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Of the Children of the Society for Instruction of
Jewish Doctrines, at Charleston, S. C.
On the first Sunday in May last, the fourth annual
examination took place at the Temperance Hall, when the parents,
friends, and many visitors of different persuasions, were present to
witness the interesting exhibition. The joyous looks of the children,
the anxious hopes of the parents, the capability of the teachers, caused
every one present to thank God for the establishment of an institution
in which the word of God in inculcated in the minds of children,
according to the true and ancient faith of our forefathers. The
exercises commenced with a suitable prayer by the Rev. Mr. Rosenfeld,
and was followed by the children singing the hymn of Adon Ngolam. The
different classes were then examined in Scriptural questions, catechism,
and Bible questions, in all of which they acquitted themselves to the
satisfaction of all present. Appropriate pieces were recited by several
of the pupils, and one of the most interesting parts was the thirteen
articles of the Jewish creed, which were given in Hebrew and translated
in English, by the children of the highest class.
After the examination, an address was delivered by
Master Lizar Joseph, a pupil of the institution, and also one by Miss
Lazarus, both of whom acquitted themselves handsomely on the occasion.
Miss Hart, the President of the institution, read the annual Report, and
the prizes were delivered to the children by the teachers. The
ceremonies then closed with a suitable prayer by the Rev. Mr.
Rosenfeld, and the singing of the Yigdal.
It could not but be very gratifying to the parents
to see their children instructed in the true and ancient doctrine of
Judaism, notwithstanding the related efforts made in this city to
introduce new doctrines, not in accordance with Judaism; and too much
praise cannot be bestowed on the officers and teachers for their zeal in
the noble cause, which we all hope and pray may continue to prosper.
The officers for the ensuing year are as follows:
Miss H. Hart, President; Mrs. P. Lopez,
Vice-President; Mrs. P. Friedlander, Secretary and Treasurer; Mrs. M.
Loovis, Mrs. M. A. Levy, Mrs. N. Levin, Mrs. A. Tobias, Mrs. D. D.
Cohen, Trustees; Miss P. Tobias, Miss F. Cohen, Miss R. Alexander, Miss
I. Hendricks, Miss. F. Joseph, Miss J. Zachariah, Miss Caroline Hart,
Teachers.
President’s Report
In conformity with a custom, which was established
when you did me the honour of presiding over this institution, I proceed
to give an outline of its objects and condition.
We can scarcely recall to mind, my friends, a
period in the history of the world, when existence was worth so much, or
could be turned to so large an account, as at the present time. Rarely
have efforts so various been made for the benefit of the rising
generation, and peculiarly so, in relation to our own people. Never
before have there existed so many and so wide doors for
exertion,—telling directly on our religious, moral, intellectual, and
social conditions. All monopolies of privilege have begun to give way.
Right and duty have begun to be heard, where persecution and power have
for ages held undivided sway. The blessings of religious education are
entering the abodes of darkness, with a light, that gladdens every
heart on which it shines. A serious question here arises; it is
this,—What is our duty? Every Israelite, mother and father, ought to
pause upon, and ponder on this question. The cause of religious
instruction comes not alone; it is closely affiliated with every good cause that bears on this
world and the world to come. Religion, morality, education all those;
influences and powers that fit us for our duty here and happiness
hereafter, crowd thick around it, and make up the glories which swell
its triumphs. Would you promote the good of Israel, my friends, and so
gain a claim to their gratitude, and a joyous emotion of soul? How can
you so readily or so rapidly secure these two objects, as by throwing
your influence in the scale of this society, to lead up Israel’s youth
to Israel’s God? Do we love our religion? Then let us advance this
cause, and we will be astonished at its length and breadth, its depth
and height. It has no bounds. Interwoven with every relation we
sustain to this world and the world to come, it is mingled with all our
duties to God, our neighbour, and ourselves.
The importance of this subject must be obvious to
every mind; it should be deeply impressed upon the hearts of the mothers
of Israel; for where a mother neglects the early religious culture of
her child, she is the direct and sole agent in effecting the ruin of a
soul, born for the happiness of eternal life.
Teach the child that God is holy and all-powerful,
that He disapproves of, and has commanded us not to commit sinful acts.
Teach the little one what is sin, and in matured life the lesson
impressed upon the plastic mind of youth, never will be forgotten. The
commands and precepts of the Most High will be the rule and guide of its
actions in after life; “a lamp unto its feet, and a light unto its
path.”
Upon the mother this duty pre-eminently devolves.
She in a peculiar manner has the confidence of her child; in her ear is
breathed the tale of its complaints, and to her it looks for favour. She
has that mind under her control; and at that time can give it an
inflexible direction. Its confidence, which she intuitively possesses,
enables her to mould it as she pleases; and when we consider the
importance of the subject, we cannot but wonder at the silence of
mothers on the subject of religion, in their intercourse with their
children. Mothers! see that you employ the power God has given you for
good. See that the mind of your little ones is impregnated with early
religious instruction. See that its first aspirations go up to God.
We feel assured that all who are present will unite
with us in thanks to the Almighty for the good He has made this
Institution accomplish for the three past years, and for the hope that
good has inspired us with, that, under His guidance and with His
blessing, we may be enabled still farther to extend the sphere of our
usefulness.
It was with a deep sense of the responsibility I
incurred, that I entered upon the duties of the station which your
voices called me to fill. This station and this responsibility my own
disposition did not lead me to assume; and I can only hope to be able to
discharge the duties which have thus devolved upon me, in a manner
satisfactorily to yourselves, by the aid and support of those who are
ready and willing to labour in the vineyard of the Lord.
Let me then return my grateful acknowledgments to
our respected minister, the Rev. Mr. Rosenfeld, for the ever-ready
assistance he has afforded in furthering the objects of this
Institution, particularly in elucidating passages in the holy writings,
which the mistranslations of the Anglican version so frequently render
necessary, and which his knowledge of the language in which they were
proclaimed by the Divine voice peculiarly adapts him for.
To the teachers I would also return my thanks for
tho unabated zeal which has marked their onward course. Theirs has
indeed been a labour of love; and may they reap a rich harvest, in
seeing the seed they have planted take deep root, flourish, and bring
forth goodly fruit, that will be pleasing in the sight of our Heavenly
Father, and tend to the honour and glory of His name.
May your children deeply appreciate the lessons
which it has been their endeavour to instill,—the glorious privilege
calling themselves God’s chosen people; the recipients of his law; a
nation of priests, from whom the word is to go forth; so that all His
children may know His holy name, and join in the watchword of Israel,
the word that wafts his parting soul to heaven: “The Lord is one, and
His name is one. Blessed be His name for ever and ever.”
Address of Lizar Joseph
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Prompted by a deep feeling of respect towards those
who disinterestedly have taken up the cause of our holy religion, to
implant a knowledge of God and his holy word in the minds of youth, and
instil within them sentiments of piety, and urged by a grateful heart
for the instruction which I have received in this institution, I avail
myself of the present opportunity of expressing my sincere thanks and
gratitude, and thus publicly acknowledging how much I appreciate the
instruction so kindly bestowed on me. It is not my desire on this
occasion to attempt a display of oratory, for I feel my incompetence,
and therefore expect your kind indulgence.
The advantages of a religious education have been
so forcibly illustrated by the best writers and orators of ancient and
modern times, that I deem it boldness in me to advance an opinion of my
own before so intelligent an audience on so important a subject: yet I
cannot refrain from making a few observations on the subject: and I
trust you will make such allowances as a youth of my age and
inexperience may expect. I shall attempt to lay before you this morning,
as far as my humble capacity will allow me, the necessity of a Jewish
religious education, and the benefits derived from it by the Jewish
Youth.
The Jewish religion is the greatest boon bestowed
on us by God. It is the good Israelite’s comfort in time of distress,
his guide in prosperity, and his only friend and consolation when all
earthly friends have forsaken him. It teaches him, first, to bear with
resignation the will of his Maker, and that through all the vicissitudes
of this temporary life, whether in adversity or in prosperity, that he
may always remember that he is the chosen one of God; that he must
submit to His holy will with the fortitude that has always characterized
our scattered people; and that although crushed and oppressed by the
enemies of Judaism, he may be encouraged by knowing that his lot is
above those who are of gentile origin, and who are believers in a God
that cannot save. This knowledge creates within him a feeling of
superiority that makes him proud of his origin and satisfied with his
fate. It teaches him, secondly, that there is a great, invisible,
almighty, and omnipotent God—a perfect unity—who created this world and
all that is therein by his wisdom, to whom alone we owe adoration, and
who requires no mediator between him and mankind. He is the only God to
whom we have to look up for salvation. It teaches him, finally, that our
ancestors, through their transgressions, have been scattered abroad over
the face of the whole earth; but at a certain time, known to God only,
he will send us a Messiah or Anointed from the seed of David, by whose
agency we shall be reassembled from the four quarters of the globe, and
restored to our country, where we shall serve God as in former times,
and when the Lord shall be acknowledged as a unity by all the nations of
the earth.
Being scattered among the nations of the earth, the
Jewish youth is surrounded by innumerable snares, which may tend to
weaken his religious firmness, and, through his inexperience, make him
deviate from the true path. On the one hand there are men leagued
against us, who use all their efforts, by temptations or otherwise, to
mislead inexperienced youth. On the other hand there are bad examples
shown us by many of our own persuasion, who from ignorance publicly
violate the law of God, and thus create a feeling of indifference within
the hearts of the rising generation. Thus one step leads to another, in
proportion as man is willing to embrace that which is the least
difficult. From indifference, we are gradually led to neglect that which
is religiously essential; and from neglect, we are finally induced to
violate—at first privately, but afterwards publicly—the law of God, and
ultimately we shall feel ashamed of the name of which every Israelite
ought to be proud.
(To be continued.) |
