[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Should the ACLU be listening in, that would be Leviticus 25:10 on the Liberty Bell. Too late to take it off now.

[woofie]

I sawa sign tonight that said "Moses Loves You"

[WVNan]

Beautiful.

[Fiddlstix]

Turn the page in the community’s life story from 1654 to August 17, 1790, and a letter addressed that day to President George Washington, by Moses Seixes, the warden of Newport RI’s Kahal Kadosh Yeshuah Yisrael synagogue. He expressed what this country had already come to mean to the small group of Jews who had settled in by the end of the 18th century: “Deprived as we heretofore (in other lands) have been of the invaluable rights of free citizens…we now behold… a Federal Union whose basis is philanthropy, mutual confidence, and public virtue…a government which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance….” (A History of the Jews in America, Abraham J. Karp, p.22)

New and different? In his answer to Seixas, Washington affirmed that “It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.” And confirming Seixas’ point of view, the president wrote “…happily the government of the United States, which gives bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it, on all occasions, their effectual support.”

I have a "copy" of President Washington's letter referenced in this article.
(Not just the words but an actual "photocopy" of it written in his own hand.)

You see, my great-great-greatfather was Jewish. (On my mother's sides of the family)
(I won't bore anyone with the details. Suffice it to say, he ended up marrying a Christian lady and their children were Christian. Those were the days of what we now call the "old west". Different time.)

When I was a child growing up (1940's-50's) and someone "made a slur" against "the Jews", I was always told by my parents and grandparents......Remember....you have a Jewish "great--grandfather.

'Nuff Said.

(This is America. I have the blood of several "races" (about 8) in my veins. I am an American-American!)

[Sam Cree]

A very inspiring sermon (with the exception of his mention of several embarassing American leftist Jews).

I married a beautiful Jewish lady 30 years ago, when we were both young. Even though my background was not Jewish and hers was, we thought and continue to think that we were made for each other.

My ancestors, Dutch, came to New Amsterdam in 1654...when I saw that the first American Jews arrived at the same place the same year, 1654, my head started spinning a little bit, to tell you the truth.

I'm going to print this out for her.

“Ukratem dror baaretz lchol yoshveha, proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof"

[Windsong]

"We are free to press for the protection of the religious freedoms that the constitution and the Bill of rights promise all Americans. We are free to bring the values of Judaism to our civic life – to do justice, to love mercy and to extend these to all persons."

Wow..espousing religious freedom, and then in the very next breath stating how you wish to enforce the values of Judaism in civic life, and then insinuating that you wish to extend Judaism in the judicial system to "all persons".

Sorry pal, but America is by and large a Christian nation, not a Jewish one.

Go back to the middle east with the Mooslims.

[Bandaneira]

All of the readers of this post interested in Judaism would be well advised to learn about the Twelfth Article of Faith. It will help Moshiach no end...

[Ancesthntr]

I Am Jewish, I Am American, I Am Free...

and I am armed, since I plan on staying all 3 and protecting my family's right to do the same.

Too bad that most of my co-religionists are a bunch of knee-jerk anti-gun morons. Well, at least that's in the Northeast; here in Texas, even my rabbi carries, and the congregation would give most South American armies a good fight.