Cecil Roth-Edited, One-Volume Encyclopedia,
His 'Look of Uay', 'Man Adler's 'Jewish
Travelers' Comment Appear Simulaneously
Dr. Cecil Roth is one of the
great scholars of our time. His
literary works have enriched the
Jewish libraries. His research in
medieval historic occurrences has
elevated him to a position of am
thority on many periods of Jewish
history.
A new book by him, or one
he haS edited or compiled, is not
news. But when three important
volumes appear with his name on
the same day, they add -to the
uniqiieness of his accomplishments.
Indeed, on pratically the same
day there appeared the third re-
vised edition of "The Standard
Jewish Encyclopedia," published
by. Doubleday (277 Park, NY17)
edited by Roth; and two volumes
DR. CECIL
CECIL ROTH
from Hermon Press (10 E. 40th,
NY16) : "The Jewish Book of
Days," a new edition of a Roth
classic, and "Jewish Travelers"
by Elkan N. Adler, a new edition
with a preface by Roth.
They are not all Roth's works:
only "Jewish Book of Days" is
strictly his; yet the fact that he
had edited one great work—the
encychipedia—new in a revised
edition with some new material—
and had edited and written a pref-
ace to another noteworthy work-
Adler's—makes the eminent schol-
ar and author stand out as a very
creative force in Jewish life.
For many years, "The Jewish
Book of Days" was a source
book for those seeking informa-
tion about major events in our
history. Dr. Roth had selected
for this volume, the first edition
of which was published 35 years
ago, unusual items about people
and events. The book's sub-title
states that it is "a day-by-day
almanac of events from the set-
tlement of the Jews in Europe,
to the Balfour Declaration," but
in his new, revised edition, Dr.
Roth has included items from
191'7 to 1948—the year of Is-
rael's establishment—and a few
minor errors were corrected.
Some of the items in this vol-
ume are very brief, some run
more than a page or two. A typical
example of the contents is this
item for Jan. 24:
Massacre at Aix-en-Provence,
1436.—A Jew of the city, Astruc
de Leon, had been fined 100
livres on the accusation of hav-
ing spoken disrespectfully of the
Virgin Mary. The populace con-
sidered the punishment too light
and clamored for his death. This
was obtained: but, their appetite
for blood being whetted, the mob
fell upon the Jews of the city
and environs. Nine persons were
slain; and '74 accepted baptism
to escape death. "That was a
day of desolation," writes an an-
cient chronicler, "when the con-
gregation was suddenly plun-
dered and destroyed 'the waters
imperiling life.' Look down, 0
God, and help us for the sake
of Thy name.' "
The chronological index that ap-
peared in the original volume is
reprinted and appended to it is a
list of the memorable events, 1917-
1948. Included in these are the
Nov. 9, 1938, Kristallnacht in Ger-
many, the Austrian Anschluss of
March 13, 1938; the passage of the
Nuremberg laws of September
1935; the "Final Solution" crime,
the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, etc.
There is great fascination in
Elkan N. Adler's "Jewish Trav-
elers." The book is "a treasury
of travelogues from nine cen-
turies," containing accounts of
most noteworthy travelers and
the events that marked the eras
during which they lived. Editor
Elkan Adler's introductory es-
say is in itself a valuable con-
tribution to the subject. The em-
inent editor, who in his own
rights was, as a traveler, an
authority on the subject of his
book, makes interesting com-
ments that will create a new in
terest in the subject under dis-
cussion. In his preface to the
new edition, Dr. Roth explains
that Elkan Adler was the son of
Nathan Adler, who was elected
Chief Rabbi of Great Britain in
1845 and the half-brother of Her-
man Adler who followed his fa-
ther as British Chief Rabbi in
1891.
About Elkan Adler, Roth writes
in his introduction: "He bought
Inquisitional documents in the
Iberian Peninsula and in South
America; he recovered the ancient
liturgy of the Persian Jews . .
he was in the Cairo `Genizah' be-
fore Schechter, though he con-
tended himself (to his permanent
regret in after-years) with remov-
ing a couple of sacks of documen-
tal material . . . He not only col-
lected books; he also knew them
and loved them: and his own inde-
pendent publications . . • were of
considerable importance."
The travelers in this volume
commence with Eginhard of Fran-I
conia, of the year 801, and con-
tinue through the centuries with,
many significant names—such as'
Judah Halevi, 1085-1140; Benjamin
of Tudela, of the 12th Century;
David Reubeni, 1500-35, and many
others—through to David Azulai,
1724-1806.
A brief chapter is devoted to
"The Cairo Genizah," making ref-
erence to Benjamin of Tudela and
the 9th Century "Book of Ways."
* *
The One-Volume Encyclopedia
The revised, third edition of
"The Standard Jewish Encyclope-
dia," the first edition of which was
published in 1959, is a vast prod-
uct, prepared in Israel under the
sponsorship of Dr. Cecil Roth. It
has 1,978 columns, containing more
than 8,000 items that were written
by more than 200 scholars.
The revisions in the new edition
contains up-to-date material in
many fields, especially archaeol-
ogy.
There are 12 full color maps,
hundreds of biographical notes,
historical data, explanatory notes
on theological and traditional sub-
jects. There are reproductions on
paintings on Jewish subjects and
hundreds of illustrations.
Starred names ate those of
non-Jews who played their roles
in Jewish history. There are
many references to Christians
who have been linked with Jew-
ish occurrences, with the Zion-
ist and other movements.
The original names of many
prominent Israelis who have adopt-
ed Hebrew names are given here.
For instance, Shazar's family
name of Rubashov, Ben-Yehudah's
name of Perelmann and other facts
in nomenclature are given here.
Of interest to Detroiters is the
listing of the Butzel Family; Michi-
gan, Detroit, the LaMed Founda-
tion and other items of interest
locally.
The brevity of the items is espe-
cially valuable for the average
layman. It assists teachers, pupils,
parents in searching for Jewish in-
formation. This one-volume ency-
clopedia has immense value.
History's Many 'Ifs'
By CARL ALPERT
History affords us many oppor-
tunities to ask, "What if . . . ?"
What if Brandeis had won out
at the famous Zionist convention
in Cleveland in 1921, and begin-
ning with those early days the
foundations of the State-to-be were
built on the basis of investment
and industrial expansion, instead
of on philanthropy and on the
principle of adding a cow to an-
other cow?
What if Max ,Nordau's advice
had been heeded after World War
I, and several million Jews had
been evacuated at once' to Pales-
tine from Russia and Poland?
When told that there was no hous-
ing for them there, Nordau re-
plied: let them live in tents. It
will be better than the fate that
awaits them in Europe.
What if Moshe Sharett, and not
Ben-Gurion, had been in top
leadership during the early cru-
cial and formative years of the
State?
What if hundreds of thousands
of Arabs had not fled from Israel
in 1948, and had remained behind
to become citizens of the new
State?
What if, in the flush of enthus-
iasm after creation of Israel, a
dozen of the top leaders of Ameri-
can Zionism had demonstratively
gone to settle in Israel, thus per-
haps creating a mood and an at-
mosphere leading to large-scale
and continuing immigration there
by American Jewish businessmen,
industrialists and intellectuals?
What effect might this have had
on the character and development
of the country?
What if . . . but surely the
reader can add further- para-
graphs of his own.
The course of history is rarely
inevitable. Events might well
have turned out otherwise—if ...
And so the reader is invited to
put aside all prejudice and all
subjective considerations, and pon-
der how the status of modern
Israel might have been different
if other, decisions had been made,
or different personalities had been
at the helm. Some of the conclu-
sions to which we may come will
perhaps verge on fantasy; others
may have been - on the very thresh-
hold of possible reality.
What would have happened in
Jewish history if Theodor Herzl
had succeeded in convincing the
Zionist Congress to accept the
British offer of Uganda for the
setting up of at least a temporary
Jewish homeland?
How different would things
in the Middle East today if W .
ston Churchill had not, in the early
1920's, arbitrarily separated the
East bank of the Jordan River
from Palestine, laying the ground
for the later creation of the arti-
ficial kingdom of Jordan?
What would have been the
course of Zionist history if Vladi-
mir Jabotinsky had remained
within the disciplined Zionist fold,
and had been afforded opportun-
ity to help shape the course of
events which eventually led to es-
tablishment of Israel?
There is no doubt that the poli-
tical constellation in the Middle
East would certainly have been
much different if King Abdullah
of Jordan had not been assassinat-
ed some sixteen years ago, and
had been permitted to continue
his negotiations with representa-
tives of Israel, leading to ultimate
restoration of normal relations be-
tween the two countries, to mutual
benefit of each.
Gamal Abdel Nasser was an
Egyptian soldier during the War
of 1948, and was at one time cap-
tured by the Israelis, but later re-
leased. What if he had fallen an
the field of battle, as did so many
other soldiers at the time? It is
no answer to say that "someone
else" would have arisen in Egypt.
What would the situation be to-
day if pressure from a few myopic-
visioned officials of the U.S. State
Department had not compelled
withdrawal of Israel from Sinai
and Gaza after the Suei Cam-
paign? •
HEBREW SELF-TAUGHT
BY
drink (m.s.)
shoh-te
jam
ree-bah
there is (are)
yehsh
why?
Mh-inah
love (m.s.)
oh-hehv
AHARON ROSEN
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.167
V: .168
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=if:lig .170
bread
le-km
cheese
g'veenah
white
lah-vahn
black
shah-liohr
eat (m.s.)
oh-khehl
Israeli Arabs Given 2 Hebrew U. Scholarships
The eleventh annual Judah L.
Magnes Scholarships at the He-
brew University of Jerusalem have
been awarded to Mustapha Mah-
mud Haj Yehiya and Daher Na-
bia, Israeli-born Arab students.
The announcement was made by
James Marshall, president of the
Magnes Foundation, the donor of
the scholarships.
The scholarships, named for the
first president of the Hebrew Uni-
EVER SEEN A
HEBREW MAP?
The names
are familiar .. •
No, it's not a map of Israel,
but of the Far East .. .
Look for such places as North
Vietnam, South Vietnam, China,
Formosa, Malaysia; Borneo, In-
don,esia and others on this map,
published recently in HAAB.ETZ,
Israel's Independent Daily.
Special Feature Prepared by Tarbut Ivrit Foundation
for the Advancement of Hebrew Culture.
32—Friday, February 10, 1967
versity, are given to Arab or Druze
students for notable scholastic
achievement. Dr. Magnes was
president of the university from
its inception in 1925 until his
death in 1948.
Marshall, a New York attorney,
is a former president of the New
York City Board of Education. For
many years he served as a vice-
president of the American Friends
of the Hebrew University.
Haj Yehiya, • who was born in
the village of Taibeh and received
education there, is now in his third
year of study at the university
where he is working towards his
bachelors degree in sociology and
political science.
Nabia, a native of the village of
Sajour in Upper Galilee, studied
at the Seminary for Arab teachers
in Jaffa. A graduate student in the
Faculty of Humanities, he chose
as his major subjects Hebrew and
statistics. He received his BA
degree in Hebrew last October.
The Hebrew University has
student body of over 12,000 an
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS a faculty of approximately 1,4\
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—
Nng material in vocalized Easy Hebrew, and also material for advanced stu-
'may be obtained by writing to: Brit Ivrit Olamit, P.O.B. 7111, Jerusalem,
Published by Brit Ivrit olamit