rely race constitutes the basis
and the essential content of Judaism, then surely the question of
whether the maintenance of Judaism will be a benefit to the country in
which we live answers itself. In all civic matters we must work and be
as one with our fellow-citizens, but America demands that each citizen
give to its service the best of which he is capable.

Since Judaism means the recognition of a peculiar obligation imposed
upon us by our past; since Judaism is founded upon a spiritual
ideal,--adherence to our ancient faith and endeavor to live up to our
past must be to us a source of greater moral and spiritual
strength--strength that we must bring to the service of our country.

_The Spiritual Value of a New Zion_

OUR problem then becomes really one of how we can maintain Judaism and
keep it alive now that it has become a part and not as formerly the
whole of our lives. Some say that this can be done only by recognizing
that we are not simply a racial religion but actually a nation, and
that we must reestablish that nation and its capital upon the hills of
Zion.

This is neither the time nor the place to discuss such a matter. For
myself, I wish to say that if in the country where through our fathers
the world first learnt the value of spiritual ideals, where it was
prophesied that "the law shall go forth from Zion and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem--" and "nations shall no longer lift up sword
against nations neither shall they learn war any more," a community of
Jews shall be again established who shall represent and contribute to
the fulfillment of the prophecy, such a community would be from a
spiritual standpoint a living force to keep Judaism alive throughout
the world.

"_Nationally We Are Americans and Americans Only_"

BUT I wish also to state that I cannot for an instant recognize that
the Jews as such constitute a nation in any sense in which that word
is recognized in political science, or that a national basis is a
possible concept for modern Judaism. We Jews in America, bound to the
Jews of other lands by our common faith, constituting our common
inheritance, cannot as American citizens feel any bond to them as
members of a nation, for nationally we are Americans and American
only, and in political and civic matters we cannot recognize any other
ties. We must therefore look for the maintenance of Judaism to those
spiritual concepts which constitute Judaism.

And it is the duty of o