In the Beginning: 1854
Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years.
Foreign Intelligence
Magdeburg. — Dr. Philipsohn, editor of the Universal Gazette of Judaism, has received, as a present from Jerusalem, a beautifully ornamented cup of marble taken from the ruins of the Temple, and a box full of mould and dried thistles taken from Mount Zion. The Dr. Concludes the account of the presence in these words: “I count this present among my most precious possessions, and the last portion shall, God willing, one day serve as a pillow for my weary head.”
— September 8, 1854
150 Years ago
Items
– Sing Sing Official — “If you have any trade, prisoner, state it, and we will put you to work at it.” Prisoner (just entered) — “Well, boss, I was brung up a bar-tender and I’d like to go to work at that.”
– The world may not know the extent and magnificence of the Vatican Palace, in which the self-imposed seclusion of the venerable Pontiff is made. The museum and library contain the choicest and rarest examples of art treasures. There are 20 spacious halls for receptions, 15 magnificent salons, 2 chapel, 281 grand corridors, 8 grand staircases, 228 other staircases, 11,500 apartments.
Editor’s note: The Vatican Museum, which consists of 24 galleries in total, has about 20,000 objects on display. The Vatican itself owns about 70,000 art objects. These include many antiquities from Israel and the ancient Middle East, such as fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Vatican Museum is the fifth largest museum in the world.
– Prince Napoleon’s term of office as a member of the General Council of Corsica will expire this year, and, it is said, he has not the slightest chance of re-election. He will not receive the support of the Republicans, while the Bonapartists, who originally elected him to the presidency, are so incense with him that they absented themselves from the April session, and a quorum could not, consequently, be obtained. They intend to nominate in opposition t him Prince Charles of Canino, whose father, as a member of the Roman Constituent Assembly in 1849, voted for the deposition of the Pope.
– Those who pray the loudest are as a rule the last who respond to the appeals of charity.
— September 11, 1874
125 Years ago
Jottings
– Alexander Dumas once said of French justice: “If I were accused of stealing the towers of Notre Dame I should not attempt to defend myself. I should bolt.”
– Simon Kiwasky, a peddler well known in West Virginia, was murdered and robbed near Sisterville. Two men named Booker and Swiger were arrested on suspicion of having done the deed.
– The attention of our readers is called to the advertisement, in another column, of the only complete translation of Balzac, just completed by the publishing house of George Barrie & Son, of Philadelphia. With its illustrations, it is a work of art as well as a literary production of the highest merit.
– Mr. Isaac Bing of Wilmington, O., has sent us $5 for the Cleveland Orphan Asylum.
– At Chicago, Mrs. Lewis Jacob Adelsohn, formerly Miss Anna Cappell of Roman Catholic parentage, was accepted as a convert to Judaism, Rabbi M.P. Jacobson officiating.
— September 14, 1899
100 Years ago
Jottings
– Emanu-El, of San Francisco, says that the question of what has become of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, about which so much has been said and written, and which, by the way, never were lost, may possibly be settled definitely by the discovery that they located in Mars, and it is they who are sending the supposed messages which some radiators came to have received, but have been unable to interpret. This is as good a theory as any.
– The dedication at Cleveland, Ohio, of the new Temple and the Religious School Building of Congregation Tifareth Israel (Rabbi Abba H. Silver) will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 19, 20, and 21.
– Russia is again threatened with a devastating famine, in which a large section of her territory is involved. The Russian Government cannot be held responsible for the famine when it is the result of natural cases, but it is responsible for its failure to cope with the situation without resorting to outside help. A government so critical of others should be able to put its own house in order.
– The Central Relief Committee issued a call to all the Jewish communities in whatever part of the country they may be, to be represented at a conference held in New York on September 9th and 10th. The purpose of the conference was to arrange for procuring the necessary means to secure the future of the Jewish schools road, many of which are having a hard struggle for existence.
– Within the next four or five years, Californians will celebrate the completion of a remarkable bridge spanning the Golden Gate, said to be one of the greatest bridge-building feats ever attempted. It will owe its existence to the engineering genius of Joseph B. Strauss, C.E., of Chicago, who has constructed similar viaducts the world over. The estimated cost of this wonderful bridge is $17,250,000.
Editor’s note: Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge would not begin until 1933. Two years before this press item, the press and public had called Strauss’ bridge design ugly when it was published. A year after this news item, the concept of a suspension bridge was proposed. It was chosen as the final design for the bridge in 1929. The American Israelite reporters suggested the estimated cost of the bridge would be a little over 17 million dollars. In reality, the total construction cost was about 35 million dollars in 1933. When adjusted to today’s inflation rates, the bridge construction cost a little less than 850 million dollars.
— September 11, 1924
75 Years ago
Jewish Hospital to Open X Ray
Thirty years of X-ray development at The Jewish Hospital will be climaxed Sunday at 12 noon when Mayer Albert D. Cash cuts the ribbons officially opening the Hospital’s magnificent new X-ray Pavilion
Constructed at a cost of approximately $300,000, the new pavilion features eleven X-ray unites, lead-lined treatment rooms, four rooms of office space, study and conference rooms’. Complete photographic unit, and a museum. The entire pavilion is air-conditioned and scientifically tinted.
Editor’s Note: 300,000 dollars in 1949 is equivalent to about 3.9 million dollars in 2024.
Dr. Jacob R. Marcus on Message of Israel
Dr. Jacob R. Marcus, the Adolph S. Ochs Professor of History at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, will speak on the Message of Israel radio program over ABC (WSAI) Sunday, Sept. 18, at 9 a.m. Cincinnati time.
Prof. Marcus will speak on the work of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
— September 15, 1949
50 years ago
Bar Mitzvah
– Please be with us on the happy occasion of our son David’s Bar Mitzvah at the Isaac M. Wise Temple, Eighth and Plum Streets, Cincinnati, Saturday morning, Sept. 28, at 10:45 a.m.
Join us for Kiddish immediately following services.
Marsha and Mike Caplan
– Mr. and Mrs. Charles Karp, 6266 Hammel Avenue, are pleased to announce the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, Ivan Bruce Karp, Saturday, Sept. 14th, at 9 a.m., at Ohav Shalom Synagogue, 1834 Section Road.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to worship with the family on this joyous occasion and to attend the Kiddush following the services.
Ivan is the grandson of ht late Mr. and Mrs. Louis Karp and the late Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Zemsky.
– Mr. and Mrs. William A. Maxwell are pealed to announce the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, Edward ay, at Temple Sholom on Sept. 4, at 10:45 a.m.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited tow orship with the family and attend the Kiddish immediately following services.
— September 12, 1974
25 Years ago
Chesley to receive Jewish National Fund Shalom Peace Award
Prominent local attorney Stan Chesley will be presented with the Shalom Peace Award by the Jewish National Fund at a dinner in New York in early November.
“I feel deeply honored,” Chesley said. “This award brings great pride to me and my family.”
Chesley, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati Law School and former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Cincinnati, has litigated and won many cases, several of which have garnered national and international media attention. Less than 10 people have received this prestigious award.
JCC to hold fall “hoops” clinic
JCC boys and girls in grades 3-8 may learn basketball skills from two high school basketball coaches. Mike Herald, the Walnut Hills High School varsity basketball coach, and Clarence Mitchell, a high school varsity league official with more than 25 years of coaching experience, will teach this JCC clinic.
— September 16, 1999
10 Years ago
Northern Hills Synagogue HaZaK program offers musical treat
Northern Hills Synagogue Congregation B’nai Avraham will kick off their first HaZaK program this year with a musical event on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 12:00 noon. Following a delicious lunch, the musical group, New Horizons Dixieland Band will entertain and wow the crowd. This fun group plays classic Dixieland, Ragtime, and Blues music and will include some Yiddish surprises during the program.
Claire Lee, the choir director for
Northern Hills will play the piano. Other instruments played by the musicians include clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, drums, and director Bruce Knapp will play the tuba. The band is a select subgroup of the larger New Horizons Band of Cincinnati, an ensemble founded to create an opportunity for everyone to make music in an enjoyable group setting, regardless of ability, level, or age.
— September 11, 2014
