To the Editor:
Dear Sir:
The wisdom and love of truth that characterizes your
Record, and the reputation that it enjoys in France
and abroad give me hope that you would be kind enough
to provide space in your next issue for my comments
offered to the public in the interest of accuracy and
truth.
The French and English newspapers have covered in detail
the unique project of one Mr. Noah, who claims to be
the founder of the city of Ararat in the northern part
of United States of America. Of course, if Mr. Noah
is supposedly the owner or lessor of a great amount
of uncultivated land to enable people lacking wealth
to find their fortune in a colony, offering them mountains
of gold, no one would ever think of disputing his position
that is currently very popular, and prevent him from
undertaking his projects.
However, Mr. Noah intends to play a much more important
role because he is dreaming about a celestial home,
he pronounces prophecies, and considers himself a Jewish
judge. He gives orders to all the Jews in the world,
and is trying to impose a head tax on all Jews. In all
of his excitement, Noah goes so far as to try to create
a central Jewish council in France. His chief administrator
would have the honor of the noble role of “minister
of emigration.” This tremendous effort considers
its deficiencies of little importance: 1) the well-established
“proof” of Mr. Noah’s authority; 2)
the text of his prophecy demonstrating North America
as the location where the Jewish Diaspora is supposed
to gather together.
In all seriousness, though, it is proper to inform
Mr. Noah that the esteemed Mr. Hierschel and Mr. Meldola,
chief rabbi of London, and I thank him by completing
rejecting the appointments that Mr. Noah wishes to offer
us. We state that according to our religious teachings,
only G-d Himself knows when the redemption of the Jewish
People is to occur, and it is only G-d who will make
His will known to the entire universe with unmistakable
signs. Any attempt to gather together the Jewish People
with political and nationalist goals is forbidden to
us as a crime of the highest divine authority. Mr. Noah
has surely forgotten that Jews are loyal to the principles
of their faith, that they are too attached to the native
countries where they reside and too devoted to their
governments providing them with liberty and protection
to pay attention to a fairy tale and fantasies of a
false redeemer.
Therefore, since fairness demands discretion on behalf
of those absent today, we would feel bad to deny him
the title of Visionary of Good Faith.
Please accept my wishes,
Your very humble servant, The Chief Rabbi of Cologne
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