The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13


In most osses .n.se O.u,nanoees oiro.
~ from Ine reoo's' put 10 some instances .he
ieeu'nt mehoi eSop,"uui.S "ouiu ''s"e 20.
u oi"'ns"oes N"u e"oA's spp'V'aA
OF tho'r rehk'oue EuIue' AAsoon ~ Auno"e"
Ieoo'Vou 'no Ns'ou. y Iaoo''' " l"
.ne synasoHue' aha ~ became 10 olnuine y, .
~" o NV uIoIesaru VI "h'on memoer .. t"o
ooH"unus' y ''iNuHers ere no. "ouuu W
ioc"' oro'naneee' was puhisheo Win tne oe'
prNAtoh vi eSussoRuo pr'sNoSos' puoi'o ?
ouke oy inc r"ooi' OF tne pan ror . certain
ieuR'h OF t'mo' ecooro'nR 70 tho RraVty OF 'he
'ansEreSS'on
he sShaHokuo 'oEn'nR tne eon'roo 'o"rsh
I'o' was pu' natura, tnet inc Je"t, wherever
tney lVen' snou'a eeiect their aweilings near
anu orouhu IT, NeRu'ar SERVICES IN tne syne-
soHu. v ~ - poOt
minutes the syhagoRue ouiioinR was useo also
acrimonious iorcnhuron IN theuaytime' ana
ioue'ne mousse Ior poor stuoonVs OF tno Ia"
OF ior "ey'ererS' Every newcomer "enuoo MS
way 70 the synagogue nrst; II ne was the bearer
OH message from n distant Seat OF 'eatninRor
irom instant community ne uoilNerou IL tneEo
UNIV rhoo'"r TUG communal ieauors' u no m"
prl'sle letters 10 denver OF sousnt tho 40
QuAihtance OF any memoor o inc eonRreRetion'
IL was there thet the oeadle pointed out 70 MN
the persons no inquired AFTER OF informed MIN
OF their whereabouts. FOR this reason IL was Oh
ana hsnco separate jewish quarters formed
themselves In every city from the eariie'ttime OF
the dispersion. Ih's voluntary noralhR toRetner
around the common centre ana Tor the COM
mon interests. FORMED no barrier OF seciueion
ana no evidence OF separation from tho oitlzens
OF other religious CONCESSIONS wealthy 1ews'
mechanics, ana merchants whose "orloiy IN
terests required their presence among tue gen.
erai population took up their residence outside
OF the jewish quarters. TheY engaged religious
teachers TO instruct the'r eh''oreh At nome, ana
visited the eynaRoeue only on tne Saooetn ana
holidays. The hardship OF . separation from
the non-Jswish residents ecSan w'ta she 'nss'-
tuition OF compulsory jewish wards or jew
ries, whom tho jews OUTSIDE OF certain precincts
were regarded as strangers ana considered
themselves as suoh.
When and where euch forced eecluslon OF the
Jews began cannot no" DC historically estao-
Hshed. Inc 1o"s street OF London 10 men,
tioneo rs carly hs lilo OUT tnle designation
may show merely that most OF the dweller'
In the street were Jews and they may nave
CROWDED u OF their own voition. Ihere seem
to hav" been forced ghettos In some parts OF
Germany NJ early as the twelfth ana thirteenth
centuries. In Anglers there was q Ju'cef6 In
tho fourteenth century. ana ABOUT the Same
time there was u JudendorJ In Halo; 90 also
were ghettos In vogue In Sicily In that century.
But until the foundation OF the Roman Rhetto
In 1000 oy Paul Nv. little riGor was SHOWN
In preventing the residence OF jews out
eide OF the quarters assigned 70 them. IN
douotediy the walls OF the ghetto sometimes
protected the jews. but more frequently they
mad the opposite enect. when q oiFoted CROWD
wanted TO massacre them. theS Know wnere 10
ma tnem en- mdsse. Inc most serious oisao.
vantage OF tho ghetto 70 ia oweliers was tue
terrinle overcrowding. Inc jewish population
gre" from o constant innux OF strangers that
ead been expatrsated from neighooring coun-
Ties. While the limits OF the ghettos never or
seidnm expanded. In FRANKFORT q popola-
Sion OF 4.ooo Jews NVeu In loo houses. Inc
Roman ghetto occupied q space loss than q
square ana within its walls were
pcnned no less than 10000 Inhabitants. To
heap disgrace upon misery. In some German
cities quarters within tho ghetto Walls were as
signed TO the brothels. and sometimes In prox-
Unity to the synaRogues.
IL would. however be erroneous to Imagine
that life within the ghetto was devoid OF all
comfort and pleasure. BY their wonderful as
tuieness and perfect solidarity the jews were
able to hold their own even amid such trying
circumstances Thor internal organization
held nothing human beyond its KEN What the
individual could not attain, the congregation
provided for him. III outht OF house
hold commodities could not be had In the mis-
cradle and crowded quarters they occupied. the
congregation supplied ovens in which
every Door family could do its cooking for the
Sabbath. also in some instances even utensils
that were necessary for o spread
on extraordinary occasions. like weddings
and social reunions. They maintained
baths. bakeries where every
poor woman could bake her bread. dancing
halls. meeting rooms. inns for newcomers and
wHyfarers. There was not room enough In the
ghetto for every den!zen to build q rituallstlc
booth for the celebration OF the Feast Of
Booths" but the congregation would not suffer
the neglect of this important ceremony and
built one or more large communal booths Mt tho
proper season for the poor. The synagogue was
surrounded with a garden where the rich and
the poor could enjoy n breath of fresh air before
they retired to rest in their ov~ercrowded
rooms. Singing and dancing parties In the
communal hall were OF almost daily occur
renee. and the TaSbis had great troubls to
prevent men and women dancing together.