The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-12
Z.


at least so far as relates to his name
and the geography OF his Jewry.
Through the Waverlev novel he is Of
fered to the Imagination as a complex
Of Oriental sheikh and antecessor OF
the great bankers Of Frankfurt, some
what Shylock and in more part the
Prophet jeremiah. Tradition has as
signed him a position of weight In the
Jewish community In tho Anglo
Norman life. which the Jews equally
served and swerved, he was OF little
note. After exhaustive study OF the
records Dr. Stokes can find no more
than brief paragraph with which to
sum up his life:
Isaac OF York was nephew OF the
celebrated Aaron OF York. and appears
TO have settled in Cambridge. He acted
az attorney for his uncle. but his finan-
cial affairs were not worthy of the
family reputation"
Yet II tho nephew were Insignificant
the uncle was clearly a man of note
Aaron was the third in succession of
the six great Jews who held the presby-
tcrate OF all the Jews IN England, his
writ OF appointment was signed by
Henry III. September 20, 1886. at
Clarendon, and II IL the first OF these
wrlts which was signed by the royal
sign manual without tho aid of the
great ecclesiastlcs Of Canterbury. This
Aaron was the son OF a celebrated
father. Josce OF York. William of New
bury speaks Of Josce rs "a certain old
man, n most famous Doctor OF the
Law. according to the letter that kills"
TIls house in York he describes as
like royal palace and as "rivalling
"a citadel noble in scale and stoutness
Of It's construction" The domestic archi-
lecture Of the Jewries Is frequently
mentioned in the ancient deeds and
stars. The cities of the Middle Ages
were invariably unsuhstantial wooden
structures grouped about the stone
fortress homes OF tho lords. and the
only other structures OF stone were the
church and the guildhall. But the Jews,
a race Of ancient culture set down
among the rude, built of stone. Protec-
ton against popular tumult may have
had some force in the choice. there may
have entered into II some sense OF in
surance against fire such as would sug-
gest Itself TO tho man whose capital
was sunk in articles OF luxury. In the
first period OF the Jewish sotourn in
England. a sojourn on royal invitation,
can be seen how the possession of these
substantial houses raised the Jewry out
Of the class Of the Continental ghetto.
Josce had narrow escape from
death in the riot at the coronation of
King Richard and in the next year
119O) he became the target for the
fury of tho mob IN the massacres of
York. From the chronicle of William
Of Newhury the bitter tale ia derived.
The famous Josce cuts the throat OF
Anna. his dear wife, with a sharp
4 Nj mo
and when this was done by the other
men. that wretched elder Cdentitiable
as Rabbi Yomtob OF Joigny) cut Josce's
throat so that he might he more hon
ored than the rest" In some unknown
manner Aaron escaped from this de-
plorahle fate and lived to be the leading
Jew of the thirteenth century.
Aaron of York, Aaron de Eboraco,
married Henra, heiress OF Samuel lie
Eveske son Of Leo Episcopus. She sur
vived him. for in 1870 she is mentioned
IN certain financial documents as widow
OF Aaron.
The vogue OF surnames was Just then
being acquired, as the Inconvenience OF
long string OF patronymics was felt.
with the Jews two causes were opera
tive. More than any in the community
they were engaged In large concerns
and the definite statement of their
names was of particular importance.
In our present life the use of Biblical
names seems archaic: TO the England
before the Reformation such names
were outlandish and difficult of reten-
tiun in memory. Both causes proving
effective in the same direction we find
the Jews adopting names after the
modern type, at least for commercial
Intercourse, though probably retaining
The sacred name or Shem Hakkodesh
for home and religious use. Certain
OF the leaders OF the Jewish community
were men of such mark that the terri
1orial designation sat well upon their
shoulders men known all over Eng
land as Aaron OF York, Moses of London,
Hagln Of Lincoln were as ripely worthy
Of the designation as many of the minor
barons described as OF some small castle
Other Jews We're known by official style,
at frs as holders of certain offices
within the Jewry, later in more dis
tinctly surname use. In the tale OF
Aaron Of York We have seen that his
father-in-law was Samuel lie Eveske
Samuel the Bishop. The records which
hand down these names are all in
Norman-Latin and Norman-French; j
is therefore not easy TO associate them
ton. lie Eveske or Episcopus may be
the familiar Cohen, Presbyter or lie
prestre is less easy to identify, and the
same difficulty obtains with Cape!i,nus
or lie Chapelein. Occup2tonal names
WELD O picture OF life in the Jewry
I.eech, lie SCrivcneur. lie Clerk, Auri-
faber-three learned professions and one
1eweller The surnames from nick
names measure popular opinion outside
the Jewish community, There Is LITTLE
10 suggest mob hatred; in fact the riot
seem to have been less popular move
-nents than organized pogroms. ac'
knowledging the anachronism OF eight
centuries In this class Moses tn
NOsey (Noysca cum Naso) IL not .,
much Contemptuous "a inevitable de-
Rcription, and Manasser the jolly IL GER
SaiBiy not Indicative of anti-Semitism.
Tlara G cprnpt hing mora than pbpai