64 Friday, December 17, 1982
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
`Historian Without Tears' by Se her-Hermon Press
Scholar Cecil Roth Is Highlighted in Wife's Memoirs
Cecil Roth is an un-
forgettable name. He
gained worldwide recogni-
tion as an authority on Ita-
lian Jewry, on Spanish
Jewish history, on the Vati-
can, on the Spanish Inquisi-
tion.
The many authoritative
roles commenced in his
teaching career that grew
into one of the most notable
at Oxford.
Then he settled in Israel
with his wife Irene. He bef-
riended the major Zionist
leaders, commencing with
Chaim Weizmann, and con-
tinued the friendshi
ps with
all the presidents of Israel.
He created a friendly
relationship with
Menahem Begin who was
to become Israel's prime
minister after Roth's
death in 1970.
Irene Roth traveled
widely with her husband
and therefore knew and bef-
riended as many as he did.
At the King David Hotel
they were both the domin-
ant personalities socially
befriended by Israelis and
visitors from everywhere.
Irene tells the story of her
husband in a most fascinat-
ing memoir, "Cecil Roth,
Historian Without Tears"
(Sepher-Hermon Pub-
lishers).
She pulls no punches de-
scribing the personalities
who figured prominently in
the life of Dr. Roth. She has
retained memories of inci-
dents that will make many
proud, and some of their
friends will blush.
There is, for example,the
recollection about Sholem
Asch who was despised in
some quarters for his Chris-
tological literary leanings.
Chaim Lieberman, a prom-
inent staff member of the
Jewish Daily Forward,
wrote two books condemn-
ing Asch, going so far as to
brand him a traitor to the
Jewish people. Mrs. Roth
makes this reference to
Sholem Asch in her
memoirs:
which he felt he could ex-
press himself best. The
complete opus would then
be translated into other
languages.
"He seemed to be living
on ham, which he would
slice from the huge hog's leg
that hung from the rafters
of his Provencal kitchen.
Each time we were there, he
would apologize profusely
for being unable to ask us to
join for his meal. Hamm,
he explained, was the only
meat he had at home and he
knew that we would not
want to partake of it.
"One day we were motor-
ing with Asch high-in the
Alpes-Maritimes when he
suddenly leaned across me
and shouted to his son, who
was driving, 'Johnny!
Johnny! Stop! Stop!' The car
drew up sharply, Asch
rushed out and embraced a
woman who sat by the side
of the road, her hair tied in a
peasant's scarf, a basket of
groceries by her side.
* * *
Brodetsky, Eban
Recollections
IRENE ROTH
Tong, he said, because he
•would have to be back in
London in the evening for
an important meeting, but
he was very anxious to see
us.
"We invited him for
lunch, wondering what
could be so important to him
that it could not wait a day-
or two. Asch and his son
"It was Bella Chagall, came that day, but to our
waiting for her husband, surprise they talked only of
Marc, who joined us a few generalities. No urgent re-
moments later at the local quest was forthcoming.
hostelry. An animated
"After they left, I
conversation ensued in suggested to Cecil that
Yiddish, which Cecil Asch's inviting himself
could follow only with and Johnny to our house
difficulty, while I re- at such sudden notice
mained completely left might have had some-
out.
thing to do with the meet-
"Shortly before World ing he had to attend in
War II Asch went to the London that night. His ,
United States. Later, he most recent novel,
was to live variously in `Mary,' had stirred up a
London and Israel. After the heated controversy
war, we often visited Asch about his loyalty to
at his London home. He had Judaism.
a small but very choice col-
"Perhaps Asch has a sus-
lection of Judaica, which picion that this question
formed a strong bond of might be raised at the meet-
common interest between ing, and that his position
him and Cecil.
might be improved if he
"One day — it was prob- could remark casually that
ably in 1949 or 1950 — he he had been at Cecil Roth's
telephoned us at Oxford home for lunch that very
from London. 'Could I come day. Since Cecil was known
down to see you today and ' as a proudly observant Jew,
my son?' he wanted to know. it would be assumed he
He would not be able to stay would not have extended his
hospitality to a rene-
gade . . ."
* * *
Long Friendship
With Asch Told
'Another visitor who
turned up at Jimmy's
while we were at
Cagnes-sur-mer was the
Yiddish novelist and
playwright Sholem Asch,
who was then living on
the outskirts of Nice with
his wife and their son,
Johnny.
"During those prewar
years we were frequent
guests at the Asch home in
the Avenue de la Lanterne.
Asch wrote all his works in
Yiddish, the language in
health authorities because
a number of Cochin Jews
were known to be suffering
from elephantiasis.
"Finally, during the early
1950s, largely on the insis-
tence of President Ben-Zvi,
the Jewish Agency sent a
specialist to investigage the
spread of this loathsome
skin disease among the
Cochin Jews."
SHOLEM ASCH
well as an appreciation of
the Roth-Ben-Zvi coopera-
tive zeals:
"But the man whom I
consider the predomin-
ant factor in Cecil's ulti-
mate decision to settle in
Jerusalem was Itzhak
Ben-Zvi, the erudite stu-
dent of ancient Jewish
history who was
president of the state of
Israel from 1952 until his
death in 1963. We had
known this tall, gentle
man since the 1930s.
"Dravvn to Cecil by their
mutural interest in arche-
ology, he had spent much
time at our London home
during the 1930s, whenever
he came to England on offi-
cial business representing
the Jewish community of
what then still had been
Palestine.
"The life style of Ben-Zvi
and his wife, Rahel Yanait,
was always modest, to the
point of austerity. During
one of our early visits to
Jerusalem, I called on the
Ben-Zvis to return some
books which Cecil had bor-
rowed from them. I found
Ben-Zvi alone in their sim-
ple top-floor apartment in
the Rehavia neighborhood.
"A book-oiled table, a
couple of chairs and a tuckle
bed in the corner were suffi-
cient for his needs. Explain-
ing apologetically that his
Throughout her book wife had gone out, Ben-Zvi
there are recollections insisted on offering me some
about so many of the most refreshments. He carefully
prominent in world Jewry spread a sheet of newspaper
that the reviewer recom- over my lap and then pro-
mends the widest use of this ceeded, just as carefully, to
volume for an attainment of peel an orange, which we
knowledge about events both shared.
"Later, when he be-
and people involved in
Jewish experiences cover- came president, Ben-Zvi
and his devoted aide-de-
ing a half-century.
Dr. Roth had a special re- camp, our good friend
lationship with the second Yossi Carmel, never
president of Israel, Itzhak failed to invite us to the
Ben-Zvi. Both were the ar- many receptions held at
cheological historians. Both the presidential resi-
were interested in Jewries dence for members of Is-
in remote lands. Therefore, rael's Oriental com-
this recollection by Mrs. munities who gathered
Roth serves as a tribute as there in their colorful
ethnic costumes.
"Cecil had helped Ben-Zvi
in his efforts on behalf of the
Cochin Jews from the
Malabar Coast and south-
ern India. That ancient
community of about 3,000
sought admission to Israel
soon after the establish-
ment of the Jewish state,
but initially had been
turned down by the Israeli
The charming personal-
ity of Selig Brodetsky is lit-
tle remembered now and
the reference in that recol-
lection to Abba Eban jus-
tifies quoting Mrs. Roth in
the following:
"A few years later, Cecil
addressed the Jewish
Society at Cambridge Uni-
versity. One of the under-
graduate students entered
into a discussion with Cecil;
it turned out to be the boy
whom Cecil had seen each
.......
ABBA EBAN
week at the Hampstead
Synagogue.
"Shortly thereafter, Prof.
Selig Brodetsky, long-time
president of the Zionist
Federation of Great Britain
and Ireland (and later
president of the Board of
Deputies of British Jews),
asked Cecil where he could
undertake some research
for the Jewish Agency. Cecil
felt he had to decline'
Brodetsky's request be-
cause it would divert him
from his own historical
studies.
"However, he suggested
that Brodetsky contact the
promising student who had
engaged him in debate at
Cambridge. Thus it came
about that Aubrey (later
Abba) Eban got his start in
the careet of Zionist public
service which culminated in
his becoming - Foreign
Minister of the state of Is-
rael."
For Detroiters, there will
be many recollections of
sessions with Dr. and Mrs.
Roth and the special men-
tion made of Charles Fein-
berg merits notable em-
phasis:
"Private individuals;
having heard that Cecil
was an expert in the field,
sought his advice on
what they should buy, or
invited him to view ob-
jects they had already
acquired. When Cecil lec-
tured in Detroit, Mr.
Charles Feinberg, an
Englishman who had set-
tled in the United States,
invited him to his home to
see 'a few pieces I've put
together.' My husband
was tired, but he ac-
cepted the invitation. Mr.
Feinberg turned out to be
the owner of some superb
material which kept Cecil
spellbound for hours and
drew him back to the
Feinberg home on many
future visits to Detroit."
Of the many scores of
names, all important in
Jewish historical values,
linked by Mrs. Roth with
the story of her husband —
too voluminous for them to
be listed in a review — that
of Nahum Goldmann is im-
poftant. Goldmann enlisted
Dr. Roth to be the editor of
Encyclopedia Judaica. The
immense work actually was
. begun and engineered by
Dr. Roth. It is a posthumous
work in which he had a
great role.
A lengthy reference of
some six pages to Dr. and
Mrs. Roth's friendship with
Dr. Malcom Hay, described
as "the lay leader of the
Catholic Church in Scot-
land," must get special con-
sideration.
Dr. Hay was the author of
"The Foot of Pride." It was
in this great work that the
Ritual Murder Libel was
exposed, and it remains one
of the very great works in
defense of Jewish rights.
The commendations of Dr.
Roth helped bring Dr. Hay
and his work- to public at-
tention.
The second Mrs. Hay,
Alice Ivy Hay, left a be-
quest of $36,000 to Aber-
deen University "to fight
anti-Semitism" and it was
made known in London
in late October. (See De-
troit Jewish News, Nov.
12, 1982, Page 49).
Additionally noteworthy
in connection with the
Blood Libel and Dr. Roth's
immense efforts to bring it
to public light in exposing
the outrageous lie was his
famous book, "The Ritual
Murder Libel and the Jew:
The Report by Cardinal
Lorenzo Ganganelli, 1759."
In 1935, Dr. Roth had a ses-
sion with Pope Pius . XI,
when he brought the matter
to his attention.
Why the subtitle "Histo-
rian Without Tears?". Be-
cause Dr. Roth was the fac-
tual scholar and 1-4s many
books are inerasabry valu-
able as history.
To Mrs. Roth goes acclaim
for a task brilliantly per-
formed.
—P.S.
CHARLES FEINBERG