In the Beginning: 1855
Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years.
New York. — Great exertions are being made here for establishing a large institute, to instruct children in Hebrew and Jewish Catechism without interfering with the common schools. A circular which has been issued for this purpose is received with much approval. Particulars in my next. — L.
Editor’s Note: The signature “L” in this note from New York is that of Max Lilienthal, correspondence editor for The Israelite and close friend of Isaac M. Wise. Later in 1855, Lilienthal would move to Cincinnati and become the first permanent rabbi at K.K. Bene Israel, now known as Rockdale Temple.
— February 2, 1855
150 Years ago
Local and Domestic
– Rev. D. Greenbaum was elected minister of the congregation in Springfield, O. He is a good man for his post.
– Oil City, PA. — The second annual charity ball of the Progress Club was given on the 20th inst. The ball was a social and financial success, quite a large sum of money being realized for the benefit of the poor and suffering.
– New Haven, Conn. — The Mishkan Israel Congregation re-elected, under demonstrations of enthusiasm, the Rev. J. Wechsler for a term of years as minister of the congregation. The election was unanimous and highly honorable to Mr. Wechsler. We congratulate him.
Crowded Out
Quite a number of communications have been crowded out of this number of the paper, but will appear in the next. “Our Girls” are coming out white strong, and as the subject is an interesting one we shall lay the communications before our readers in next week’s Israelite. We take this opportunity of saying to our correspondents that we are always glad to hear from them, but must request them to condense their letters as much as possible as our space is valuable.
— January 29, 1875
125 Years ago
Jottings
– The confirmation (Barmitzvah) of the twins Solomon and Joseph, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Mayer, was an incident that recently occurred in the synagog at Alexandria, La.
– Rabbi Julius Meyer delivered his farewell address before Congregation Shomer Etmonim of Toledo last Friday evening, prior to his departure for Milwaukee. A reception was held after the services.
– At Houston, Texas, Rev. H. Barnstein, the new Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, arrived from England and delivered his initial address on Friday evening, January 20th. His discourse made an excellent impression.
– At Los Angeles, Cal., Congregation B’nai B’rith reports a flourishing condition. This is the congregation of which Rev. Dr. S. Hecht recently took charge. The membership is increasing and the attendance at Friday evening services is most gratifying. Rabbi Hecht feels very much encouraged by the support he is receiving from young and old.
– It was not only Rabbis Stolz, Calisch and Heller who were invited to preach trial sermons before congregation Ahavath Chesed of New York. Rabbis Rosenau of Baltimore, Franklin of Detroit and probably several others must be added to the list of those asked.
– The trial of the twelve Assumptionist fathers in Paris is an unusual spectacle. These priests, while ostensibly charged with belonging to an illegal association and being in France for the past fifty years without authorization of the government or probation of the Holy See, are in reality on trial for conspiring with the Royalists to overthrow the Republic. No one really doubts their complicity in the recent ridiculous conspiracies, though legal proof may not be obtainable.
— February 1, 1900
100 Years ago
Jottings
– The K.K.K. has met with disastrous defeat in Kansas. It has been refused a charter; it can not take in new members, can not solicit membership and can not even hold meetings. By an act of the legislature it is prevented from doing any business of any character in the State. In fact, the Klan has been bound hand and foot and kicked out. The constitutionality of the act has been affirmed by the Supreme Court of the Sate. It is a great victory for the decent citizens of the State of Kanas, upon which they are to be congratulated.
– At the Methodist Episcopal General Conference held at Sprignfield, the pastorate was formally opened to women. It will be remembered that not long ago an effort was made in this direction, at a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College, but the suggestion was acted upon adversely.
– The editor of the Israelite wishes that Samuel had never written “You Gentiles” and that Gompers had not died. He has received such an overwhelming flood of sermons, newspaper clippings, and other articles on these topics with requests for publication that if he were to comply with all of them it would require not one, but even several special editions of the paper. He also has an idea that the readers of the Israelite have read all they want on these topics, and there will be no further publication on these subjects.
Editor’s Note: “You Gentiles” was a somewhat controversial tome written by Maurice Samuel. In it, Samuel compares and contrasts Jews and Gentiles. Samuel Gompers was a Jewish labor organizer who died in 1924. These two subjects appear to be much discussed in the local newspapers, so much so that Leo Wise, Israelite publisher at this time, was tired of hearing about both of these men and refused to publish any more about them.
— January 29, 1925
75 Years ago
UC to Award Credit For 2 HUC Courses Next Semester
Two courses in Jewish studies will be offered as electives during the next semester to liberal arts students at the University of Cincinnati by the Extension Division of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion.
The courses are Introduction to Judaism 41 and Jewish History Survey 21.
New students may register for these classes from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at HUC Feb. 6 and 7. There is no registration or tuition.
Cincinnati Social and Personal
– The HUC Students’ Wives Club will meet Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2:30 p.m., at the home of Mrs. Mordecai Podet, 3405 Telford Street, Apt. 30.
– Miss Barbara May, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred M. May, of 1017 Valley Lane, is home for the mid-semester vacation from Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio. Miss May is on the dean’s list at Miami in recognition of her high scholastic record.
– Dr. Edward Friedman was re-elected president of the Cincinnati Obstetrical Society for the fourth consecutive time Thursday, January 19. The society was founded in 1876.
Dr. Friedman is director of obstetrics at Jewish Hospital, at the Booth Hospital and Home, and on the staff of the Cincinnati General Hospital.
– During February, Rabbi Fishel Goldfeder will be heard over WCKY every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. in a religious program conducted by the Board of Jewish Ministers.
— February 2, 1950
50 years ago
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Bronska of St. Louis are pleased to announce the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, Laurence Robert, on Saturday, Feb. 8th, at Temple Israel, Creve Coeur, MO.
Larry is the grandson of Mrs. Louis Bronska, of Cincinnati and the late Mr. Bronska and Mr. and Mrs. Nat Marx of Sun City, Ariz.
Bar Mitzvah
Mr. and Mrs. Sig Rabkin are happy to announce the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Jeffrey Adam, at 9 a.m., on Saturday, Jan. 11, 1975, at Adath Israel Synagogue.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend the Kiddish following the ceremony and an open house at 8 p.m. at 3121 S. Farmcrest Drive, Amberley Village.
Cincinnati Youth Council Sends Two Representatives To Israel
The Youth Council of Cincinnati has chosen to delegates to represent out Jewish youth in Israel. This is the first time Cincinnati has been included in this program, sponsored by the AZYF, which sends young representatives to Israel from all over the United States.
Brenda Herman, age 17, of Wise Temple Youth, and Danny Kramer, 16, of Habonim, were selected by the Youth Council which represents all the Jewish youth groups in Cincinnati. Selection was based on such qualities as speaking ability, character, and academic standing.
The Youth Council candidates, when confirmed by AZYF, will leave February 2nd to spend six weeks touring Israel. They will speak to high school groups all over Israel — on Kibbutzim, moshavim, in the undeveloped towns south of Beer Sheva, and in Jerusalem and Haifa.
— January 30, 1975
25 Years ago
Jewish Hospital gala stars Paul Anka
The Auxiliary of the Jewish Hospital celebrated its 150th Anniversary with a gala starring legendary singer and composer Paul Anka. The gala took place on November 21, 1999, at the Hyatt Regency, Cincinnati. Co-Chairs Peggy Geenberg, Barb Pordy, and Ronna Willis proudly announced that the gala had raised over $800,000. Profits from the gala were used to purchase mammography, bone density, and ultrasound equipment for a new Imaging Center located in the Doctor’s Office Building directly across from the Jewish Hospital. The Auxiliary also designated money to go to the Emergency and Cardiovascular Surgery Departments.
The entertainment for the evening was a Las Vegas-style show by Paul Anka and his orchestra. The show included spectacular lighting and video images of Mr. Anka’s life, famly, and friends such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. Mr. Anka captivated the audience by going around the room, singing and dancing with guests.
— February 3, 2000
10 Years ago
Stimulating lecture series accompanies local exhibition about The Book of Job
The Skirball Museum on the campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the venue for a stimulating series of lectures featuring members of its faculty and staff, as well as students and community leaders, all related to the museum’s current exhibition, The Book of Job in Our Time: Prints by Linda Nesvisky.
Entitled Faith and Suffering in Israeli Poetry, Jewish Discourse, Literature and Art, the series is designed to appeal to a broad audience interested in the way the Book of Job has been viewed and understood in scholarly discourse, poetry, literature and the visual arts. The exhibition will be open for viewing at 6:30 pm before each lecture. All programs are held in the auditorium of Mayerson Hall; times and topics are as follows:
Monday, February 2, 7 pm. An Innocent Victim? Reading the Book of Job Before and After the Holocaust by Jason Kalman, Ph.D., HUC-JIR associate professor of classical Hebrew literature and interpretation.
Monday, February 9, 7 pm. Between the Binding of Isaac and the Sacrifice of Job—An Israeli Perspective as Explored in Hebrew Poetry by Rabbi Haim O. Rechnitzer, Ph.D., HUC-JIR associate professor of Jewish thought.
— January 29, 2015
