A House of Prayer for All the Nations

In the annals of Judaism in Washington, yesterday will be memorable as the day on which the first Jewish synagogue erected in the state was dedicated. Hitherto the congregation Ohaveth Sholom has had no regular place of worship, but during the past few months it has erected a handsome edifice at the corner of Seventh and Seneca streets. The ceremonies were very impressive and consisted in depositing the sacred scrolls in the shrine and the lighting of the perpetual lamp. The services were led by Rabbi A. Brown, and the choral parts were beautifully rendered by Miss Marguerite McKinney, Miss Ray Cohn, Mrs. Sam Levy, Miss Olivia Eckerly, Prof. Lucy, B. Bibo, Prof. A. Lueben, and M. W. Frederick. At the hour for the ceremonies to begin the church was filled to its utmost capacity, and hundreds were unable to gain admission. The audience was a fine one, comprising the elite of the city, a very large proportion being Gentiles. The ushers were S. Brown, F. Frakenberg, I. Gottstein, Ralph Schoenfeld, Fred Kierski, J. Block, B. Schoenfeld, D. Davis, and Leo Moise.

After the singing of Salter's hymn, 'How Beautiful Are Thy Tents, O Jacob,' by the choir, the officials of the congregation and participants marched into the synagogue, the leaders bearing the sacred scrolls. The men wore their hats and retained them during the entire ceremony. Those taking part were Rev. Dr. A. Brown, rabbi and leader; G. Winehill, president; R. Friend, vice president; A. Levy, treasurer; trustees H. Rosenthal, John Schlessinger, H. Meyer, and D. Kaufman; and the dedication committee, Hon. I. J. Lichtenberg, G. Winehill, F. Toklas, J. Forth, M. G. Winstock, John Schlessinger, E. Morgenstern, H. Rosenthal, William Kierski, and L. Kohn. Following these were seven young women dressed in white, bearing lighted tapers and representing the seven-cared candlestick: Misses Carrie Frauenthal, Ida Gottstein, Berky Schoenfeld, Helen Friend, Gertrude Uhlfelder, Eda Davis, and Stella Schlessinger.

When all had taken their places within the church, Rabbi Brown read the invocation, after which Mr. B. Bibo beautifully rendered the bass solo 'Sion' by Rodney. Then followed the presentation of the keys of the sanctuary to President Winehill by Miss Carrie Frauenthal in a neat little speech complimenting Mr. Winehill on the success which had crowned his efforts in erecting the synagogue. Mr. Winehill made a few remarks of thanks in accepting the keys, after which Melvin G. Winstock delivered an oration on 'The Nineteenth Century Jew.' He spoke of the Jews as a people scattered through every country yet held together by history and faith, and argued that in literature, science, commerce and citizenship they had become a moral and intellectual force. He traced the persecutions of the Jews in Europe, defended Shylock as a figure of persecuted Jewry, and warned American Jews against indifference to Judaism, neglect of Jewish training for the young, and the mad pursuit of material ends. 'Fellow Jews,' he said, 'you dedicate today a temple modelled after the style of the edifice which so long echoed to the prayers of our fathers in the Holy City. If you stop when that is done and imagine every duty to have been performed ... better were it indeed that upon the instant you ordered the masons and carpenters to tear down these foundations.' Mr. Winstock was in excellent voice, and his delivery was marked by a nervous energy which at times became impassioned oratory. His theme was a novel one, and the oration was listened to with close attention and warmly applauded.

After a violin solo by Mr. Frederick, Fred Kierski, on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. D. Kaufman, presented to the president the scrolls. He read a letter of presentation: 'In days gone by the one thing that kept our people together was the Torah, the law, the sacred scrolls of those divine precepts which came from the Almighty. The Jew was willing to give up his life, but not his scrolls of the law. What was true in ancient days is also true today. Even in this small community this scroll of the law has kept our people together, and we herewith present it to the congregation, with the hope that it may serve our people in the future as it has in the past.' Both Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman joined in the hope that the Jewish community of Seattle would grow and expand until it stood second to none in the world.

After the singing of 'Hear, Oh Israel,' by the choir, the rabbi and president and the seven young women marched thrice around and in front of the chancel, the rabbi chanting a hymn in Hebrew dedicatory of the scrolls, and the choir responding. Then the scrolls were deposited within the shrine and the choir sang 'Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates' by Naumburg. D. Holis Cohen, of Portland, then delivered the dedicatory sermon. Taking as his text Habakkuk—'Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; rouse up to the dumb stone, for can these teach? Though overlaid with gold and silver, no breath is in them'—he warned that a synagogue is not holy merely because it is made of wood and stone and gold. 'The Lord is in his holy temple; be silent before him all flesh,' he said. Religion, he argued, must dwell in the heart of the worshiper; otherwise the grandest building is only an idol. He rejoiced that the Jews had survived fire and sword and famine and injustice, and insisted that Israel's mission was not finished. 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.' The new temple in Seattle, he said, should be a house of prayer for all races and creeds, a bulwark against prejudice and bigotry in the Western land. Mr. Cohen's effort was a masterly one, and was delivered with moving eloquence. His pious fervor made a deep impression on those present, the solemn peroration producing a marked effect. Notwithstanding the solemnity of the occasion there was a disposition to applaud, which the speaker earnestly repressed.

After the singing of Haydn's 'Let There Be Light' by the choir, the perpetual lamp was lit and Rev. Dr. George, of the First Methodist church, delivered a prayer noticeable for its broad liberality and catholic spirit. He invoked Divine mercy toward Mrs. Harrison, to avert the threat of cholera from the land, for the persecuted Jews, and to put an end to Russian tyranny and despotism. After the singing of Sulzer's 'Master of the Universe' by the choir, Rabbi Brown delivered the benediction and the audience dispersed.

Owing to the large number of Gentiles present, who through ignorance were unable to appreciate the sanctity in which the Jewish people hold their temples, the members of the congregation were shocked that the audience should applaud the exercises. While well meaning, the auditors forgot that they were robbing the ceremonies of their solemnity and degrading them to a mere exhibition. This wretched taste became a glaring offense when Dr. George's devout prayer was received with hand-clapping.

The erection of the synagogue was under the supervision of the following building committee: G. Winehill, D. Kaufman, G. Aronson, H. Rosenthal and L. Friend. Mr. Winehill, as chairman of the committee and president of the congregation, devoted himself zealously to the work. The building is Byzantine in style, the plans being prepared by Herman Steinman. Its cost was [amount missing in OCR], and the dimensions are 40x80 feet. The main auditorium has a seating capacity of 600, while the galleries on either side will seat 140 more. Under the synagogue proper provision is made for a school, with four class rooms and a study, as well as two comfortable toilet rooms. The building will be heated by hot air and lighted by gas. Depending from the ceiling are two beautiful chandeliers which cost $700. Over the entrance is the choir, and at the opposite end is the sanctuary, the platform of which is raised a few steps from the floor and railed in front. At the rear of the chancel and a few steps above it is the Torah shrine, or repository for the sacred scrolls. On these scrolls are written the five books of Moses in large Hebrew characters, in biblical phraseology, without vowel points. The work was done by hand and under the supervision of the most skilled Hebrew scholars of the old world, and before being used must be examined and passed upon by the leading rabbis of the country. The shrine is also Byzantine in style and is of white and gold, the doors of the repository being massive and screened by a magnificent curtain of red silk plush with a blue border and heavily embroidered with gold and silver. This curtain was presented to the congregation by Bailey Gatzert, who obtained it in Constantinople during his recent trip abroad. At either end of the Torah rail are candelabra, with seven lights each, called the seven sacred lights, and depending from the ceiling, immediately in front of the shrine, is the perpetual lamp.