From the Pages

Jewish Bicentennial

1889 |  The first and oldest rabbinical association, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, is established.

150 Years Ago

Amusements.

Mozart Hall — Wachtel, the Great Tenor, in German Opera.— The exceedingly brilliant season of opera which Cincinnati is enjoying this winter will receive its culmination on the 6th inst., in the person of Wachtel, the great German tenor, at Mozart Hall. First we had the splendid English opera combination of Parapa-Rosa for two weeks; then the queenly Nilsson with her almost matchless fellow artists in Italian opera for one week, with a second season, to close tomorrow afternoon, and on Tuesday evening Herr Wachtel begins a far too brief season of three nights and one matinee. 

Editor’s Note: Theodor Wachtel (1823-1893) was a German tenor opera singer.

Wanted.—The Hebrew congregation, Beth El Emeth of Camden, Ark., wishes to engage a minister, capable of lecturing in English. The worship of the congregation will be Minhag America, and the minister will be required to read the prayers on Sabbath and holidays, also lead a choir and teach a Hebrew school. Salary, $1,500 per annum and perquisites. Address either of the undersigned.

S. Block, President.

S. H. Newhouse, Secretary.

Editor’s Note: “Minhag America” was the siddur (prayerbook) written by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise in 1857 for use in American Reform Jewish congregations. It had texts in Hebrew with English translations.

— Feb. 2, 1872

125 Years Ago

Ladies’ Column

Chicago, as usual, catches the plums—Mrs. McKinley’s complete inaugural outfit is being made in that enterprising town by the lake. I am told that several of the principal shops there, not alone sent to Canton boxes of samples, but that two even sent representatives with models and materials for the future “first lady” to select from. Were Ohio firms equally enterprising, I wonder.

Hon. Charles Fleischmann had a narrow escape from serious injury last Monday. About 4 o’clock in the afternoon Senator Fleischmann left the office of his yeast establishment on Plum Street. A cab was waiting in front of the place, in which he was to be driven to his home. In walking down the stone steps the Senator slipped and fell to the sidewalk. His head struck one of the steps and he was rendered unconscious. He was placed in the cab and driven to the Market National Bank, where he was attended by Dr. Ransohoff. He was later removed to his home in Avondale. Save for a number of severe bruises the Senator was not injured.

Editor’s Note: In addition to the yeast company that he founded with his brother Maximilian, which revolutionized the bread industry, Charles Louis Fleischmann (1835-1897) was active in the Republican Party in Ohio, and was elected to the state Senate in 1879 and 1895.

Mr. Charles M. Rothschild has opened a shelter at 622 Central Ave., for the homeless poor. A supper, night’s lodging and warm breakfast is given to all worthy applicants, without cost. Mayor Caldwell and Chief Deitsch are actively interested in the scheme and the latter has detailed members of the detective force to keep the home clear of thieves and professional vagrants. The shelter is already doing much good and will prove a boon to hundreds, saving them from hunger and exposure with their resultant sickness or possibly death.

— Feb. 4, 1897

100 Years Ago

The Vir Publishing Company of Philadelphia sometime ago issued a volume entitled “Success.” Ministers, educators and men of great affairs were asked to contribute to this volume. Dr. Philipson was one of the contributors. Recently the same publication house brought out a series entitled “Out For Character.” The general theme of this series was character building with especial attention to adolescents. Dr. Philipson was also one of the contributors to this series, his contribution being on the subject, “Youth at the Crossroads.”

Editor’s Note: Rabbi David Philipson  (1862-1949) was rabbi of Bene Israel Congregation (Rockdale Temple) 1888-1932.

— Feb. 2, 1922

75 Years Ago

Dr. Victor E. Reichert, rabbi at Rockdale Temple, will speak on “Building Bridges for Better Understanding” and will meet with various classes at George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 5th-6th, under Jewish Chautauqua Society auspices.

“Tune for a Whistle,” a novel by Miss Doris Ransohoff, formerly of Cincinnati, has been accepted for publication by Rinehart and Co., New York, and is expected to appear in the late spring or early summer.

Mr. and Mrs. Israel Edlin, 832 Blair Avenue, will be at home to their relatives and friends in honor of their son, Philip, who is graduating from the College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, on Sunday, Feb. 9th, at 8 p.m. No cards.

— Jan. 30, 1947

50 Years Ago

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Dombar of Galbraith Road announce the engagement of their daughter, Taaron Wright Dombar, to Mr. George Makrauer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Makrauer of Section Road.

Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Greff, 7980 Springvalley Drive, are happy to announce the Bas Mitzvah of their daughter, Linda Joy, on Friday, Feb. 11, at 8:15 p.m., at Adath Israel Synagogue.

Relatives and friends are cordially invited to worship with the family and attend the Oneg Shabbat immediately following services.

Mrs. Rita Kramer and Mr. Charles Kramer would be honored to have you worship with them when their son, Jeffrey Alan, will read a portion of the Haftorah on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah, on Feb. 12, 1972, at Adath Israel Synagogue at Ridge and Galbraith Roads 9:30 a.m. There will be a Kiddush immediately following the services.

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall A. Goodman (Donna Goodman), 109 Carran Drive, Ft. Mitchell, Ky., announce the birth of a daughter, Felicia Beth, Wednesday, Jan. 26th, at Bethesda Hospital. The infant has a sister, Laura Jill.

Jewish Hospital births include:

Dr. and Mrs. Barton Fogel (Marsha Gittelman), 161 Ridgeview Dr., announce the birth of a son, Elliott Alan, Thursday, Jan. 27th. The infant has a sister, Shari. 

Mrs. Clara Mellman wishes to thank her relatives, friends and Rabbis David Indich, Bernard Greenfield and Albert A. Goldman for cards, contributions, donations and gifts during her stay at Jewish Hospital.

— Feb. 3, 1972

25 Years Ago

Volunteers are being sought to help with the “Celebration of Life” — the grand opening of Cedar Village.

The SOAR (Special Occasions at Rockdale) Committee invites the community to Rockdale and Roll, a 1950s-1960s party on Saturday night Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Rockdale Temple.

The Adult Education Committee of Temple Sholom is pleased to present a lecture by Rabbi Gary Zola on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 10:30 a.m. on the topic of “Women in the Rabbinate.” Rabbi Zola will provide an overview of events leading to the ordination of women and discuss the impact, changes and contributions made by women rabbis on contemporary Jewish life.

Northern Hills Synagogue will host “Sunday Night Shtick, Part Deux: An Evening of Jewish Humor,” on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.

Nina Paul is the new chairman of the Israel Programs Cabinet, announced Richard L. Shenk, president of the Jewish Federation.

Rabbi Devra R. Hachen, the first full-time rabbi of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough, Mass., since 1980, will occupy the Alumni Chair in Practical Rabbinics at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jan. 27 through Feb. 6.

— Jan. 30, 1997

10 Years Ago

Despite inclement weather, a crowd of about 500 greater Cincinnati community members filled the Mayerson JCC’s Amberley Room the evening of Saturday, Jan. 21, to hear Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren speak. He spoke for approximately 30 minutes about Israel’s challenges and successes in an environment of uncertainty and then took questions from the audience. He answered the questions—whose topics ranged from the greatest threat to Israel’s security to the lack of positive press about Israel in the United States to cyber-terrorist attacks—frankly and with aplomb. The audience applauded the ambassador with three standing ovations throughout the evening.

On Friday, Feb. 10, Wise Temple will host its first Got Shabbat…Why Not? evening. This will be a time to join other families for a special dinner and program where participants can share the joy of Shabbat, generate new ideas on shaping Shabbat in their homes and engage the entire family in the excitement of Shabbat.

They were nearly 80 strong. They came from all across the region. They brought sleeping bags and stayed the night to speak out in solidarity and gain more awareness about an issue that all Americans should be concerned about. No, it wasn’t Occupy Wall Street, or even Occupy Cincinnati…it was Occupy the JCC, a program that was conceived of and led by members of the Jewish youth group, BBYO, who took over the Mayerson JCC Saturday night, Jan. 21 to bring attention to bullying, a problem that affects many thousands of children and teens across the country and leads to numerous unnecessary suicides each year

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati is again offering a summer trip to Israel for Jewish students ages 16–18 in the greater Cincinnati area. On the J*Quest trip, students will travel with peers from Cincinnati and its sister city, Netanya, Israel, through Israel, Berlin and Prague. J*Quest is the first trip of its kind to give high school students the opportunity to travel to Berlin.

Learning to help others bounce back after a traumatic experience will be the focus of Ways to Bolster Resilience in Children and Adults, a workshop with Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D., presented by Jewish Family Service 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday, March 20 at the Mayerson JCC.

Professor Herbert Paper (January 11, 1925 – January 23, 2012) was among the first people to teach university level Yiddish courses in the United States. In 1977, Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion (HUCJIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio, hired Paper as dean of Graduate Studies. He taught there for 22 years, helping to build HUC-JIR’s reputation in linguistics, introducing languages that had not been taught there before, including Yiddish, Sanskrit and modern Farsi. He served as editor of the Hebrew Union College Annual and as an early president of the Association of Judaic Studies, which he was instrumental in founding. 

— Feb. 2, 2012