The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-27
THE JEWISH HEVRA.

gious brotherhood or association. Is IN
institution peculiar 10 the ghetto and the
loWer class CO Ghetto residents. 4 ex-
SIS wherever the alien Jewish colonistz
ere found in this country No matter
whence they may come. no matter xEe-e
tAey may settle. the ezra is always tn
outward ard obvious sign OF their pres
eAce- The FIRST thing, in fact. these imrii-
grants co, when they locate themselves
anywhere IN sufficient numbers is Il
FORM such an organization or confrater-
Alty OF their own The term -'ffevra- Is
derived from the Hebrew. and pronounced
WIN strongly cultural initial conso-
ndnt and IS used 10 denote both the
brotherhood and the place where the
members meet Primarily established
Tor tie purposes OF prayer and the study
OF the rabbHical books the Hevra Is
a good deal more 70 the foreign Conner
than mere place of worship. II is a;
once his club and his house-of-cau his
news roorn and afternoon lounge. his Il
brsry and evening serot and not infre-
| quently, his day refuge. night shelter.
ana soup kitchen combined. Here he
can meet bis eompatTi0ts. and exchange
gossip and condolences wiki them. hear
{ passage OF the Mishnah expounded. or
| discuss the latest items in the Yiddish pa
pers. he can repeat the "Kaddish" for
the dead. which helps them out OF pur-
gatoTy, or derSde some rival HeVra
whose rabbi has longer ear-curlts. a big
ser beard. and. consequently a more or
thodoX reputation than his own.
Naturally enough. these Ghetto frater-
mites abound and flourish amid the con-
genial alien surroundings Of Jewish East
! London. There are few streets in the
foreign quarter there where the familiar
board over doorway. passage. or entry
may not be seen marking the meeting
place of some one OF other Of these
g BTqCrfre.1fe y mi
grant Jew in the East End belongs ~ an
organization of this sort-every married
Jew. | should say, for the unmarried man.
contemptuously referred TO as "bolIher"
has no status in Jewry. and is accounted
as something less than nobody.
There is also a ''shamruas' acting rs
beadle, dOor-kceper. collector. cook. and
utility man in emergencies; and a
gable" a sort Of manager and treas
urer. who is the lay overscer. The sham
mas is always some poor foreigner past
work. or Incapable Of doing anything for
his living, who is glad to undertake tEe
duties in return Tor shelter and an occa-
sional si1pence. There Is the liveliest
rivalry between these Hevras, especially
when the members chance to come from
neighbOring towns or localities in their
native land, ard the respective rebbes
feel bound in such cases TO virdic3te
their orthodoxy and show their learning
by a course Of po,ernics with their adver-
saries. ! recoIlect a dispute of the kind
between the competing rebbes Of two fra
teruities in B2ckchuTch Lane, which ter
minated in one calling the Other-in a
printed leaflet distrbuted-a "Shabsei
Tzvinick." This means a follower Of
Sabbathai Tzevi. the impostcr Messiah Of
SalonilSa. 1t is about the grossest insult
one Jew can offer another and il vas
considered such an exquisite hit that
It led TO free fight between the members
OF the two Hevr2s ia the open street. and
a subsequent increase in their member
ship by nearly 30 per cent. The personal
pOlemic between the PRINCIPALS OF the
Hevras is always = lively as the rivalry
between their respective followers. And
as each as a rule. knows his opponents
antecedents before coming 10 this COCu-
try. the personalities are generally eN-
tremcly telling and effective. II there be
to use a locution # Jevry-a "fcrdega-
nov. sgnifying horse Thief" fin the
family Of one Of the two ~ehhes. the other
is certain 20 learn and make good use
Of the fact.
The internal economy. II / may 50 term
it. of the East End IFevrc throws a good
deal of light upon the character Of the
aliens settled here. TIC rchbe and sham
mas. too. are both Of them porsonares
worthy Of a closer acquaintanCa. Here.
in one OF the rarrod side streets Within
a stones throw Of tho thcrouChfJrc
known as Brick sc. is typical fra
ternity Of the kind 7 occasionally visit
The entry is uD dirty rou1d- topped pas
sage. adjoining shou devoted apparently
10 the sale of Fiddsh publications. J
say apparently. because che ny-bl0Hn pro-
dUctiOns arc stuck in the window IS for
sale, though i have never seen Gus
toner enter. and the front door IS al
ways locked. over the front entry IS
q board. rs usual IN such cases. setting
forth in Yiddish that this is the "I1hev
rah BENZ Shass that is. The Brother
hood Of the Sons Of Shass." u adds
do davent me Shakharis und MARCY
Gin English, zero prayers are said morn
ing and evening". \ couple Of middle
AGED foreign Jews. Unwashed and uu-
kempt out IT elbows and down at heel
are lollinS against the entry-way. staring
a. vacancy and seemingly th!ahng OF
nothing. while frowsy-headed young
foreign Jewcss is sitting upon tho stone
step in front. nursing a sickly looking
child.
From the passage comes a stencil com
uOunded Of the odors Of dried FISH /
picked behring's, frying liver. stale
meat. staler vegetables and decomp posing |
cabbage water. A little way up the en-
try is a door on the right which leads 70
q fair-sized room. the locale and hahi-
have evidently rot been scrubbed within |
the memory of the oldest resident. The |
mud Of months is half an inch thick in
the thread and has hardened and cgl-ed /
until IL might defy "A cold ChisFl 10 re-
move it. The room. lighted by q single I
window is similarly carpeted. and smells 1
abominabiv. To looks cut UPON couple /
Of dust-hins and garbage heap iu the /
backward il is SD close 20 TIE opposite |
house that one could watch tho neighbo-- |
ing occupants iu led through Tho OPEN 1
window curtains not being regarded as
indispensable at the back among the for !
eiCn residents or the locality. The plac 1
is plainly furnished With "a couple ~ Iuuc 4
narrow tables set ieuCthUiso on each /
side benches 20 correspond ard q couple /
~ school forms cTossWige against tho 4
wall At tho further end is a email. OBJ
long box nailed in position on "a s1aH ta- 4
BILE This contains small scroll - tho j
law. the Five Books q Moses that is. i1 1
manuscript. written on caifskin-
il IS just dark time for Maarev. ~ /
evening prayer. and there ere eactiv thir
teen men present Thirteen is the jewish
lucky number. SIX are 20 one table. Elk
~ the other. with ono presiding. Tbs Is
the spiritual Road ~ The e-ra- fhs rehhe
tho t1rt 20 The other ta bic is fhe rh-r-ula-
Tie rehbe IS an old man. certainly Dol
less than seventy. h'.er-cred and seen
iCgfv haIf blind. The rebres heard car
rics many IRA rment - RE rcccrt mra.r
ard tho reEfer shiny black coat 81 f1-
-fclrs down tae front vfth greasy ell
cerr- u Ike kind e.fe there ar %
head ~ the table rocking hir17ff GENTS
% ans rr1 gazing 20 the box in frr--
q bun vlth unzeeinr rTes. ard fT1reE or
ir The customary raEsf s.lE-egcg. p raF
sage fr1-- tha 3fls1ah which De srea