Faith & Hope - 10/03/1900

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Men of clear conscience & firm character, men whose hearts bleed for a brother of the same flesh & blood, whose very life has been well nigh crushed out of him by a degenerate and desparate gang of army officials, may yet buoy themselves up with the thought that God's right hand has not waxed short, that the God who saved rescued our ancestors from the flaming fire & w sword will from death, destruction & pestilence, will also save their decendants, will prevent the good name and fair fame of Israel from being dragged and tarnished in the dust of infamy. Not only ourselves but the combined forces of civilized humanity raises their voices in pious supplication to Him who controls the destinies of nations, to look down with pity upon that too loyal a son of French soil, upon that faithful & affectionate husband, upon that loving father, upon the man who has been ruthlessly & fiercely robbed of happiness and honour, of love, of wife, of children, of everything that is nearest & dearest to him in life, aye of everything that renders this life worth living. Again the golden virtues of faith & hope enter our fainting hearts to refresh us with the conviction, that sooner or later, Truth will out and force recognition; that innocence

Last edit over 1 year ago by RCH in KZ
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that duty, that fidelity & love for one's Country and one's fellow creatures will be ultimately rewarded with God's divine & choicest blessings, while crime & murder, corruption and degrate dishonour will suffer the just penalty & requital that must fall to the lot of the workers of iniquity.

Let us then on this day of Judgement, while we stand in solemn attitude before God's throne of Justice, inspired by feelings of Kindship and brotherly love, of sympathy for the poor & the afflicted, think of the beautiful and sublime ideas that this occasion awakens in our hearts. As a race & as a nation, we have during our eventful career passed through numberless periods of the severest trials and troubles through which we have learnt to look up to God, to know Him. Through suffering, the Jew has learnt to feel keenly for the misery of his fellowman and to acquire a sympathy which is so pronounced as to become one of the main characteristics of his nature. Let us cherish this virtue let the love for all mankind regardless of creed or nationality awaken in the hearts of others a Kindred feeling, and as suffering is the very birthmark of humanity,

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let us learn to wait and to hope; let us find perfection under the shadow of the Almighty, ever ready to bear with patience our share of life's burdens, without a murmur, because weake mortals as we are, we are not able to discern what is really a blessing or a misfortune. What can the child on some great ocean steamer, caught in winter's storm, do to overcome the tempest? Can it drive the fierce blasts back to their haunts? Can its little hand hold the wheel & guide the great ships? Can its voice still the mighty billows that can crush the steamer like an egg-shell? What can the child do but trust the Captain who has brought this same ship through a hundred hard storms? It can but rest and trust & hope. God who is the helmsman of this great Earth-ship will steer us safely to harbour if we but pin our faith in his Providence. Consistent with God's external promise "I will make of thee a great nation" Through thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" God He says adds "I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Therein lies the gracious promise of Israel's eternit & of Judaism's eternity. Let us then strive now and hereafter to pursue the even tenour of our way, in the sacred light of Religion in the light of duty

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in the light of Truth. Let us cherish the good name of the Jew; let us be zealous to uphold it in the eyes of the world, to make it signify Justice & Liberty wherever the blessings of civilization are recognized. Let us pray for the welfare of this country & of this nation; let us share its joys and its sorrows. Let us identify ourselves with every movement that tends to lift the world to a lofter plane, that tends to increase happiness & to diminish sorrow, vice & crime. May the time draw nigh when religious envy and hatred will have been relegated to the shades of oblivion, when the true knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the bed of the sea, when all shall acknowledge and proclaim his superiority & his Unity

Amen.

Last edit over 1 year ago by RCH in KZ
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