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b.

Mendelssohns' Jewish Identifications, Historic
Family, Felix's Pride in Ancestral Heritage

Mock Passport for Golda Meir

"Mendelssohn" is the name
of significance in two spheres
— in the Jewish cultural-
historical because the fam-
ily ancestor Moses Mendel-
ssohn was the master who
was the leader in the move-
ment for German-Jewish
emancipation, although h i s
ideas eventually led to as-
similation; and his famous
son Felix Mendelssohn (Bar-
tholdy) who is to this day
w •Trewed among the great mu-
sicians and composers.

which the opera composer foundation has been found for
Giacomo Meyerbeer was just the story, but it persists both
beginning to dominate. There in Polish and Jewish folklore.
may have been an element Moses Mendelssohn's father,
of jealousy in this; Meyer- Mendel Dessau, was said to
beer, like Mendelssohn, was have claimed descent from
a Berliner and also the son Saul Wahl."
of a Jewish banker. But un-
Felix exulted over the re-
like the Mendelssohns, the moval of legal restrictions on
Meyerbeers never converted. Jews In England and in a
Meyerbeer himself remained comment on that act, in a
Jewish to the end of his life, letter dated July 23, 1533, he
and his father became a lead- referred to "the lousy Edicts
ing figure in the new 'Re- of Posen," which limited Jew-
form' movement and even ish emancipation to a small
There also was Moses' son
operated a synagogue in his upper class.
Abraham, who converted to
own home along the liber-
Richard Wagner's anti-
Christianity to advance the
alized lines supposedly stem-
Semitic diatribes are referred
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
career of his son, and there
ming from the teaching of
to, and the author of the Men-
were famous and accom
Moses Mendelssohn."
he had a slight acquaintance
delssohn story tells about the
plished daughters of Moses,
I
There must have been
Wagnerian attack on Mendel-
David Altman, (left), chairman of Israel's Bar-Ilan
Dorothea and Henrietta, who the boy marched up to him ' much pride in the ranks of
ssohn three years after his University's Student Council, presented Prime Minister
should be listed as pioneers spat at his feet, and e
Moses Mendelssohn's pro-
claimed: 'Hep, hep, Jude!' .
death, in an article "Judaism
in the women's liberation wig , ,,
Golda Meir with a mock Russian passport when she ap-
geny in their Jewish heritage.
in Music."
movement.
For example: At a concert
peared at the university recently. Mrs. Meir was deemed
According to Kupferberg
There
are
numerous
ac-
in Dusseldorf, conducted by
Herbert Kupferberg, a
"qualified" to receive the passport, a protest against the
while, in view of the physics
counts
of
Mendelssohn's
pride
Felix
Mendelssohn,
the
pro-
noted American music critic,
violence inflicted on othe
ransom imposed on Jewish academicians seeking to leave
having included Han- in his Jewish heritage.
tells the fascinating story of Jews, young Felix had gotte r
n del's "Israel in Egypt," a
Kupferberg asserts that in the Soviet Union, "because she was born in Russia and
this family in "The Mendel-
off easily, he remembered
young woman "rushed up to Mendelssohn's music there is would have been subject to the tax if she tried to immi-
ssohns: Three Generations of this experience. When, fly
e
him
bearing
on
a
velvet
a
special
expression of identi-
'Genius." This volume, pub- years later, rowdies thre
grate to Israel today," Altman said. Mrs. Meir received an
w cushion a laurel wreath which fication with his ancestry,
lished by Scribners • is fas-
stones at him and his siste
honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan in 1971, in recognition
r she fastened on his head. He and he states in a concluding
cinating in its details, in its
Fanny, he broke into tears
of her lifelong efforts on behalf of the Jewish people. In
• quickly took it off and just as summary:
revelations of historical facts
Whence the name Bar
quickly she replaced it, until
and its authoritative handling
"One would wish to en- photo on right is Churl Shushan, vice-chairman of the Rar-
tholdy? To quote Kupferberg
finally he gave up and took counter, as part of the Men- itan Student Council.
of details about musicians
"Abraham would have re
- his bows wearing the crown." delssohn revival, a perform-
and the musical history of
•
•
•
mained at least a nomina
I Abraham, his father, was in ance of his Psalms. Of the
the time of Mendelssohn Bar-
Jew. But he was not left t o
The
passport,
which
has
a
"Prohibitions
on bearer of
the
audience,
never
before
tholdy.
nine he set to music, at least
himself. Both his wife Lea h
having seen his son perform one, Psalm 114 (When Israel red cover, is marked "for this passport: 1. Forbidden to
The story of Moses the and her brother Jacob Bar
scientists
only."
There
is
a
emigrate
to
his/her
father-
- on such a large scale. He out of Egypt came),
is a
family pioneer is in itself a tholdy kept applying pres
- "was reminded of an old masterpiece, a monumental photograph of a man in land; 2. Forbidden to receive
most Impressive account of sures on Abraham to ado p
striped prison garb and the foreign publications; 3. For-
t
a scholarly genius who came Christianity both for himself legend that his family pos- e ight-part choral work that following text: "Name: Sci-
bidden to scientific meetings
sessed royal blood as de- i mpelled Sir George Grove to
to be known as "the third and his children. Bartholdy
entist;
Nationality: Jewish; abroad; 4. Forbidden to at-
scendants of Saul Wahl • the write: 'The Jewish blood of
Moses (after Moses the Law. was one of the most bizarre
Address:
USSR;
Era:
20th
t e n d scientific congresses,
fabled one-night king of Po- Mendelssohn must surely for
giver and Moses Malmo- personages in the entire Men
Century.
even in Russia; S. Forbidden
Woes). His rise, from the delssohn circle. Born Jacob - land." On this score, Kupfer- o nce have beat fiercely over
"The bearer of this pass- to leave place of residence;
Dessau ghetto to widest rec- Levin Solomon in 1779, he be- berg appended this footnote: this picture of the great tri-
"None of the Mendelssohns u mph of his forefathers, and port is entitled to: 1. Settle 6. Forbidden to publish re-
/...‘,..ition as a literary genius gan to brood about being
took the legend seriously, but i t is only the plain truth to in Siberia; 2. Imprisonment searches without permission.
and as the Jewish scholar Jewish at an early age. Since
"Taxes: Ransom for bearer
in labor camps; 3. Imprison-
who translated scriptures into he came from a well-to-do all. Including Felix, enjoyed s ay that In directness and
talking about it and referred f orce his music is
ment in Lubianka Prison; of this passport — 30,000
a perfect
German for popularization, family, he was able to travel
rubles."
to it in letters. According to match for the words of the 4. Imprisonment in a mental
explains Kupferberg's listing a good deal, and he cultivated
asylum; 5. Exile from dis-
the tale a dispute between u nknown Psalmist.'
The text of the passport is
of Mendelssohn in "the role the society of as many aris-
trict to district; 6. Loss of in three languages—Russian,
two Polish factions after the
"It is in music like this
of being a Jewish ambassa- tocratic and wealthy gentiles
death of' King Batbory in t hat Felix and Moses Men- employment without reason. Hebrew and English.
dor-at-large to the Christian as would tolerate . . "
1586 prevented the throne d elssohn come together at the
world. •
This is the background.
from being filled. Since there I ast. For they belong together,
"Time and again," the bi- As Felix, already concerted,
was a law that it might not t hese two — grandfather and
ographer points out in this was soon to gain fame, Abra-
remain empty for any period g randson, philosopher a n d
interesting book, "his fellow ham acted again!
of time, a young Jewish m usician, lath Century ra-
Jews called upon 'Reb Moshe'
"Now that his son was
scholar named Saul Wahl was ti onalist and 19th Century ro-
to intervene on their behalf about to step into the world,
installed as temporary king. mantic. Each translated the
with the civil authorities." Abraham had a set of calling
Some traditions say he Psalms his own way.
While some of the notions cards engraved for him. De-
reigned only overnight;
It was Moses who created a
about this role were exagger- liberately, he had them
others, that he occupied the world in which it was possible
ated, he had actually risen to printed: 'Felix M. Bartholdy.'
throne for a few days. Ac- for Felix to live and work.
great heights as a recognized Equally deliberately, Felix
cording to one version, he Today, as in their own times,
spokesman for his people.
refused to accept them. His
A strong advocate of sep- name, he said, was not Bar- was executed the moment his their name, their family, and
"rule"
ended. No historical their heritage all are one."
aration of church and state, tholdy but Mendelssohn, al
"Mendelssohn totally opposed though if his father insisted,
the concept of excommunica- out of respect for him he Hebrew Corner
tion, arguing that no man, would agree to be called
,
including a rabbi or the•elder Felix Mendelssohn Bar-
of a synagogue, should have tholdy." The author explains
the power to punish another that Felix never used a hy-
The Crusaders, who invaded Eretz Israel about a
for his religious or philosoph- phen between these two last thousand years ago, fortified Acre and turned it into one
ical beliefs."
names but that the form of their most important cities.
Kupferberg devotes much Mendelssohn-Bartholdy w a s
From then on, until the British conquest, at the end
attention to Moses' children, adopted by his younger of the First World War, Acre was one of the main cities
to the aspirations of Abraham brother Paul.
of Eretz Israel, and an important center of the area.
who led his children to the
In the year 1799, Napoleon suddenly departed from
Numerous interesting ex-
baptismal font, to the son periences are recorded, such Europe and turned to the East. He wished to follow in
Joseph who was a dilettante, as Mendelssohn's jealousy of the steps of Alexander the Great. He conquered Egypt
and the youngest, Nathan, Meyerbeer. Here is an inter- and most of the cities in our country; only Acre stood
Who became an engineer. esting item worth quoting against him. He could not take the city, although he made
a great effort.
There was no Jewish contin- from Kupferberg's book:
uity after Moses.
This is probably the reason why the Turks, and also
"In December of 1831, Felix
The role of Abraham is im• reached Paris on his travels the British, turned one of the great fortifications of Acre
into
a prison.
portant in relation to his son and settled down for the win-
In the year 1947, soldiers of Etzel (National Military
Felix, the precocious child ter. He never really cared
31
,,.who become a performer, for the French capital: Lon- Organization) who were disguised as British officers, broke
whose music lives on in its don was his city. Mendelssohn through the walls of the Acre prison and many Jewish I
fame to this day. Felix's con- had a stron g puritanical prisoners were freed. This performance made an excep-
version did not spare him streak; unabashed frivolity tional impression the world over. One of the large news-
from anti-Semitism. Kupfer- and free thought were not for papers described it as "the greatest prison 'breakthrough'
berg describes Felix's first him; however much they in history."
During the last few months, there was an exhibition
encounter with anti-Semitism, might appeal to that other
• ► z 11119, during demonstra-
converted Jew, Heinrich in Tel Aviv, showing the Acre fortress and the break-
tions and a wave of looting Heine, who was living in the through. Many important people, among them the presi-
dent and chief of staff, visited the exhibition. Even the
when he "happened to meet city at the time.
is the street one of the Prus-
"His disdain also extended minister of education and culture recommended that
slam royal princes with whom t o Parisian musical life, school children visit this interesting exhibition, which de-
scribes an additional step in the independence of Israel.

"7-7P11

inv ninin ranv

4R—Friday, Feb. 9, 1973

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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Translation
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BrIti ,tits Olamdth•

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