A Rabbi

The sermon of the week was preached by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise. He preached it on anniversary eve-- the 52nd of his birth, the 30th of his ministry and the 17th of the founding of his Free Synagogue. He preached it to one of Mr. Adolph Och's reporters (The New York Times).

He had two points--wars, Jews.

Of wars. He simply said that he did not believe the Church (any church) can survive another war. "I was anything but a pacifist during the World War. But," said he "if there is another conflict--as there may well be, owing largely to America's failure to work for peace--if the churches again bless banners and offer up prayers for the victory of national armies, they may still retain their edifices, organs, music and incense; but the spirit will no longer be in them. They will be mortuary chapels, not living churches."

Of the Jew. He has already made great progress in accommodating himself to the ways of the western world since the wars of the French Revolution liberated him from the ghetto; he does this the more easily in America because America is still culturally dominated by a Jewish book, the Bible; eventually he will bring his ideals of life into perfect harmony with those of the civilization in which he dwells.

The Jew can be the best kind of American and at the same time a thoroughly loyal Jew. Indeed, the one is impossible without the other. "I have more faith in Zionism than ever before. I'll tell you why. There are two things the Jew needs. The first of these is physical security. The second thing is a new inspiration, a revivification of his spiritual life. We count on Palestine to work this miracle."

Thus, for the American Jew there is light and hope ahead.