Remarks on Acceptance of a Palestinian "Lamp of Freedom" From the United Jewish Appeal.
I AM DELIGHTED, on behalf of the Allied Forces who, advancing from the west, did so much to crush Nazi tyranny, to accept this beautiful and ancient relic of Jewish civilization.
I am certain that those Forces--the American forces and their Allies--were representing only what we would call the heart of freedom, the belief that all people are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--that where these are denied one man, they are threatened for all.
And so I am sure those Forces felt that in uncovering these camps, relieving the disasters and correcting the terrible conditions under which those people were living, they were not doing it fundamentally and merely because they were Jews, or anybody else. They were unfortunate human beings, and I think the heart of America and the heart of Britain and of France and the other Western Allies responded to that kind of inspiration and were delighted to do it.
It was a tremendous privilege and a great change from the killing of war to turn your armies to saving human lives and human dignity.
I sincerely trust that all those people are now living in health and happiness, or at least under conditions that are those of self-respect and decency.
Thank you very much for this treasure, which is unique and I have nothing like it, I assure you.
Note: The President spoke at a ceremony in the Rose Garden following the presentation of the lamp by William Rosenwald, General Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal.
Mr. Rosenwald's remarks follow:
As Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces, Europe, in World War II, you led the Allied Forces to victory, threw down the gates of the concentration camps and helped to save from extermination the remnant of the once-great Jewish populations of Europe.
By your sympathetic understanding of the problems involved, and by your effective action, you set a pattern of humane and helpful treatment. Your example prevailed in the American zones of occupation and served to revive and restore the newly liberated Jews of Central Europe and those who sought haven there.
As an instance of your friendly concern, on September 17, 1945, you paid a special visit to Camp Feldafing on the Day of Atonement, the first to be observed by liberated Displaced Persons. You raised the morale of the DP's when you said to them, "You are here only temporarily and you must be patient until the day comes--and it will come--when you will leave here for the places you wish to go."
By your memorable prophecy you sounded the keynote for the lifesaving program of the United Jewish Appeal in the decade that followed.
It is an honor therefore, to present to you, as a mark of our esteem and of our profound appreciation, this ancient lamp from the Land of the Bible bearing the following inscription:
TO DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
President of the United States of
America
who has kept the Lamp of Freedom
burning
Presented in deepest gratitude by the
UNITED JEWISH APPEAL
for his distinguished humanitarian service
to victims of Nazi tyranny
This antique lamp from the Land of the Bible, dating from approximately 50 C.E., symbolizes twenty centuries of Jewish history in which each generation renewed its devotion to freedom's ideals.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Remarks on Acceptance of a Palestinian "Lamp of Freedom" From the United Jewish Appeal. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/232895
