Israel Leases 500,000 Dunams to JINF

An historic agreement leasing 500,000 dunams (125 acres) of
Israeli land to the Jewish National Fund for development purposes
is signed by (from left) JNF World Chairman Jacob Tsur; Minister
of Agriculture Chaim Gevati; and Joseph Weitz, head of the Lane
Development Authority. Gevati said the addition of these "hitherto
untouched, unexploitable re gi ons will make it possible for the JNF
to draw up a comprehensive plan to enrich the landscape, create
an expanded base for agricultural settlement, assist in populating
uninhabited areas and provide tly3 state with incalculable assets."

Irony in Anti-Sernitism: biased
Hotel Once Owned by Jews

On Jan. 11, 1966, the Anti-Defa-
mation League of Bnai Brith filed
a complaint with the United
States Department of Justice
against Cloister hotel of Sea
Island, Georgia. The complaint
against the famous resort cited it
for "an open and notorious policy
of discrimination against would-be
Jewish guests. "The irony of the
situation was exposed by Prof.
Jacob R. Marcus, director of the
American Jewish Archives, in Cin-
cinnati. Research by Dr.- Marcus
revealed that all three Sea Islands
were at one time owned by or
mortgaged to Jewish pioneers in
Colonial America. A half interest
in two of the islands was held
by Isaac Levy, of New York. The
other island was held as security
by the Sheftall brothers, who were
among the leaders of Georgia
Jewry during the 18th Cen-
tury. The loan on the third Sea
Island had been made to Button
Gwinnett, one of the signatories to
the Declaration of Independence.
The files of the American
Jewish Archives on the Cincinnati
campus of the Hebrew Union Col-
lege-Jewish Institute of Religion
contain records which show that.
in 1754, Isaac Levy, an enterpris-
ing merchant, had purchased a
half interest in two of the Sea
Islands from Governor Ellis of
Georgia and Thomas Bosomworth,
an influential and colorful Angli-
can clergyman. In 1760, Bosom-
worth disregarded Levy's half in-
terest and relinquished control of
the two islands to the British
Crown. After many petitions and a
wait of eight years, the British
Board of Trade recommended that
a small monetary compensation be
paid to Levy.
The third Sea Island was held
in security for a loan by the Shef-

tall brothers. This family had first
come to Georgia in 1733, only a
few months after the colony's
founding.
Benjamin Sheftall, a native of
Germany, had arrived in the col-
ony as a member of the first group
of Jewish immigrants. His son,
Mordecai, born in Georgia in 1735,
later became active in Georgia as
a rancher, a tanner of leathers,
a lumberer, and a shipper. During
the Revolutionary period, Morde-
cai and his son were ardent pat-
riots and distinguished themselves
in the service of the Continental
armies. Mordecai served for a
period as chairman of the rebel
Committee of Christ Church
Parish, which included Savannah.
He and his son, Sheftall, were
captured by the British and held
prisoner for months. On their re-
lease, however, they resumed their
activities on behalf of the Revolu-
tionary cause.
This, Dr. Marcus points out, is
the heritage that Cloister of Sea
Island, Georgia, repudiates when
it insists on excluding Jews from
its "carefully chosen, congenial
clientele."

Samuel Judah—Early Detroit Fur Trader

In the winter of 1784 Judah af-
By IRVING I. KATZ
fixed his signature to a petition of
Executive Secretary,
the English and French subjects
Temple Beth El
Samuel Judah, one of the execu- of Canada to the King of England
tors mentioned in the 1783 will of asking for a House of Representa-
Chapman Abraham, Detroit's first tives and the full enjoyment of
known Jewish settler, was heavily their civil rights.
In 1787 Judah and his non-Jew-
engaged in the fur trade at De-
troit before and after the Ameri- ish partner, Isaac Melcher, peti-
can Revolution, recent research tioned Congress to confirm their
title to land in Detroit purchased
revealed.
He was born in England in 1725. from the Indians in 1780. The
His father, Abraham, was a native question of titles to lands in colon-
of Breslau, Germany, who moved ial times was a complicated one.
As a rule, purchasers were ex-
to England where he became a pected to receive some sort of
manufacturer of painter's mater- title from the Indians and then to
ials and married a daughter of obtain confirmation from the
Ezekiel Hart. In the 1770s Abra- colonial or state authorities.
ham emigrated to Montreal, Can-
Judah was somewhat of an in-
ada.
Samuel Judah and his cousin tellectual as is evidenced by the
and future brother-in-law, Aaron fact that he had a library of his
Hart, came to New York from Eng- own of over 100 books, not one of
land in the 1750s. When the Eng- which, however, was of Jewish in-
lish occupied Montreal in 1760, terest. Quite a number of the Eng-
Judah and Hart came with them lish classics were there; Shake-
to Canada and settled in Three speare, the Spector of Addison
Rivers which was then an impor- and Steele, Gibbon's Decline and
tant center for the fur trade. Well- Fall, the works of Pope and Swift,
skilled in commerce, both Judah and Smollett's "Peregrine Pickle."
and Hart engaged in the trade and Dictionaries and gazetteers and
grammers were spiced with a cook
exported extensively to England. book.
There were various bound
Hart became the richest Jew in magazines,
travel books, and an
Canada, and an old business letter occasional volume
of poetry. In
discloses that Judah's fur trade ' the field of political science his
with London at one time amounted library was represented by Acts
to 30,000 pounds, a considerable of Parliament, the Annual Register
sum for those days.
and the Parliamentary Register.
On March 27, 1775, Judah mar-
In the field of American his-
ried Elizabeth Ezekiel in London, tory he posSessed two works: Abbe
England. Judah moved to Mon- R a y n a 1 s " Philosopphica, and
treal where he is mentioned as a "Political History of the East and
merchant, landowner and as one West Endies," and Hutchinson's
engaged in the slave traffic. An "History of the Province of Massa-
active member of Montreal's Span- chusetts Bay." There were also
ish and Portuguese Synagogue — a. fifteen-volume edition of Smol-
Shearith Israel—Judah served as let's "History of England" and
a member of the committee which twenty-one volumes of Bell's "Bri-
drafted the congregation's 1779 tish Theatre." If the formula for a
constitution, and as parnass (presi- good library is the same as that
dent) of the congregation in 1780. for a good story—sex; aristocracy,
Samuel Judah and his brother, and theology—then his library con-
Uriah, were among the witnesses tained the necessary ingredients,
who appeared in the 1780s on be- for "Trials for Adultry." Bert's
half of Rev. Jacob Raphael Cohen, "Crecian Courtezan," the "Ad-
first rabbi of Montreal's Congre- ventures of a Jesuit," and a volume
gation Shearith Israel, in a dispute on the peerage rubbed elbows. It
over his remuneration which he must be admitted, however, that
took to court.

Israeli's Naming
Is Ruled Illegal;
Now 'Consultant'

NEW YORK—An "informal rul-
ing" has been handed down by the
city corporation counsel's office
that Mayor Lindsay's appointment
of an Israeli to a high government
position is illegal because he is an
alien.
Dr. Nachman Bench, 31, was
scheduled to take over as deputy
city administrator this coming Sun-
day.
Edith Kessler, attorney in the
Casablanca Governor
city
personnel department, said the
Greets Jewish Delegation Israeli's
assumption of the $20,000-
CASABLANCA (JTA)—Six new a-year post
would have violated
members of the Jewish community the
State Public Officers Law.
of Casablanca were received here
Dr. Timothy W. Costello, de-
by Colonel M. Sefriou, governor of
Casablanca. They were accom- puty mayor-city administrator,
panied by Meyer Obadia, director who recommended Bench's ap-
of the committee, and his deputy, pointment, said Dr. Bench would
instead begin working for the
Jacob Banon.
The community has been recon- city on a consultant basis Sun-
stituted in the last two years. Ten day. In this capacity, he will
of its members, about half of the work on a day-to-day basis until
Jewish community's leadership, he receives his citizenship in a
have left the country, and others short time.
Dr. Bench, a computer special-
have resigned. However, both Oba-
dia and Banon have remained with ist, came to the United States on
the nucleus of the Jewish group. a student visa in 1960.
Sen. Jacob K. Javits of New York
The Moroccan Ministry of Jus-
tice dissolved the rabbinical high said last week that he would intro-
court last winter, deciding that the duce legislation that would make
Jewish community does not need Dr. Bench a citizen . without the
a separate, religious, judicial body. usual waiting period. Dr. Costello
said he hoped such legislation
could be pushed through Congress
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
during this session.
12—Friday, April 29, 1966

During the Revolutioniry War
Judah suffered business re-
verses and by the time the 1783
Paris Peace Treaty between
England and the United States
had been signed he was bank-
rupt and was trying to settle
with his creditors for 10 per
cent on the pound. In the spring
of 1784 he was on his way to
his operational base for the In-
dian trade at Detroit with a
cargo—he had been there many
times before—hoping to improve
his fortune.

the theological ingredients were
neither very conspicuous nor pro-

found.

Judah spent the last years of
his life in New York where he
died in 1789.
Samuel Judah was a brother of
Dorothy Catherine ("Dolly") Ju-
dah who married the well-known
Aaron Hart of Three Rivers. He
was also related to Elizabeth Ju-
dah who married Chapman Abra-
ham, Detroit's first Jewish resi-
dent. Samuel Judah's grandson by
the same name, a Vincennes (In-
diana) lawyer, was Speaker of
the Indiana House of Representa-
tives in 1840. He had a fine lib-
rary, and was known for his pro-
ficiency in Greek and Latin.

Religious Leaders Protest
Decision of N.Y. Board

WASHINGTON (JTA) — SpokeS-
men for Jewish religious schools
in New York City joined with
Christian representatives here to
accuse the New York City Board
of Education of depriving poor
children of the benefits due them
under federal law.
The spokesmen made their views
known at a conference with an-
cials of the U.S. Office of Educa-
tion for which Rep. Hugh L. Casey,
Brooklyn Democrat, and member
of the House Education Commit-
tee, served as chairman. The
meeting was called at the request
of leaders of religious school sys-
tems in New York City. They
sought a review of a recent deci-
sion of the New York Board of
Education severely restricting
participation in new federal school
aid programs of more than 60,000
disadvantaged pupils in non-public

schools.

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