Jewry's Role in

Human Affairs

MAPPING SEALANES TO THE NEW WORLD
To 14th Century Europeans the heavens were a mysterious void and the
oceans were a fearful abyss. The form, shape and size of the world were
equally as baffling. Rarely would vessels venture far beyond visible coast
lines. But a few early Renaissance scholars, prominently joined by Jewish
astronomers, mathematicians and cartographers, challenged the unknown
and helped pilot the age of exploration, trade and conquest.
Many awesome voyages of discovery sailing from Spanish and
Portuguese ports were guided by maps and instruments of Jewish
a respected mapmaker to the Spanish
handiwork. Abraham Cresques,
court, drafted the most accurate geographies of the day's perceived world.
His son, Judah, retained with other Jewish astronomers and mathematicians
by Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, helped plot the nation's nautical
missions and secure its dominance at sea.
The most eminent Jewish philosopher of his time, Rabbi Levi ben
Gershon, was an inventor as well who in the mid-1300s developed the
Jacob's Staff--a device to gauge the positions of the sun and stars, an
indispensable tool used by navigators until the end of the 16th Century.

ASTROLABE

JACOB'S STAFF

As propagators of astronomical and mathematical systems into the
Middle Ages, Jewish craftsmen also improved the astrolabe--an
observational aid to establish latitudes and locate ships in relation to
celestial bodies. Abraham Ben Samuel Zacuto, a Spanish astronomer and
historian of wide repute, is credited with fashioning the first metal astrolabe
of high precision. He counseled Vasco da Gama before the adventurer's
momentous voyage to India. And Christopher Columbus set sail with
Zacuto's greatly improved astronomical tables.
Legend tells us that the tables' accuracy saved Columbus and his
crew from almost certain _death after their capture by Caribbean Indians. He
used the charts' prediction of an imminent lunar eclipse to pretend having
awesome powers to control sunshine and moonlight; Columbus was
released with reverence.
Among five crewmen of Jewish origin on board was interpreter
Luis de Torres, the first in the fleet to set foot on the newfound shores.
Years before the Puritans arrived, de Torres was also the first white man to
claim property and permanently settle in the New World.
- Saul Stadtmauer

Always The Teacher

RABBINIC IMPACT from page 12

Outside his own congregation,
left Temple Israel," says Rabbi Syme.
Rabbi
Syme was a close friend of the
"He never needed to see himself as
late
Rabbi
Morris Adler of
a senior rabbi or to establish rank.
Congregation
Shaarey Zedek.
There was a clear sense that all the
Rabbi
Syme
also moved within the
rabbis and cantors work in partner-
non-Jewish
world.
"My father
ship," says Rabbi Loss. "He has the
marched
on
Washington
with Dr.
unique ability to always feel good
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
and
was the
about everybody else's successes.
first
rabbi
to
speak
at
Royal
Oak's
"When I first decided to come to
Shrine
of
the
Little
Flower
(former
Temple Israel, one of the reasons was
church of Father Charles Coughlin, an
to have the opportunity to work with
avowed antisemite) in the face of
Rabbi Syme. It was clear he would be
enormous pressure from the Jewish
a very positive mentor and that has
community," says Dan.
proven quite accurate.
Rabbi Syme is past president of the
"Perhaps the greatest legacy Rabbi
Family
Service Society of
Syme leaves behind is a very strong
Metropolitan
Detroit and the CCAR-
staff and lay leadership who work
Ohio
Valley-Great
Lakes Western
together well. One thing he has done
Pennsylvania
Region.
He is a recipient
in past years is to work to assure that
of
the
Jewish
National
Fund's highest
Temple is in a position to maintain its
Keter Shem Toy (Crown of
honor,
the
high standard."
the Good Name) award. In 1970,
In addition to Rabbis Loss, Bennett
and Hornsten, other Temple
Israel clergy include Rabbi
Paul Yedwab and Cantors
Harold Orbach and Lori
Corrsin.
The Shabbat celebration on Friday, July 7,
"All over the country,
in honor of Rabbi Syme's retirement and
there are kids who were
80th birthday begins with a reservation-
Temple Israel kids who have
only dinner at 5:30 p.m. Services follow at
chosen the rabbinate or the
7:30 --- outdoors in the L'Dor V'Dor
cantorate as a profession,"
Gardens, weather permitting. Rabbi Daniel
says Tisdale. "Now that's a
Syme will speak and David Syme will play
love of more than congrega-
a piano tribute.
tion and family."
Temple Israel will honor the Symes
Tisdale's daughter Jennifer,
through
the new Rabbi M. Robert and
22, is a rabbinical student
Sonia.
Syme
Angel Fund, which fulfills his
who begins a monthly
long-time
wish
of not denying Temple
internship in September at
Israel
membership
to anyone because of
Temple Beth El in
financial
need.
For
information, call the
Brownsville, Texas.
Temple office, (248) 661-5700.

In Tribute

Everlasting Connection

COMMISSION FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF JEWISH HISTORY
Walter & Lea Field, Founders/Sponsors
Irwin S. Field, Chairperson
Harriet F. Siden, Chairperson

Visit many more notable Jews at our website: www.dorledor.org

7/7

2000

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27550 WOODWARD at 11 1 /2 Mile

248 548-4100

"Looking back over my life
at Temple Israel, if I had to do it all
over again, it would be the same
choices, the same people," says Rabbi
Syme. "I was so lucky. No rabbi has
the experiences that I had. When we
lost a [21-year-old] son, these people
became my family."
Tisdale says, "It was Rabbi Syme
who created a family out of a congre-
gation. All of us consider ourselves
one large extended family. You have to
attribute the growth and success to
him. He molded and put together,
and kept everybody together. Temple
Israel has done nothing but grow in a
dynamic direction."
Rabbi Syme transformed individual
ideas, such as starting the Hebrew
school and the daily minyan, into
"one great and noble accomplish-
ment," says Norton Stern, synagogue
president.

HUC awarded him an honorary
Doctor of Divinity degree. He is a for-
mer member of the Rabbinical
Advisory Council of the United Jewish
Appeal, and the Commission on
Jewish Education of the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations and
was on the board of the Jewish
National Fund.
His involvement with inter-faith,
inter-religion issues earned him the
Ecumenical Institute for Jewish-
Christian Studies' first Dove Award in
1994. Sharing the honor with Father
Malcolm Carron of University of
Detroit Mercy College, Rabbi Syme
was nominated by the Southfield-
based Institute's founder and long-
time colleague and friend, Rev. James
R. Lyons.

RABBINIC IMPACT on page 23

