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Leo Motzkin =Tribute to a Great Leader

PI

OBITUARIES

To Leo Motzkin, the Zionist action for the victims of the
Congress at Basle (1897) was a pogroms. His fruitful work was
new world, a revelation, almost always for the benefit of the
wi
Many of the leading personal- a new belief. Here a tribune Jewish people as a whole —
JACK RUBIN, 19197 Indiana,
LOUIS STOCKER, formerly
es,
ities and politicians who serve was being created on which Palestine and the Diaspora.
of Detroit, died Aug. 21, in To- died Aug. 27. He leaves his
their people glory in being cen- Jews could s p e a k freely and
When the "Comite des Delega- ronto, Ont. He leaves his wife, wife, Nettie; a son, Mark Mar-
t. tral figures and are lost in ad- openly before all the world, in tions Juives" was created in Molly; two sons, Ben, of Detroit, cus; and a grandchild.
miration of their own speeches order to achieve their own na- Paris in March, 1919, on the and Harold; three daughters,
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and actions. But how, different tional home and to become an initiative of the American Jew- Mrs. Lillian Ehrlich, of Detroit,
>2. was Leo Motzkin, the idealist, equal member of the family of ish Congress, with the participa-
Mrs. Anne Martin, of Sudbury,
fighter and leader! Oblivious of nations. Motzkin was present at tion of various organizations, Ont., and Mrs. Miriam Rosen;
:vs
himself, he saw only others and, nearly all the Zionist Con- Motzkin as a matter of course four brothers, Harry, George,
k.,
above all. the suffering Jews. gresses, and each Congress was became secretary and then pres- Sam and Allan; and two sisters,
I
By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
yl He gave up his studies and hiS a fresh source of spiritual in- ident of the Comite. His work Sarah Pearlman and Belle Lee-
(Copyright., 1958, JTA, Inc.)
academic career and concerned spiration to him. His mathe- for the Comite des Delegations man.
.It is customary to bury a
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himself with only one thing: the matically-trained mind helped to Juives is part of Jewish history.
man in a Talis ( prayer shawl).
well-being of his people. Simple, formulate the "Basle Program", It consisted mainly in activities
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JACOB MOSCOW, a Detroit
A number of reasons are of-
honest, loyal, he was a noble and to complete the formation at the League of Nations where resident for 44 years before re- fered for this custom. It is
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character. a teacher of his gen- of the World Zionist Organiza- 14 states adopted provisions for tiring to El Paso, Tex., last year, claimed by some that the dead
a guide to Zionists and tion. He gave a report at the the° protection of Jewish minori- died Aug. 24, in El Paso. Ser- should wear a Talis since they
es
to "Landespolitiker". Stephen S. second Congress (1898) on the ties in their Peace Treaties. vices and interment in El Paso. are required to observe the
E. Wise appreciated his wisdom conditions and the colonization Motzkin became the roving Jew- He leaves his wife, Dora; a son, Mitzvah of Tzitzith (fringes).
which inspired the people, Na- efforts in Palestine, sat on many ish ambassador for the Diaspora Gabriel, of Detroit; a daughter, Some claim that the Talis is
l= hum Sokolow described him as commissions and exercised his Jews—the role now occupied by Mrs. H. L. Yaker, of El Paso; put on the corpse so as not to
embarrass trim in relation to
‘..; "our leader of the kind heart," influence on the development of Nahum Goldmann. Motzkin or- and seven grandchildren.
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the living who are obliged to
C and Nahum Goldmann referred the Zionist movement.
ganized world-wide relief cam-
SAMUEL H. GOLDMAN, carry on the Mitzvot while he
to him as a symbol "of the fight
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paigns, Jewish League of Na-
Motzkin remained a politi-
for Jewish rights in the Galuth."
tion Societies. and took part in 22141 Stratford, Oak Park, died has been relieved of them, being
cal Zionist and a follower of
the Congress of National Minori- Sept. 1. Survived by his wife, considered helpless.
Leo Motzkin (born Dec. 6,
Herzl, though he belonged to
It is particularly the Talis
ties and in the Inter-Parliamen- Gloria; a son, Philip; a daugh-
1867. at prowary, near Kiev.
the founders of the "Demo-
tary Union. He also' wrote a ter, Marcy; his parents, Mr. and which is put on him since the
died Nov. 6. 1933, in Par i s,
cratic Faction," the first or-
Rabbis
claim that the Mitzvah
number of historically valuable Mrs. Morris I. Goldman; and of Tzitzith (fringes) which is
where his remains were trans-
ganized Zionist opposition.
two
sisters.
books.
ferred to Palestine) came to
At the time of the First World
fulfilled by wearing the Talis
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Berlin a f t-e r the Russian po- War, when the headquarters of
Motzkin ceaselessly warned
IDA ROSENBERG, of Los is in itself equal to the total of
groms and began to study math- the Zionist Organization were
of the threatening clouds
all the Mitzvith of the Torah.
Angeles, Calif., died Aug. 29. There are some who claim that
ematics and economics. In the transferred to Copenhagen,
which w e r e darkening the
midst of his studies, however, he Motzkin took charge of the
Services and interment in Los the Talis isi put on the corpse
German sky. He said to the
Angeles. She leaves her hus- to publicly display that he oh-
was gripped by an idea which "Copenhagen Bureau". He sub-
German Jews: "It is charac-
band, Sam; a son, Melvin; a served this Mitzvah in his life-
held him with magnetic force sequently became a member of
teristic that in- the very coun-
daughter,
Mrs. Reva Fidler; a ti me.
and induced him to devote the the Zionist Executive, chairman
tries where the menace of
brother, Sam Leber; three sis-
It is also claimed that the
rest of his life to a noble mis- of the Zionist Actions Commit-
pogroms is growing, the Jews
ters, Mrs. Mildred Neuman. Mrs. Talis is put on the corpse so
sion—to bring hope to his peo- tee and president of some Zion-
do not believe in them." That
Sophie
Bigman
and
Mrs.
Sarah
that
when the resurrection
ple and to teach them to help ist Congresses.
is what happened in Russia
Orechkin; and three grandchild- comes he will be fully dressed
themselves. In 1889, at the age
(1881), in Kishinev (1903),
A Congress without Motzkin
to greet the new world and the
ren.
of 22. Motzkin founded in Ber- could hardly-be imagined,
and "anything could happen"
Messiah. Some sects only use
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lin the "Russian-Jewish Scien-
in Germany. Restless Motzkin
Leo Motzkin considered the
BERTHA JASIE. of Miami the Talis for the processional
tific Society" which soon adopt- Jews of the world as an entity,
could find no peace. He fore-
Beach., Fla., died Aug. 30. in which brings the deceased to
ed the name of "Kadimah". He a unit, a people. He fought for
saw the gloomy future and
Detroit. She leaves a son, Ira the grave and then remove the
was also one of the organizers the rights of all Jews, whether knew that "something atroci-
Walsey, of Miami Beach; a Talis when he is buried.
of the Zionist society "Young in Palestine or Poland. For this
ous, unprecedented" was men-
It is customary to disqual-
daughter, Mrs. Hugo Slatkin; a
Israel". Both these groups were reason, he hearkened both to acing in Germany, a country
ify the Tzitzith of the Talis
brother,
eight
grandchildren
erlin Zionist centers Eretz Israel and to the cries of
the first
which represented the "Mid-
before burying the dead.
and a great grandchild.
whose m mbers mostly came oppressed Jews, wherever they
die Ages, equipped with the
Since the Talith stands for
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as pp Among them were. He turned his gaze to
from the
all
Mitzvoth of the Torah
cunning. instruments of mod-
NEWTON WEINGARDEN. and the
it would be too obvious an
were Marcus renpreis. Shmar- Palestine as well as to the coup-
ern times." To defy this and
17311 Washburn, died Aug. 30. exaggeration to indicate that
ya Levin. Selig Soskin, Nachinan tries of the Diaspora. He studied
other deadly perils, he colla-
He leaves his wife. Dorothy; a the deceased kept every single
Syrkin and Chaim Weizmann. "The Situation of the Jewish
borated with Stephen S. Wise,
son, Louis: two daughters:" Mitzvah, the Tzitzith are dis-
The mainspring and d r i ving Colonies in Palestine" (pub-
Bernard S. Deutsch and Judge
Elaine and Mrs. Morton Tut- qualified by cutting or twist-
force. however. was Leo Motz- lished as a pamphlet in 1898),
Julian W. Mack of the Ameri-
nauer, of New York City; his ing them around, to indicate
kin. In 1893, "Y o u n g Israel" and also "The Jewish Pogroms
can Jewish Congress, and
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isadore that it is admitted that the de
planned to convene a Congress in Russia" (Cologne-Leipzig.
Nahum Sokolow, Nahum Gold- Wet
n, of Flint; and two ceased was not perfect in the
of Zionists 'which was also to 1910) and simultaneously advo- - mann and other personalities,
life of this world. Some claim
i brothers.
deal with the question of fight- cated Zionism and "Gegenwart-
in order to achieve an organ-
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that this is done so as not to
ing anti-Semitism in Germany, sarbeit". In 1891-92, he pub-
ized world Jewry—a World
HARRY I. COVENT. 19195 bury a perfectly good Talis
Jewish
Congress.
Then Theodor Herzl ap-
lished articles in "Selbst-Eman-
Leo Motzkin believed in the Whitcomb, died Aug. 31. He which still could have been
peared and ideas were turned
cipation", edited by Mathias
leaves his wife, Sophia: two used by the living.
Also, it is customary not to
into deeds.
Acher, and la t e r issued the power of a united Jewry.
sons Alvin P. and Paul J.. of
Motzkin did not live to see Chicago, a brother and two
make knots in the shrouds of
Correspondence"
Herzl was to M o t z k i n his "R u s s i a n
the leceased.
"greatest spiritual experience", (1908-1914) in which he pleaded the realization of his aim—the grandchildren.
This prohibition kg a i n s t
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and without hesitation he put for equality for the Jews. He first assembly of the World
JOSEPH BYER. 4034 Tuxedo, knots in the shrouds of the de-
his services unreservedly at the showed deep understanding for Jewish Congress and the estab-
ceased
is, considered an omen
25. Survived by his
disposal of the author of "The the work of the Jewish National lishment of the State of Israel.
fied
of our belief in the coming re-
Jewish State". A dispute arose Fund and for the Jewish Colo- Yet his spirit lives and has not wife, Esther; a daughter. Mrs. 5urrection of the dead. The
within the little group of Ber- nial Bank. as well as for the been forgotten. It lives on in Robert Jackson; and four grand- presence of a knot would in-
lin Zionists: some wished to con- question of Jewish emigration Israel where Leo Motzkin is children.
dicate interference in his free-
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tinue their "quiet. practical and for an accurate statistical interred on the Mount of Olives
dom to be resurrected. The ab-
work' and w e r C. therefore, survey of the Jewish people. He and where a colony, "Kiryat
sence of any knots whatever
Motzkin,"
has
been
named
after
against: Herzl and Isis plan to took- part in the "Helsingfore
lingame, died Aug. 29. Survived gives credence to the belief
him,
it
lives
on
in
the
Zionist
by his wife, Mae; two sons. Baf- that the deceased proceed with-
convene a Zionist Congress. At Conference" (1906) where guar-
a rather stormy meeting. Motz- antees for the rights of Jewish Organization, in the World Jew- ney and Morton; three daugh- out interference on their course
ish
Congress,
and
it
will
be
per-
ters, Dina, of Omaha, Neb., as provided by the Almighty
kin's address helped to win over minorities were d e m a n d e d.
the Berlin Zionists -for the Con- While directing the "Copenha- petuated in the history of the Mamy. of California, and Fay; a • and that they are free to move
Jewish
people.
brother: and a sister. when called upon by the Lord.
gress and for political Zionism. gen Bureau", he initiated relief
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LOUIS NOVAK, 18624 'Ilene. Presbyterians to Expand
died Aug: 30. Survived by his Jewish Proselytization
wife. Rose; a daughter, Mrs.
PITTSBURGH (AJP ) — Con
Louis Ornstein: and three grand-
eluding an eight-day conference
children.
here, the new United Presby-
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LENA YAFFE, 723 Moore. terian Church made a number
o recommendations. one of the
Ann Arbor, died Aug. 31. Sur- of
vived by three sons. Max. Sam- most important of which was
uel and Hyman, all of Ann Ar- that a greater proselyting en-
bor; three daughters, Mrs. Les- ergy should be exerted upon
ter Wolfe, Mrs. Lester Bray, of Jews.
commission report to the
Ann Arbor, and Mrs. Edward
Attar, of Walled Lake; t w o conference stated, "We would
brothers and two grandchildren. remind our people. since most
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Jews are such in name only,
JACK DOCKS. 19454 Prest, that in a spirit of true repent-
died Aug. 28. He leaves his ance for our own mistreatment
wife, Mae; two sons, Daniel and o of the Jew we should take seri-
Edward; three brothers and a ously our responsibility for
winning them to. Christ, and
sister.
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should be prepared to surround
SAM SCH W ART Z. 3 200 the converted Jew with the coin-
Buena Vista, died Monday. Sur- munity of Christian love."
vived by - his wife, two sons, a
I feel myself driven toward
daughter and eight grandchil-
an end that I do not know. As
dren.
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soon as I shall have reached it,
LILLIAN PETTER, 238 Ford, as soon' as I shall become un-
Highland Park. died Aug. 30. necessary, an atom will suffice
She leaves her husband, James. to shatter me. —Napoleon

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London Correspondent
of The Jewish News

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