Euphoric inscription in book after Israeli Declaration of Independence

In a copy of the Hebrew translation of the Jewish German Actor Alexander Granach's Autobiography, I found an inscription from a father to his children signed off
Hadera, Yom Rishon, Tishre 5749, year one to our freedom 14.10.48
חדרה. יום ראשון. תשרי תש"ט. א לחרותינו 14.10.48

David Levi (1742, London – 1801) one of the last men known to have understood the talmud

In 1810, John Wallis published: London : being a complete guide to the British capital. It contains an entire chapter devoted to the Jews of London and their history with much entertaining information. Of interest is the author's open hatred for the German and Polish Jews and respect for the Spanish and Portuguese community. One exception is his description of David Levi.
From page 340 in the book: "But to the general imputation of extreme ignorance, the late Mr. David Levi, was a striking exception. This man was originally a shoemaker, next a hatter, next an author and finally a printer.........Mr Levi died in 1805 and was one of the last men known to have understood the talmud."

On David Levi

From Page 341: "Of late years, it must be acknowledged, that a person bearing the name of a Jewish Bookseller, may be found in the environs of Duke's place and who has been concerned in some recent publications. But so few are the calls at home, for the purpose of literature, that the bookseller who is a stirring man, may very frequently be met with abroad, with a bag over his shoulder in quest of old clothes."

On the London Bookseller

But the most interesting mention in the book is that of his description of the Baal Shem of London, whom he refers to as Dr. Falk, the Jewish Magician. You can read below his lengthy description.

Sound advice to Teachers found in מערכת אברהם הדרכה לנערים 1769

In 1769 a curious little book titled מערכת אברהם הדרכה לנערים was published in Fuerth, authored by a school teacher in the Hague, Netherlands, named Avraham Segal. on page יא the author goes on an interesting aside describing how teachers would have bad influence on their students due to being in a fight with his wife:

ולהסיר המכשלה מעבירה גוררת עבירה להיות מחלוקת עם אשתו ומתוך קטטות ומריבות מרבה קללות וארורים. ותלמידיהם הן קטני קטים הן גדולים ונערים שומעים אלו הדברים ולומדים אלו הדברים מכוערים עד שהרגל נעשה טבע..... וכבר צווחו קמאי דקמאי על עושי מלאכתם ברמיה....
 "And to remove the hindrance of having one sin leading to another, that of (the teacher) having a fight with his wife, and through the brawls and fighting with his wife, he frequents curses and swearwords at his students. His students, from the youngest to the oldest, hear these words and learn these words until they become immune to them and used to using them..... The previous generations have already screamed on the danger of those who do their job in falsehood...."

the title page in the Renaissance Hebraica Facsimile of the book

How a New York Jewish Bookseller came to selling Hebrew New Testaments in 1892

The Jewish Era was a Christian Missionary Quarterly published in Chicago. In 1892, it gives over an account of how a Jewish Bookseller in NY decided to sell the New Testaments.

Announcement: Special shiur by Rabbi Yechiel Goldhaber on November 23 NOTE: POSTPONED DATE

 The general public is invited to a shiur that will be taking place Motza'e Shabbat [November 23] at 9PM. The shiur will be given by the noted author Rav Yechiel Goldhaber of Eretz Yisrael. He has authored many wonderful articles and works on a wide range of topics most notably Minhage Kehilot about customs, and Kunditon about the Titanic, and the Cherem on Spain.

The subject of the Shiur is The influence of Sabbatianism & Kabbalah on the Minhagim of Kabbalat Shabbat. It will take place in Brooklyn at 1274 East 23rd Street (between Ave. L & M) (the home of Dr. and Mrs. Shlomo Sprecher).

A selection of Renaissance Hebraica Facsimiles on the topics discussed will be available at the lecture at a discounted rate.

New Twist to the Jewish library in Shanghai looking for it's owner THE OWNER WAS A CHRISTIAN!

In the last few weeks, a story of a Shanghai family looking for the owner of a Jewish Library that has been left by them in 1943, by a certain Carl Anger. The media of the world has been helping out in the search for this "Jewish Man" who has never returned to claim his library.
A careful look at the interview video with the safe keepers of the library shows that Mr Anger was a Christian!
Here is the letter of Mr Anger to the Shanghai family, as it appears in the interview.

A careful look at the words preceding the signature show "sincerely yours in Christ" !
Either the fellow was a Christian or a Jew who converted to Christianity, but searching for a Jewish owner to the books is bound to hit a dead-end.

You can read the entire article here and watch the video here. In the video, the letter appears at 2:20.

For those of you who haven't read about it yet, here is the story that has been going the rounds from cctv.

From 1933 to 1941, around 30,000 Jewish refugees fled the holocaust in Europe for Shanghai. One of the city’s refugee sections, in Hongkou District, will be pulled down within days, to make way for new residential apartments. A Shanghai family that has lived in the district for decades has been looking after over 2,000 books for a Jewish refugee for 70 years. Now the family is asking for help locating their owner.

The final days of a historical community. With the area soon to be demolished, residents have begun moving out. Pan Lu, who recently found a new home for the 2,000 books, brought us to the place where they were kept for 70 years.

"These books belonged to a Jewish man. He asked my father-in-law to look after them in 1943, and said that he would come back to collect them. My father-in-law waited many years for him to collect them." Said Pan Lu.
Lin Daozhi, the school principal who was entrusted the books, died in 1981. But the book owner never returned. It was no easy task fitting them all in, especially in a house less than 100 square meters. Over 10 family members have lived here, but none have ever thought of dumping the books to make more space.

"My son has been sharing the room with us, and slept on this soft bed until he was 16 years old." Pan said.

Looking after the books has become a tradition for the Lin family. They sealed them up in 1993 to better preserve them.

Sun Lide, Lin Daozhi's Grandson, said, "We put the books in order, then glued and nailed the wall to prevent rats and worms from damaging them."

And their efforts paid off. When the wall was opened after twenty years, most of the books were still in good shape.

"I worried a lot before opening the wall. But I was very relieved to see them in good condition." Sun said.

Demolition plans set the clock ticking to find the books’ owner. Just before moving out, Pan Lu found a letter Carl Anger sent from Germany to her late parents-in-law. "We arrived safely ... and we’re happy to be reunited with our relatives," the letter read.

"I never thought that I would find a postcard with the picture of Carl and his wife Paula." Said Pan.

Thanks to this new clue, the Lin family feel that they are getting closer to their goal.

"We hope that Carl and his family can contact us. The books belong to them, and when they get them back, our family’s mission will be complete.")

The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum has contacted the German Consulate-General in Shanghai to locate the Anger family. The Israeli Embassy has also offered its help.

Chen Jian, Director of Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, said, "Life was hard at the time, but the Chinese people helped the Jewish refugees as much as possible. And the two peoples built up close bonds and deep trust."

The books are being kept in a local library until their owner is found.


Hat-tip: Philip Steiglitz who with his great eye made the original discovery

The testimony of the Pne Yehoshua on R. Zevi Hirsch of Gologory (d. 1766) author of אור צבי 1875

In 1875, in Lemberg, אור צבי by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Gologory was printed for this first time. It received several Haskamot including one from Rabbi Joseph Saul Nathansohn. Nathansohn in his Haskamah notes an interesting story about the author, that the Pne Yehoshua, when he left Poland to Germany, stated that no one was left of his stature in Poland in חריפות other than the author of this work.
"ובאחד ההסכמות ראיתי כתוב לאמר כי הגאון בעל הפני יהושע עת נסעו מפולין למדינת אשכנז אמר שלא הניח איש גאון בחריפות כמו הגאון הלז"

Nathansohn's Haskamah

Hat Tip: Rabbi Eliezer Katzman

1929 ישראל יבין One author's opinion of Haskamot

In 1929 an anonymous author published a Sefer titled ישראל יבין in the city of Galante. The book contains a wide selection of Gematriot and similar "sciences".
In the place of Haskamot, the author writes that since nothing new is written in the book, he needs no Haskamot and concludes
כשם שקבלתי שכר על הדרישה כך אקבל שכר על הפרישה מן ההסכמות
"Just as I received reward for the studying so shall I receive reward for refraining from requesting Haskamot"

Censorship of Encyclopedia Talmudit Vol I upon the request of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer

In the first Volume of Encyclopedia Talmudit, in the articles titled אברים ב דף נד: there appears a discussion regarding the scientific validity of the Torah concept of 248 אברים in the human body. Quoted as one of the opinions, is that of Dr Katzanelson in התלמוד וחכמת הרפואה which concludes with the phrase ובאחדים מהאברים דרך אחרת לו קצת ממפרשי המשנה.
Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer found this paragraph inappropriate and sent a letter to Rabbi Meir Bar-Illan requesting that it be removed. All subsequent editions have this section removed, and the footnotes rearranged to eliminate a trail. The letter of Rav Meltzer appears in his correspondence which was published by his grandson.

NOTE 53 INCLUDES THE CENSORED TEXT

THE CENSORED EDITION, NOTE THE REARRANGED FOOTNOTES

THE CENSORED EDITION, NOTE THE REARRANGED FOOTNOTES

Hat Tip: Menachem Silber

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman of Volozhin and Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, as book editors

There was a time when it was not beneath even the greatest of Jewry's leader's to edit and publish important Rabbinic works from manuscripts. One example is Shevil Hayashar by R. Saul Siskus (d. 1797) a commentary on the Alfasi, which was edited, with correction and notes by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman of Volozhin, known as Rabbi Zalmele, brother of Rav Chaim of Volozhin. R. Zalmele was just 21 years old at the time. Here is what the author, R. Srikus writes of R. Zalmele in the introduction to the work:
הקרה ה' לפני מקרה טהור גברא קטן בשנים א"ך גדול בענקים ינוקא קדישא חסידא ופרישא מילא אותו רוח אלוהים בחכמה ובתבונה ובדעת בכל הש"ס עם כל השיטות הפוסקים קדמאי ובתראי ערוכים ומחודדים בפיו לאמר בלי גמגום הוא ניהו קדושת שמו מפארים מור"ר שלמה זלמן........

The Haskamah for Shevil Hayshar by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Broide. Note how we praises the editor, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman more than the actual author

From the Introduction to the book by the author, praising the encyclopedic knowledge of R. Shlomo Zalman

Endless praise for Rabbi Shlomo Zalman in the sefer סערת אליהו Warsaw 1887 Edition. 

In 1927, Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, published and edited from various manuscripts, the Ramban's commentary to Tractate Yevamot, with a page-long scholarly introduction and notes throughout. Here are the photos of the original edition as published by Rabbi Meltzer