The Maimonides celebrations now taking place in Spain afford a lesson for the numerous countries where the Jews are now being oppressed. They show that in the long run of history, nations must regret their mistreatment of the Jews.
Eight hundred years from today a Germany, different than the present, will celebrate the octocentennial of Prof. Einstein and will, no doubt, regret the fact that the Germany of today sent one of its greatest sons into exile and confiscated his entire property just because he was a Jew.
POWER AND SPIRIT
Governments come and go. Powers change with every generation. But the contributions which great men like Maimonides, Einstein and their like, are making to humanity remain forever. They cannot be evaluated by any biased attitude of this or another regime.
It has long been preached by Jewish spiritual leaders of ancient times that the strength of the Jewish people lies not in developing an army, nor in exercising force, but in spiritual contributions of high value to the world.
The eternity of the Jewish spiritual contributions is best illustrated not only by the Bible but also by the present festivities in honor of Maimonides. The theories which Maimonides advocated in the twelfth century—both philosophical and medical—are still valid today, in the advanced twentieth century.
In dedicating yesterday a commemorative marble slab for Maimonides at the old synagogue in Cordoba—the birthplace of the Jewish philosopher—the mayor of Cordoba said something which should well be remembered by all those who now fear a new world war. “Without peace with Israel, there can be no world peace,” he warned.
This pronouncement is especially timely now when the eyes of the entire world are turned towards Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin, where Sir John Simon, the British Foreign Minister, was recently trying to persuade Hitler to preserve the peace of Europe.
The great diplomats of the world may not have realized two years ago the fact that Hitler’s declaration of war against world Jewry was actually a forerunner to a declaration of war against all civilized nations. They are realizing it now.
SPAIN AND GERMANY
Without peace with Israel a Germany will never be safe for the peace of the world. A government which practiced no mercy with regard to its own citizens has certainly no mercy for the welfare of the inhabitants of other countries.
The Maimonides celebrations in Spain, therefore, are now casting a direct reflection upon the Germany of today, and its menacing role toward the world’s peace. The shadow of war will always be hanging over Europe as long as Jews in Germany are treated as they were treated in Spain during the Inquisition.
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.
