Two Vietnam War Sermons

This chapter presents sermons by Roland B. Gittelsohn. He was notably one of the first American rabbis of a large urban congregation to condemn from the pulpit the Johnson administration's policy in Vietnam. Gittelsohn's characteristic preaching style is well reflected in the two sermons shown in this chapter. They are not notable for a florid literary style, purple passages, or rhetorical flourishes; nothing in the sermons would be considered evidence of great ‘oratory’. Except perhaps for the opening sentence of the first sermon, there are no melodramatic moments intended to inspire the listeners or move them to tears. The appeal of these sermons is not to the emotions but to the mind. They provide information to buttress the preacher's position: quotations not from Jewish sources but from contemporary experts. The sermons set out an argument point by point, with lucidity and cogency. The recapitulation of points already made helps the listener to recall what has been said and to follow the next step in the exposition.