Thursday, February 17, 2011

A faith like Lincoln's would transform the world!

A faith like Lincoln's would transform the world! - James Oppenheim
During February we celebrate Presidents' Day, which contemporary America has designated as a two-for-one commemoration of the birthdays of two of our greatest presidents, George Washington (February 22) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12). In the convenience of a 3-day weekend and a flurry of holiday sales, we can only hope that future generations will not forget the extraordinary personalities and accomplishments of these two men. Washington, Lincoln, and the Jews. . . . While much has been written about the relationship of each of these men to the Jewish community of his day, there are other American president that maintained a special relationship. Let's take a look at a statement made by John Adams regarding the Jews
"I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations ...
They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their empire were but a bubble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and more happily than any other nation, ancient or modern."
- John Adams, Second President of the United States
(From a letter to F. A. Van der Kemp [Feb. 16, 1808] Pennsylvania Historical Society)

I really hope that you had an enjoyable week and that you are looking forward to some time off this weekend that you can spend with friends and family. The Presidents of the United States of America have been some of the greatest leaders in the world. We must never lose sight of the fact that the reason for the national holiday is not to have a day off so we can go shopping, but to also spend time reflecting on the fact that America and its leaders has been better to the Jews than any other nation in History and for that we must be thankful.
Last week at Friday night live we were all treated to a very big surprise. Brett Loewenstern, a contestant on American Idol, showed up at the program and spoke to everyone about his personal challenges and his Jewish journey. I can tell you that this week will be just as exciting and I hope to see you at 6:00pm on Friday night. We also mentioned that we have an official "Friday Night Live" Facebook page - please CLICK HERE and "like it" and then send the link to a friend that you know doesn't belong to a synagogue.

Finally, if you haven't had a chance to hear our daily radio show called "Jewish Pride", please click on the link in the right column. I hope you enjoy. You will also see links for a GREAT video about Jewish unity and an article about Justin Bieber's manager. There is so much valuable information in this newsletter, please take a moment to look at all of the headlines.

Inspire yourself to inspire others...
Shabbat Shalom and may God bless you.

Josh 

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