07/05/2026
Rabbi Eric's Sermon for America's 250th
While representing Massachusetts in the Continental Congress, John Adams went to synagogue in Philadelphia. It was Kol Nidre in 1774 and Adams recorded in his diary:
Went with Mr. [Samuel] Chase and Mr. [Thomas] Cushing to the Jewish Synagogue in Cherry Street. The Rabbi read and prayed in a very singular tone. The congregation answered him in the same tone. Their dress and ceremonies appeared strange to us, but there was a gravity and devotion among them that commanded respect.
Many of our nation’s founders had positive feelings towards our people and faith. Benjamin Franklin was a financial contributor to that very congregation. And recall the famous statement of George Washington to the Jews of Newport and their congregation. Our first President wrote:
For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to 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.
Washington concluded with a biblical reference, likewise a favorite of mine:
While every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.
As these texts explain, since our founding, America has long offered Jews freedom and rights distinct from other Diaspora lands. Here there have been no state-sponsored pogroms. And we, in turn, since coming to these shores in 1654, as the first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam… we Jews have been instrumental in America’s growth and development. Indeed, even in these parts, the Buries, our congregation traces its past to the Grant Administration, and our membership and area Jews have been impactful here.
From Haym Solomon, an immigrant Jewish financier who gave his fortune to help fund American independence, to the patriotic contributions of each subsequent generation, including ours, we American Jews have distinguished ourselves in realm upon realm. Choose the industry or profession – business or law, medicine or the arts, science or sports, education or technology – and you’ll encounter the positive influence of Jewish Americans. Tellingly, it was a Jewish woman of Sephardic ancestry who elegantly framed the concept: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Of course, freedom has costs. For generations our congregation has included veterans who fought for America, and families of the fallen. America has been, as the Yiddish-speaking immigrants dreamed, a Goldene Medina, a Golden Land. Our Diaspora is the most accomplished and most influential in Jewish history. Note well: it was a Jewish immigrant, Irving Berlin, the son of a Cantor, who wrote the song: “God bless America.” Moreover, we helped implement America’s founders’ vision for a larger, collective benefit. From mass media to nuclear energy, from vaccinations to search engines, without our distinct contribution America’s strength this past century would never have been achieved or sustained.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the lofty values expressed by a Washington, Adams or Franklin were continually actualized. In fairness, we love this nation – but we don’t worship it – we worship God. As the Psalmist counseled, “Put not your trust in princes,” be it in mortals or a collection thereof. Beginning with slavery American history isn’t a parade of unending virtue –neither for others or for us. Consider our own circumstances. Different generations of Jews have known obstacles, setbacks or backlashes – Gentleman’s agreements, restrictive covenants, quotas, discrimination and slander – that last injustice is again happening now. Jews are harassed online and in person. You’re likely aware of a Brooklyn coffee shop refusing to serve a Jewish Congressman. He was then defeated in his district for being a Zionist. Recent days have also included a Gay Jewish official and candidate subjected to bullying and hate speech at a Pride Event in California. Amidst all the money in politics AIPAC is uniquely demonized. Tucker Carlson, himself prone to Antisemitic smears, is establishing a new political party. Expect it to be well-funded by dictatorships abroad and racists at home. And here we know that we, B’nai Israel, are the only religious institution in town necessitating a regular armed security presence. Why? Because while Jews comprise 2% of the population, the majority of hate crimes target us. Hence recent days and the past two decades have been alarming. Many predict an end to our great “Golden Age” in America. And even under the best of circumstances, the challenges we now face are formidable.
In a recent essay for the journal Sapir the eminent Brandeis historian Jonathan Sarna refused to succumb to despair. Nor did he lose faith in the promise of America. Sarna argues our response to the horrors inflicted upon Israel 1001 days ago on October 7th testifies to our resilience and defiance. He explains that those who seek to undermine Jewish life frequently stimulate its revitalization. So too, as the Gilded Age gave way to the Progressive Era, and Jim Crow to the Civil Rights Movement, America possesses the ability to rebound and self-correct.
But nothing is predetermined. What will happen to the Jews of America, or our area, depends on our focus, our energy and our commitment. So let us embrace the tasks before us as our generation’s mission.
As a Zionist I strongly support and encourage our many fellow Jews who determine to focus their energies on further developing our homeland. As those who’ve made Aliyah from here will attest, fewer acts can be more personally fulfilling, and sustaining for our people. I’m thrilled that my daughter Ariel is presently in Jerusalem on a young leadership trip – And this coming October we’ll be visiting some of the very same sights on our congregational tour. (Speak to Dan or me for more details, it’s not to late to sign up and we’d love to have you.) Yet I caution we needn’t flee the U.S. or give up on our country. America is too precious to abandon, and too consequential to ignore. Amidst the falsehoods of Israel as a genocidal entity, and historic corruption, perhaps, as Mordechai told Esther, Providence has singled us out precisely for this moment.
So what should we do? May we help to facilitate the transmission of Torah and its messages of justice, integrity and compassion. And may we nurture the muscle-memory of positive, organized Jewish engagement as a benefit both to ourselves and our fellow citizens. I think that in both efforts the key is self-respect, what’s known in Hebrew as Hadar. Created B’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine Image, we are to understand each person as sacred. We must therefore stand up for ourselves, and for the wisdom we’ve been bequeathed.
To the uninitiated, whether it was a bit more than a semiquincentennial ago on the holiest of nights, or now on a special Erev 250th July 4th Shabbat, our prayers or headgear, our garments or rituals, will appear different to some. Still, we worship without apology. And we know that the equality envisioned by our greatest founders like Washington, Adams and Franklin can itself be traced back to our own people’s contribution to human thought and history – to the Exodus from Egypt and our hostility to tyranny. So too, our own experiences in this land over the past 250 years demonstrates the ability to love America deeply even as we acknowledge its flaws and areas for repair.
Yom HaAtzmaut Sameach, Happy Erev Independence Day. May we, who know how to recite or sing a beracha, tend to America’s welfare. And turning to Divine Providence, we pray, as the son of a Cantor affirmed: God bless America!
Cain Yehi Ratzon. Be this God’s Will.
