George Washington Letter reading emphasizes civil civic dialogue

NEWPORT – “Be the leader who models tough, difficult conversations. Create environments that facilitate dialogue across difference, especially for our young people.” This exhortation was delivered one week ago by keynote speaker Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College, to the assembled guests who had gathered to hear the seventy-seventh annual reading of George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew congregation of Newport. It was an inspiring moment.

Every year at Touro Synagogue in Newport, on the third Sunday in August, governmental leaders, invited dignitaries and ordinary citizens gather to hear, think about and discuss the remarkable exchange of letters between the first president of the United States of America and the warden of the Hebrew congregation in Newport, RI in 1790. This year the gathering included Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, RI Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, RI Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, Newport Mayor Xaykham (Xay) Khamsyvoravong, John Loeb, former US Ambassador to Denmark and delegate to the UN, and others. Several of these guests also spoke about the kinds of discourse and respect for others that our society needs at this moment in our country’s history.

In her address, President Beilock cited Dartmouth College as a place where civil civic dialogue is made possible by its faculty and students. She stated, “Dartmouth’s faculty and staff created a new model built for this moment, called Dartmouth Dialogues.” She explained that the dialogues are, “Rooted in the same simple idea that Washington wrote about: Every young person must be able to engage with people who have different opinions and perspectives, and still advance justice."

She continued saying, that “what we’ve learned over the past year is that this work relies on three simple pillars: leaders, the right environment, and practice. “The ability to have a conversation when someone disagrees with you, to put yourself in another’s shoes … these are not magic, innate talents that only some are born with. They are teachable, learnable skills.”

The importance of civil civic dialogue in a democracy was echoed by other speakers. Mayor Khamsyvoravong noted that Newport is where such conversations take place even today, just as they did 234 years ago in an exchange of letters. Co-president of Congregation Jeshuat Israel Louise Ellen Teitz said that the congregation had worshipped in this synagogue for 140 years, and while it is a National Historic shrine it is also an active congregation of citizens who participate fully in the civic life of our state. US Senator Jack Reed brought greetings from the federal government and noted that the dialogue about religious freedom and safety for citizens of all religious practices echoes statements in the Bill of Rights.

This year, as every year, the highlight of the event was the reading aloud of the two letters from 1790. Secretary Amore read Touro Synagogue’s Warden Moses Xeixas’s letter to President George Washington seeking assurances that the rights of freedom of religion and enfranchisement would apply to American Jews in the new republic.

The response of President Washington’s historically important letter was read by Sharon Handler Loeb, wife of Ambassador John Loeb. In this letter of Aug. 21, 1790, Washington assures the Newport congregation that “. . . the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” With these words, Washington gave his official endorsement of freedom of religion. It was another inspiring moment in a wonderful and important annual event.

The day’s activities were ended by Rabbi Stephen Belsky who reflected on the days of sadness in the observance of the Ninth of the Jewish month of Av and the looking forward to weeks of consolation leading up to observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

SAM SHAMOON, of Providence, is a member of the Touro Synagogue Foundation Board of Directors.