{"id":49905,"date":"2019-07-04T02:04:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T08:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=49905"},"modified":"2019-07-04T02:04:28","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T08:04:28","slug":"off-the-pulpit-george-washington-and-the-synagogue-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/off-the-pulpit-george-washington-and-the-synagogue-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Off the Pulpit: George Washington and the Synagogue President"},"content":{"rendered":"

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE<\/p>\n

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Many of the founders of the United States were Hebraists, and the first design for the official seal of the United States recommended by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1776 depicts the Jews crossing the Red Sea. Both Israel and the United States were built around the idea of freedom from tyranny and service to something greater than oneself.<\/p>\n

When George Washington stood before the Hebrew congregation at Newport in 1790 and declared that the government of this country \u201cgives to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance,\u201d he was quoting the letter written to him by Moses Seixas, President of the synagogue. That the father of our country should be quoting a synagogue President in declaring the promise of this nation symbolizes the synergy that has existed between Israel and the United States. On this Fourth of July, we celebrate a world in which both exist, and pray they may grow greater and kinder under the blessing of a benevolent God.<\/p>\n

(Rabbi David Wolpe is the senior rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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