Ira Moskowitz The Sabbath'
Acclaimed; On Display Here

JTS Research
Uncovers 'Lost'
Jewish Works

An original 12th century
manuscript written in his dwn
hand by Moses MaithOnides,
celebrated medieval philoSoPher,
codifier. and Physician, has been
discovered in the. Library of the
Jewlsh Theological Seminary of
America, .3080 Broadway, New
York, by Dr. Shraga Abramson,
associate professor of Talmud
at the Seniinary, according to
Dr. Louis 'Finkelstein, chancel
lor.
The precious manuscript, writ-
ten " probably during the third
quarter of the 12th century, had
been stored in the Rare Book
Room of the Library since 1923,
in a box containing fragments
of miscellaneous u n i d e n t ified
manuscripts.
The newly-identified man u-
script is written in Arabic words
spelled with Hebrew letters, and
is a fragment of Maimonides'
commentary on the "Mishnah
Baba Batra," a section of the
Jewish legal code dealing with
civil laws.
According to Dr. Abramson,
Maimonides probably wrote the
document in Egypt while he was
serving as physician to the po-
tentates of the land and as head
of the Jewish communities of
the country.
This latest finding brings the
Seminary Library's holdings of
authentic Maimonides' writings,
in his own hand, to °tight, the
largest collection of its kind in
the world. The most famous of
all Jewish scholars of the Mid-
dle Ages, Maimonides, was born
in Spain in the year 1135 and
died in 1204.
The Maimonides discovery
comes on the heels of two other
important identifications by Dr.
Abramson—a book written by
Rab Hai Gaon, an eminent Jew,
ish scholar who died in .Baby-
Ionia (Iraq) in the year 1038 and
a set of 15 responsa (legal opin-
ions) made . by Rabbi Isaac Al-
fasi, famed scholar who died in
Spain in the year 1103.

•

"The Sabbath" by Ira Moskowitz
He is in "Who's Who of
By MARION MICHAELS
America"
and author of —Pat-
"He records the feelings of terns and Ceremonials
of the
a sympathic fellow, human in Indiana of the Southwest."
the presence of a culture ages
The oil painting depicted
older than our own. His is a
realistic draftsman, but in my above shows a Yemenite Rabbi
estimation this quality places in religious robes; deep in
his work in line with the great study. He stands in the Syna-
tradition of the past which gogte, Gemorah in hand, on a
produced giants like Rem- Sabbath afternoon. In the
background can be seen the
brandt and Daumier."
This was the tribute of the Ark, and nearby an elder
great late artist, John Sloan, to student stands, also in reli-
Iia Moskowitz, who recently gious study. This painting ex-
complet d an exhibition e in De- presses the humbleness of
troit along with his talented Man in the simple surround-
img,i of the Synagogue.
wife, Anna Barry.
The artist has captured kind-
For those to whom line and
form are supreme, the beauti- ness and sincerity in the facs
ful, dramatic work of Ira Mos- of these students of the Lord.
kowitz will be a continuing He has joined on the canvas
source of aesthetic satisfaction., and given them true depth in
Among the younger American his technique of texture. The
artists, he has been recognized faces are lined with centuries
as one of the foremost. His work, of hardship but soft with devo-
done with sincerity and sureness, tion and awe.
will establish him as an out-
The painting can only be
standing creator.
named "The Sabbath." Its
. Ira Moskowitz wasborn in the size is 20x24 and can be seen
Carpathean Mountains . in Po- at the.• • home of Mrs. M.
land in 1912 and came to this Gannes, 5467 .W. Outer Drive.
country at the age of 15. He is The artist has left this work
the son of Rabbi Israel Mosko- for disposal' • in the Detroit
witz. He has traveled through community.
Europe, Africa and Asia, where
Anna Barry studied at the
his work was widely acclaimed,
and has spent considerable time National Academy of Design in
in Israel where his work now is New York and at the Academic
displayed.
Montmartre in Paris, France.
He is represented in the fol- She had exhibited widely, both
lowing museums: Metropolitan in the United States and in
Museum of Art, Whitney Muse- Europe. She is represented in
um of Art, Carnegie Institute, many museums and private col-
Library of Congress, Cincinnati
such as Greer Garson,
Museum of Art, Houston Muse- lections,
Mrs.
Howard
Wurlitzer, Cin-
um, Dallas Museum, Santa Fe cinnati M u s E.
e u m, Dartmouth
Museum, Guathom
College; Dallas Museum, etc.
She is one of the outstanding
Ira Moskowitz received the portrait
painters-in America to-
following awards: Guggenheim 'day. -
Fellowship, Library of Congress,
Pennell Show, American.Society
of Etchers, Artist for Victory, 20 — THE JEWISH NEWS'
American at War.
Friday, January 9, 1953

JOINT ANNUAL MEETING

-

JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICE BUREAU
RESETTLEMENT SERVICE

Sunday, January 18, 1953, 2 P.M.

Jewish Community Center, 4059 W. Davison

Election of Board` members

TEL AVIV, (JTA)—The popu-
lation of jsrael stands currently
at 1,629,000, of whom 1,450,000
are Jews and 179,000 are non-
Jews, according to J. Shai, di-
rector of the Israel Government
Immigration Service.
Immigration brought 22,500
newcomers to the Jewish State
in the first 11 months of 1952,
Mr. Shai said, but 12,500 others
left. The natural population
increase through births
amounted to 33,000 for the same
period, or 77 percent of the to-
tal increase.
During the four .years of Is-
rael's statehood 39,000 emigrated
from this country, a figure
which amounted to six percent
of the number who came here
from other lands. Some 20,000
of Israel's permanent residents
have refused to surrender their
present nationality in order to
receive Israel nationality, in-
cluding some nationals of the
Soviet Union and other East Eu-
ropean countries.

Member of Israel's Atomic
Energy Commission in U.S.
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Prof.
Samuel Sambursky, director of
the Israel Research Council and
a member of Israel's Atomic
Energy Commission has arrived
in the United States for a four-
month visit. to scientific and re-
search institutions at the invi-
tation of the U.S. State Depart-
ment.

SERVING

Apartment House
And Home Owners

Reports of Activities—Future Plans

Amendments to JSSB By-Laws

FOR OVER 35 YEARS

1. To provide for nomination of Board members by pe-
tition, in addition to present method of nominations
by the Nominating Committee.

2„ To change words "Community Fund"
dation."

Israel's Population
Has 179,000 Non-Jetvs

"United Foun-

H. JACOBSON
COAL CO.

WAInut 1-3617

Jewish Life in 16th Century Turkey
Interestingly Evaluated in New Book

The history of an important
period in Jewish history has
been preserved in the Responsa
of Rabbi Samuel DeMedina, and
Dr. Morris - H. Goodblatt of Phil-
adelphia has evaluated thein in
a scholarly book, "Jewish Life in
Turkey in the XVIth Century
as Reflected in the. Legal Writ-
ings of Samuel DeMedina." The
book, published by the Jewish
Theological Seminary, is being
distributed by Bloch Publishing
Co.
This volume includes the bio-
graphy of Rabbi DeMida
(RaSHDaM) and 18 illustrative
Responsa 'by. the noted 16th
century scholar who entered
into disputes with Rabbi Joseph
Karo, the author of the Shul-
han -Arukh, and whose legal de-
cisions are referred to with rev-
erence and are considered of
great importance.
Rabbi Goodblatt's study is of
prime interest, however, as an
evaluation of the history of the
Jews in Turkey, as a record of
the days after the Spanish In-
quisition when Marranos sought
refuge in Turkey, as an evalua-
tion of the economic, social and
religious activities of Jews of
that era.
The author points out that
the story of 16th century TurkiSh
Jewry has meaning for 20th
century American Jewry—both
representing a coalescence Of
Jews from different parts of the
world. But, he adds, "Turkish
Jewry could • fall back only upon
its inner resources." The chief
lesson of that period is summed
up as teaching "the marvelous
vitality of Jewish Law."
Rabbi Goodblatt declares that
"the growth of Jewish life in
Turkey during this period is a
tribute' to the Jew's ability for
self-government, his unique
talent to maintain a minority
culture and his power to read-
just his religious, social and cul-
tural ways of living amid chang-
ing scenes and circumstances."

The book adds valuable in-
formation. to the available story

.

.

of the Marranos' struggle to re-
tain an underground Jewish life.
The story of Dona Gracia Menes
her conflicts with her sister, her
eventual triumph over the In-:-
quisition and her return to Ju-
daism is an espeCially faSeinat-
ing portion of the bobk.
Of great value also is the re-
view of the history of Salonika,
which at one time was a power-;.
ful Jewish city, where most of
the activities were in Jewish
hands, including the. port, where
the Sabbath . was observed
strictly as an official day of rest
DeMedina's controversies with
other rabbi s, the communal
structure of the time, the mar-
riage customs and numerous re-
ligious observances, the relations
of the Jewish community with
non-Jews and other aspects of
Jewish life are interestingly
evaluated.
Students of law as well as lay-
men will enrich their knowledge
by reading the Responsa which
deal with many social and eco-
nomic problems.
In its totality, Rabbi Good-
blatt's is most fascinating and
informative book. It enriches
Jewish scholarship.

Peanut Crop Expected
To Add 3,000 Tons Oil

JERUSALEM. (I I P) — Israel
will expand the area devoted to
the raising of peanuts next sea-
son to reach 25,00 dunams.
The disclosure of increased
planting followed an announce-
ment that the Ministry had ap-
proved an allocation for the
purchase of additional seeds for
the expanded cultivation.
A spokesman for the Ministry
estimated that the country
would gain 3,000 tons of oil from
the total expected yield next
season of 10,000 tons of peanuts.

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MATZOH ME

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You Are Cordially Invited
To See and • Drive
"The Eniirely New Throtkgh
and Through"

1953

FRIDAY and SATURDAY, JANUARY 9th and 10th

JERRY McCARTHY
HIGHLAND CHEVROLET CO,

12897 WOODWARD. Highland Park

TO. 8 8000

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