The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1909-05-20
A ZION NEAR sUFFALo.
Major Noah Tried to start It Nearly
100 Years 400.

Major Noah Tried to start II Nearly
100 Years Ago.
Major Mordeoai Manuel Noah's at.
tempt to establish a Jewish city of re-
fuge on Grand Island, near Buffalo. is
the one incident In his career that
now attracts the inquiring archaeolo-
glst, but according to the American
Hebrew" Major Noah would have de-
served to be remembered II he had
never gone to Buffalo and never dedi-
Gated to the city Of Ararat I'm the Epis-
copal church there.
1t was in 1926 that the advertise
mentl Of the sale OF Grand Island by
the state of New York suggested to
Noah the idea Of purchasing It as a
territory for prosecuted Jews from all
over the world. The island lies in the
Niagara river below Buffalo. Noah
himself was not wealthy, but he in
duced friends of his to advance the
requisite sums.
He named the city that was to be
Ararat, in order to connect it with
his biblical namesake. He had cor
nerstone suitably inscribed, appointed
himself Judge Of Israel and issued a
call to all prosecuted Israel to come
and inhabit the city Of refuge.
The lack Of transportation facilities
compelled him to take the cornerstone
into a Christian church in Buffalo for
the dedicatory ceremonies. The Chris.
tians Of Buffalo and the surrounding
country were immensely interested
and had come in great throngs to wit
ness the gorgeous pageant Of Ma
sonic societies and military compa-
MES, headed by the judge in scarlet
robes.
His discourse In the church ended,
the judge waited a day and then re-
turned to New York. The only re-
spouse from the Jews was a denuncia.
ton from a European rabbi against
the blasphemy of attempting to build
a New Jerusalem without an anthem
tic sign from God.
Grand Island, upon which Noah
dreamed of establishing the Jewish
city Of Ararat, is a little larger than
the island of Manhattan. There was
not a single Jew on Grand Island
then, and 1t is questionable whether
Noah himself ever set foot upon II.
The tenacity with which Noah held
to his Jewish nationallstic ideas Is
all the more remarkable in view of
the fact that he was so thoroughly
American. His greatgreat-grandfa-
Their, he said in one of the addresses
referred to- was buried in the ceme-
terry at Chatham square.
He himself was a great literary and
political lion in New York. 1t was said
that he told the best story, rounded
the best sentence and wrote the best
play of all his contemporaries He
was one of the most prominent editors
o. the city. He held at different times
the Offices of consul-general to Tunis,
sheriff of New York county, surveyor
Of the port and Judge of the court OF
sessions.
He was the author Of seven success
full plays and Of one that failed. The
reason for the failure Of the eighth
throws an interesting sidelight on
Noah's character.
He thought It would be an attrac-
tive feature TO supply each one in
the audience with copy of the play.
The result was that the actors could
not be heard because Of the rustic Of
leaves.
His uncle, Aaron ]. Phillips, for
whose benefit the performance was be-
ing given, rode in upon the stage un-
expectedly-the play was the "Grecian
Captive"-on an elephant Confused
by the disorder he fell off and the
play ended amid shouts Of laughter.
The affair was much ridiculed, but
Noah issued a statement IN his paper
generating the actors and taking the
blame on himself for distributing the
| booklets.
Dene. n DIES. e,