Letter to the Editor

An Article Originally Printed in the New York City Based
Ladino Newspaper El Progresso October 30, 1915

To the Editor of El Progresso:

I hasten to congratulate you on your bold enterprise. Publishing and editing a newspaper in Judeo-Spanish is not an easy task.

Your have a great duty to perform; your responsibilities are infinite. The rewards from such an arduous undertaking are far from being entirely pecuniary, while the work is done for unselfish purposes.

In order to accomplish your unselfish purposes, you must perform the sacred duty, which you owe to yourself, your compatriots, and to our adopted country.

The fundamental policy of your soreneeded periodical should be a two fold:

1. Directly or indirectly your newspaper ought to inculcate in the minds of our fellow-countrymen, a true love for the English language and a deep reverence and appreciation for the wonderful, democratic American institutions.

2. Your paper should be gradually transformed into a Forum of Public Opinion, a radiator of secular moral and spiritual knowledge.

This is your program. Let your work speak for itself. And it would not be long in gaining the necessary co-operation for its complete success.

In the last number of El Progresso a contest was announced, the winner receiving a five-dollar reward. It is a recommandatory piece of work. The reason stated for this is a statistical one. Some thing of this has been accomplished in this city.

In 1913, Maurice Hexter, then a helper to the Superintendent of the United Jewish Charities, now a superintendent himself in Milwaukee, Wis, and I made a thorough, minute survey of the Spanish-Turkish-Jewish community of this city. Startling data was collected. Mr. Hexter immediately wrote an article revealing all these astonishing facts, and calling the attention of our coreligionists. With few isolated exceptions the survey made two years ago stands as a true portraiture of the existing conditions in our city. Nevertheless, some progress has been attained in this respect.

Wishing you all the imaginable success; etc.

MEYER BENADRETE

University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Oct. 30, 1915

Excerpts from the Old Ladino Press was developed by S. Alfassa & R. Murrell. Note: The grammar, spelling and syntax of the article is reproduced here as it was in the original article.