New-York tribune., 1903-07-26

doN reformed o. even r5 iooal hopveva, l.
tolerant of the religious customs of his paoDl.
To- whom the solemn recital of the ~Kino.b-. =,
not deep and abiding source Of grief
When { was a hoy ju a tan Oft Russian IN
Iage, said weH known resident of the Ea,.
Side JEe other day. "2nG heard the reading -
'EinOth and the tales of those ancient persa.-
tio0s Of the Romans 2 Saw is thc Russian g,
diers about me only Romans The burnt-
temple only q magnided synagogue In
ours. and the troops of Titus the Russian troon.
destroying K 1t was to me a real vivid. pe-
sona thing, and wept as read or heard IA.
story"
Two stories from the "Kinoth" will serve >,
illustrate the present poignancy OF these Iagar.
of eighteen centuries ago and mark the con-
tinuity of Jewish agony. These stories VIII n.
rehearsed all over the world next Sunday. All
it is easy to see that while the stories deal vi,,
the Rome of the early emperors the Jews !.
the world viii have thought only of The Iasr of
the Romanoffs. and that the ancient sulferiDes
of Jerusalem to them viii mean last month.
agonies in Kishinef
The first of these stories relates the story =,
the fate Of four hundred cap,tves taken by
Titus from the ruined city of Israel to grace bis
triumph at Rome. These four hundred BE-
longed not to the most religious nor even to tn
most loyal of the Jewish race Their patriotism
as indeed the patriotism of many Jews. was IN
doubt in those last terrible days of factions
that preceded the fall OF the city. But the suf
fering and the wrongs they shared united them.
and as their ship moved on its wav toward Rome
and they realized the shame and ignomiay b.
| fore them al the imperial city. these captives
who represented the flower and grace of Jeru-
salem. considered the only method OF escaDe
| that OF Ieaping into the sea
But shall we partake OF the blessings az
heaven if we cannot suicide?'' they asked one an
other, their old religious scruples returning IN
this fearful moment
In the face of this awful doubt one from their
number who had cIung to the old religion and
was versed in the law rose. and. stretching OF.
his arm, thundered forth the verse.
Even from the depths of the ocean L shall
bring We back to Me-. Hearing these almost
prophetic words. the captives. dividing accord
ing to family and rank. so the old story chron
icles with painstaking faithfulness to detail
cast themselves into the ocean and robbed Titus
of the finest bit of this pageant
Yet another story tells Of one Of the Roman
tyrants who summoned before him ten learned
Hebrew rabbis and commanded them to tell hi{h
the story Of their Bible. Obeying his orders.
they began the recital At first the tyrant was
interested and indulgent. As he grew weary he
finally interrupted them at the close OF the story
of the treatment accorded Joseph by his breth-
rem
Your ancestors did Joseph a great wrong"
roared the tyrant. Now propose to avenga
the wrong done him your bodies You shah
pay for it, Then he devised torTnents for the
rabbis. and they were all slain, and the story
OF the wonderful manner in which they met
death is preserved IN the 'Kinoth' and told with
wonderful power
One OF his victims this tyrant ordered hayed
a bafO HfS rial
the skin from his body no sign or expression OF
pain showed the rabbits face. With stoicaI
calmness he endured. When at last his tor
mentors tore from his forehead the skin over
which the phylacteries were accustomed TO rest
the victim groaned once, and then. in a final
effort Of strength. murmured the 'Sh'ua." the
Jewish credo. and with his dying breath re-
peated:
Hear. o Israe, The Eternal Is our God the
Eternal is one"
Yet another victim was burned alive and
that his agonies might be prolonged. his vital
organs were wrapped iE damp wool He too
endured with stole calm, but as he faced his
executioners his face bore a wonderful smile
Although his agony increased seemingly beyond
the endurance Of man. he still bore the same
smile, and at last the executioner. narvelliug
at his wonderful fortitude. asked the dying man
how he could smile in such pain
"AlI my life" was the calm answer. IT have
striven to obey that command which says.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart and all thy SOIL. ard with all thy
might Only in this hour have 1 known what II
was to love my God with all my soul. and thus
smile"
Astounded by this wonderful religion. the exc
cutioner the "Kinoth'' tells forsoolz his bust
ness. fled into the wilderness. and embracing
Judaism. shared in the strength he had mar
yelled at
These are the stories OF the ''Kinothr chanted
IN the synagogues by thousands who have them
selves known persecution approaching thar OF
the Roman tyrant who stirred with the
deeply embittering memories of Kishinef. The
ceremony on the East Side the present week
will be one of great impressiveness.
The reform Jews do not celebrate this holiday
with all the rigor that the orthodox observe.
They do not, in fact. regard it as a day OF n
omen. They have no illusions about the return
TO Palestine Zonism is not their dream. They,
too. listen TO the reading Of the Book OF Lamea-
tations' and "Kinoth''; they. too share in the
marvellous story OF the nlartyrdom OF their an
cestors; but they do not mourn They recall
with bitterness the day as one of the departure
OF the Jewish race and their dispersal over the
face of the world. but they regard it as bless
ing IN disguise, since It furnishes the Jewish
civilization and religion with its opportunity 70
carry 10 the world its own message. its true
religion only the radicals pass the day with
out observance. For them the Jewish question
as such does not exist; but they are the minor
ity
But when the sun sets the night of the
ninth day Of Alb, the period Of sorrowins for an
ancient 70, hnU