Dec. 2, 1973 - Speech, B'nai Torah Institute Dinner, Queens, NY” of the Gerald R
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The original documents are located in Box 127, folder “Dec. 2, 1973 - Speech, B'nai Torah Institute Dinner, Queens, NY” of the Gerald R. Ford Vice Presidential Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. B~NAI TORAH INSTITUTE DINNER~ TERRACE ON THE PARK 111TH STREET AT 52N AVENUE' CUE ~s, N. Y.' SUNDAY' DECE.A ER 2_, 1973, 5:45 P.M. I A. DELIGHTED TO BE HERE. HEN Y GOOD FRIEND, RABBI PINTER, ASKED ME f'J ......,.,..~ SEVERAL WEEKS AGO TO COME HERE TONIGHT, I SAID TO HIM' "-. ft' ~ NOTHING COULD GIVE . E GREAT R PLEASURE . I ' ANT ALL OF YOU TO KNO THAT I HAVE GREAT RESPECT AND AD~IRATIO FOR THIS YOUNG AN . RARELY AVE I 1 ET A AN ITH SUCH ENERGY' SUCH DEVOTION, Digitized from Box 127 of the Gerald R. Ford Vice Presidential Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library . -2- SUCH DEDICATION TO THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE. SINCE HE I VITEO ME HERE1 SO E RATHER UNEXPECTED EVENTS HAVE OCCURRED IN ASHINGTON1 AND I HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A LITTLE PREOCCUPIED. IT AS ITH SO. E DIFFICULTY THAT I AS ABLE TO .AKE IT HERE TONIGHT. BUT I AS DETERMINED TO KEEP Y ORD ' ESPECIALLY J EN I BECA E AC UAINTED ITH THE NATURE OF THE INSTITUTION ON HOSE EHALF YOU ARE ALL GATHERED HERE TONIGHT • . -3- AS I UNDERSTAND IT1 THE BJNAI TORAH INSTITUTE IS A SCHOOL OF HIGHER JE ISH LEARNING FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS, FOR EXCEPTIO ALLY GIFTED STUDENTS . ITS ACCELERATED CU RICULU AND ITS STRESS ON YOUR SACRED STUDI S ARE SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO EET THE NEEDS OF BOYS A D YOUNG EN ITH HIG SCHOLASTIC ASILITIES . YOU HAVE DECIDED, AND RIGHTLY so, I BELIEVE, THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TEACH ALL STUDENTS IN THE SAME ANNER . THOSE HO CAN LEAR MORE ' THOSE 0 CAN ABSORB FASTI RJ -4- THOSE ' HO CAN .DELVE DEEPEj ' SHOULD BE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY OF RECEIVING SPECIAL INSTRUCTION , ITH SPECIAL PROGRAMS , IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS . ALTHOUGH I DON' T LIKE TO GENERAL IZE ABOUT VAR IOUS ETHNIC GROUPS, iT IS COMMONLY OBSERVED THAT THE JE ISH PEOPLE ARE _,- HE PEOPLE OF THE OOK .~ IT IS THEREFORE UITE APPROPRIATE THAT you , HO ARE SO CONCER ED ABOUT INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVE .ENT , SHOULD HAVE SUCH SCHOOLS FOR SCHOLARS . -5- TH IS RE I 1DS E OF AN ANECDOTE I HEARD SOME TIME AGO ••• ABOUT T 0 COLLEGE BOYS "HO WERE TAKING THE SAtiE COURSE. AFTER A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT EXAM, ONE OF THE SAID TO THE OTHER= "1 JUST DON.Ir UNDERSTAND IT. I KNE IT AS GOING TO BE A TOUGH EXAM' SO THE NIGHT BEFORE LAST I LIT A CANDLE TO MY PATRON SAINT. BUT I STILL THINK I FAILED THE TEST. HO DID YOU MAKE OUT~ . -6- ~H , PRETTY ~ELL ' I THI K. YOU SEE, I ALSO LIT A CANDLE THE NIGHT BEFORE LAST ••• AND STAYED UP ALL NIGHT TO STUDY BY IT. ~ IF THIS IS THE KIND OF STUDENTS YOU HAVE AT B ~ NAI TORAH INSTITUTEJ THEN BY ALL EANS BUILD SPECIAL SCHOOLS FOR THEM ANO LET THEM GET THE OST OUT OF IT . FOR ONLY IF EACH MAN ACHIEVES T E HIGHEST POSSI LE GOALS ILL THIS NATION CO TINUE TO BE STRO G AND HEALTHY AND CO TRIBUTE TO THE 'ELFARE OF MANKIND . -7- TH IS BRINGS E TO A DISCUSSION OF A PRO LE THAT CONFRONTS A~ERICAN SOCIETY TODAY ! THE MEANING OF,-, EQUAL ITY . HEN THE FRA ERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE PROCLAI ED THAT "ALL EN ARE CREATED E UAL ,» NHAT DID THEY MEAN ? IT IS OBV IOUS THEY DID NOT MEAN TO E UATE YOUR UNCLE , {!HE CHESS BUG ITH BOBBY FISHER . HAT DOES TH IS LOOSELY~USED WORD ' E UALI TY' REALLY EAN f ...- -8- FORG IVE IF I DIGRESS A BIT, BUT HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER HO HAD TROUBLE ITH JOHNNIE? SHE WAS TEACHING THE CLASS ABOUT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION , ANO SHE COULD NEVER GET JOHNNIE TO REMEMBER ALL THREE PARTS OF THE FAMOUS SLOGAN ; <( 1BERTY , E UALITY ' FRATERNITY .~ HENEVER SHE WOULD UIZ HIM HE COULD ONLY CD E UP ITH T 0 OF THE • SO ONE DAY SHE TOOK THREE BUTTONS OUT OF HER HANDBAG ANO SAID TO JOHNNIE , . - 9- ~o RE EM ER , ONE BUTTON IS FOR LIBERTY, • !&! ONE IS FOR EQUALITY ' DONE IS FOR FRATERNITY.-» NEXT DAY IN CLAss, SHE CALLED ON JOHNNIE A 0 ASKED HIM TO REPEAT THE SLOGAN OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION . HEREUPON HE PULLED OUT T~O BUTTONS AND SAID PROUDLY, "LIBERTY ANO FRATERNITY •., ~HAT HAPPENED TOE UALITY~~ SHE ASKED, UITE UPSET . "oH ,» HE SAID' ''E: UALITY IS HOME HOLDING UP PA JS OLD PANTS .~ -10- THOMAS JEFFERSON ANO HIS FRIENDS EXPLAINED HAT THEY MEANT BYE UALITY. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THEY SAID, ARE ENDO ED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS; ANO AMONG THESE ARE LIFE' LI ERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS . TRA SLATING THESE BEAUTIFUL CONCEPTS INTO SI PLE BUT UITE PRACTICAL TERMS' OUR A ERICAN TRADITION -- AND THE COURTS -- HAVE TAKEN THEM TO MEAN : E UALITY BEFORE THE LA ' AND E UALITY OF OPPORTUNITY • . -11 - E UALITY BEFORE THE LA' HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT , IN YOUR av TORAH . I DON JT MEAN TO REPRESENT MYSELF AS A PREACHER OR A BIBLICAL SCHOLAR , BUT MY RESEARCH PEOPLE HAVE DONE THEIR HO, E~ORK . IN TH~ BOOK OF LEVITICUSJ CHAPTER 19, VERSE 15' E READ . "THOU SHALT 00 NO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN JUDGMENT; THOU SHALT NOT GRANT SPECIAL CONSIDERATION TO THE POOR, NOR SHO~ PREFERENTIAL FAVOR TO THE MIGHTY; UT IN RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALT THOU JUDGE THY NEIGHBOR .~ IN JUDGMENT, ALL ARE E UAL -- . -12- THE RICH AND THE POOR' THE MIGHTY AND THE WEAK, EVEN TH JUDGES ANO THE JUOGEO f THIS AS A REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO . AND T 0 THOUSAND AND EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS LATER, WHEN AMERICA DECLARED HER INDEPENDENCE, IT ~AS -- IN PRACTICE ' AT LEAST -- STILL A REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT . AND THANK ~oo , THAT IN THE T '0 HUNDRED YEARS OF OUR COUNTRY ~ S EXISTENCE , ~E HAVE STRIVEN MIGHTILY TO MAKE THIS CONCEPT A REALITY • . - 13- ~ UALITY BEFORE THE LAN EANS THAT THE ACCUSED IS PRESU 0 INNOCE T UNTIL HE BE PROVEN GUILTY -- ~HETHER HE BE PAUPER OR PRES IDENT . AND , YES , E UAL ITY BEFORE THE LA ALSO EANS THAT HEN JUDGES OR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BREAK T E LA S OF THE LA o, THEY TOO MUST E PROSECUTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THOSE LA' S. -14- E UALITY BEFORE THE LA EANS THAT HOEVER BURNS DOWN ,y HOUSE' OR INJURES MY FAMILY , OR DEFRAUDS ME OF Y MONEY , OR ILLEGALLY DISRUPTS ~y BUSINESS, SHALL SUFFER THE CONS QUENCES -- ~HETHER HE BE HITE MAN OR BLACK MAN , CORPORATION PRESIDENT OR UNION CHIEF r E UALITY BEFORE THE LA IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ,[ANS THAT HEN THE UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNS AGGRESSION, IT SHOULD CONDE N ARAB AGGRESSION AS WELL AS ISRAELI AGGRESSION • . -15- E UALITY BEFORE THE LA MEA~S THAT ~HEN ALL TH NATIONS OF THE ORLD , GATHERED I THE UNITED NATIONS, DECIDE THAT THE STATE OF ISRAEL AS A RIGHT TO LIVE 2 0 ONE -- HETHER IT 8 ARA ATIONS, OR RUSSIA ' OR ANY OTHER ATIO -- ~ E TAKE A AY THAT RIGHT ! THERE IS NO NEE TO CITE FURTHER EXA~ ~ PLES . IN RECE T YEARSJ TH IS CO CEPT HAS CO E TO BE KNO N AS ffl. A A 0 ORDER~ -- -16- AND IN SO E CIRCLES , TH SE ARE DIRTY 1 0RDS . SOi POLITICAL FIGURES HAVE BEEN ACCUSED -- ACCUSED , MINO YOU -- OF SU SCRIBING TO LA~ AND ORDER ! ~ELL I FOR ONE BELIEVE THAT LA~ AND ORDER A 0 E UAL ITY EFORE THE LA · z ARE THE VERJ FOU DATION OF ANY DECE T A D CIVILIZED SOCIETY , ANO I A OT ASH : ED TO SAY THAT I SHALL DEVOTE ALL MY ENERG IES TO THE PRESERVATION OF THIS SACRED PRI CIPLE ! .. -17- Now, TO THE SECOND ASPECT OF EQUALITY -- THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINEss, WHICH WE INTERPRET AS E UALITY OF OPPORTUNITY. THROUGHOUT THE AGES CERTAIN CLASSES OR GROUPS OF P~OPLE ERE DENIED -- FOR REASONS OF RELIGION OR COLOR OR WHATEVER -- THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AS THEY PLEASED, TO WORK OR ENGAGE IN BUSINESS AS THEY PLEASED, TO LIVE ~HERE THEY PLEASED. SUCH RESTRICTIONS FINALLY ~ERE OUTLANED IN THIS COUNTRY' ANO AMERICA HAS VASTLY BENEFITED. SO MANY TALENTED PEOPLE HAVE . -18- co TO THESE SHORES, SO NY OF OUR CITIZENS HAVE EE A LE TO DEVELOP T E FULL POTENTIAL OF THEIR A ILITIES THAT IT IS NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT AMERICA HAS PROFITED ORE THA IT INVESTED, A D T AT OUR AT OSPHERE OF FREEDO IS THE VERY REASON THAT 1 E HAVE BECO T E GREAT A 0 PO ERFUL NATION E ARE. I RECENT YEARS, HO EVER, VOICES HAVE EN HEARD IN THIS LANDT AT , Y MIS INTERPRETING E UALITY OF OPPO TUNITY, OULO SUBVERT THE VERY BENEFITS IT HAS BROUG T US .