Rabbi's Message
Rabbi’s Message:
In Preparation for Independence Day Celebration
For tourists, no trip to ''The Big Apple'' is complete without the obligatory boat trip to New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. While it is one of the most well-known and most photographed American monuments, no matter how often one gazes upon it, it never fails to instill a sense of awe because of the spirit of welcome to these shores it represents. But while the Statue is so familiar to everyone, few people are aware of the profound Jewish connection to this American shrine.
On the base of the Statue there is a bronze plaque. On it, is inscribed a poem expressing the sentiments of Lady Liberty herself - originally titled ''The New Colossus'' - which embodies everything America means to arriving immigrants:
''Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore -
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me -
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.''
But from where exactly did these immortal words come ? They were actually written in 1883 by a young Jewish poetess named Emma Lazarus. Hers is a fascinating story. In the early years of her life, living comfortably with her family in New York City, she wrote verse, but rather aimlessly, with no real purpose in life. Then in 1881, as she visited Ward's Island and saw hundreds of bedraggled Jews who had fled the pogroms in Russia and were awaiting admission to the United States, her life changed. Her poems became devoted to the suffering of Jews and others abroad. In 1883, when a benefit was set up to pay for the pedestal of the new statue, poems were sought from poets to be sold. Lazarus' ''The New Colossus'' was the most successful; and in 1903, it was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, immortalizing Lazarus forever. Unfortunately, a few years later, she died at the young age of 38.
While she was a poet and not a theologian, Lazarus expressed a primary tenet of Jewish religious thought. We Jews see history not as a random hodge-podge of events, but as a people moving forward with a God-directed destiny. Our purpose was expressed by the Prophet Isaiah - ''I the Lord have set thee for a light among the nations'' (Isaiah 42:6), that is, bringing goodness to the world around us. The welcome of Lady Liberty in New York harbor - put into words by the young poetess - represented a major point in this historic destiny.
Between 1881 and 1920, nearly 3 million Jews passed into this country through New York, escaping suffering in Eastern Europe, representing the greatest migratory shift of Jews in history.
They and their offspring became doctors, lawyers, educators, writers, business people and a big part of the entertainment industry, adding much to American life. We Jews are humbly proud that with this era, more than ever before, Jews took their place with so many other immigrant groups to make America the unique, dynamic nation that it is.''Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.''
From the heart of the youthful Jewish poetess Lazarus came the words - emblazoned on our great national symbol - that have welcomed so many of all faiths who have brought light to these shores. And, with God's help, these verses will continue to embrace all of those who come here seeking freedom and opportunity.
