PURELY COMMENTARY
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
‘Shadhan' Role Again On Horizon, Reviving Socio-Religious Tradition
An age-old Jewish tradition, with
religious responsibilities and social as-
pects, is being revived again. The
Shadhan in the form of a modern
matchmaker, may not yet be on the
scene as an activist personality. In prin-
ciple he is already here. Now this impor-
tant member of an historic cast of char-
acters performs a duty in the form of
newspaper advertisements. Through
such media, boy seeks girl, or girl intro-
duces her qualities to boy.
For many years the image of the
Shadhonim was in the columns, in this
and other newspapers, under the head-
ing "Singles." It was a medium for meet-
ings of the sexes. Out of it grew the
more direct means of inviting the social
contacts. Apparently anticipated results
are achieved. Else, why the expansion
and growth of this means of achieving
the desired introductions? Why headlines
like "Matchmaker ... Matchmaker" over
scores of such advertisements in the
Jewish Week of New York and similar
ones in numerous other newspapers?
The interest in the new social aspect
of Jewish life spilled over, into a front
page article about The Detroit Jewish
News "Singles" campaign in the Detroit
Free Press. Jewish News Associate Pub-
lisher Arthur Horwitz explained the
purpose of such an aspect in Jewish
journalism and indicated that it is a
serious means of counteracting the in-
From Hastings-Farnsworth
To Anecdotal Wall Street
Who could have predicted, in the
second decade of this exciteful century,
that the culinary delights of Hastings
and Farnsworth streets would eventu-
ally lead to the high finance of Wall
Street?
The recollection of the visits to the
famous delicatessens while recessing on
a weekend from classes in Ann Arbor
was more than an ordinary treat to
enjoy a mountainous corned beef sand-
wich for the time of that era. The ac-
companying large-sized bottled drink
was a nickel.
Boesky's was the predominant
meeting place for family and friends:
"See you at Boesky's."
The many other food spots under
that name — on 12th Street, on Dexter
Boulevard, downtown, were tributes to
a family whose members knew how to
slice the corned beef.
The youngest is known to have
been behind the counter in the more
recent spots. He evidently learned how
to slice. That followed an Ivan-esque
skill to master the art of knowing how
to compile.
Any wonder that he has become
anecdotal?
In a duo-byline in the Washington
Post, Nov. 16, Peter Behr and David A.
Vise compiled these "legendary" anec-
dotal remarks:
I
Over the years, the legend
of Ivan F. Boesky, the 49-year-
old son of the owner of a De-
troit delicatessen, has produced
many published anecdotes and
memorable remarks, including:
Walking with her husband
down the Champs Elysees in
Paris, Seema Boesky said to
Ivan, "It's a beautiful evening.
Just look at the moon. Isn't it
gorgeous?"
"What good is the moon," he
replied, "if you can't buy it or
sell it?"
Continued on Page 20
Nathan Ausubel
crease of intermarriage. It is primarily
just that: in the new "shadhanut" prac-
tice, even when there is no "Shadhan"
medium, it is Jewish boy/girl seeks
Jewish girl/boy that is the main purpose.
The newspaper ad is the instrument, the
self-initiative by girl or boy is the means
of revising a tradition that was an obli-
gation — active, unselfish, as a religious
duty — for nearly a thousand years.
Now the "Shadhan" is again approaching
the scene and is coming again into his/
her own.
Consorting with such a matter need
not be judged as being out of character"
for Page Two of The Detroit Jewish
News. On the contrary: the headlines
"Matchmaker ... Matchmaker" demand
explanation and reintroduction of the
"Shadhan." He is an historic character.
There is a temptation at this point
to utilize numerous explanatory essays
on the subject. Both Jewish
encyclopedias — Universal and Judaica
— and scores of .other books deal with
the subject. Therefore the concession to
resort to only one, Jewish Concepts by
Dr. Philip Birnbaum. It covers the idea
with the eminent author's fullest
authoritativeness. It offers an explana-
tion of one of the most dignified aspects
of Jewish social, religious and family life
on the highest level. Rabbi Birnbaum
explains:
SHADKHAN
61% WO
.„/
T :
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The term shadkhan (marriage
broker) is derived from the verb
shiduch used in the Talmud
(Shabbath 150a) in the sense of
stipulating, negotiating a mar-
riage. The profession of the shad-
khan was well established in the
early Middle Ages, especially
among the Franco-German Jews.
The shadkhan's right to compen-
sation is dealt with in medieval
Jewish law codes (Or Zaru'a, the
Mordekhai). His work was highly
respected. Many prominent rab-
bis, like the Maharil (Rabbi Jacob
Moelln), used matchmaking as a
source of income; since they re-
fused to accept salaries for their
rabbinic functions. The shadkhan
was entitled to about two percent
of the amount involved; when the
contracting parties lived more
than ten miles apart, the shad-
khan was entitled to three per-
cent and more.
The shadkhanim had wide-
spread acquaintances in the re-
mote parts of the Jewish settle-
ments; many of them had great
understanding of human nature,
and enjoyed unlimited confidence
because of their good character.
Some saintly rabbis regarded the
business of matchmaking not
merely as a source of income, but
also as a mitzvah, a divine pre-
cept, similar to the mitzvah of
hakhnasath kallah (dowering the
bride) or aiding young people to
marry. Genuinely happy mar-
riages resulted from the direct
parental responsibility for the
choice of prospective brides and
grooms, who were brought to
their attention by shadkhanim.
In the nineteenth century,
however, the shadkhan and his
profession were used as favorite
subjects for humorous descrip-
tions by Jewish and non-Jewish
writers. On the other hand, the
Jewish matrimonial agent has
been described as a prized visitor
in the home of every marriage-
able girl. Special attention was
devoted to yihus, the family line,
which was thoroughly investi-
gated and reported by the mar-
riage broker, in view of the
Jewish ambition to marry into a
family of a good name and an ex-
cellent environment.
In the brevity of his definition of the
interesting Shadhan role, Dr. Birnbaum
took into account the recollection that
the matchmaker, often a woman, was
the subject for fun-poking. In reference
to such a woman, it was not uncommon
to hear, Ot geht der shlumper — here
comes the slob." But 'shadhanut,"
matchmaking, was historically a
mitzvah, a good deed, and as such will
surely be treated uninterruptedly, espe-
cially when Scriptures are treated re-
spectfully. In Gateway to Judaism, a
compilation by Albert M. Shulman, the
following additional explanatory details .
are provided, together with prescribed
guidelines for newlyweds:
The first account of the selec-
tion of a wife by proxy is found
in Genesis 24, where Eliezer, the
servant of Abraham, was sent to
select a wife for Isaac. Until
about the 12th century, parents,
for the most part, engaged
actively in the search for suitable
mates for their children. But at
about that time, it was taken over
by the professional matchmaker,
SHADCHAN — a word derived
from the Hebrew word SHI-
DUCH — TO PERSUADE. (Sab-
bath 150a)
This became a recognized
and well-established profession
in Jewish life. It was the business
of the Shadchan to seek out elig-
ible prospects, arrange a meeting
of the parents, ascertain their so-
cial, cultural, and financial
status, negotiate the conditions
and terms of marriage, and then
set up a meeting of the young
people themselves. It was not
unusual at times for such an
engaged couple to meet for the
first time under the marriage
canopy.
To the shadchan, matchmak-
ing was not purely a commercial
transaction, but a pious task, a
mitzvah. Usually, both parents
shared in his fee. An association
of shadchans was formed in New
York City in 1929.
There were certain tradi-
tional injunctions, especially to
Continued on Page 20
Righteous Interdenomination
Emphasis on the `Zahor'
Concern over the frequent appear-
ance, in many areas of the world, of a
revived bigotry that has even denied the
reality of the Nazi Holocaust, has
created a reaction that rejects the new
neo-Nazism. On an interdenominational
scale, knowledgeable Jews and righteous
non-Jews are giving emphasis to the
demand for a "Zahor," for a remembr-
ance of the tragic experience, for a dedi-
cation to the task of preventing recurr-
ence of the Hitler-created Holocaust.
The new dedication to the Zahor is
given commendable emphasis by the
very active Anne Frank Institute of
Philadelphia. The notable participation
in this movement by eminent Christian
theologians and distinguished aca-
demicians makes it a movement to be
emulated.
The newest achievement by this
Philadelphian movement is especially
commendable. It has just produced a
160-page volume that serves as an an-
thology that teaches and guides, serving
as a powerful instrument against all
forms of Nazism and neo-Nazism. Under
the title Liturgy on the Holocaust: An In-
terfaith Anthology, this impressive col-
lection of poems and essays, edited by
Marcia Sachs Littell, provides the roots
in teachings exposing the Nazi crimes
and mobilizing the humanist com-
munities in the battle against the repeti-
tion of such crimes.
Great minds and noble spirits domi-
nated the assembling of the contents for
this "Liturgy." Such well known,
justice-loving personalities as Franklin
1
Rev. Franklin H. Littell
and Alice Littell, Roy and Alice Eck .ardt,
and distinguished associates are repre-
sented in it. It is a work of great distinc-
tion and must receive widest circulation
with the deepest respect from the truly
human society in mankind.
Martyrology and heroism, the
human outcry of "Never Again" to any
Continued on Page 20