Letter from Sol Dann about the Use of "Dayenu" in R. Lamm's Speech at the Exodus March (1970)

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Letter to Rabbinic Colleagues Soliciting Support for Exodus March (1970)

Dear Colleague: In the recent issue of Shedemot, published by the Kibbutz movement, there appears a paraphrase of the Yom Kippur confessional, dedicated to the Six Million. One of the verses reads: על חטא שחטאנו לפניך ולפניהם בחבוק ידים – for the sin of folded arms. This is something which, as Rabbis, we cannot let our people forget. As much as we American Jews did, we didn’t do nearly enough. While the Holocaust raged, too many of us sat by be’chibbuk yadayim, with folded arms. The reason for my writing to you now is to solicit your help in avoiding a repetition of this immoral inaction with regard to Soviet Jewry. Now that so many of them risk life and limb talking out, we must do no less.On behalf of the New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, I therefore respectfully ask your cooperation on the following two matters:(1) Alert your congregation (including your high school and college groups) to the EXODUS MARCH planned for April 26th at noon. Details on this demonstration will be forthcoming shortly. We want Greater New York Jewry to come out in the tens of thousands. We hope you will personally be pre-sent at the head of a group from your synagogue.(2) We urgently need funds to finance this EXODUS MARCH to ensure maximum publicity and thus the greatest possible effect. I therefore ask of you to obtain for this demonstration the sum of $100 either from your Pulpit Fund or congregation or interested individuals.I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important both these requests are.I plead with you to "lend a hand" -- not chibbuk yadgylm.Very cordially yours.RABBI NORMAN LAMMP.S. Your check should be made out to

Soviet Jewry

Letter from Joseph Kaplan about R. Lamm's Speech at Exodus March (1970)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Now that the Exodus March is successfully over I should like to congratulate you for having imagined and seen to fruition a significant event in the history of America. The theme of the day was perfect. If you had repeated this sermon of this past שבת it would have made an excellent keynote speech. The speech you actually delivered was the high part of the program at the U.N. We had a chance to appreciate some of your

Soviet Jewry

Letter from R. Silver about the Use of "Dayenu" in R. Lamm's Speech at the Exodus March (1970)

Norm, I'm one of your admirers and I'm sitting here chafing that I must miss the talk you're to give tomorrow morning at Roosevelt School here in Stamford. I'm sitting in my office Tuesday night and I've just read your stirring talk, Dayenu. It is a fine litany and splendid preachment. My compliments. Knowing your sense of nuance in things Jewish, don't you think that you've taken that precious word, dayenu, and although adhering to its syntactical meaning reversed the connotations it has in the Haggadah?I tell my people that the syllable da in the Haggadah is an expression of thanks, that we say in the litany, "O God, if only you had given us a smidgen of the many favors we enjoy," we should say da, that would have been enough.So this syllable of gratitude is turned around by you and made into an expression of exasperation. Get it?Chag sameach.

Soviet Jewry