Evening star., 1897-09-25

cuSloIH OF tne CnrlS-
>. tiaE calendar, but at
sundown, and every Jew in the land, be he
orthodox or reform" must honor its COM
ing. With the orthodox the ceremonies
are full of life, curious and impressive.
Hung on traditions and obseryances that
date back thousands of years, they have
even in the poorest. barest synagogues
a sDlendor that is almost oriental in its
symbolic features. Little understood and
almost unknown to Americans at large
these ceremonies yet exist and 100000
people will say the "Shamang YisraiP' to-
morrow night.
Hear, Israel. The Lord our God.
The Lord is One!'
In this the listener hears and the Jew
recites the declaration of faith of this
historic people, unchanged for centuries.
The Unity of Cod is its meaning. and
this is the keynote of all Judaism, the
inner core. On this one belief is built
up towering structure of traditions
customs, observances. ceremonies, duties
that were made when the prophets taught
in Palestine. The new year services last
ing, properly speaking, a fortnight, but
followed several days later by the pic
turesque feast of tabernacles, then by the
Great Hosannah celebra ton, then by the
eighth day of Solomon's assembly, is the
chief season Of ceremonial in the Jewish
iihS II SA4StS any SWneI else
in America. 1t continues today as Asiatic
and full of solemn grandeur as 5000 years
ago, ana thouSh the reform Jews, esDe-
ciahy strong IN New York and the large>
cities OF the west nave thrown off and
cast aside many of the observances at
ieaSt seVen-tenthS OF the l,Ooo,OOO Jews of
America hold fast to every one Of the his
tcric uetaiis.
Wonderful Growth.
-rho,o -o,.,,,,.oa "a ,..,." -...,...t
'iee' "e oi vast iiiipoi 'ehce'
1of the Jews IN America, are increasing
at a prodigious rate. While from 1860 to
1870 the ponr!atinn of The country, as n
u,,o,o i,,st so,,I,,.,, ,o.oi ., 400 no3. 1,,,n
~"ito'0 ~ ''"' uo'"d N'0o'' "i'o'o'o'V' 1917
62,Uo,ooo), the Jews OF. America i'll the
same time increased seven fold Grom
10 600 to 1 900 0tsD, There are 35o 600 Jews
in Nay, yo,,r citv alonn
-: .
a large percentage cl Inns great increase
OF the Jews in this country during thirty
years has been due, of course. to the Rus
sian immigration and the prosecutions in
the land of the white Gar" beginning
with the promulGatton Of the May laws
in 1852. Not entirely. however The Jews
multiply almost twice as fest as the Chris
ians. Children are afdently desired, and
any wife who remains chidless. among
the strictly orthodox at least, believes her
sen acsurSea , ol Lou. i-ile - iorser among
lew lives somethins like ten wears longer
than the Christian.
In the synagoSues, hour after hour while
, .ne celeiioieS ar s1,ns oI' ne S.sm.s ii'
tant naet Tbe rad da,nasL of tho .1tar
hangings and reading desk are replaced by
white and the great. scrolls or books cf the
law that are taken out of the ark of the
covenant on the altar steps, are also swath-
ed in white with gold embroidery. instead
of their usual coverings OF brilliant fabrics.
If the congregation be one of wealth the
men of the synagogue together with the
rabbis and the president and the vice pres
ident, wear tall and shining silk hats. The
rabbis continually and the Worshipers when
the services, have wrapped about their
shoulders the ''Talith.' n long white shawl
of thin silk bordered' with rim of blue.
Up in the gallery, shut off in the poorer
congregations by white lace curtains, are
the women, for it is a principle of orthodox
Judaism that no woman must set her foot
on the synagogue main floor.
Frequently 1t is for four or five hours at a
time that these ceremonies of the new year
last. only the Singing, Walnns, chantlns
aTu ali toese ~ rites for IL 10 tenet Of ortbodox
Judaism that not until the temple is re-
gained and Jerusalem is once more the
home OF the Jews can the harmony OF
s.rgeu Sng IN ths hoin n,,oa anu 'n ''i"ei oe
-
"" M"Sic"i
But no strings or v1ois OF any sort are
needed in this service. 1t is the intoning
of the rich words and DlraSeS of Hebrew
80 49, a,a,,ins af +pn a,'.;,t 90 o,s
anu ,.e enan''ns ~ .io 4ea.' '.. sau .... o.u
melodies. some OF them as OLD as history
itself, that give these ceremonies their
beauty and their charm. The wailing for
Jerusalem, the hymns for salvation and
forgiveness, the chants of thankfulness
make up a great song that once heard is
never forgotten.
But it's burden is sad A cry of melan-
choly and desolation runs through every
line of the scores of prayers that follow
each other in rapid succession, and the
climax is reached when the scrolls of the
law, each a roll Of parchment, wrapped
around two sticks. with silk coverings and
tinkling bells atop, the whole scrolls more
than half as high as man, are brought
forth from the ark, and, being unfolded.
are read in flowing Hebrew. All the de-
tails, all the ceremonies, of what is done.
these first days of the Tishri would take
pages to describe It can only be said here
that the romance of these days is unend-
ing.
.x,,. u, w,S.r,
"pr'AeA" '- ,r
The first nights services are simple Inc
prayers and praises recited are the ''Sha-
wang yisraiI >, theI.itS adflisb." the old Ara