Roth Hasluzna Quiz

Shearit Israel: America's Oldest Synagogue

(Copyright, 1575, JTA Inc.)

Why is it that the hallas which are used for bread
ow Rosh Hashana are traditionally round in shape?

Some contend that this is so because roundness signi-
ies eternity since the circle has no beginning nor does it
lave an end. This symbol of eternity alludes to the Almighty
Nto is proclaimed all-powerful and eternal judge on Rosh
Flashana. Others contend that the roundness of the hallas
:ymbolizes the shape of a crown. It is on Rosh Hashana
lot the absolute sovereignty of the Almighty is stressed
is the theme. Thus the roundness of the hallas symbolizes
he crown of Kingship attributed to the Almighty.

Why is
Hashana?

the Avinu Malkenu prayer recited on

Rosh

Basically, the Avinu Malkenu prayer is not exclu-
vively limited to recitation on Rosh Hashana. It is recited
on fast days as well. on the 10 days of Penitence between
Rosh Ilashana and Yom Kippur and on \'om Kippur itself.
It is a prayer which issues a stirring plea for help and is
thus recited on days when help is especially needed. Rosh
Hashana, being the Day of Judgment, is of course, an occa-
sion when man needs help and thus Avinu Malkenu is
recited. This prayer is ascribed in origin to a simple one-
verse cry for help on the part of the famous Rabbi A/Elba
(Ta'anit 25b) who issued this cry in a time of drought after
which the rains came. Verses were added subsequently.
The theme of the prayer is especially applicable to Rosh
liashara because the constant references to God in the
prayer as "our father, our King" symbolize the theme of
Rosh Hashana. On the one hand, the Almighty is looked up
to as the supreme monarch who passes judgment on his
human subjects on Rosh Hashana. On the other hand, God
is looked up to as the merciful father who forgives the in-
iquities of his mortal subjects.

Why is the last verse of this prayer recited silently.?

Strive this last verse cites the unworthiness of man before
the Almighty, it is recited silently so that no man be em•
barrassed in front of his fellow man when he makes such
a declaration. The same motive applies to the penitential
prayers which are recited in the daily worship after the
main body of prayer. There, too, are recited silently because
they cite man's unworthiness as they confess man's sins
and shortcomings. It is interesting to note that the Avinu
Malkenu prayer likewise follows the main body of prayer
in the Rosh Hashana liturgy Thus the other verses which
call for help are recited loudly, while the last verse which
admits man's unworthiness is recited silently.

It is the oldest congrega-
tion in America and it is the
only American synagogue
ever to appear on an Israeli
stamp. And this year, Cong.
Shearit Israel, founded in
1654, will celebrate its 75th
anniversary at its present
site at Central Park and 70th
St. in Manhattan.

This traditional Sephardic
synagogue, which, however,
has about half of its member-
ship made up of Ashkenazin,
is actually the owner of the
Touro Synagogue in New-
port, R. I., which, in many
ways, is better known than
its parent synagogue, Shearit
Israel. To this day, Shearit
Israel in New York holds the
title to Newport's historic
Touro Synagogue, for the use
of which the local Jewish
community pays the New
York congregation a dollar
a year rent.

Its history is rooted . in
Americana. One need only
recall that it was the min•
ister of this congregation.
Gershon[
Mendes Seixas,
who closed the synagogue
and removed the scrolls of
the Torah to Stratford,
Conn., when Brtish forces
occupied the city.

It also has given birth to
many great communal insti-
tutions in New York. Wit-
ness Mount Sinai Hospital
and Montefiore. Moreover.
when the Jewish Theological
Seminary opened near the
end of the 19th Century, its
classes met in rooms of the
congregation's 19th St. syna-
gogue, and the congrega-
tion's minister, Dr. Seixas,
served as its president for
its first 15 years.

Those i n t e r e s t e d in
Jewish history
should visit this congrega-
tion on the West Side of
Manhattan. There have
been, for instance, many
notable special services
held within its walls. As
that renowned American
rabbi, the late Rev. Dr.
David de Sola Pool, minis-
ter of the congregation,
wrote, some of those ser-
vices were with ''heart-
breaking emotion." In
years past, there were the
services dedicated to the
memory of the Jewish vic-
tims of pogroms in Czarist
Russia in 1905: those killed
in Palestine in 1929; those
who were victims of the
Nazis.

American

Why is this prayer omitted if Rosh Hashana falls on
the Sabbath?

The Avinu Malkenu prayer is a direct request for
many physical needs and wants of man. On the Sabbath, man
is required to display a feeling of satisfaction. Thus these
prayers would be out of place on the Sabbath. It is for this
same reason that the intermediary benedictions are omitted
in the main body of prayer when it is said on the Sabbath.
Actually, the requests of the Avinu Malkenu prayer cor-
respond in part to the needs asked for by the worshiper
in the daily prayer. Thus, the Avinu Malkenu is elimi-
nated when Rosh Ilashana occurs on the Sabbath.

Why does Jewish tradition require that one hear 100
notes from the shofar on Rosh Hashana?

The notes of the shofar represent man's most - intimate
and primitive plea for help. They are compared to the
cries, shrieks and wails of a mother who is full of anxiety
for the welfare of her child. Some contend that the 100 notes
correspond to the 100 shrieks of the mother of Sisera who
realized that her son was killed in battle. Others say it
corresponds to the 100 cries issued by Sarah when she
learned that her son Isaac was taken away to be sacrificed.
Still others claim that the 100 cries are like those sounded
by the expectant mother in childbirth who bears her child
in pain. So does man give birth to his own future in pain
and anxiety.

Calendar for 5733

1972

Rosh 'fustian.,
Yon] Kippur
1st Day Sukot
Shmini Atzeret
Simhat Torah
Hanuka

September 9
September 16
September 23
September 30
October 1
Starts December 1

1973

Ilamisha Azar
Purim
1st Day Passover
Israel Independence

Lag b'Omer

Day

1st Day Shavuot
Fast of Tamua
Tisha b'Av .. .

Rosh

Hashana, 5734

52--FrIdsy, Sop. I. 1172

experiences on visiting this
congregation is to walk in-
to the Little Synagogue—
a "colonial chapel of peace-
ful dignity where every

By BEN G. FRANK

By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

(Copyright 1575. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

January 18
March 18
April 7
May 7
May 20
June 6
July 17
August 7
September 27

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

The first synagogue build-
ing dates from 1730. Later,
it moved northward as Got-
ham town expanded, to
Crosby St.; to the north side
of 19th St. just west of Fifth
Ave. and then finally to the
West Side.

Indeed, the present syna-
gogue is a monument to the
best in architecture. It was
completed in Renaissance
;reek style and was de-
igned by the architect
Arnold Brunner, who also
donned the State Depart-
nent building in the nation's
It is explained:
'Since Jewish tradition calls
for the worshipers facing the
site of the ancient temple in
the Holy City, congregants
ordinarily come into the
building through the- door on
W. 70th St., so that they may
enter the shrine not from be-
hind the Ark, but bowing
reverently toward the syna-
gogue's ark in which the
Torah is kept, and beyond
it to Zion and the Promised
Land,"
One of the most stirring

Both are ordained rabbis.
But note that Dr. Gerstein's
title is minister. In addition,
both he and Rabbi Angel are
called Reverend by congre-
gants. These titles . are at-
tributed to American influ-
ences. Rev. Angel is the first
graduate of the Sephardic
Studies Program of Yeshiva
University. Among the found-
ers of this studies program
was Cong. Shearit Israel —
now his congregation,

traditional and historic

item glows gently in a
beautiful set tin g." And
throughout it, there are
tangible reminders of the
days of Jews in Colonial
U.S.A., and ancient religi-
ous artifacts. For example,
in front of the Ark hangs
the Ner Tamid Perpetual
Light, This lamp was made
in 1817 in New York City
and has been in continuous
use since 1818.

In an interview, Rev. An-
gel pointed out that there is
a growing awareness of the
Sephardic tradition among
Sephardic youth. Most of the
Sephardim in America ar-
rived in the early years of
the 20th Century, And the
first two generations are the
ones who were busy rising
economically. "My genera-
tion is the first generation
which has the leisure to
think about what Sephardic
identity means," said Rev,
Angel.

As the oldest congregation
in America, it also has re-
mained a center of Sephar-
dic traditions as well as a
reflection of American in-
fluences. Its service is 100
per cent Sephardic. For in-
stance, all the Sabbath morn-
ing service is chanted aloud,
with congregational respon-
sive readings. There are no
silent readings. The read-
ing of the Torah is done
with extreme accuracy.

There are 6,000,000 Jews
in the U.S., and about 125,-
000 of them are Sephar-
dim. The largest concen-
tration is in the New York
area with large communi-

Dr. Louis Gerstein is min-
ister and Rabbi Marc D.
Angel is assistant minister.

Hebrew Corner:

ties throughout America.
The Sephardim in Shearit
Israel are not from one
particular country. There
are Sephardim who came

from Iran or Iraq or India
or even China or Portugal
or
Rhodes
or Turkey,

Theise Sephardim who came
from the Turkish Empire
are those who speak Judeo-
Spanish.

The Sephardim have a long
and proud tradition in the
U.S.; and are reminded ev-
ery day of this heritage. For
symbolizing the desire of the
congregants to stand in pray-
er where their forefathers
stood, the boards making
up the floor of the present
reading desk in Shearit Is-
rael were transferred from
the reading desk in the 19th
St. synagogue to which they
had been brcught from
the Crosby St. building of
1834 and it is said also or-
iginally from the Mill St.
synagogue building of 1730.
By the way, in this congre-
gation, the reading desk is
set not forward in the syna-
gogue, but in the center of
the building—to make sure
that the readers words will
be heard.

The Levant Fair

-
Yarn/ is a Faroe commercial exhibition, wh,ene new prodnets arc exhibited at which the mer
chants can also purchase from the factory. The f,rst Tel Acie fair was held in 1927.
railed the Lerant Fair because dozens Ole, "Tens") of merchants from Middle
Th , fins
Fa s ters cntrtes
ou
took part. The fair) also had its own emblem, a winged carn0— . 'the flying camel...
Since then the flying camel has become the ernblent for all subsequent fairs.
At the
Levant
een,
on, ems ao Imo
man La, ■
Fair
which was
sk I I
I I W J
held in Tel Aviv
•
- several months
ago, 40 countries
took part from all
Pants of
the
world. They
in-
cluded a number

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Women could
In ' the _fai!

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terest

could " make con-
their
tarts
with
colleagues abroad,
nnd industrialists
to
Pd enabled
pu rchase various
rave materials ac-
cording to the
exhibited
at the fair.
Very interesting
,
indeed were the
awakening Afri-
can countries
h wen Israeli ex-
perts hare helped
to develop. The
ri.sitors saw the
erotic products of
types of
rica)
min-
interesting
ral s, different
kinds of the ran-
est
woods, and
statuettes. finely
wrought work
made of the skins
of
wild animals,
reptiles and croc•
odtles.
One of Si,.. ot•
tractions of the
fair was
a
lite-
sine model of the
space
Mercury
cabinet. In this
stance cabinet the
first American
astronauts were
to outer
sent
space. In the

at

Af

American pavilion
there was also it
model of Teeter'.
communica-
t h e
tions rocket which
transmits feted.
si o n broadcasts
from aU over the

wo+-41.
Translation
of Hebrew column
nublishad by Brit

Ivrit

Olamit.

