The Geniune Jew

Organ for Yiddish Matters

DER WAHRE JUDE Organ für die Gesammtinteressen des Judenthums

The Geniune Jew costs

Lviv, February 5th 1904

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All letters and money send to:

Redaction "Der wahre Jude",Lviv, Sonnengasse 27

The Genuine Jew is published every Friday

Lemberg, den 5. Februar 1904.

The Geniune Jew

As of today we’re publishing a new weekly newspaper called

"The Geniune Jew"

Our Newspaper is made for the Jewish people as a whole, for everything who finds interest in important articles about all matters concerning our brothers in the whole world; in every issue we want to give detailed reports about all polictical occurances and want to deliver all important news as well as those that belong to all Jewish matter, as well as general world news. Therefore, every Jew will find in our paper a short but detailed list about everything important and intereseting and does not have to make great effort to read Polish or German newspapers, which the general public does not completely understand.

However, we want to care that not only the public class reads it. We want for our paper to be particularly special for our pious brothers, which have not left behind the true Jewry, which are the religion and our Jewish teaching and also see to teach their children the truth. Our pious, honest brothers have not had a single Jewish paper until today, what should be written according to his opinion, his view and his thoughts, about all the matters, that are concerning Jewish people as a whole, writing and reporting in a way, which does not harm our ultra-orthodox brothers. This paper is written in ordinary Jewish language, which everyone should understand, which hasn’t existed yet and this should be our newspaper.

"The Genuine Jew".

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Every edition of our newspaper contains

We don’t want to promise our honored readers too much. We want to make an effort to follow the article of our sages: “Say little and do much!” We want to think, that our paper should always be important and interesting and we hope that our Jewish brothers, in general our orthodox brothers want to support us if possible in order that we can pay what we are planning in Gaza.

"The Geniune Jew" costs

Those who send the money at least half a year in advance will get an important Jewish book as a bonus for free.

The editors

The address is:

Redaction "Der wahre Jude",Lviv, Sonnengasse 27

A letter to the editor

Dear Editor!

Your announcement that you are publishing a Jewish paper in ordinary Jewish native language, a newspaper which you are promising us in your program that it will only be written in a Yiddish format, unlike every other newspaper sincerely simply delighted me - I have touched upon this matter several times and emphasized it at every possibility, that a Jewish paper in simple language is missing for our Jewish people in Galicia - some would claim that such a paper could not exist in Galicia and that it cannot survive in any way, proof being that every Jewish jargon newspaper in Galicia had to give up very shortly after publishing the first time, they could not create an existence for themselves. But the reason for that is, the big difference between those papers and yours is that they were edited and written by another class of writers, and “The Geniune Jew” on the other hand will be in another manner, those papers were party journals, for example, Zionist, socialist, etc. This on the other hand according to the program will be paper for the common Jew, it will publish articles from good writers, but in Jewish manner, good stories, anecdotes from sages and heroes and historical events, which will interest our Jewish audience. Summarised, the need for this type of newspaper is currently very acute.

But still, I know very well, that that paper is missing, I know very well that you have a lot of enemies, one will also deter from disturbing your undertaking, because the paper will not be a big advantage to your enemies. Anyways, the public will not be interested for Jewish matters, and everything that is Jewish is foreign. But you must be indifferent to all those obstacles, and you should also not be bothered in your undertaking, you have to work bravely and enthusiastically for the benefit of the Jewish public.

Baseless hatred cannot harm you, I also want to remind, in a pact that this will also encourage you for your undertaking not to fear and to come to the conviction: “Either you don’t need it or it doesn’t help it”, as everyone says, “All beginnings are difficult” - how many stones have been laid in the way of your newspaper “The Voice of the religious”, but everything has been overcome.

It might also be that I alone have made a mistake, and you cannot say with certainty that your paper will not have enemies, perhaps it is wrong, there will be many good friends, who want to support your work and furthermore give “gratitude”, the public will finally be convinced that this paper is the right organ that is needed in Galicia. -

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either way, you have to think about creating a good paper, and not about upcoming opinion of everyone, you have to turn your hope to the Jewish public, who hopefully will understand the value of the “Geniune Jew”.

Lviv,

Y. L. L.

Who is at fault?

“You can recognise them by their temple”. If we want to know, which damage the assimilation, the mingling with the other customs - has done to the Jewish peoples, we only need to look at the fruits of the assimilation. Slowly, cautiously, step by step, the assimilation, what our “educated” Jewish people have called “progressive” and “culture”, has led the Jewry down a mountain. First, they have changed the Jewish garment, afterwards the Jewish names, afterwards the Jewish language and at the end the entire religion… when our blessed rabbis have written and fought against the assimilation, against the wrong “Haskalah”, which blinds the eyes and confuses the thoughts, which has deceived the people, which will deliver the end of the whole movement to heresy in the religion of God - they had been viewed as fanatics, they had been laughed at and mocked. Now, also the so-called Haskalahs have to admit that our ultra-orthodox brothers were right: the religious heresy has indeed been a “small matter” now, it belongs to every day actions, that someone who is a religious heretic is too nice to a job, an employment, too nice to a business, a wife or simply too nice to “society”, too nice to his children - like he says - so that they don’t have to suffer for their Jewry like him. A “convert” as once been something very rare, it has both been for Jewish people and for non-Jewish people alike an “event”, people talked and wrote about it - today this has all stopped: nowadays there are already so many baptised each year, that is has been necessary to publish a set of statistics each time.

And thus, a statistic about the baptised Jewish people in Vienna has been published now, from which we can see, that in one of the last years 551 Jewish people have been baptised in Vienna, namely 313 men and 238 women. In this statistic, the job and occupation of the baptised Jewish people has exactly been noted down and we found, for example, 72 girls under 30, of which most have surely been baptised on the occasion of “love” to a Christian, which is the consequence of a non-Jewish upbringing of our daughters. We also find 84 baptisms of people, who work so-called freelance jobs, for example attorneys, doctors, public officers, and such, also 51 students, so exactly those people, who have come across with Haskalah and progress and have hidden until the atheism.

And this public statistic has not made a huge impression at all. “When a person commits a crime again, he shall be punished!” People have gotten used to it, not only the baptised are not ashamed with their actions, but also their families don’t see it as a disgrace to have a “Christian convert” in the family, it has already stopped being a stain in the family. “Have you heard, Mr. N. N. has been baptised”, are Jewish people asking each other, completely indifferent, nobody gets worked up about it, nobody is surprised, but people think that what is going on is a daily occurrence.

And who is at fault for this? We have to admit: the common Jew, the pious are also not completely free of every reproach. It has been tolerated in great Jewish communities, that a leader (of the Jewish community) has been baptised and he stayed the leader, the Jewish society is still associating with the baptised, as if they still remained to be Jewish, people are still getting married with them, they are still trading and walking together, people let them represent them, people give them their children to teach them and such - because of they have lost their shame because of that others have lost their shame as well, to imitate them or plan to do so.

But not that alone is the sole cause that the baptisms are rising more and more. there are deeper reasons present, that lead to baptisms. The poor upbringing of the youth, the religious education in schools, which is only education and not religion, that means, the children study and study and nevertheless know nothing, the bad behaviour of the parents, the carelessness of the community, the lack of scholars who preach with passion, who should work against the lack and indifference for religion with courage and energy. All of that led to this atheism and in will not get better until our whole life will improve again, not for the worse like the reform-Jewish people caused, but for the better: To return the crown back to the Torah!

A Jew

New livelihoods.

Galicia is a poor country, there are no factories here, nothing proper is being produced in the country, there is a shortage of work and earnings, most of the money is going abroad from where most goods are being imported. Each year ten, twenty thousand healthy, industrious people, who could be of use for the country, emigrate from Galicia to America and other faraway countries, so they can choose a job and are able to earn a lot of money. A big part of those emigrants consists of Jewish people, who don’t have anything to do in this country.

Lately, people in Galicia have started talking about creating new sources of income, societies are being created, gatherings are being convened and committees are being elected, who pay attention to the question how to improve the financial situation. A Bat Kol has been shared: “let’s support the domestic products” - whoever establishes a new business, who wants to build a new factory, get subsidies and support, in order to be able to survive against the competition from abroad and keep existing.

Only for us Galician Jewish people everything is still calm and quiet, like it is not missing for us. Here, you don’t hear anything about that, nobody is thinking about new sources of income, to get our poor brothers’ livelihood. While everywhere in the whole world the merchant, the industrialist, even the skilled craftsman and tradesman are respected and valued like public officials and

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lawyers, us Galician Jewish people, who are reproached being a nation of traders, even the merchant, the entrepreneur in a small business, everyone wants to make “doctors”, “public officials” out of our children, but there are already so many and nowadays it is very hard for a Jew to become a public official, even a small one with a low salary. Besides, the Jewry also suffers because of that, because a merchant can continue being a Jew, like a “doctor” or a “public official”.

The situation of the Galician Jewish people is even worse than the situation of other Galician peoples, for they are cared for by the state committee, different institutions, and associations like the “Kulka Ralnitsche” and others. Many associations and committees care for them. We Jewish people are dependent on ourselves; nobody cares for us, and nobody worries about us. We do not know if the effort of the various societies and committees will result in a working industry and factories in Galicia, which will have a practical success or not. But one thing we do know, there will be absolutely no benefit for us Jewish people resulting from that.

“If we don’t get that, what do we have?” If we don’t want to take care of ourselves, no one will. “Go and make a living for yourself!” said King David already. Therefore, it’s time that Jewish committees should be made already, who should investigate creating new enterprises, who should give our poor brothers a livelihood. Here in Galicia, there are enough Jewish people who have assets and can found companies, from which hundreds of families can survive and don’t have to wander around abroad and be roaming around. Already, there is no luck left to be found in America, in Hungary, in Germany, in England, the Polish and the Galician Jewish people are not welcome anymore, they are not met with friendly faces and everyone wants to get rid of them. With a little bit of entrepreneurial spirit people in Galicia can create livelihood for oneself and others. The time and populace are ripe, and we have to make use of it. We have to fulfil our duties of being a citizen of Babylon and especially as Jewish people.

A reader.

The education of our daughters.

A preacher once said as a joke that the appeal of the Pharao, King of Egypt was, that the Jewish boys were tossed into water and the girls should continue living, because the Pharao wanted to eliminate the Jewish people and he knew that as long as the Jewish people stay Jewish and hold on to their Jewry, nothing can harm them, that’s why he said to drown newborns, but only the boys because the girls know little of being Jewish and can therefore grow accustomed to Egypt and learn its customs - therefore they have not disturbed his plan to eliminate the Jewish people.

Still, there is a little bit of truth in this joke, if we look at the manner, how it was for us Jewish people in Galicia, now for the pious people, who raise daughters. But there is also a lot to complain about the education of our boys. We can see that the children raised in a Jewish manner are becoming less and less. Also pious, honest parents sometimes don’t care too much about educating their children Jewish so it would plant the Jewish spirit and feel it in the young hearts, and to awaken and maintain the love for their people, according to the Torah and our holy faith. But just the manner of our daughter’s education is already quite bad, that it’s above all measures - and we find that in Jewish newspapers, which are not necessarily pious ones, complain often about this negligence - and that’s justified.

We often see that the fathers now let their children go to school which stops his teaching and leads to away from passionate education which educates them well and pious - the same father does not care about his daughters and as a formality offered an explanation: “Everyone who teaches their daughters the Torah, teaches nonsense”. He forgets that that our late scholars have conveyed it very differently as he understands it. He lets his children go to school, they are learning "religion" from a teacher who himself is not pious and he can interpret the sacred texts, but he cannot uphold them… all of that he removes because going to school is the legal obligation of everyone. But after they have finished already finished school, there is a completely new education, which the government does not force onto anybody and what not only not harm the Jewry, but also the wealth, because luxury will grow because of it… our daughters will then have to read bad and corrupt books which not even children of other people. They go and listen to talks and lectures about matters, they are not at all interested in, they only go there to get into the society life. They are quitting talking the Jewish language, chatter different sentences from various “modern” authors, although they don’t understand what those authors write and say - and as they get older and start talking about engagement, only then the parents, who want to have a Jewish, pious son-in-law, see how bad they have become. The Jewish daughter, who only talks Polish and associates only with young people, who dress in modern clothes with shaved bears, a long moustache and shining boots, looks at the young Jewish man, like any type of company, she doesn’t want to hear or know about a Jewish engagement, and demands an “educated” young man, if not even a “German, son of a German” … If the father is strong enough to force the daughter to take the son-in-law that he wants to have, he helps along to do something he has neglected until now. But sometimes, it is already too late. Or the daughter is “strong” enough, which means she doesn’t have to listen to her father, she threatens to throw herself into the water, to drive far away in the country or - what has already often hurt - to go into a monastery … until the father has to give in. But if the father stands by his opinion and doesn’t want to succumb, then the domestic peace is broken, there is a grudge held between father and daughter, they live angrily and bitter. If the father wins, he forces his daughter

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to succumb, then she has a broken life with her husband, who she doesn’t like, if the daughter wins, forces the father to succumb, then the parent’s life is embittered, they are not getting a son-in-law like they want, later they will have a grandchild, they have to be ashamed of - and the beautiful Jewish family life what is praised by our enemies, gets broken…

These are the consequences of bad upbringing of our daughters. Besides that, the incredible luxury, which is a consequence of this upbringing, eats up the Jewish fortune and brings some heads of the family, who could live in peace, poverty, and hardship. Because the Jewish daughters who have gotten such an education has estranged with her parents, she doesn’t feel for them, she doesn’t understand them, she doesn’t want to know if the parents know or not - she needs to imitate all “fashion” and the parents need to give in, because the daughter is already a real “woman”, she talks Polish and the parents need to respect her!...

This cannot go on like this. We will write in a second article how this can be helped.

Ben-Solomon

Letter from Russia

After the horrible persecution of Chișinău and Gomel, after the ridiculous comedy what was the Chișinău progrom, which made the whole world indignant - do we all of a sudden now hear that the government has called together all other provinces to an assembly, in which it is to be consulted if Jewish people should be allowed to live in the whole country of Russia, unlike now as they are crowded together in few provinces like chickens on the roost and only the best, for example those who are in the highest tax brackets or graduates etc., can live in all of Russia. Rumour has it, that several provinces are in favour of expanding the Jew’s rights to live in Russia as they cannot watch anymore at the misery and poverty, in which those Jewish people have to live in, and which are caused by living cramped like this and having to rip bits out of each other’s mouths. The governor of Bessarabia, Prince Urusov, was particularly fond of caring for Jewish people said: “The whole Jewish question is Russia is only a consequence of the bad economical state in which Jewish people have to live because of living so closely squeezed together that they should be allowed to expand their right of abode, so they would fare better and also to weaken the hatred towards them.”

It must be really bad and bitter for Jewish people in Russia that now Antisemites like those provinces now have pity towards them. That is the truth! The situation of the Russian Jewish people is indeed very unfortunate, and it gets worse each day. However, we do not really believe that the government sincerely wants to actually help them. All of that consulting done for the provinces is a joke in of itself, which has the purpose to palm off the world. The Russian government has now realised that, even as a big country as Russia cannot defy the whole world, the persecution of Chișinău and these cruelties outraged the whole world, there were protests in the whole world. The American government even wanted to submit a written protest via their ambassador in Petersburg. But the Russian government didn’t want to do anything with all of that, it didn’t want to accept the protests and let the joke of the Chișinău litigation happen, apparently to show the world: I herd you like cats! -

However now, as Russia is in conflict with Japan and war could break out any day, the Russian government sees, that they cannot resist the whole world, no matter how strong they are. The whole world supports Japan, every government wishes for Japan to be victorious, England and America might even help Japan and therefore, Russia’s allies, France, also stands on this side; Russia must be afraid to lose in this war and then all the honour will be gone. Only now it has to realise that it wasn’t the best idea to not ask anybody - and therefore fool the world. To now proof that Russia is not as bad as it’s known, the meeting of the provinces has been called in to let the newspapers know that they want to treat the Jewish people better now.

But will that work? Will the world let itself be tricked again as it has been once already? - It doesn’t seem like it. - a liar as the world says correctly, nobody believes it. Russia has to proof, that it wants to treat the Jewish people better now, it doesn’t have to call in meetings and ask for advice. It needs to act, it has to abolish the exception laws against Jewish people and treat them humanly - only then there is a possibility of friendship with the world again, which it has lost caused by its harmful performance and what it is missing severely now.

Ben-Zvi

Japan

I.

The whole world is interested now in Japan, with the small Asian island state, which is willing to risk waging war against the giant and strong country of Russia with which every European country is in conflict now, and the big Russia with its great deal of military, cannons, and war ships, is in conflict with Japan and tries very possibility to evade this war honourably. It certainly would interest our readers now to get more knowledge about the Jewish community in Japan, which until now the European reader has not had a lot of knowledge about.

Japan is an island state, it consists of 3850 big and smaller islands, which together amass to 412.400 km² (a bit smaller than Austria-Hungary). The Islands are situated in the corner of East-Asia and border with China, Korea, and the Silent Ocean (Pacific Ocean). Japan has a population of 46 million, mostly Japanese and very few foreigners. Every Japanese is liable for military service, as soon as he turns 20. In times of peace the military counts 300,000 men, at war more than one million. The Japanese armada counts 65 battleships and cruise ships. The navy consists of 12,000 men. The length of the railway system amounts to over 4,000 km, the length of the telegram lines over 14,000 km. In one year, the Japanese postal service delivers almost over 500 million postal items. The Japanese merchant navy counts 880 ships

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(including 500 steamboats), every year 7000 ships dock in the Japanese port city. - The Japanese national debt amounts to 1.500 million crowns. The annual interest and repayment for this debt cost 200 million crowns. Japan’s annual income comes to 1000 million crowns, as well as the expenses.

Japan is the only country in Asia that has introduced a constitution. The emperor bares the title of “Mikado”. The parliament is split into the house of commons (with 252 members) and a house of lords (with 300 members). The country is freely governed and is generally speaking very progressive and can be counted as a European country.

For ten years, Japan has waged war with China, although China is 10 times as big as Japan but has still proven itself on the mainland and at sea. At the moment, Japan is about to wage war against Russia and even though Russia is bigger, Japan will probably win, because it is better prepared to wage war. Russia on the other hand is actually in conflict and if war doesn’t break out it will be because the big Russia will succumb and give the small Japan what it wants.

To be continued.

Political News

Austria-Hungary: Despite all efforts of the Austrian and Hungarian govnerments they were not able to reconcile the different parties. In Austria, the Czechs do not want to knock off any of their demands. They are dertermined to block the imperial council as long as possible, they will not permit regular council and negotiation until the Czech language will be introduced as an official language in Bohemia as well as establish a Czech university in Moravia. Lately, all negociations that had been held let to no results, even what the Emporer has said only to the vice president of the council, Dr. Žáček at the court ball, that the Czech people should strive to make peace, remained without success. The Czechs do not want to succumb. - The government cannot give way to the Czech though, because the Germans wanted to block and it would have been their own. - In the meantime, the Czechs lost the little trust they had in the government; they say that the current minister president Dr. Koerber is not capable of making peace and they demand that he should step down and another one should step up. However, the Emperor does not want to send him home until they are sure that neither the Czechs nor the Germans want to give way to the new minister president. But this is not for sure and it doesn’t make sense if there should be another minister.

In the meantime the imperial council has shut down and only the delegations are counceling. The delegation is only to concern itself with foreign politics and with military matters. But because a great deal of members of the imperial council and the manor house who are from different parties are part of the delegation and therefore they mainly talk about internal matters, about the dispute between the Czech and German, etc., and very little about foreign politics. Of course, nothing comes of this all this talking, idle words remain, without a purpose or practical value. - Concurrently, the government reigns with § 14, it is working as well as possible, it even wants to negotiate new trade contracts with German, and also the Compromise with Hungary by the means of § 14, and because the Czechs treathen not to approve the recruit law this year, the government also wants to pass this law with § 14.

However in Hungary, there is not § 14. There, the government’s situation is a lot more difficult. The new minister president, Count Tisza may have approved almost everything what the opposition wanted, solely the command langauge in Hungary being Hungarian, he did not grant. The greater part of the opposition also found peace with this decision as well, merely some of the deportees don’t want to end this discussion and don’t want to give in the obstruction until the Hungarian command langauge is being introduced as well, and the minister president cannot give this to them. - That is why he decided to break the obstruction with force, he has announced in parliament that if the opposition will not sign off the recruit law by , he will shut down the the imperial council and he will convene the delegation in order for them to carry out the work, subsequently taking over the opposition by default. He will hold extensive sessions, he will introduce a new rules of procedure, and will disolve the parliament as well as hold new elections if necessary. - The opposition still don’t want to give in, they declare not to be afraid to his threats. Several members of the opposition have received threating letters claiming they will be shot if they don’t terminate with their obstruction, because those retired soldiers will have to stay in the military and the reservists will be called upon. Nevertheless, they will not succumb. Who will win, the government or the opposition, is not yet certain.

Japan and Russia: Recently, the news about the situation is East Asia has not been clear. Soon they will say that the war is unavoidable and shots could be heard at any moment. Then again there will be reported that is still hope for war to not break out. However, one thing is for sure, both Russia and Japan stay armed and prepared for war. Russia still hesitates as they are not as prepared for war and because they are intimidated as Japan is closer to the theatre of war and can send all their military to battle, but Russia only has a small portion of their military in this part of Asia and is unable to get all of their military there. Russia wanted to actually give in to Japan’s demands in Korea, but not in Manchuria. Russia invested loads of money until they were able to get ahold of Manchuria; to already give it up again would be a disgrace and shame. They would prefer going to war rather than relinquishing voluntarily. However, England and America are also interested in Manchuria and both support Japan in demanding Manchuria, which is actually a Chinese province and Russia had occupied it with brute force, should be free for all countries’ trade. And even if

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Japan would lose the war with Russia, England and America will come to rescue. - How this will turn out in the near future, maybe even in a few days, we will know if there will be war or if peace will remain.

News.

Jewish News.

(Lviv). Lately, two important associations have been founded in our city. One society was founded by Russian Jewish people living here aiming to support the local Russian Jewish people or those from Russia who are passing through Lviv as well as possible. - The second society is the "Association for Jewish merchants", with the purpose to represent Jewish merchants. - Best of luck and development to both of them.

(Rzeszów). The local board of Religious Affairs has been dissolved by the government. Until the next elections a government commissioner will administer the religious community. One of the previous board members will be named as commissioner as well as some council members and previous board members will be added.

(Vienna). In the Austrian Delegation the antisemite Schneider seized the opportunity to grumble about Jewish people. He said that Jewish merchants would sell poor merchandise abroad and therefore the reputation of Austrian merchandise is sullied leading to no buyers. He also showed torn-up boots, which a Jewish merchant wanted to export abroad. The delegation president Baron Gautsch called him to order several times and after Schneider said at the end that Jewish people are not humans he shut him down. The delegate Dr. Byk punished him severely. The president of our religious community Mr. Klinger wants him to resign immediately.

(Budapest). Merchants and sales clerks are in dispute on the matter of the Sunday rest. The merchants think the new act concerning this should be reduced in severity, but the sales clerks wish for the stores to be closed all Sunday. The minister of Commerce promised the merchants to soften the law in their favour.

(Berlin). The well known benefactor Samuel Straus died in Karlsruhe. He was a great philanthropist and a pious Jew. May his memory be a blessing. - The socialist member of parliament Bebel took on the subject of Russian Jewish people and reproached the government that it allows the Russian secret police to be stationed in Germany and spy out and denounce Russian Jewish people who migrated to Germany.

The famous Jewish painter Jozef Israëls is celebrating his 80th birthday these days. For that occasion he was honoured by the German Emperor and the Berlin Academy.

(Warsaw). More than 150 Jewish workers have been arrested because they have been suspected of being socialists. - The emigration Jewish people from Russia is growing and growing. Hundreds of families leave the country and go to America, , Australia and Israel. Generally, there are a lot of families from Chișinău to Israel. Most of them are craftsmen. - In different Russian cities Jewish people are being prosecuted by police who also close down their stores and deport them. - Many cities asked the government to allow Jewish people to live there for the sake of trade. The government now allowed Jewish people to stay in over 50 cities where it has been forbidden up until now.

(Bucharest). A member of parliament Cantacuzino gave an important speech for Jewish people. He reproaches the government for treating Jewish people harmfully and the whole country suffers because of it. Maybe it is going better already.

(England). In England, which used to be a free country, the signs of hatred towards Jewish people are increasing. Generally speaking in the working class, which are motivated by the clergy. There have been riots against Jewish people in the city of Dowlish Wake, two Jewish people have been attacked in the open street and beaten up terribly. One is in critical conditions.

General News.

The whole Norwegian town Ålesund burnt down. The damage is estimated to be 4 Million. Over 12,000 people are without a home.

In Arad (Hungary, a hawker froze to death in a barn. As the police superintendent went there, they found four thousand notes, 70 pieces of twenty crown notes, a savings book for 3,268 crowns and other bonds.

The governor of Homyel was shot at while he was hunting last week. The bullet went through his hat but did not hurt him. The murderer ran away and they did not chase him.

In Turin (Italy), the university library burnt down. A lot of valuable books, several manuscripts amongst them burnt.

Several dynamite bombs have been found in the king’s castle in Madrid (Spain), which have been set there by anarchists in order to destroy the castle.

The previous Austrian crown princess Stéphanie has handed over a complaint to her father, King of Belgium to hand over part of her mother´s inheritance, over 20 million francs.

Feuilleton.

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

(A memoir).

Shortly, it has been 800 years since the celebrated Talmud scholar Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known as Rashi who has enlightened all of the Jewry with his famous commentary on the Torah and the Talmud, has died. The name Rashi has been well known to every Jew, every schoolboy knows him and also

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the biggest scholar, the biggest genius cannot desecrate his commentary. Rashi’s 800th anniversary will be celebrated everywhere. A book will be published in his honour and a foundation will be made.

But only a small portion of the public, which have delighted themselves with his commentary of the Talmud-Thora, know more about Rashi, his life and his history, and therefore we think that everybody would be interested to read a short biography about Rashi.

Rashi was born during the fifth century in the fifth millennium (in the year 1028 according to the Christian calendar) in Troyes in France at the same time as the last gaon of Babylonia Rabbi Hai died. The sun of the holy doctrine which has stopped shining in the East (Babylonia), has started to rise again in Troyes (France). Rashi comes from a family of scholars. His father was a great Talmud scholar, his mother was a sister of the well known Rabbi Simeon bar Isaac, who has written a lot of poems. In his youth, Rashi went to Mainz (Germany) where at that time was an important rabbinical academy where Gerschom ben Jehuda taught, and now during Rashi’s time, Rabbi Yaakov ben Yakar, which Rashi has mentioned often in his commentary. From Mainz, Rashi went to Worms and studied there under the great goan Rabbi Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi and Rabbi Eleazar ben Jehuda. After that he studied under Rabbi Eliakim ben Meshullam in Speyer and from there he went back to France, where he spread the light of his doctrine about the whole world.

Rashi was, as has been reported, rabbi and for a long time in Worms. He probably lived in the prayer house there which is still standing today. A chair made of stone which has been found there is still being called “Rashi’s Stuhl”. A big A is carved into the wall of the prayer house, as Rashi used to show that A to his disciples who did not know something of the subject, meaning they have to start again from the top.

Rashi’s commentary is the best, most clear-cut and easiest to understand of all commentaries of Talmud Torah, he has also written other important books, which were to be printed in Speyer, some of them have not been printed yet and will only be printed to his 800th anniversary.

Nowadays, Rashi’s wonders are still being talked about. We only want to talk about one miracle. During Rashi’s time, the Christians went on a crusade, which means they travelled to Israel in order to take away the Holy Land from the Turks. Jewish people have suffered tremendously because of the crusades and the prosecution is today known as the “Rhineland massacres”. The leader of the First Crusade, asked Rashi before departure if he would be prosperous. Rashi told him he will win the war and become king of Jerusalem. But after that the Turks will come back to drive him away and he will return home with three horses only. In the end, it happened like that, the only difference being that Godfrey came back with four horses. He wanted to punish Rashi, because his prophecy was not completely fulfilled, as he came back with four horses. However, as he arrived at the city gates, the gate suddenly fell and squashed one horse. Therefore, Rashi`s prophecy came completely true. He immediately went to Rashi, but he had already died and several rabbis carried out the burial rites.

Rashi died in 4865 (1105) at the age of 77. He was working on his commentary to the Talmud Torah. His disciple and son in law Rabbi Judah ben Nathan has completed the commentary of the Torah. Another one of Rashi’s sons in law, Rabbi Meir ben Samuel, had three famous sons: Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (known as RaShbaM),Rabbi Isaac ben Meir (RIvaM), and Rabbi Tam. These three grandsons of Rashi´s were the authors of the first appendix.

Rashi did not have a son, he only had three daughters who got married to significant rabbis. Two of them we have already mentioned, the name of the third one is not known.

May the memory of the righteous be a blessing!

Statistical information.

The earth's surface covers 509 million and 950,000 square kilometres, one fourth land and three fourths water. The world’s population counts 1,611 million and 496,000 people. 395 million 985,000 people live in Europe, 885 million 814,000 in Asia, 176 million 314,000 in Africa, in America 147 million 115,000, and in Australia 6 million and 268,000 people. - The Big Ocean (Pacific) covers 175 million square kilometres and measures 9430 metres in depth. The covers 89 million square kilometres and measures 8340 metres in depth, and the Indian Ocean covers 74 million square kilometres and measures 6300 metres in depth, the Arctic Ocean covers 33 million square kilometres and measures 4840 metres in depth.

Herausgeber und verantwortlicher Redact. OSIAS H. WILF recte Weinstock

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