In the Beginning: 1855
Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years.
Foreign Intelligence
Posna. — Henry Ketten, a boy of not quite seven years of age, the son of the Hazan of the Bruedergemeinde, gave a coherent on thespian before a large audience, surpassing all fines of music by the ease and tastefulness with which he executed the most difficult compositions.
— June 22, 1855
150 Years ago
Items
– Fifteen years ago a Washington gentleman screeched his name on a gold dollar and sent it on its travels. He has never seen it since.
– Boston claims to have a diamond ring which once belonged to Sir Isaac Newton. That is nothing. St. Louis has the lead pencil with which Noah checked off the animals that went into the ark. — [St. Louis Democrat]
– According to the Portland Press, when an Ohio engineer sees a human being on the track he calmly remarks to the fireman, “There’s going to be another angel born, Billy!” and dashes ahead.
Local and Domestic
– The editor of the ISRAELITE delivers the oration on the 24th inst., at Richmond ,Ky. Will be pleased to see his friends there.
– Messrs. Ball & Thomas, No. 146 W. Fifth Street, have recently opened their new photograph gallery. It is furnished in most elegant style, and possesses every facility for doing good work. As artists Messrs. Ball & Thomas have a reputation second to that of no other photographers in the city.
— June 19, 1874
125 Years ago
Amusements
– Lagoon. — The re-opening of the Lagoon last Sunday, under the management of Mr. Noonan, puts an end to the fear that Cincinnati was to be without one of her most attractive summer places this year. There are all too few at best. The lagoon would be considered an attraction by any city and Cincinnatians have every reason to be proud of it.
– Coney Island. — Another successful week opened at Coney Island Sunday. It is not strange that the evening boats are well filled, because Coney’s moon is now turned on in full radiance, and adds its brilliancy to that of the thousands of arc and incandescent lights with which Coney’s groves are filled. The new vaudeville bill is a very superior one, there is not a poor act on the program. Among the other free features of Coney are the music and dancing. The new roller skating rink is growing in popularity every day; a good orchestra is in attendance, and thousands have already enjoyed the pleasure of gliding over its smooth floors to the entrancing music.
Jottings
– Legalism is not Judaism, nor is mysticism religion; the belief in fiction is superstition. Judaism is the fear of the Lord and the love of man in harmony with the dicta of reason.
– A friend in the country has sent us $5 for the Hebrew Relief Association of Cincinnati.
– The largest annual subscription made in Cincinnati to the Cleveland Jewish Orphan Asylum is from a successful merchant who was educated there.
— June 22, 1899
100 Years ago
– Happily Henry Ford was not nominated for President of the United States at the Cleveland Republican Convention. He was not mentioned, not even for Vice President. The Ford boomlet was, as the poet says, “Just as a snowflake on the river, one moment white, then gone forever.”
– During the discussion in the German Reichstag of the Dawes’ report concerning Germany’s ability make her reparation payments, Count Reventlow asserted that this report was dictated by the Morgan group and influenced by the Elders of Zion. Count Reventlow is generally regarded as a lunatic, but that does not affect his credibility with those who wish to use this abominable lie as if it were a truth as an excuse for further brutality.
– One way of adding injury to insult is to send the editor propaganda matter and unsolicited contritions and attach insufficient postage.
– Great Britain and the Government of Iraq (Mesopotamia) have come to an agreement, and no further trouble between them is anticipated.
– Recent reports from Palestine indicate that the downward tendency of trade and industry in this country has finally been checked, and that the echoic situation has begun to improve. Concerning the immigration to and emigration from Palestine, the report of the government furnishes the following figures. In the year 1923, 4,937 left the country. Of these, 3,466 were Jews, the majority belonging to the working class. The total immigrants in the same year was 7,991, of which 7,421 were Jews. Of the 8,128 immigrants in 1922, 7,844 were Jews.
– The population of the United States increased 1,943,000 during 1923 according to estimates announced by the National Bureau of Economic Research. On January 1, 1924, the total population was 112,826,000, the bureau’s figures show. In the latter half of 1923 a net increase of 1, 162,000 was recorded. This was the greatest growth for a six months’ period in the nation’s history, the bureau’s report states. The annual increase is attributed to the heavy excess of immigration over emigration and the lowest death rate whichever prevailed during a similar period in this country.
— June 19, 1924
75 Years ago
Beth Am Plans Dinner, Derby For Festival
A public dinner and a “turtle derby” will be among the highlights of the Beth Am Festival, Sunday, July 10, on the grounds of the Hebrew Institute and Beth Am on Seymour Avenue at Reading Road.
Wilton Wacksman is festival chairman.
Mrs. Joseph Cohen is chairman of the food committee, which will supervise the kosher dinner.
The “turtle derby” was reported as an assured success. Ben Ritter, chairman of the committee in charge of the event, said eleven races were filled with entries and a twelfth race was about half filled. More than $10,000 was already assured from this event alone, he said.
Speaking on the purposes of the fete, M. Wacksman declared “This is a problem of every Jewish man and woman in this community, to see to it that no child, or parent, shall be turned away from a Jewish education.”
He said that the Beth Am leaders have decided on a building expansion program to meet the needs of the many who have been knocking at the doors of Beth Am.
— June 23, 1949
50 years ago
Bar Mitzvah
– Mr. and Mrs. Alan Simon are pleased to announce the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, David Jay, Saturday, June 29, at 9 a.m. at Adath Israel Synagogue, Ridge and Galbraith Roads.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to worship with the family and attend the Kiddish following services.
David is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Edelstein of North Miami Beach, Fla., and the late Mr. and Mrs. David J. Simon.
– We request the honor or your presence at the Bar Mitzvah of our son, Gary Stephen Schwartz, on Saturday, June 29, at 9 a.m., at Golf Manor Synagogue.
The maternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Neal Kaffeman. The paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Joe Schwartz. No cards.
Council of Jewish women Announces Dress Designer Days Sale
The third annual designer dress days sale of the Council of Jewish Women will take place in mid-October. The Chairman is Mrs. Thomas (Joyce) Berger.
Council-members and friends are asked to donate their “gently worn” short and long dresses, coats and jackets (cloth, fur, leather), skirtsuits and pantsuits, and better slacks, sweaters, blazers, etc.
Joyce said: “We’re also looking for large size articles. I’m sure some of our gals have slimmed down for the Summer and have clothing they can no longer wear. I also hope people are not misled by the use of the word ‘designer’ in the name of our sale. We’re happy, of course, to get such names as Cardin or Cassini, but we’ll be more than glad to receive Aileen, Act 3, Crazy Legs, and so on.
“If it’s gently worn and looking pretty good, we’d like to have it for our sale.”
— June 20, 1974
25 Years ago
Dance party at Sharonville Convention Center a success
By Cyvia Scharf and Mollie Firestone
Congratulations to Ari Guttman, junior at Cincinnati Country Day School and Mollie Zipkin, junior at Walnut Hills High School, for organizing and hosting a most successful dance party for Jewish teenagers, grades 9 through 12, on Saturday, May 22.
The event was held at the Sharonville Convention Center on Chester Road from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Music was provided by DJ Ross Brown. The idea for the dance party came entirely from Mollie and Ari, who recruited a committee of over 50 teenagers. Ari and Mollie compiled a list of Jewish teenagers and sent out more than 800 invitations. The party was open to all Jewish teenagers, and everyone invited was encouraged to bring their Jewish friends.
When Levana Caro-Regev, Jewish Federation community shlicha and Nina Paul, head of Israel programs, learned of the party, they were so excited they arranged for the Jewish Federation to donate a $3,000 gift certificate for a trip to Israel to be raffled off that night.
With more than 220 Jewish high school teenagers in attendance, the event was the largest party of its kind in Cincinnati in many years.
The raffle was won by Robbie Sosna, a senior at Sycamore High School.
— June 24, 1999
10 Years ago
Cincinnati Onward Israel sends 25 students for Israel internships
For the first time, Cincinnati is participating in the Onward Israel program, providing 25 young adults with eight-week internships in Israel. Participants-rising freshmen through graduating seniors from 16 different universities-have worked closely with Onward internship coordinators to find positions in their chosen fields. They also received help creating their resumes and preparing for placement interviews.
The interns will live in a student village at the University of Tel Aviv. They will work four days a week and spend one day traveling and participating in group educational experiences designed in collaboration with Cincinnati’s community shaliach (emissary from Israel). The 25 Cincinnatians will join the larger Onward Israel group for a shabbaton and spend another with peers in Netanya, Cincinnati’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) city. Finally, a full program of optional enrichment classes and activities is available, including an intensive study of Hebrew.
— June 19, 2014
