Haham Caster's Classic Work on Jewish Marriage !Documents

Fifty years ago. •Dr. Moses Gaster, the Haham of the British Sephardic commu-
i iity, wrote an explanatory essay on the Ketubah, the traditional Jewish marriage
certificate.
Definitively, containing many of the very impressive Ketubot that were used in
the last few centuries, this essay retains its classical values.
It has been reissued by Hermon Press under the title "The Ketubah" in a second,
augmented edition, with additional explanations in an introduction by Samuel Gross
who also wrote the notes for the 19 Ketubot and related photos.
The Ketubot reproduced here include Gibraltar. Rome. Ferrara. Verona. Reggio
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and other European areas, dating back to the 10th Century. A 1974 Ketubah, which
implements the text, adds a modern note to the volume.
Some 40 years ago, the late Solomon Lamport, a Jewish National Fund leader
in this country, was responsible for one of the most descriptive Ketubot. It is no
longer available. The collection in the Gaster volume would have enriched it further.
Some interesting Ketubot in the volume are appended here.
With several pages left for annotations, this historical record enables the book's
possessor to supplement the contents with additional personal data and photographs
of Ketubot.

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—411.

Fostat, 10th-11th Century.

Ketubah of Gibraltar, 1811.

Dramatic Story of

By ALLEN A WARSEN
Much has been .written
about Eugen Levine, the
Communist martyr. The Rus-
sian author Slonimsky even
wrote a novel based on Le-
vine's life. The most recent
book about him was written
by his widow Rosa Levine-
Meyer, the daughter of a
rabbi. Actually it is a book
about both of them. It is a
'story about two people who
! shared their joys and sor-
rows, happiness and misfor-
tune.
The author of the book
"Levine. The Life of a Revo-_
lutionary," (Saxon House;
introduction by E. J. Hobs-
/naum) an an early age, left
her native land which denied
her an education, and went to
Heidelberg, Germany to ac-
quire one.
ielberg, at a literary
In
ven by Moissaye 01-
part
'part
\'/.! ti, .. _ .1 a leader of the Bund
and a journalist, she met her
future husband, Eugen Le-
' vine. For her "it was love at
f irst sight."
Eugen Levine was-born in
X883 in St. Petersburg of
wealthy, educated and assimi-
„,ted parents. His father,
Julius Levin, for business
/reasons, became an Italian
citizen and changed his name
r.) Levine. "It sounded foreign
and exotic — qualities much
/ appreciated in Russia and
particularly in his milieu.”
i-iowever, he died young
i when Eugen was only three

4

A German-Jewish Revolutionary's Martydom for Communist Socialism

years old.
His mother, an intelligent
and well-intentioned woman,
was domineering and exact-
ing, and often resorted to
corporal punishment which
Eugen resented, and put a
stop to at the age of 17. This
resentment, no doubt, was
the embryo which evolved
into the future revolutionary.
In fact, at the age of 14, he
composed revolutionary vers-
es, and at 15, he wrote, "I
should like to serve the peo-
ple . . . Not by sham but by
genuine service . . . I wish to
protect the oppressed and to
help then f- establish their
rights."
Six years later, he con-
creticized his wish to "serve
the people" by joining in
Heidelberg the Russian So-
cial Revolutionaries, and
leaving for Russia to spread
there the gospel of social
revolution.
For two years, he faith-
fully served the cause of his
party. But in 1906, he was
arrested and sentenced to a
three year jail term. How-
ever, at his mother's inter-
vention (bribed the "justice"
officials), Levine was releas-
ed on bail, and returned to
Germany where he became
active in the Social Democra-
tic Party and a leader of its
left wing.
The decision of the SPD
in 1913 to support the war
was a great blow to Levine
and "to all who cherished

the ideas of international
workers' solidarity."
Levine, however, continu-
ed to work for his socialistic
ideal, and in 1916, joined the
newly f or m e d Spartacus
League, the forerunner of the
German Communist Party.
And when the Communist
Party was founded in 1918,
Levine, Karol Liebknecht,
and Rosa Luxemburg became
its foremost leaders and were
considered as the party's
triumvirate.
No sooner had the Com-
munist Party been organized,
than it started it8 attempts
to seize power—first in Ber-
lin, then in other parts of the
country. In Berlin, they oc-
cupied the Social Democratic
Vorwarts Building, and under
the editorship of Levine start-
ed publishing the "Red Vor-
warts" (Der Rote Vorwarts).
Needless to say that the
Communist Putsch was quick-
ly put down, and Levine
fearing for his life went into
hiding.
No wonder, Friedrich
Ebert, the leader of the So-
cial Democratic Party, and
the first President of Ger-
many, declared that he "hat-
ed social revolution like sin."
It is worth noting that
Levine, the hardened, dog-
matic and uncompromising
revolutionary, craved for his
wife's affection. He wrote to
her, "Be gentle, tender, af-
fectionate .. . when you are
kind and tender you are the

beautiful,
most
prettiest,
glorious and enchanting . . ."
In another letter, he wrote,
"Everything seems to attain
sense and meaning. I wake
up with you, I walk with
you all day long, I lie down
and my right arm waits for
you with joy and tenderness
.. and I shall thank you for
making me young again, for
teaching me to love so deeply,
to glow and love . . ."
Most significant is this
episode. Levine and another
Communist were sent to Mos-
cow (illegally) as delegates
to attend the founding of the
Constituent Congress of the
Third (Communist) Interna-
tional. In Kovno, on the way
to Moscow, Levine was pick-
ed up and asked to leave the
train and report to the ta-
tion police. To Levine "This
meant delivery to the Ger-
man authorities- and almost
certain death. He had to find
a way of escape, to return
without an escort. He needed
help but had no associates,
no friends. His brain worked
feverishly. Jews! They were
the only people from whom
to expect a certain solidarity.
He knocked at the first door:
`Jews!' he said in Yiddish.
`You would not inform on• a
Jew.' Those were magic
words, touching on an old
sacred tradition. Heaven only
knows where he picked them
up for they almost exhaust-
ed his whole Yiddish vocab-
ulary. He put himself unre-

servedly into the hands of
complete strangers and they
did not disappoint him. They
hid him, fed him, they found
the right people to bring him
to safety." - -
Wasn't it ironic that Levine
should' have asked the people
he ignored and avoided to
save his life? This brings to
mind the Polish saying,
"When in need, go to the Yid.
When there is no more need,
kiss my nose, Yid." (Trans-
lated and paraphrased by re-
viewer).
In the spring of 1919, the
Communists headed by Le-
vine, and aided by some Left
Socialists a n d Anarchists,
overthrew the government of
Munich. Like the - other abor-
tive _ Communist insurrec-
tions) , this, too, was sup-
pressed. This, however, end-
ed tragically for Levine. He
was captured, sentenced to
die, and on June 5th, 1919
was executed by a firing
squad.
Levine was buried on the
Israelitische Friedhof in
Munich.
The book "Levine. The
Life of a Revolutionary,"
though subjective, provides
perceptive commentary„of an
eventful and convulsive his-
toric period.
Had Levine, Trotsky, Ka-
menev, Zinoviev, Bela Kun,
et al., given their talents,
idealism and enthusiasm to
their own people, they would

have left an honorable legacy.
Nonetheless, a legacy they
did leave — intensified anti-
Jewish feelings.
(The Universal Jewish En-
cyclopedia states that Le-
vine's real name was Berg.
But according to the books
Berg was an assumed, con-
spiratorial name.)

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, Dec. 27, 1974-45

.

.

Check on Donations

JERUSALEM (J T A) --
Warm-hearted Jews who are
often . approached by emis-
saries from so-called welfare
institutions in Israel to make
a financial contribution
should write to the Welfare
Ministry before making such
a contribution.
The Ministry announced
that there have been many
complaints of people who
had been asked .to make a
contribution to institutions
whose existence is doubtful.
The Ministry publishes a
bi-annual guidebook listing
recognized welfare institu-
tions; and it advises all po-
tential contributors to write
the Department for Public
Institutions, 8 King David
Road, Jerusalem, to find out
whether their money goes to
a worthwhile cause.

Critics are the eunuchs of
art; they talk about what
they cannot do.—Vladimir de
Pa ch mann