Rosh Hashanah Through History DETROIT JEWISH NEWS-77 Friday, September 11, 1953 Is the Story of Courageous People In a free country—where the free exercise of prayer is neither prevented nor compulsory—it is quite a human failing to take one's religion for granted. By going back into history to see how Jews of previous gener- ations observed the most holy of all seasons—the .High Holy Day time—we can get a glimpse of life in those days and also see how the devotion of . our forefathers made possible for us today the observance of our re- ligion in a free society. A most interesting story on "The New Year in History" was written several years ago by noted historian Cecil Roth in the London '. Jewish Chronicle, which gives some insight into the lives of Jews a few centuries ago. "If you happen to possess an old edition of the Selihot," Mr. Roth states, "It is worth turning up at this season of the year." On its pages, printed in large type, are yellow stains, which are actually blobs of wax. It was so dark in the syna- gogue that the printer, with not unusual forethought, had made the characters in the prayer- book very big and very dark. Nevertheless, some of the wor- shippers had brought candles with them, and swaying back and forth with the service, the wax from the candles dripped in Picture, if you can, how our blotches on their prayerbooks. pious fathers opened up their No matter where the Jew "campaign of prayer" a week to ten days in advance of the when the New Year approaches Holy Days, when the schul- he is ready for prayer, and klopfer went his rounds in the sometimes out of extemporane- ghetto, pounding on each door ous assemblies grew some of our long before dawn. Imagine, in largest and most honored con- the pitch darkness, groups of gregations. In Venice, for instance, at the people stumbling along the turn of the 16th Century, Jews had been excluded from the city. In 1508 began the War of the League of Cambrai when the Season's Best Greetings Venetian possessions were over run, and large numbers of refu- gees, including man y Jews, crowded into the city. 20500 Greenfield and Eight Mile Road When the New Year came around, Jews were permitted to 20000 Van Dyke and Outer Drive hold Divine Services, and a number of extemporized places 19430 Harper Near Seven Mile Road of worship were set up in sev- 4309 North Woodward eral houses. This may be said to have been the birth of the Venice Jewish Community. A century and a half later, Menasseh ben Israel was nego- New Year's Greetings to tiating for the return of the Jews to England. Menasseh left Our Friends and Patrons Amsterdam, Holland ; on Sept. 2, 1655, and the New Year 5416 was to dawn on Sept. 22. RICHARD'S DRIVE - IN PAUL'S STEAK HOUSE . 24000 Plymouth Rd. in Redford KEnwood 2-3930 Season's Best Wishes • SHERMAN UPHOLSTERING and MANUFACTURING CO. All Types of Upholstering Large Choice of Fabrics New Furniture Built to Order Recovering - Restyling - Satisfaction Guaranteed UN. 2-8341 7738 Fenkell New Year Greetings CASPAR CLEANERS Morris Kitay, Pres. .. Operate Our Own Plant" 19535 W. Warren, Corner Auburn LU. 1-4488 Detroit 28, Mich. Best Wishes to the Jewish Community O'BRIEN TEXTILES Corporation Wiping Cloths Industrial Textiles Tack Rogs Rewash Service Textile Specialties 13065 RIOPELLE TO. 8-1870 New Year Greetings Suedes Structural Steel Co. Steel TU. 1-6644 , Best Wishes for a .Happy Holiday COLSON EQUIPMENT CO. 1 5336 W. 'Warren, Dearborn LU. 2-0200 Holiday Good Wishes cobbled street until the syna- gogue was crowded. His success in organizing services is expressed better in newspaper clippings of the time, which stated that "On the High Festivals • Jewish services were held in London with all due formality . . . for The first time since the Jews had been driven out by Ed- ward I, 365 years before." The New Year in Jewish his- tory, however, as Mr. Roth states, has "not been uniformly bright." In 1553, for example, grief and mourning reigned in Jewish ranks. It was the height of the Catholic Reaction, and the pOsition of Jews, particular- ly in Italy, was becoming more and more precarious. Vittorio Eliano, grandson of the eminent scholar, Elias Le- vita, together with his brother, SolomOn Romano and a couple of other converts from Judaism had proclaimed the Talmud blaSphemous, and the great work was immediately con- demned. New Year—Rosh Hashanah, 1553—was proclaimed as book burning day, and while Jews assembled in their synagogue praying for a year of peace and freedom, all copies of the Tal- mud and other Jewish works were being burned on the Cam- po dei Fiori. The same man who had car- ried out the Talmud burning or- der, Cardinal Caraffa, was now in 1558, Pope Paul IV. He sent Philip Moro to Rome, armed with a license to preach to the Jews. It was the Day of Atonement, and Moro thought this an ideal time to preach to the Jews, and set up his Crucifix in front of the Ark. This was more than the whit e robed worshippers could bear, and they forced him to leave the synagogue. The opportunity was now there. Moro, s a yin g the Jews molested him and insulted the sacred symbol he bore, summon-• d the townspeople. A near riot was halted, but soon after the ommunity suffered complete end final banishment. "Within the lifetime of men then living," writes Mr. Roth, "the tide of persecution began I ' to turn." He tells the story of a group of dark-skinned Span- iards—Marranos—who on Yom Kippur in 1596 met in Amster- dam for services. The service was disturbed by armed men who thought them Catholics. Wh en they expained that I hey were not persecutory Pap- i sts and instead persecuted Z ews, they were left to leave E nd continue their service. The f allowing year saw the first per- r anent synagogue established in i isterdam. 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