Content Warning
The Vassar College Archives within the Digital Library include some images, texts, and material items that are racist, xenophobic, or otherwise harmful. The Vassar Libraries have provided descriptive text and additional notes whenever possible to alert Digital Library users to these items. The Engaged Pluralism Initiative Race and Racism in Historical Collections Project Group is working with the library on contextualizing and facilitating community conversations about these materials. For more information see: https://library.vassar.edu/rrhc
Access Control
Creator
Subject (Topical)
Details
Member of
Identifier
vassar:46364,local: vcl_Letters_Aaron_Lester_1920-1923_007
Extent
1 item
Type
Rights
For more information about rights and reproduction, visit http://specialcollections.vassar.edu/policies-and-procedures%20/permissionto.html
: vcl_Letters_Aaron_Lester_1920-1923_007_001
The Trustees and Officers of the Congregation have been anxious to arrange some function by which and through which the congregation might evidence its love for and its appreciation of Judge Cohen. The Judge graciously, but firmly, declined to permit us to arrange a reception or a banquet in his honor. He made it very clear to us that he wished no present nor any of those things by which we commonly give tangible evidence of our desire to show marked attention to him whom we delight to honor.
Fully appreciative, Judge Cohen strongly intimated that the community had on so many occasions show him such marked and friendly attention that he might well feel that his life has been long and full of honor and under the circumstances he begged us to let the occasion of his eightieth birthday pass without marking is by any personal attention.
There is nothing we can do for him personally that he would have us do.
It is a coincidence that on this very day we are engaged in consideration of the needs of an institution intimately bound up with the life of Judge Cohen.
There was evident in our discussion with him a more than deep interest on his part in the cause for which our eloquent friend, Mr. Hays, has come to plead.
The Hebrew Union College and the Union of American-Hebrew Congregation are very near to the hearts of Judge and Mrs. Cohen. Judge
Fully appreciative, Judge Cohen strongly intimated that the community had on so many occasions show him such marked and friendly attention that he might well feel that his life has been long and full of honor and under the circumstances he begged us to let the occasion of his eightieth birthday pass without marking is by any personal attention.
There is nothing we can do for him personally that he would have us do.
It is a coincidence that on this very day we are engaged in consideration of the needs of an institution intimately bound up with the life of Judge Cohen.
There was evident in our discussion with him a more than deep interest on his part in the cause for which our eloquent friend, Mr. Hays, has come to plead.
The Hebrew Union College and the Union of American-Hebrew Congregation are very near to the hearts of Judge and Mrs. Cohen. Judge
: vcl_Letters_Aaron_Lester_1920-1923_007_002
#2
Cohen was present at its organization. He attended the graduation exercises of the first class.
None among the laymen of the country was stronger than he in his support of Dr. Isaac Meyer Wise, its founder. Its earnest advocate always Judge Cohen recognized the college as basic to the growth and development of American Israel. He was its staunch friend, when its friends were few, and he is its loyal advocate now.
Pittsburgh collectively has been generous in its support of the College and the Union, but that support has come from a few.
Out of the membership of ten hundred and thirty, less than 200 are among its contributors.
Judge Cohen feels as we do - that every member of the congregation should be a contributor to the College.
He has refused every form of personal recognition that we are able to suggest, but he has consented to have us link his name and the happy occasion that tomorrow marks to the drive that we are inaugurating to get 100% of our members as contributors to the Union and the College.
The Board of Trustees would like every one of you not already a subscriber to respond to the call that will come to you my mail tomorrow, by pledging $1.00 - $5.00 - $10.00 - $25.00 - $50.00 - or as much more as you please - the more the better - for no amount is too large nor too small as your annual contribution to the College.
We want you to subscribe to its maintenance exactly in the same manner and spirit in which you subscribe to the congregations support -
Cohen was present at its organization. He attended the graduation exercises of the first class.
None among the laymen of the country was stronger than he in his support of Dr. Isaac Meyer Wise, its founder. Its earnest advocate always Judge Cohen recognized the college as basic to the growth and development of American Israel. He was its staunch friend, when its friends were few, and he is its loyal advocate now.
Pittsburgh collectively has been generous in its support of the College and the Union, but that support has come from a few.
Out of the membership of ten hundred and thirty, less than 200 are among its contributors.
Judge Cohen feels as we do - that every member of the congregation should be a contributor to the College.
He has refused every form of personal recognition that we are able to suggest, but he has consented to have us link his name and the happy occasion that tomorrow marks to the drive that we are inaugurating to get 100% of our members as contributors to the Union and the College.
The Board of Trustees would like every one of you not already a subscriber to respond to the call that will come to you my mail tomorrow, by pledging $1.00 - $5.00 - $10.00 - $25.00 - $50.00 - or as much more as you please - the more the better - for no amount is too large nor too small as your annual contribution to the College.
We want you to subscribe to its maintenance exactly in the same manner and spirit in which you subscribe to the congregations support -
: vcl_Letters_Aaron_Lester_1920-1923_007_003
#3
in accordance with your ability. It is inconceivable that every member of the congregation is not in hearty sympathy with the purposes of the Union. Any who are not have no moral right to continue within the congregation. We hope that all who have not previously subscribed will do very promptly.
Let this be a tribute to Rodef Shalom, to the man who for sixty years has served the cause of Israel in Pittsburgh and in America.
This much the Judge will accept of us. Can we offer less as a mark of our appreciation and of the respect in which we hold him?
From out of the first $6,000.00 so contributed the Board of Trustees proposes that the Josiah Cohen Scholarship founded by his friends in Rodef Shalom be established in the Hebrew Union College.
If those of us not already subscribers do our part we will be honoring him who refuses at our hands any other honor. We will be recognizing a cause for which our late Rabbi, Dr. J. Leonard Levy, of blessed memory, did such yoeman service. We will be returning to the Alma Mater of our present Rabbi a bit of recognition for what the College has done for us. Above all, we will be strengthening an institution which is the back-bone of American Israel and again will we be an inspiration - as we have often been before - to the other Jewish congregations of the country.
A sitter once asked Whistler how it was possible to paint in the growing dusk as he often did. The reply was - "As the light fades and shadows deepen, all the petty and exacting details vanish; everything trivial disappears, and I see things as they are in great strong masses; the buttons are lost, but the garment remains; the
in accordance with your ability. It is inconceivable that every member of the congregation is not in hearty sympathy with the purposes of the Union. Any who are not have no moral right to continue within the congregation. We hope that all who have not previously subscribed will do very promptly.
Let this be a tribute to Rodef Shalom, to the man who for sixty years has served the cause of Israel in Pittsburgh and in America.
This much the Judge will accept of us. Can we offer less as a mark of our appreciation and of the respect in which we hold him?
From out of the first $6,000.00 so contributed the Board of Trustees proposes that the Josiah Cohen Scholarship founded by his friends in Rodef Shalom be established in the Hebrew Union College.
If those of us not already subscribers do our part we will be honoring him who refuses at our hands any other honor. We will be recognizing a cause for which our late Rabbi, Dr. J. Leonard Levy, of blessed memory, did such yoeman service. We will be returning to the Alma Mater of our present Rabbi a bit of recognition for what the College has done for us. Above all, we will be strengthening an institution which is the back-bone of American Israel and again will we be an inspiration - as we have often been before - to the other Jewish congregations of the country.
A sitter once asked Whistler how it was possible to paint in the growing dusk as he often did. The reply was - "As the light fades and shadows deepen, all the petty and exacting details vanish; everything trivial disappears, and I see things as they are in great strong masses; the buttons are lost, but the garment remains; the
: vcl_Letters_Aaron_Lester_1920-1923_007_004
#4
garment is lost but the sitter remains; the sitter is lost but the shadow remains; the shadow is lost but the picture remains, - and that, night cannot efface from the painter's imagination."
I like to think of Judge Cohen in this matter as having caught the spirit of the great painter. The thing that he has permitted us to do is the sort of thing that remains. He and we will disappear in the night but the thing proposed - which you will carry out - night cannot efface.
garment is lost but the sitter remains; the sitter is lost but the shadow remains; the shadow is lost but the picture remains, - and that, night cannot efface from the painter's imagination."
I like to think of Judge Cohen in this matter as having caught the spirit of the great painter. The thing that he has permitted us to do is the sort of thing that remains. He and we will disappear in the night but the thing proposed - which you will carry out - night cannot efface.
