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Philadelphia.—The Hebrew Education Society
was duly organised on the 16th of July last, by the election of the
following as officers for the first year: Solomon Solis, President;
Simeon Elfelt, Vice-Presi<<263>>dent; Abraham Hart, Treasurer; Z. A. Davis,
Secretary; Simon M. Klasser, Assistant Secretary, and Marcus Cauffman,
Lewis J. Cohen, M. A. Dropsie, A. T. Jones, Jacob Langsdorff, Isaac
Leeser, Moses Nathans, Joseph Newhouse, H. Polock, Julius Stern, H. Van
Bell, and A. S. Wolf, Managers. At the same time Messrs. M. Arnold, M.
Nathans and J. Schoneman, were elected Trustees of the Society. About
forty-five members registered their names at the organization of the
Association, and many more are ready to join without delay. The first
Board meeting will be held on Sunday the 6th of August; and it is to be
hoped that such measures may be devised as will enable a school to be
opened within the course of the next twelve months.
Relief For Palestine.—We owe an apology to
the gentleman who furnished us with a statement from Jerusalem relative
to the return of R. Jechiel Cohen, of whom we spoke in the
last number
of our fourth volume, to Palestine, with the funds which he collected
for the relief of the poor at Hebron. We never doubted the integrity of
the mission of R. Jechiel, and stated so in our Magazine; but as some
persons affected to doubt him, we with pleasure seize this opportunity
to do justice to an absent individual, who left a favourable impression
on the minds of many by his proper bearing when here. In connexion,
however, with the general policy of giving to travelling missionaries
who come to collect for special purposes, there can be no doubt that
much is wasted in defraying the heavy attendant expenses; still we
cannot leave a poor man to go away empty handed, simply because he
ventured over the ocean in the mistaken hope of being liberally aided
when here. Nevertheless it is well for those who mean to benefit the
poor of the Holy Land, to consider well whether some method other than
direct application is not far preferable, and we candidly think, that
local collections forwarded through faithful houses in Europe will be
the better means. We accordingly draw the public attention to the
subject by laying before our readers the circular of the Committee of
the Society Terumath Hackodesh, of New York.
New York, July 5608.
Sir,—The Committee appointed by the Society
Terumath Hackodesh, for the purpose of making an Extra Collection in
behalf of our distressed brethren in the Holy Land, owing to the
dreadful famine which prevailed there, have the pleasure of reporting
the collection and transmission of the sum of ______ Dollars, for which
they present the receipts from the parties authorized to receive and
dispense the same.
This Society was established for the purpose of raising funds in aid
<<264>>of our poor brethren in the
Holy Land, and thus obviating the necessity of sending messengers hither
to raise contributions in their behalf. In addition to the danger of
fraud and imposition resorted to by false messengers, the expenses
attending the journey to and from this country, and the commissions
charged by those duly authorized, swallow up a considerable portion of
the collections made, to the prejudice of those for whom they are
intended. The terms upon which these messengers discharge the purposes
of their mission, is, to deduct one-third of their collections as their
commission, and from the residue the expenses of their journey; thus
leaving very little surplus, (if any) to be divided among those whom
they represent.
The committee respectfully propose, that each
congregation be urgently requested to open a subscription list in behalf
of our poor brethren in the Holy Land; to invite and urge persons to
subscribe any sum, however small, (the former sum was only one dollar
per annum,) annually, for the term of five years; by which means there
would be an annual fund to be depended on for transmission, sufficiently
considerable, however, to preclude the necessity of sending any
messengers here in future. The value of money being much greater in the
Holy Land than in this country, a moderate amount collected here, would
be felt and considered very important there. This plan has been
successfully adopted at Hamburg.
The committee, in order to give congregations and
individuals an opportunity of co-operating in the plan proposed, will
meet in the Meeting Room of the Crosby Street Synagogue, on Sunday,
August 6th, 5608, from 4 to 5 P.M., it being important to apprise the
principal men among our brethren in Jerusalem, of the measures and
intentions of their brethren here in their behalf, as early as possible.
The committee, also, recommend that the
פרנס and
גבאי of each congregation in this city,
be constituted a committee to effect the above objects.
I. B. Kursheedt,
S. M. Isaacs,
Sim. Abraham, Committee.
Rome, May.—Excesses Committed Against the Jews.—Within
the last few days, several disturbances have taken place in the Ghetto.
The people had already begun to demolish some houses, when the Civica
arrived to prevent their proceedings. The common people envy the Jews
their newly acquired rights.—Zeit. de Jud.
Berlin.—Dr. Veit, a bookseller of Berlin,
has been elected at Berlin a representative to the German Parliament
assembled at Frankfort.—Ib. |
