A case for more men and women like Hyam Solomon

President Obama has stated at various times that America is not a Christian nation, America is no longer a Christian nation, and that America is not a Judeo-Christian nation. Despite his assertions, there is little, if any, credible evidence to support his position. 

Even though they were emphatic in their refusal to see an oppressive state church or religion, such as was the case with the Church of England, the framers of the United States Constitution were nonetheless followers of various Judeo-Christian denominations. The Constitution embodies the supreme laws of the United States. There is no evidence the framers of the Constitution were influenced by atheistic principals. This assertion is supported by the fact that it was voted into existence by unanimous consent “in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven.” The framers were clearly in agreement that there was a power higher than them and wished to acknowledge the existence of that power in the nation’s founding document. From the very beginning of America's struggle for independence, she was totally unprepared for war. Arguably, the framers believed their ability to even arrive at the point of forming a “more perfect nation” after eight years of revolutionary war with England was clearly the result of Divine intervention.

At the time America declared its independence from England, she had neither an army nor a navy to wage her battle for freedom and she was financially bankrupt. America had no way to finance the war, and notwithstanding the heroic efforts of people like Paul Revere, George Washington, and so many others, America’s cause seemed doomed from the start. So who would ever think that the final outcome of the Revolutionary War, and indeed, the birth of our nation might have depended on the individual efforts of one unknown, but very patriotic and heroic Jewish immigrant?  Hyam Solomon was just such a man.  Born in Poland in 1745, Hyam Solomon was an observant Jew who had settled in New York, where he eventually amassed a fortune working as a reputable banker and a merchant to British loyalists

But when war finally broke out, Hyam Solomon was captured and tortured by the British, and then sentenced to hang as a spy because of his work in support of the American Revolution. He was fortunately able to escape to Philadelphia with the assistance of some friends. But by now, he was broke, but even so, quickly managed to reacquire tremendous wealth. So when the Continental Congress had voted to organize an army and navy even though it lacked adequate funds to even pay its soldiers and sailors willing to serve Hyam Solomon offered his own restored wealth and his natural fundraising abilities to raise money in support of the American cause.

Not only did he allocate most of his personal fortune to the newly formed government, he was also instrumental in negotiating financing from France and Holland and even provided personal loans to allies of the United States when their own resources were depleted or cut off due to their anti-British sentiments. He was so adept at fundraising that at one point during the war, his close friend George Washington is said to have made a personal plea for financial aid to feed and clothe his army.  Washington's request competing with Yom Kippur notwithstanding, Hyam Solomon convinced the members of his own congregation to suspend services long enough for him to successfully secure their pledges for urgently needed funds.

The heroic exploits, financial benevolence, and self-sacrifice of Hyam Solomon in support of America's struggle for independence will likely never be taught in public schools. He will never be remembered in American history. At least not in the same context as Paul Revere or George Washington.  And saddest of all, he died relatively young and penniless shortly after the war.

Although there is no evidence to indicate Hyam Solomon was a Christian, he was clearly an observant Jew who possessed an inexplicable willingness to unite with Christians and to sacrifice himself for the benefit of a struggling people.

This quote appears on President Obama’s website from remarks he made on June 28, 2006:

Given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

The above quote may be true. However, the current tide of murderous persecution against Jews and Christians by militant Islamist extremists here and around the world, which may be slowly opening the door to an acceptance of Sharia Law, in no way diminishes or disproves that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principals. It does, however, indicate America is in desperate need of more Hyam Solomons, willing to sacrifice their position and wealth to preserve this more perfect nation before what’s left of that perfection forever disappears.