The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-31
Fifth Avenue and the Ghetto.

Fifth Avenue and the Ghetto.
DR.. SILvERMAN Of the Temple Emanu-
FL in Fifth avenue showed a good deal Of
courage in going down to the very heart
Of the Ghetto, on Monday evening, to
oppose the Zionite movement, the use Of
the Yiddish jargon and the maintenance
of the exclusiveness of the Ghetto. The
Kisses with which his remarks were re-
ceived must have been expected by him;
but such demonstration by Jews against
a learned and distinguished Jewish rabbi
would have been impossible generation
ago in New York, or anywhere else in
America; and that it should have been
made now with the violence of resentful
disorder shows the great change which
has come over the New York Jewry
within that time.
Up TO the middle Of the last century
the Jews in this country were few actu-
ally, or only about fifty thousand. They
were scattered throughout the Union.
considerable colonies existing in the
Southern States. and the intercourse be-
tween them and Christians was friendly.
In Newport, where Jews had settled at an
early period. their social relations with
the Unit arians. more especially, became
so intimate that intermarriages infused
Jcsi~h blood into some New England
families Of distinction. Forty Jewish
immigrants from Lisbon landed at Sa-
vannah in 1888 and the first male child
born in Georgia was Jew, ISAAC MINIS.
Jews made themselves important in
the early commercial and political life
of New York. When JOHN JACOB Aston
came to New York he began by beating
furs for LYMAN LEVY. EPHRAIM HART
was State Senator and one of the
twenty-one organizers Of the Board
of Stock Brokers, from which developed
the present Stock Exchange. GERsHoM
MENDEs SEIXAs was trustee OF Column
bia College. Prominent parts in Phila-
delphia society were played by DAVID
FRANKS and his daughter REBECCA.
During the Secession period the most
distinguished intellect in the Confederate
Government was JUDAH p. BENJAMIN,
Secretary Of State.
Since about 1880 very great change
in tho character and the composition Of
American Jewry has taken place. BY
that year the Jewish population of the
United States had increased to about a
quarter of million. but since then a
million more have been added to il.
Instead Of affiliating with the rest of the
people, az their earlier predecessors had
done 80 far as possible, these newcomers
have jealously preserved their race and
religious exclusiveness A dcnsely pop
ulated Ghetto has grown up in New York
and the Jewish population Of this town
alone has increased to half a million or
more. These later additions, brought
hither within ten years almos. wholly,
are intensely orthodox and far removed
In spirit from the Jews Of older settle
ment. They speak the Yiddish .iargon
and glory in it as distinguishing mark
They read Yiddish papers and maya
zines, Of which there are now twenty
three in the United States, and there are
six Yddish theatres. The three greatest
theatres in the Bowery are Jewish, the
Peoples, the ITALIA, and the Windsor,
and their managers and some of their
actors have become rich The Yiddish
literary movement has received its chief
impulse from the Roumanian Jews.
1t was a bold undertaking. therefore,
for DR.. SILvERMAN, an American born
Jew, who represents the spirit Of the old
settlers, to go down to tho corner of East
Broadway and Jefferson street to declare
his hostility to the intense Jewish pref
udices of that district. But he held his
ground, in spite of the Kisses Of the
Ghetto. Abolish the jargon, not n
civilized language, from every jewish
home; give up the Yiddish papers and
tho Yiddish theatres; let the people
hear and speak purc language" become
assimilated with your neighbors; give
up your exclusivcnes'; break up your
Ghetto; be American citizens look
Ike an American and act like an Ameri-
can as quickly as you can" keep your race
distinction out Of politics. be Jews in
religion only. These were thssentiments
which brought down on DR.. SILvERMAN
the rescntiul Kisses Of his East Side
audience.
Such an expression of violent, intense
antipathy to the old spirit of the Ameri-
can jew makes manifest that here in the
United States, and in New York more
particularly, there has arisen new
jewish problem that there is wide
gulf Of separation between the Jews who
have immigratcd hithcr during the last
twenty years from Russia, Roumania and
Austria, more especially, and the Jews
who had already become thoro ughly
Amcrioanized before that great influx.
This new Jewish immigration from 1881