26 Friday, May 6, 1983 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Baron Maurice de Hirsch Promoter of Jewish Farming By BARBARA SOFER Whenever I was asked what a Jewish girl was doing amidst the Connec- ticut Yankee farmers my answer always began with the Baron. De Hirsch received a pro- per -secular and Hebrew education. At 20, he joined a large banking firm and married the boss' daughter. Adventurous, Hirsch took on the project of construct- ing the romantic Oriental Railway linking Constan- tinople and the East to Europe. He won the railway concession from the Turks and successfully carried off the hugh project. Hirsch also speculated in sugar and copper industries. By 1890, when my grandfather was working in a Polish factory, Hirsch's fortune was esti- mated at $100 million. Despite his riches and the f ancy company he kept with such notables as the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and the Austrian Archduke Rudolph, Baron Hirsch never forgot his Jewish roots. Funding a large array of philanthropic projects, he gave the Alliance Israelite Universelle a million francs for its schools in North Af- rica in 1891, established a trade school for Jewish im- migrants in New York the same year, and supported schools in Galicia and Bovina. He offered the Czarist government in Russia $10 million to set up a modern educational system for the Jews there. When his offer was refused Hirsch took up the idea of "territorialism," and in 1891 the Jewish Col- onization Association (ICA) formed to facilitate mass emigration. Hirsch had strong ideas about what the Jews should do when they left Eastern Europe. Although the lively Baron himself could be seen horse racing and hunting with European nobility, he believed that his fellow Jews had special talents as farmers. "My personal experi- ence," he wrote in The Forum in August 1891, "leads me to recognize that the Jews have very good ability in agriculture . . . and my efforts shall show that the Jews have not lost the agricultural qualities that their forefathers pos- sessed. I shall try to make for them a new home in different lands, where as free fanners on their own soil they can make them- selves useful to that coun- try." - To execute his plans, the Baron put more than $36 OM MIII INI ON MB NO IN • million of capital (a fantas- tic sum in those days) at the disposal of ICA. The organ- ization introduced agricul- I tural innovations in areas of Jewish settlement in Rus- I sia, introducing new crops I and supporting agricultural I and technical schools. But its main function- was the purchase of large land I tracts to establish colonies in North and South America for agricultural I 3 locations and commercial purposes. 23043 Beech I to serve you at 9 Mile, Southfield Some 507 emigration 22185 Coolidge committees were set up in 31555 W. 10 Mile at 9 Mite, Oak Park at Orchard Lake, Farmington I Eastern Europe, and a committee linked immig- I rants in the U.S. with rela- I tives in Europe. Coupon must be presented with order — Expires May 20th Farmers, teachers, tailors This sewing workshop in Woodbine,N.J., in 1904 was established by Baron de Hirsch. from Russia and Poland were settled on Hirsch farming colonies in Argen- tina and Brazil, in Canada, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connec- ticut. By 1930, the ICA had distributed more than 10,000 loans to immigrants; —many cordless models to choose from about 20,000 were farming over 500,000 hectares of —ranges from 250' to 1,000' — land in Argentina (a hec- —pulse, or touch tone tare is 2,500 acres). The colonists were given —last number equipment, instruction, redial — memory credit and Jewish schools Phones for the for their children. Most home & business, window either became independent single & multi lines Prices starting from $ 11 9 95 farmers or moved on to treatments & other walks of life. Some of /1'1 wallpaper the ventures, like the sev- \\-- eral colonies in Brazil, did •FABRIC ROMANS •DRAPERIES •WALLPAPER not prosper. —Full VOX — remote But for the tens of • DECORATIVE SHADES •WOVEN WOODS —Closeout — while supply lasts thousands of Jews who im- • TABLE PADS •HORIZONTALS •BALI migrated through the ef- • LEVOLOR •VERTICALS INCLUDING FREE forts of the ICA, Hirsch had COVERED HEADRAILS, HEAVY DUTY TRACKS- given them a new start in • TRANSLUCENT •BLACKOUT SHADES Save life. • LAMINATED SHADES •VEROSOL AND MYLAR When $20.00 my own grandfather left Poland in SHADES Mother's Day Special 1907, he settled in New BRING IN YOUR WOOD ROLLERS — NEW CLOTH York City. The city air did WILL BE MOUNTED AT A FRACTION OF THE COST. 1st RATE not agree with him. When a $1 995 TRANSLUSCENT OR FIBERGLASS CLOTH Phones from $1295TONE doctor predicted he had a Phones from I FREE FREIGHT — NO HANDLING CHARGE ON WALLPAPER. month to live, he decided to Many styles and colors to choose from. HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL BLINDS visit a friend on one of FREE VALANCES — ON HORIZONTALS - Baron Hirsch's_ chicken See our fine showroom in W.B. farms in Connecticut. FREE COVERED HEADRAIL ON VERTiCALS Grandpa never became a • Long Distance Call *Measuring and installation additional cost. Freight charges on certain farmer himself, but for the anywhere in continental designer Items and woven woods 83" and wider. Previous orders next 40 years he enjoyed the excluded. Phone estimates gladly given. USA that the MCI network country air and brought up . reaches — W.B. store only his children and grandchildren in a rural • Extended warranty and atmosphere. Loaner guarantee Baron Hirsch's only son, Lucien, died in 1887. The • Free phone with window no freight bereaved father wrote to a treatment or wallpaper or handling friend: "My son I have lost, purchase of $800 or more but not my heir; humanity is my heir." Measure, must ($45 value, labor excluded) Ironically, the Jews have bring ad into store to set up Select the style best-fitted to your needs . . . the selection is indeed become leaders in appointment. ($15.00 agriculture as Hirsch tremendous. value) wanted them to be — but *PREVIOUS ORDERS EXCLUDED. Offer expires 5/14/83 not in his colonies. When Herzl and Hovevei Zion suggested he help them in Eretz Yisrael, he dismissed Orchard Lake Rd. at 15 Mile 15150 W. 7 Mile Rd., 3 blks. E. of Greenfield the creation of a Jewish West Bloomfield 626-2400 state as a fantasy. Detroit 342-8822 Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Thurs. till 8 History was to show that Mon. -Fri. 8:30-5, Sat. 9-3 agricultural colonies World Zionist Press Service JERUSALEM — Maurice de Hirsch, whose 150th birthday was celebrated this year, grew up in a weal- thy German Jewish family of royal bankers. Although like most Jewish families mine cannot boast of nobil- ity, our family history can- not be told without men- tioning a baron — in our case Baron Hirsch himself. • b - -„*. VALUABLE COUPON 50% Off On ALL Drycleaning' SA E 20-7570 Off Store 11 Wide Sale Give Mom Freedom* Freedom Cordless Phone Sale NE RI