President Truman and members of his Cabinet issued, through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, messages of greetings to the Jews of the United States on the occasion of the Jewish New Year which will be ushered in tonight. President Truman’s message reads.
“I extend to all my fellow Americans of Jewish faith my cordial greetings on the occasion of the commencement of the Jewish New Year. The celebration of a new year is customarily a time of looking back upon the experiences of the past and forward to the promise of the future. It is clear that in the past the world has long hoped and worked for peace and freedom among all nations and peoples. Let us, in the future, continue our common efforts toward the achievement of these goals.”
Defense Secretary Louis Johnson, in his Rosh Hashanah message to Jewish members of the armed forces, compared the fighting in Korea to the fight of the ancient Israelites against the Pharcahs. “On this commemoration I am especially mindful of those men and women who are currently engaged in a conflict to arrest the spread of modern tyranny, just as their forbears long ago fought and overthrew the tyranny of the Pharaohs,” his message said.
Secretary Johnson emphasized in his message that members of every creed “join those of the Hebrew faith in prayer for a better and happier era.” He said all Americans are “mindful of the heritage of an illustrious past and of worthy endeavors in a trying present” by Jewish servicemen and women.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
