\, 4 0. 337 V &

Fast Facts

Remembering two catastrophes
on the 17th of Tammuz.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor

t The holiday: The fast of the
17th of Tammuz.

I When it occurs this year:
Thursday, June 27.

I What it commemorates: Two
similar catastrophes in wars that
happened centuries apart. First
was the breaching of the walls of
Jerusalem by the Babylonian,
Nebuchadnezzar, in 586 B.C.E.; it
happened again in 70 C.E., this
time by the Roman, Titus.

I Basic observance: A total fast,
with no food or drink allowed.
Pregnant women and nursing
mothers are exempt. Persons on
medication and those unsure of
their medical condition should
consult with both a rabbi and a
physician. This is one of four
minor fasts on the Jewish calen-
dar, which begins at sunrise and
ends at sunset (as opposed to Yom
Kippur and Tisha b'Av, which last
25 hours each). On years when
the fast day would fall on
Shabbat, the fast is delayed until
the following day.

Special significance of this fast:
The 17th of Tammuz begins the

three-week period of mourning
known in Hebrew as beyn ha-met-
zarim ("between the straits"),
which ends on Tisha B'Av.
Commonly, this period is
known simply as "The Three
Weeks." During this time, obser-
vant Jews do not have weddings,
parties or other celebrations; live
music is not played; haircuts are
not permitted (some men also do
not shave); some people also do
not buy new clothing or make
improvements to their homes.

I Rituals: In the synagogue,
Morning service (Shacharit),
Selichot (penitential prayers) are
recited, as well as the Avinu

Malkeinu prayer. In the synagogue
afternoon service (Mincha), two
changes are made in the Amidah
(Shemona Esrez): individual wor-
shippers insert the Aneinu para-
graph in the Shema Koleinu por-
tion, while in the cantor's repeti-
tion of the Amidah, Aneinu is
inserted after Re'eh Veoneinu.
The Torah is read at both morn-
ing and afternoon services. The
Torah portion for both services is
Exodus 32:11-14 and Exodus 34:1-
10. Three persons are called up. In
the afternoon, the third person
also reads the Haftorah, which is
Isaiah 55:6 to 56:8.

❑

Rabbi Rothschild?

Did anyone in this famous family ever receive ordination?

PHILLIP APPLEBAUM
Special to the Jewish News
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor

Q: The Rothschild family has dis-
tinguished itself in many fields of
endeavor. Among the Rothschilds,
there have been renowned finan-
ciers, economists, naturalists, ento-
mologists, zoologists, musicologists,
art experts, literary experts and so
on. Have any of the Rothschilds
ever been ordained as a rabbi?
A: Lionel de Rothschild of London
generally is regarded as the expert on
the Rothschild family tree. As stated

in a letter to "Tell Me Why," he is
not aware of any descendant of the
family's founder, Mayer Amschel
Rothschild (1744-1812), who
became a rabbi.
Through the generations, the
Rothschilds have varied in their reli-
gious observance, but Lionel still
considers the family Orthodox. He
points out that the family members
who remained in Frankfurt,
Germany, and under the influence
of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
(1808-88), were the most pious.

Q: I understand that Mark Twain's
daughter was married to a Jew.

Was it a Jewish household, did
they have any children, and if so,
were the children involved in any-
thing Jewish?
A: Mark Twain was the pen name
of Samuel Langhorne Clemens
(1839-1910).
In 1909, his musical daughter,
Clara Langdon Clemens (a contral-
to born in 1874) married Ossip
Gabrilowitsch, a renowned concert
pianist and native of Russia. Their
daughter, and only child, Nina
Clemens Gabrilowitsch, was born
in 1910.
In 1918, the Gabrilowitsches
moved to Detroit, where Ossip had

6/21

2002

109