Contemporizing Jewish From Ararat to Zion—Mordechai Manuel Noah's
Pioneering in U. S. Zionism 145 Years Ago
Semitic voices were raised against
By JOSEF FRAENKEL
Some of the chief rabbis men-
i on
I n mer
Educat
A i ca
The early prophetic forerun- the man who was again to play an tioned in Noah's proclamation pro-
By ROBERT H. ARNOW
President, American Association
for Jewish Education; President,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
(Copyright 1971, JTA, Inc.)
The American Association for
Jewish Education has been saying
for a long time that Jewish educa-
tion must be contemporized. The
term, Contemporization, means not
only an appropriate emphasis on
current affairs as against an ob-
session with the past; it means,
especially, the recognition and
utilization of current conditions and
techniques for the enrichment of
Jewish educational opportunities.
Thus, for example, the opportuni-
ties for travel are a relatively
recent technical advance available
for educational exploitation. College
students go off to travel abroad, to
see the art and architecture, -the
people and places that have rever-
berated in their textbooks and
classrooms. So, too, Jewish students
have the opportunity to travel and
study in Israel, to visit Jewish
communities abroad, even to visit
large Jewish communities within
the United States.
For the first time the ease, speed,
and relative economy of such
study-travel, offers an unprecedent-
ed opportunity for young Jews to
learn about other Jews, to touch
and talk with them, and in turn
to be touched by them. Jewish
peoplehood becomes a reality of
experience rather than a social,
political theory which is remote
from the average young Jew. The
mere skills of learning are aug-
mented by the emotional attach-
ments that are formed by such
human contacts. This is a tangible
example of what we have in mind
when we speak of "the contempori-
zation of Jewish education."
In many communities of the
country, Bureaus of Jewish Edu-
cation, in cooperation with their
local federations and welfare
funds, plan, finance and subsi-
size extended summer study
trips.
Contemporization also implies the
utilization of the whole gamut of
Jewish communal experience in
open-school study. What happens to
he is in the informal setting of a
the child in a Jewish school when
Jewish center, or in the club of
-
his synagogue? Are these programs
planned as part of an integral
whole in the development of Jewish
identity? What happens when a
Jewish adolescent attends a sum-
mer camp under communal aus-
pices? Do these camps build upon
Jewish education, or are they an
escape from, or denial of the ef-
forts at Jewish learning? How is
the Jewish community's involve-
ment in social welfare, community
relations, housing for the under-
privileged, work with the disad-
vantaged and retarded, related to
what goes on in the formal Jewish
school setting? Is their academic
training, the emphasis on moral-
ity and Jewish values, related
to the planned work of the total
Jewish community? This, too,
is subsumed under contemporiza-
tion, because it projects the class-
room, the textbook and the ven-
erable tomes into the daily life of
young Jews.
In few areas is this need for
contemporization more evident
than in the realm of secular
studies in public high schools
and universities. There has been
an awakening to the realization
that education in a free society
should encourage knowledge of
the cultural heritages of the com-
ponent groups of this free society.
On the secondary school level,
such courses would help to correct
the distorted picture of Jews which
has so long been implicit in the
history and social studies text-
books of our schools. On the col-
lege level, a wide variety of course
offerings give Jew and Christian a
balanced picture of the place of the
Jewish heritage in the development
of Western civilization.
We have brought together a large
cross-section of faculty, laymen
and students in intensively func-
tioning committees, to help define
the meaning of Jewish studies, to
outline course and subject ideas,
to encourage and commission pub-
lication, to help in recruitment and
training, to promote the adoption
of such courses in accordance
with the highest academic stand-
ards. All of this too, is part of
contemporization, because it recog-
nizes a unique current condition
which can help generate greater
Jewish educational efforts.
A Conversation Series
Released by:
ner of modern Zionism appeared
not in Odessa, Bonn or Vienna but
in New York. He was not Russian,
German or Austrian, but an Ameri-
can whose father was Sephardi and
his mother Ashkenazi. Years be-
fore the publication of "Rome and
Jerusalem" by Moses Hess (1862),
"Auto-Emancipation" by Leon Pin-
sker (1882) and "The Jewish
State" by Theodor Herzl (1896),
Mordechai Manuel Noah's writings
and speeches engendered ideas that
helped to guide Zionist history.
Mordechai Manuel Noah (born
July 19, 1785, in Philadelphia, died
March 22, 1851, in New York) was
brought up by his maternal grand-
father to become — like his father
— an American patriot and noble
Jew. Like Theodor Herzl he studied
law, was interested in the theater
and turned to journalism. His plays
were produced on the stage and
his articles were published in vari-
ous papers. He was a gifted orator,
became involved in politics. learned
to use pistols, once fought a duel.
He was the editor of several
papers. He refused nomination as
American consul to Riga, but in
1813 he -accepted the appointment
of consul to Tunisia with a special
mission to Algeria. After some ad-
ventures he arrived in Tunis where
some 20,000 of the country's 60,000
Jewish population lived. They were
confined to ghettoes (mellas), op-
pressed, abused, forced to dress
in black and pay a heavy tax.
Wherever Noah stopped he
noted the sad situation of the
Jews. He himself also fell victim
to anti-Semitism. After success-
fully accomplishing a special
mission. — the release of some
Americans who were held in
slavery in Algeria — he ex-
perienced anti-Semitism from an
unexpected quarter, not in the
circle of the Bey of Tunisia but
from Secretary of State James
Monroe, who dismissed Noah as
the American representative be-
cause: "The religion which you
profess would form an obstacle
to the exercise of your Consular
f unctions. "
The administration was embar-
rassed and tried to disclaim this
statement. A few years later, when
it was proposed that Noah became
high sheriff of New York, anti-
By Shlomo Kodesh
TARBUTH FOUNDATION
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HEBREW CULTURE
influential role in the political life
of America. He continued to pub-
lish articles, edit papers and prop-
agate tolerance. If an American
Jew could be removed from his post
because of his religion, how much
worse was the situation of Jews in
Europe and Africa? Russia was
leading • in the maltreatment of
Jews and position was tragic. In
Germany the new "Hep-hep" move-
ment (abbreviation for "Hierosol-
yma eset perdita"—"Jerusalem is
perished") encouraged incitement
against the Jews.
Noah became increasingly ab-
sorbed in the Jewish problem. He
believed in the return of the Jews
to Jerusalem and in the restora-
tion of the Jews to Eretz Israel.
But until the Jews recovered their
ancient land he wanted to create
a shelter in America for Jews from
countries of oppression.
On Sept. 15, 1825, Noah issued
a "Proclamation to the Jews"
inviting them to come to "Ara-
rat" which he intended to estab-
lish on Grand Island, near Buf-
falo. He asked the Jews, the
Karaites, the Samaritans, the
Jews of India and Africa and
even the Indians "being in all
probability the descendants of the
lost tribes of Israel," to come to
Ararat, "the city of refuge for
the Jews." Noah described his
plan in the proclamation. He also
demanded that Jewish communi-
ties collect annually "three shek-
els" from each Jew to help emi-
grants buy agricultural imple-
ments and to "re-establish the
Government of the Jewish Na-
tion." He even appointed a few
- chief rabbis and eminent Jews
as an executive authorized "to
aid and assist in carrying into
effect the provision of this, my
proclamation."
A great number of people joined
a colorful procession. The founda-
tion stone for Ararat was laid.
Noah read i to the gathering the
"Proclamation to the Jews."
And then a strange thing hap-
pened: the world press, except for
Russia, published reports, informa-
tion and even the full text of the
proclamation. For an hour or two
the non-Jewish people listened to
the appeal of Mordechai Manuel
Noah that the Jews, notwithstand-
ing that an :"asylum Ararat" was
planned, should demand the return
of the Holy City of Jerusalem and
the re-establishment of a Jewish
government.
The London Times published
the full text; of the proclamation
— about 250 lines — and in its
comment Noah was ironically call-
ed "Mordechai Moses" instead of
Mordechai Manuel.
tested against his ideas: they were
to become the "protest rabbis" of
1825. Seventy-two years, after
the appearance of "The Jewish
State" by Theodor Herzl, "protest
rabbis" again denounced modern
Zionism. In 1825 some considered
Noah "crazy" and made fun of
him.
At that time, Jewish popula-
tion of America numbered about
3,000, of whom 1,000 lived in
New York. Twenty years later the
Jewish population increased to
50,000. They came mainly from
German-speaking countries,
to settle in Ararat, but in "I
and powerful America." Later
the great Jewish immigration
from countries of stress began.
Noah, although disappointed
with the Ararat project, continued
his Zionist activities, and explained
his views to the Jewish and non-
Jewish public. The Jewish people
must start to emancipate itself;
the time for fulfillment of the pro-
mises of the prophets was drawing
near; political events in Syria,
Egypt, Turkey and Russia would
facilitate the return of the Jews to
their Jerusalem: the Jews would
purchase the land for the sum of
$12-13,000,000,000 and the rightful
possessors of Palestine would
again unfurl the standard of Judah
on Mount Zion.
In 1892, Col. Albert E. W. Gold-
smid, the "chief of the English
Hovevei Zion," was persuaded by
Baron de Hirsch to go to the Ar-
gentine to take control of the
baron's colonies. There he pre-
pared the Jewish colonists for
"their return to Palestine."
Goldsmid used to say, "every-
thing has a beginning, even the
alphabet; it begins with A (Ar-
gentine) and ends with Z (Zion).
Noah's work began with A (Ara-
rat) and ended with Z (Zion)."
In his "Discourse on the Res-
toration of the Jews" delivered at
the Tabernacle on Oct. 28 and Dec. -
2, 1844, published with a map or -
the Land of Israel (New York,
1845), Noah mentioned his letters
to Thomas Jefferson, the author of -
the "Declaration of American In
dependence," and to President
John Adams, and their sympathetic
replies to his Zionist ideas. Noah
opened the illustrious chapter of
American Zionism, and Thomas
Jefferson and John Adams were
the first American Presidents to
become Philo-Zionists, to be. follow,.- ,
ed by Woodrow Wilson and Hariy
Truman, inscribed in golden letters'.
in Zionist history. - -
Mordechai Manuel Noah, the
visionary, laid the foundation stone
of Ararat — but he saw only Zion.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
Cast: "He" and "She - . Scene: An Apartment.
She:
David, someone is ringin: the doorbell. PleaseIo and see , ho is
there.
Re:
It was our mailman. He sti:s putting the mail in the matlbos in the
hallway.
.0C.) '73 I1i5i17 tsi; .r9x
11;T:1? ,1t et
_He:
Feminine logic! Well, there are both kinds. Tike
:She:
You arc making me curious. Datid. What hate you got
Herr. for example, is a postal card from your sister, Zippora. She is
She: Lovely! That's fine. The poor thing deserves a bit of a rest from all
the commotion at home. What else'
electricity and there would be a uhole mess. And the last letter you
arc holding?
This last one? As usual, the last is the best. - A reminder from the
Income Tax Bureau. I haven't yet filed my income as report this
year. They are demanding it urgentl.
She: The last one is the best one - the. best one, indeed! It really touches
one's heart.
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A bill from the electric company. Pa ■ rrent is duo for two month's
supply of electricity.
She: We must send them a check so that they should not cut off the
He:
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■ our pick.
on a two-week vacation in Tiberias. She is hat ins a good time.
Joseph and the children stayed at home and arc v,c11.
He:
xtr,
Its crystal clear. Good letters are important letters.
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Israel is seconcionb.
to Belgium as &
world diamond
center, with a
/ 1 6 share of the
international
trade.
1rlF7p :ion
?1.1'r7t•:::]
He: We received a few letters. I don't know what you consider important.
He:
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DT 101 .13'• ;IF 171 ;171 ;It :ton
She: 'Is there anything important for us'
She:
IT'S A FACT
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7'71:1 .3`;7 -
pnrit3
There are more
Jewish refugees
in France then
native Jews---
with more
than
27,5,000
recent arrivals
from North
Africa. Man gy
are assisted
by the MC,
with funds
from the
United
Jewish Appe8i,
Excerpted from the book "Israel With A Smile", published by Tarbuth Foundation, 515 Park Ave., N. Y. C. 10022
fc
48—Friday, August 6, 1971
-.■