JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 289

government, and the County Council under the leadership of the Hon-
orable David Scull. All of these persons, acting as individuals and in
concert, made this day possible. And on the tomorrow when this com-
plex rises, the spirit shall be sustained through the extraordinary effort
and unprecedented generosity of the many Jewish doctors in the com-
munity who will donate their services to the medical programs of the
Hebrew Home for the Aged.

This willingness to undertake obligations and this acceptance that a
burden once assumed cannot be discarded, exemplified by the Greater
Washington Jewish Foundation, have been one of Judaism's greatest
contributions to civilization. This realization that the ills of society
should not be attributed to the law of nature but to the indifference
of -man: this demand that we admit that the evil within society does not
arise from human helplessness but from human unwillingness to sacri-
fice, to right wrongs and to share blessings—are Judaism's philosophical
gift. It is a prod to individual responsibility, a spur to constructive
social action, a discipline to political authority.

At no time like this moment was the free world challenged by this
principle—the message illuminated by the confrontation between
Israel and her Arab neighbors. Israel's gallantry in the face of insur-
mountable odds and overwhelming numbers compels us to reaffirm
our principles and our commitments.

However it is not enough for American Jewry to speak forthrightly
of the issues at hand. The Government of the United States must
speak for its citizens of all faiths, and we must hold hope that the words
spoken will do honor to our country and promise to our world.

For all Americans can feel a kinship to Israel, where the great pio-
neer spirit which conquered the American West is abundant today.
All Americans can take pride that the once barren holy land has been
fertilized and made bountiful by an unprecedented act of human will.

All Americans can rejoice that the spirit of liberty is the essential
life force of Israel and gives to its people the dignity that Hitler's most
murderous abomination sought to destroy.

As one American citizen, it is my personal conviction that the secur-
ity of America and the securing of Israel's rights and freedoms are one
and inseparable, that in supporting the cause of Israel in its search
for freedom and the right to live in peace, Americans are supporting
the cause of the United States in its involvement with all the world's
nations.