As we celebrated the 4th of July last week, I was thinking of a story about my Grandmother, Anghel Tchividjian. She attended an all-girl American school in Turkey just before the Armenian Genocide. One day, Turkish army officers, on horseback, came to the gate of the school and demanded that it be opened. They were looking for Armenians girls to arrest and deport them. The woman director had no power to resist them but was very quick and smart. In the lobby of the school, stood a mast with the American flag. She ordered one of the staff members to bring it to her and she quickly laid it down in front of the gate. She then told the officers: "To come in, you will first have to step on the American flag, and I dare you to do so." The officers, probably trying to avoid a diplomatic incident, walked away. (This was before the U.S entered WWI.) Thus, the flag played a significant role in savings my grandmother's life and the lives of many young Armenian girls.

I am afraid this would not happen today.

Society as a whole has lost the sense of respect, not only for our country and institutions but also for each other.

In the Jewish tradition we are told to: Let the honor of your fellow man be as precious to you as your own. (Ethics of the Fathers: Avot: Chapter 2, Mishna 10)

In our Ethics Guideline we state:

" We want to respect the individual concerns of those who work for the firm and those for whom we work, and encourage a sense of loyalty and responsibility to each other."

Respect is a fundamental value in society. We should always consider the value of respect when we try to resolve an ethical issue.

As Kant said: "Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end."