Isaac Mayer Wise, President Lincoln's Obsequies in the Synagogues of Cincinnati, The Israelite 11, no. 44 (28 April 1865): 348.
Abraham Lincoln, whose greatness was in his goodness, and whose might was in his unshaken faith, was assassinated. Blush, humanity! he was assassinated.
On 28 April 1865, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, a man who had in the past severely criticized Lincoln's abilities (see editorial, The Israelite, 5 April 1861), used his editorial space to print his 19 April 1865 eulogy for Lincoln, given at a densely crowded Lodge Street Temple on the National Day of Mourning.
Isaac Mayer Wise, the leading organizer behind the rise of American Reform Judaism in the nineteenth century and publisher of The Israelite, objected to discussions of general political questions within his newspaper. Politically a Democrat, Wise was not a proponent of slavery, but was hostile towards abolitionists. Peace was more important than Union to Wise. His opposition towards hawks and power-hungry abolitionists in the North essentially made him a defender of the South, although he declared his neutrality and rarely commented upon war issues unless there was a specific Jewish aspect, such as Grant's General Order Number 11 or the Jewish chaplaincy issue. Despite Wise's criticisms of Lincoln and neutral stance during the war, he delivered a moving eulogy of the assassinated leader. In his oration, Wise pondered how best to honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln, concluding that the people must repent of their sins and rise better men, better citizens...Let him live in your virtues, resurrect in your patriotism. Let us carry into effect and perpetuate the great desires which heaved the breast of Abraham Lincoln; let us be one people, one, free, just and enlightened. (page three hundred forty-eight) A copy of the entire document is available in PDF format through the "Download Image" link above. |