Presidents' Day and the Jews

First, a follow up to our family trip to Southern California, or Can You Go Home Again: Part 2.  My family had a great pre-Shabbat lunch in the Jewish neighborhood in LA, affectionately called the hood, where we dined with my former bestman and Hebrew-U-One-Year-Program Alum, Jon Boyer, and his very handsome 3-year-old, Ezra (too young for my daughters, alas).  For Shabbat dinner, we were hosted by another fellow Hebrew U alum, JJ Wernick and his lovely wife, Rachel, and three kids.  These Hebrew U friendships are more than 24 years old, or almost half my life, and they mean so much.  Then on Shabbat, I picked up my dear almost-92 year old rabbi emeritus, Rabbi Marv Bornstein, who played Yoda to my Luke Skywalker in my first LA pulpit, and we drove down to Manhattan Beach, to Congregation Tikvat Jacob, which includes my first synagogue which merged, and was greeted by the original president who hired me for my first rabbinic position 14 years ago, Fred Piltz.  I was even put to work during the service.  So, once again, you cannot go home again, but you can maintain those friendships which made home so precious in the first place.

Now, on to not the Torah portion of the week, but the Federal Holiday of the Week, Presidents' Day.  For a complete take on the Jewish connection, I once again strongly recommend David G. Dalin and Alfred J. Kolatch's book, The Presidents of the United States and the Jews (NY:Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 2000).

As today we specifically remember George Washington's birthday, allow me to excerpt a passage of his August 1790 letter to the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island (although it can really be interepreted as a letter to the Jews of all six major 18th century communities: Newport, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Charleston and Savannah).

May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.

Keep in mind, at the same time of Washington's letter to the 1500 Jews who made their home in America,  most of our 18th century Jewish ancestors were living in Russia and Poland, under constant threat of pogroms and the most dire of conditions.  The Jewish condition in America was far superior to not only our ancestors to the East, but even of Jews living in Western and Central Europe, where Jewish emancipation was still a long ways off. 

And as President's Day is also a day of celebrating Abraham Lincoln's birth, he is also worthy of a shout out from the Jewish community.  It was, afterall, Abraham Lincoln who changed the law barring Jews from the military chaplaincy and then appointed the first Jew, Rev. Jacob Frankel of Hebrew Congregation of Philadelphia, as the first Jewish military chaplain.  Lincoln also promoted Uriah Phillips Levy (the saviour of Monticello) to the high post of the Courts-Martial Board where he abolished corporeal punishment in the U.S. Navy.  Most important, Lincoln immediately reversed then-General Ulysses S. Grants nortorious Order No. 11, evacuating "the Jews, as a class" from Tennessee, within 24 hours.  The Jews regarded "father Abraham" as their savior and protector.

At his passing, one of the leading rabbis of the day, Benjamin Szold (father of Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold) wrote:
To us Jews Lincoln has a special meaning.  In the course of history we found many father lands.  We never knew freedom.  It was here in the United States that we found freedom.  It was Lincoln, who was to so devoted to freedom, that we may, indeed, consider him a son of Israel ... Because of his love for freedom, we Jews must honor his memory.

So, in keeping Rabbi Szold's message alive, I dedicate today's blog to the memories of both Presidents Lincoln and Washington, friends to Jews and friends to freedom .. zichronam l'vracha, may their memories be for a blessing.

... and good to be back in Wilmington!