"When It Came to
Joining a Temple,

The Rabbis Made Us Do It!"

Coats of arms were designed
strictly for the nobility as a per-
manent record of what they be-
lieved was their prestigious
family history.
Jews in the Middle Ages did
not have coats of arms because
Jews were never permitted en-
try into the noble classes. From
time to time, Jews of the pe-
riod created seals intended to
mimic the insignia, but these
were not of the same caliber or
influence as the gentiles' coats
of arms.
There is an exception. The
Halevy family of Toledo, Spain,
did manage to have a coat
of arms, decorated with a
castle and three towers. It later
was adopted, with slight
alterations, by a young British
statesman whose Jewish
ancestors had converted to
Christianity so as to secure
their children's future. That
statesman was Benjamin Dis-
raeli.
By the 15th century, in
countries less hostile to their
minority populations, coats of
arms became popular among
wealthy Jews. Sephardim in
Turkey and Italy often creat-
ed their own family crests, as
did Jews in Holland.
But nowhere was it more
popular than in Great Britain,
where many Jews — including
the famed Rothschild and Sas-
soon families, as well as Sir
Moses Montefiore — were ab-
solutely enamored with the
coats of arms.
Though the number of in-
signia that survive is limited,
it's interesting to see what
once adorned these family
treasures. Sir Moses Monte-
fiore's bears two Stars of David
and the word "Jerusalem" in
Hebrew, and business leader
Sir Albert Sassoon's is de-
signed with nothing but Jew-
ish symbols, including a motto
("truth and faith," in Hebrew),
a dove holding an olive branch,
and the Lion of Judah.
In later years, families were
granted coats of arms based on
their service to the govern-
ment. In 1622, Bassevi of
Treuenberg was honored with
one for financially aiding three
emperors during wartime. And
in 1925, Sir Marcus Samuel re-
ceived his coat of arms for his
exemplary service (he was in-
strumental in securing food for
citizens throughout Britain)
during World War I.

Send questions to Tell Me Why,
The Jewish News, 27676
Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069.
All letters must be signed and in-
clude the writer's address. Ques-
tions answered in the column will
feature only the writer's initials
and city of residence.

.•:

010e.ti Ont•

We Invite Your Family to Join Ours.

At Shir Shalom, we welcome intermar-
ried couples and converts with open
hearts. We're sensitive to the individual
needs of all our members, and offer
once-a-week Hebrew school on
Wednesday or Sunday morning, as
well as guaranteeing single Bar or
Bat Mitzvah dates. If you want to feel
like part of a family . . . and a dream,
come as you are to Temple Shir Shalom.

For membership information, call our
rabbis at (810) 737-8700.

TEMPLE

SHIR
SHALOM

Temple Shir Shalom • 3999 Walnut Lake Rd. (Corner of Orchard Lake Rd.) • West Bloomfield • 810-737-8700

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