“There is an expression in the United States: ‘Put your money where your mouth is.’
Instead I would say people have to put their lives, their souls, where their money is.
This is much more difficult.
There are still enough Jews here.
Many of them, even though very estranged from anything Jewish, are nonetheless good people.
We have here, all in all, a fair number of individuals who are first-rate.
These people can become the foundation for a different, better future.
But we cannot expect this building to construct itself.
There can be hope in our future, a promise, something to reach for.
If we want to have such a tomorrow — a real tomorrow, and not just a bleak putting off of death for another half generation — it will require a great deal of effort.
But although this work is unprecedented, it can be done.”
From “What Will Become of the Jewish People?” p. 188, in We Jews: Who Are We and What Should We Do? By Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz