest in the Old Testament, was placed on display today in the main lobby of Temple Emanu-E1. The letter had been written by Mr. Roosevelt shortly before his death in 1945 to Rev. Dr. Samuel H. Goldenson, then the spiritual leader of the Reform congregation.
Being displayed now as a tribute to President Roosevelt on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his death, the lengthy letter stated in part: “The great majority of Americans find religious unity in a common Biblical heritage–the heritage of the Old Testament. Whether our allegiance is to the tenets of Christian Revelation or to the ancient teaching of Israel, we all hold to the inspiration of the Old Testament and accept the Ten Commandments as the fundamental law of a God.”
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