{"id":540814,"date":"2021-05-25T21:36:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T01:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=540814"},"modified":"2021-05-25T21:36:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T01:36:17","slug":"remembering-george-washingtons-letter-to-the-hebrew-congregation-of-newport-as-jews-find-themselves-surrounded-by-those-who-want-to-make-them-afraid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/remembering-george-washingtons-letter-to-the-hebrew-congregation-of-newport-as-jews-find-themselves-surrounded-by-those-who-want-to-make-them-afraid\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering George Washington\u2019s Letter To The Hebrew Congregation Of Newport As Jews Find Themselves Surrounded By Those Who Want To Make Them Afraid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">46<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fremembering-george-washingtons-letter-to-the-hebrew-congregation-of-newport-as-jews-find-themselves-surrounded-by-those-who-want-to-make-them-afraid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=540814&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-637242916-1200x800-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>For a Jewish immigrant to the United States, George Washington\u2019s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport stands as a document of stunning historical significance. While Jews were widely persecuted across Christian Europe and some parts of the Islamic world, Washington\u2019s promise of religious freedom exemplified one of the founding principles which set the United States apart from all other nations on earth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Here is Washington\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tourosynagogue.org\/history-learning\/tsf-intro-menu\/slom-scholarship\/86-washington-letter\"><span>letter<\/span><\/a><span> in full:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"46\">\n<p><i><span>Gentlemen:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy\u2014a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, 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.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants \u2014 while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>G. Washington<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In one letter of monumental importance, one stands out above the rest.<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"7\">\n<p><em>May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants \u2014 while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>This line, often known for its rephrased use in Lin-Manuel Miranda\u2019s <em>Hamilton<\/em> \u2014 and a further recycled use in Amanda Gorman\u2019s over-celebrated Inaugural day poem, \u201cThe Hill We Climb\u201d \u2014 relates to one of three portions of the Hebrew Torah. Micah 4:4, Kings 4:25, and Zechariah 3:10 all refer to living in safety under \u201cour\u201d vine and fig tree.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Washington most likely cited Micah 4:4, which <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Micah%204%3A4&amp;version=NIV\"><span>reads<\/span><\/a><span>:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"13\">\n<p><em><span>\u201c<\/span><span>Everyone will sit under their own vine<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>and under their own fig tree,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>and no one will make them afraid,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>for the Lord Almighty has spoken.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>It was doubtlessly intentional of Washington to reference Hebrew scripture while speaking with a Jewish congregation on the subject of religious freedom from persecution and discrimination. The unprecedented embrace of Jewish religious freedom at a time when Jews were widely despised across the world simply cannot be missed or under-appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While those words were unbelievably meaningful when they were first written, their significance grows as the Left aims to destroy the very foundation of the country. After all, it is no mistake that while the Left attempts to redefine every element of American life, they are simultaneously erasing those whose unmatched moral genius built the unparalleled system of freedom we enjoy today.<\/p>\n<p>Jews \u2014 both secular and religious \u2014 have thrived in the United States because of the ideology promoted by the Founding Fathers. Washington\u2019s desire \u2014 that Jews live free and unafraid \u2014 became a reality solely because of this ideology. However, because others have forgotten their words, this reality is under threat.<\/p>\n<p>This is why it is not enough for Jews alone to value and protect the sentiment expressed in Washington\u2019s letter. Non-Jews who also respect and love the United States must acknowledge and understand that if Washington were to witness the violence being committed against Jews in the streets of today\u2019s America, he would correctly conclude that Jews cannot sit safely beneath their own vines or fig trees, and there are those who stand to make them afraid, and that this represents a pivotal change in the nation\u2019s moral trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>We simply cannot allow Washington\u2019s words to be erased by the hungry claws of a radical Left in their bid to redefine what it means to be an American. The very notion of true religious freedom exemplified by the words, \u201c<span>Everyone will sit under their own vine <\/span><span>and under their own fig tree, <\/span><span>and no one will make them afraid\u201d is at stake, and God forbid we ever discover what will befall Jewish Americans if we fail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ighaworth\"><i>@ighaworth<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/i>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For a Jewish immigrant to the United States, George Washington\u2019s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport stands as a document of stunning historical significance. While Jews were widely &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2313057,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-637242916-1200x800-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Remembering George Washington\u2019s Letter To The Hebrew Congregation Of Newport As Jews Find Themselves Surrounded By Those Who Want To Make Them Afraid","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-540814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-637242916-1200x800-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Remembering George Washington\u2019s Letter To The Hebrew Congregation Of Newport As Jews Find Themselves Surrounded By Those Who Want To Make Them Afraid","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=540814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=540814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=540814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=540814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}