Jewish History

[Sixties Fan]

Today in Jewish History​

• Passing of Rabbi Don Isaac Abravanel (1508)
Today is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabbi Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), one of the leaders of Spanish Jewry at the time of the 1492 expulsion. A minister in the king's court (after having served as treasurer to the king of Portugal), he chose to join his brethren in their exile. He began writing his extensive and highly regarded commentary on the Torah in 1503 in Venice (where it was published in 1579).

• Passing of Simeon the Righteous (Shimon HaTzadik) (313 BCE)
Simeon the Righteous was the spiritual and political leader of the Jewish nation during a turbulent time in history—when Alexander the Great conquered and dominated the entire civilized world. Known as “the righteous” due to his saintly character, Simeon was the last member of the Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesses Hagdolah), a 120-member panel of prophets and sages who guided the Jews at the onset of the Second Temple era.

Link: Shimon HaTzadik

 

[Sixties Fan]

The Bene Israel have always been the largest of the three Jewish communities in India. (The other two are Cochin and Baghdadi.) In 1838, for example, the total Bene Israel population of India was estimated at 8,000, far more than the combined numbers of Baghdadi and Cochin Jews. For generations they lived as a distinct endogamous group in rural villages, some of them in remote areas, throughout the Kolaba District of Maharashtra State. Traditionally, the Bene Israel worked in sesame-oil pressing; they also farmed their land, peddled produce, and worked as skilled carpenters.

Because the Bene Israel families were scattered among many villages, community life in Kolaba District was extremely limited, and group prayer and Jewish rituals took place in the home. The community’s religious observance was based on biblical Judaism: they celebrated Jewish holidays related to the Bible; the Sabbath was strictly observed; all male children were circumcised eight days after birth; and the first Hebrew verse of the Shema was recited on all occasions for prayer.

Initially, the Bene Israel had no Torah scrolls, prayer books, or synagogues, nor were they familiar with rabbinic Judaism or the details of halakhah. They were guided by three Bene Israel religious leaders called kazis, who traveled from village to village in order to officiate at all rites of passage.

Origins of the Community​

According to the community’s own oral tradition, they are descended from “seven couples from a country to the north,” the sole survivors of a shipwreck off the Konkan coast near Navagaon (about 48 km south of Bombay).

Ever since the early 19th century, Christian missionaries and Jews (non-Bene Israel as well as Bene Israel) have offered diverse suggestions to explain the community’s origins. For example, the centrality of the prophet Elijah in Bene Israel tradition produced the theory that their ancestors lived in the Holy Land in the time of Elijah (eighth century BCE) and that the “country to the north” was actually Israel.

Other theories have these ancestors tarrying in Persia or Yemen before ending up, shipwrecked, on the Konkan coast. Dating of their arrival in the Konkan ranges anywhere from the eighth century BCE to the sixth century CE.

The Bene Israel Community in Bombay​

In 1674, the British East India Company moved its headquarters to the islands of Bombay (Mumbai). By the mid-18th century, Bombay had developed into a metropolis with a bustling port city, attracting thousands of Indians from the countryside, including hundreds of Bene Israel.

Although most of the community remained in the villages, many Bene Israel were tempted by the opportunities in Bombay for employment and education. Others moved to the city in order to enlist in the “Native Forces” of the British East India Company‘s (and later the British Government’s) Military Services. The relative proportion of enlistment, of decorations for bravery, and of promotion to the highest ranks possible for Native Forces was extremely high among the Bene Israel, given the size of their total population.

In Bombay, Bene Israel worked mainly in construction, in the shipyards, and as carpenters. Here, they were introduced to new techniques and new kinds of tools. Because an oil-pressing monopoly already existed in the city, they did not pursue their traditional occupation.

In 1796, the first Bene Israel synagogue, Sha’ar haRahamim, was founded in Bombay.

Thanks to the Missionaries​

India’s Bene Israel are unique among Diaspora communities because it was a Christian missionary who created — albeit unintentionally — a firm basis for the Bene Israel community’s entry into mainstream Jewry.

The British did not allow missionaries into British territories in India until 1813, but soon thereafter European and American Christian missions were established with headquarters in Bombay. The Reverend John Wilson of the Church of Scotland (later of the Free Church of Scotland) arrived in India in 1829 and worked with the Indians of Bombay and Kolaba District until his death in 1875. He was a scholar, an erudite writer, and one of the founders of Bombay University (1857).

Wilson introduced Hebrew as a subject for matriculation and for higher education. He saw in the Bene Israel the biblical “remnant of Israel.” It was Wilson who wrote, in 1838, the first serious account of the Bene Israel and their customs. Already in 1832, he wrote and published in Bombay The Rudiments of Hebrew Grammar in Marathi, “intended for the benefit of the Native Israelites.”

Using Wilson’s book of Hebrew-Marathi grammar as a first step, some pupils became very proficient in Hebrew. In due course, they themselves became teachers of Hebrew, not only in Wilson’s schools but also at the college and university level. These Bene Israel scholars published Marathi translations of classic Hebrew texts, Jewish prayer books, rabbinical commentaries, and sermons. Each Hebrew text was accompanied by a parallel translation into Marathi, for the first time giving the Bene Israel access to a wide range of Jewish texts.

In addition, Bene Israel studied the English language and secular subjects in Wilson’s schools, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge. Most important, their literacy in Hebrew and in English enabled them to communicate and maintain contact with mainstream Jewry.

It is remarkable that during a century of concentrated efforts to convert Bene Israel to Christianity, the various missions met with almost no success at all. In 1854, after Rev. Wilson had been in India for 25 years, he wrote “… the labours of the Bombay Missions have not yet been blessed to the conversion of any of their number.”


(full article online)

India's Bene Israel Jews | My Jewish Learning

The oldest and largest of the three Jewish communities in India.

www.myjewishlearning.com

 

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Jewish Soccer Star David Beckham Loves Matzah Ball Soup | The Nosher

David Beckham is a man of many talents. Case and point: Not only is the 46-year-old Brit one of the ...

www.myjewishlearning.com

 

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The Surprising Jewish History of Mushroom Barley Soup | The Nosher

Ask anyone to name a classic Ashkenazi soup and, odds are, they will say chicken soup (with or without matzah ...

www.myjewishlearning.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today in Jewish History​

• "Purim Algiers" (1541)
In 1541, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of Spain, led a fleet in an attempted attack against Algiers. Miraculously, a storm capsized many of the attacking boats, resulting in the expedition’s failure and rescuing the city’s Jewish community from Spanish anti-Semitic rule. In commemoration of the miracle, the local community marked 4 MarCheshvan as a “minor Purim,” omitting the penitential Tachanunprayers and partaking of festive meals (Zeh Hashulchan pp. 96–97).

Link:
The Other Purims

 

[Sixties Fan]

The World Series? Invented by a Jewish guy: Sure, baseball has been America’s pastime for time immemorial. But it was only at the turn of the 20th century that its grand annual event, the World Series, came into being — all thanks to Barney Dreyfuss, the immigrant owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dreyfuss conceived the series as a way to show off his team’s talents (and make more profit from them), and the Pirates won two World Series under his ownership. Alas, the Dreyfuss magic hasn’t quite extended to today’s Pirates: They finished last in their National League division. Read the story ➤

The World Series? Invented by a Jewish guy

Barney Dreyfuss needed a new way to showcase his Pittsburgh Pirates.

forward.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today in Jewish History​

• Passing of R. Israel of Ruzhin (1850)
The 3rd of Cheshvan is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of the famed Chassidic master Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin (1797-1850), known as "The Holy Ruzhiner."

Rabbi Israel was a great-grandson of Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch; a close friendship existed between the Ruzhiner Rebbe and the 3rd Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch.

Link: Three Stories

• Passing of R. Ovadia Yosef (2013)
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a leader of Sephardic Jewry and chief rabbi of Israel, passed away on 3 Cheshvan, 5774 (2013), at the age of 93.

A widely published author on Jewish law, Rabbi Yosef was considered by scholars of all backgrounds to be a rabbinical authority with a rare grasp of nearly every area of Torah scholarship. He was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of a wide swath of halachic texts, ranging from the well-known to the most obscure. In his halachic rulings, he would often list dozens of previous rulings and then decide in accordance with what he perceived to be the majority opinion.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Though the Jews of Herat in western Afghanistan haven’t lived there in decades, the city’s historic synagogue, thought to have been built around the turn of the 20th century, is set to undergo a conservation project with the backing of the Taliban government, according to the Art Newspaper.

The 16-month project, set to start in November, is aimed at preventing the collapse of the Yu Aw synagogue’s structure. It is being planned by the Herat municipality and other local organizations, and it is being funded with nearly $500,000 from the Aliph Foundation, a Swiss group aimed at protecting cultural heritage sites in conflict areas. The community mikveh, known as the Hammam-e Mosaie, will also be repaired as part of the project.

The synagogue last underwent a two-year restoration project that was completed in 2009, with funding from another Swiss organization. For a few years, it served as an educational center for women and children, but it was shut down again in 2014 due to seepage from a “poorly constructed, UN-funded municipal drainage channel in the adjoining road,” the Art Newspaper reported. It is also not explicitly a Jewish heritage project.

(full article online)

Taliban approves conservation work on historic Afghan synagogue, mikveh

Yu Aw synagogue in Herat, formerly home to tens of thousands of Jewish residents, set for $500,000 renovation despite last Jew abandoning city after Taliban takeover

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

“Free Soviet Jews” was expressed on this pin as part of the international effort to free Jews caught behind the Iron Curtain. The movement started after Israel’s miraculous victory in 1967’s Six Day War, when a number of Russian Jews applied to move to Israel. Their applications were refused, and these “refuseniks” were persecuted for merely making the attempt. A cry for Russia to let our people go to Israel was expressed through press releases, signs, banners, protests and rallies—including an annual one on Simchat Torah. “The 35s” (a group of Canadian women around that age) specialized in gaining media attention for the cause until the Iron Curtain fell in 1991. At that time, said Wendy Eisen, a Canadian leader in the movement: “One million Jews began their 2000-year journey home… to burst brilliantly onto the landscape of Jewish history.”

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

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[Sixties Fan]

“Gift from Israel” is inscribed on the base of this etrog holder, whose green colour was typical of the metal crafts that became a tourist favourite in the 1950s and ‘60s. Maurice Ascalon, a Hungarian immigrant, developed the chemical process that created the green patina that gave these items an aged, archaeological look. Before regular steamship service from New York to Palestine started in 1867, the etrogs (citroen) used in North America for the Sukkot holiday came from Corsica, the Caribbean and the United States. Within a decade, the first etrogs from the Land of Israel arrived in New York. Since then, most etrogs sold in North America come from Israel—and they often end up in holders like this one.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

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[Sixties Fan]

Altneuland (“Old-New Land”) is a utopian novel by Theodor Herzl, first published in October 1902. The author shares his vision of the New Society to be built in the ancient land, and he anticipates a vigorous democracy, communal farming, free health care and education, equal rights for all, a seven-hour work day and scientific developments that benefit the world. Herzl’s title was translated (by Nahum Sokolov) as Tel Aviv—the city is named after the book. This 2015 edition includes Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic and English translations in a volume published by Noar HoOved VeHaLomed (“Working and Studying Youth”): it’s an Israeli movement with young Jewish, Arab and Druze members who are dedicated to the equality of human value, democracy, Zionism, peace and social justice.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

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The Hebrew Publishing Company of New York issued a set of 116 postcards in 1910, which included this Jewish New Year greeting that featured a polar bear in front of an American flag planted at the North Pole. The image celebrates how Robert Perry became the first person to reach it on April 6, 1909, having been accompanied on this expedition by his assistant Matthew Hanson, and four Inuit men. While there is no connection between a polar bear and Rosh Hashanah, it gives Treasure Trove the opportunity to wish everyone in the Great White North a year of warmth, adventure and peace.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

thecjn.ca

 

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Labour Zionism (Poale Zion) envisioned a progressive society constructed in Palestine by a Jewish working-class—one which could also serve as a new model for humanity. At its fifth North American convention, held in Montreal in 1910, delegates resolved to establish a secular Yiddish-based school system across North America. This postcard shows the newspaper and tobacco store of Henry (Hirsh) Hershman on the Main (St. Lawrence Blvd.), which was festively decorated to welcome delegates. Hershman also opened Montreal’s first Jewish library in his house—as the precursor to the Jewish Public Library—along with being a pioneer of the Jewish press, and a founder of the Peretz School and the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

thecjn.ca

 

[Sixties Fan]

The Eternal Road was an epic musical drama that ran in the Manhattan Opera House for 153 performances in 1937. At the time, it was the largest, most grandiose and costly production ever mounted in New York. Produced by Max Reinhardt, with music by Kurt Weill and script by Franz Werfel (all three were German-Jewish refugees) the production had three purposes: to respond to Germany’s state sponsored persecution of Jews, to relate the historical wandering and suffering of the Jewish people through bibilical stories, and to suggest that a Jewish homeland is the alternative to 2,000 years of the “eternal road” of helplessness. For the last performance Reinhardt proclaimed: “The light that we lit together… will shine undimmed in the history of the theater and of the Jewish people.”

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

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[Sixties Fan]

The Monteith Inn was a 150-room hotel on Muskoka’s Lake Rosseau, a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of Toronto. Harry and Jennie Shopsowitz—the founders of Shopsy’s Delicatessen, which started as an ice cream parlour in Toronto’s garment district—purchased the property for $25,000 in 1935. It was one of the local “Jewish resorts” (along with Muskoka Lodge in Huntsville, Gateway Hotel in Gravenhurst, and Smith’s Bay House, Arcadia Lodge and Taub’s Lodge in Port Carling) that thrived because Jews weren’t welcome elsewhere. When the Monteith opened, a one-week all-inclusive stay cost $14. This 1937 advertisement promotes kosher meals by a famous chef from Miami. The Shopsowitz family operated the hotel until 1949. (The next year, it was destroyed by a fire.)

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

thecjn.ca

 

[Sixties Fan]

Yitzhak Rabin and Moshe Dayan were Israel’s Chief of Staff and Minister of Defence at the time of a miraculous military victory. The Western Wall of the ancient Temple had been inaccessible to Jews since 1948, as the Old City of Jerusalem was under Jordanian administration. That changed on June 7, 1967, when Jerusalem was reunited. When the war ended after six days, Israel controlled three times as much territory as it had before. Rabin was given the honour of naming the conflict: War of the Daring, War of Salvation and War of the Sons of Light were all considered. He chose The Six-Day War as it evoked the wonder of the six days of creation.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

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Chaim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934), pictured here on Israel’s 10 lira banknote from 1970, was a poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew. Ukrainian born, he earned the status of “national poet” for his depiction of Jewish life in exile—and descriptions of the future in which we controlled our own destiny. “City of Slaughter” was written after the 1903 Kishinev pogrom, in which 47 Jews were murdered: it reflects Bialik’s bitterness about the absence of justice, and it’s also critical of those who didn’t act to defend themselves. Today, his surname is still famous thanks to a distant relative, The Big Bang Theory star and Jeopardy co-host Mayim Bialik, a modern Orthodox Jew and very public supporter of Israel.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

thecjn.ca

 

[Sixties Fan]

The Montreal Expos hosted the St. Louis Cardinals at Jarry Park on April 14, 1969, for what was the first Major League Baseball game played in Canada. The team’s majority owner was Charles Bronfman, a member of the family that controlled distilling giant Seagram. Bronfman initially agreed to be one of 10 equal partners funding the US$10 million expansion fee—but as other investors withdrew, he increased his investment ensuring that Montreal (and not Buffalo) got the team. He sold the Expos in 1991—and they left Montreal to become the Washington Nationals in 2005. Among his many philanthropic initiatives, Bronfman co-founded Birthright in 1999, which has since taken over 750,000 young Jews to Israel for free.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

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[Sixties Fan]

Schapiro’s Kosher Wines billed its product as the kind “you can almost cut with a knife” in marketing its appeal. The company was founded in 1899 by Sam Schaprio in the basement of his Manhattan restaurant: as sales increased, he focused exclusively on making and selling wine. Business was good during the U.S. Prohibition era due to an exemption allowing a family to buy up to 10 gallons of sacramental wine per year. The era of drink-slicing ended when Schapiro’s closed in 2007. We have better Passover seder options today—as wines from Israel compete favourably with the world’s best. L’chaim and Chag Sameach.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

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[Sixties Fan]

Moe Berg (1902-1972) played for five American League teams, and was with the Boston Red Sox when he ended his 15-year baseball career in 1939. He also spoke 10 languages—including Hebrew and Yiddish—read 10 newspapers a day, and graduated from Princeton and Columbia Law School. During the Second World War, he was a spy for the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the CIA. In 1944, Berg was tasked to kill German physicist Werner Heisenberg in Switzerland if he concluded that the Germans were close to developing a nuclear bomb—but he concluded they weren’t. Paul Rudd played Berg in the 2018 biopic The Catcher Was a Spy. This baseball card is from the Jewish Major Leaguers set issued in 2003 by the American Jewish Historical Society.

Treasure Trove: A weekly piece of our history from the collection of David Matlow—second year archive (2022-23)

The latest items via @TheCJN on Instagram.

thecjn.ca