Execute the Judgment of Truth and Peace in your dates.
A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO SOCIAL INTERESTS AND PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM.
VOL. I.
CHICAGO, AUGUST 3 0, 1878.
NO. 12.
The Deity to His Children
“ What lack I, () my children?
All things are-in my hand;
The vast earth and the awful stars
I hold as grains of sand.
“ Do I smell your gums of incense?
Js My ear with chantings fed?
Do I taste your wine of worship,
Do I eat your holy bread?
•“ For you I gave the Prophets,
For you the Psalmist’s lay;
For you the law’s stone tables,
The holy book and day.
Ye change to weary burdens
The helps that should uplift;
Ye love in sign the substance,
The giver in the gift.”
—From Whittier’s New Poems.
Tor the Jewish Advance.
ALBERT COHN
(Continued.)
The interment of their (lead has caused
the Parisian Israelites great disquietude.
They had no legal privilege for that and
•depended on the good-will of the police.
For a long time they had only a clu/ndes
tine cemetery in the house-yard ol a cer
tain Matard at Viilette; they paid the
proprietor a certain sum lor each inter
ment. On March <tli, 1(80, Jacob lvod
riguez Pereira has obtained the sanction
of the government to open a cemetery
for the Portuguese Israelites. He
bought a spot ot ground in the neighbor
hood of Maturd’s house in rue de Flan
ders, for that purpose. Albert Cohn
has found on that spot tombstones, the
dates of which have gone as far back as
the .year 1761.
On May 30tli, 1785, an Alsasian Israel
ite, Cerfbeer by name, has obtained per
mission to open a cemetery tor the Gei
man Jews. He bought for that purpose
a plot of ground on the Fetit-Montrouge.
The oldest tombstone which was found
on that burial place bore the date of
1781. These two cemeteries have been
•closed since the burial grounds of 1 ei e
Lachaise were inaugurated. The ceme
tery of Montmartre was opened on June
15th, 1809, and that of Montrouge on
March 10th, 1823.
The Jewish community of Pans devel
oped very slowly. She has gone through
a very trying epoch during the Reign
of Terror. The children of the Jewish
schools were compelled to take part in
the worship of the Goddess ot Reason.
Two Israelites of the family of Calmer,
one was a son ot Liefmann Calmer, and
the other it is not ascertained whether a
son or a relative of the same, were guil
lotined. The convocation (or Synhedri
on) of the prominent Israelites at Paris
in the year 180(3, did not contribute in a
great measure to impart to the Jewish
community a sense of security or to de
velop their forces. The functionaries of
that community were not natives ol
France, and the Rubbms and the Ho
zans remained in a state of sufferage.'"'
As late as the year 1830, only did the
Parisian community begin to show signs
of activity. In the year 1838, when
Albert Cohn arrived in Paris, she had
not yet any established organizations
and no cohesion.
The first moment of his arrival, Al
bert Cohn resolved to make himself use
ful. His offer to officiate in the temple
was not accepted, as we have stated be
fore. But after his return from his trip
to Italy, he obtained the permission to
hold religious meetings for the Jewish
pupils of the school and the lyceum.
He spent for this purpose several hours
in the week for a term of twelve years.
From the year 1850, his beneficial influ
ence in the Jewish community in gen
eral, began to show itself in the institu
tions of charity, and in all other matters
which have been called into existence.
His energy and zeal knew no bounds.
Thanks to his application, his intelli
gence, his zeal, and to his position in the
Rothschild house, Albert Cohn became
the principal actor in all Jewish matters
of public concern at Paris, and the ani
mating spirit of the institutions which
have been founded by that community.
IV.
The Committee of Benevolence ( Com
ite de bienfaisance) was the centre of
Albert Cohn's activity. That committee
was at first a sort of a Ghebrcr, it was
formally established in the year 1809,
and was the first institution of the Paris
ian Jewish community. It Avas subse
quently denominated “ The Consistorial
Committee on Assistance and Encour
agement,” and in the year 1852, it Avas
called, “The Committee of Benevo
lence.” Its mission Avas to help the in
digent, to tend to the sick, to bury the
dead, and to distribute Mazoth for the
Passover feast. It has published almost
every year an account of the receipts and
disbursements, and in the year 1843, it
♦The Jewish Consistory has been organized
by the decree of March 17th, 1H08. They con
sisted of the General Consistory and of the
Consistory of Haris. The former was originally
destined to have three rabbins, at the head,
forming a Beth-din, but for the want of re
sourses it was subsequently compelled to re
duce the number to two, and at last to one
rabbin.
Here is a list of the rabbins who hat e pre
sided over the two Consistories, respectively,
since their establishment:
THE GENERAL CONSISTORY.
From 1808 to 1809—David Sinzheim, Pros.;
Abraham do Cologna, seg-re [died i809].
From 1809 to 1812—sinzheim, I’res. Ldied Feb.
10, 1812] ; do ' ologna, Emmanuel Deutz.
From 1812 to 1827 -De Cologna, i'res. [left
Paris in 1827]; and Deutz.
From 1827 to 1842—Deutz Ldied Jan. 31,4842].
From 1842 to 1840 - Vacancy.
From 1840 to 1852—Marchand Knnery installed
November 30th, 1846: died August 21, 1852.
From 1853 to 1805—Salomon Ullman, installed
Sept. 29,1853; died on May l ith, 1805.
since 1807 and still in Ollice—Kabbi Lazare
Isidor;- installed March 21st, 1807.
THE CONSISTORY OF PARIS.
From 1808 to 1829—Michael Seligman, Rabbin
of Paris since the year 1794
From 1830 to 1840—Marchand Ennery, men
tioned above.
From 1817 to 1807—L. Isidor, mentioned
above.
Since 1809 and still in Ollice—Rabbi Zodac
Kahn.
lias for the first time published with that
account, a record of the cases which had
come before it. Albert Cohn was nomi
nated treasurer of that committee in the
year 1848, and became its president in
1853. On the occasion of his taking
the chair, he has donated 20,000 francs
as a fund to lend out to laborers desiring
to establish themselves in any industrial
profession. This fund has existed for
several years until it became exhausted.
The Committee of Benevolence has
developed extraordinarily under the di
rection of Albert Cohn. The receipts
thereof, which have amounted to about
47,000 francs in the year 1841, have in
creased to 212,000 in the year 1871. The
reports of the services which that com
mittee has performed, gave a perfect in
sight into the vast importance which
she has assumed. The services consisted
in dispensing charity in money, in arti-;
cles of necessity, in rent and in fuel, ex
traordinary help to occasional appli
cants, to the poor at the time of the
feasts, to prisoners, to lying-in women,
help for neglected children, traveling
expenses to poor wayfarers, providing
clothes for school children and for such
as finish their studies, and interments of
the poor, subvention to old employees
of the Committee, to the hospital, to the
nurses, to the free-schools, to schools
of the Consistory, and to the Talmud
Torah, and lastly to the orphan asylum.
Albert Cohn has contributed a great
deal toward the creation of several of
these services, and toward the extension
of the committee’s work. Generous as
the Parisian Israelites are, they need
yet sometimes to be stirred up a little.
Albert Cohn was the only person author
ized to realize the necessary means for
the Committee, not only from the lioths
child family, hut also from all others; he
therefore watched his opportunities to
do so, and at the birth of a child, at a
wedding, and at the introduction of a
young person into society, he was on
hand to plead the cause of the poor.
The task was not always easy, but one
who speaks in the name of the poor with
a heart warmed up bjr the flame of char
ity, is strong and invincible.
The Committee of Benevolence is at
the head of many other charitable insti
tutions, which are more or less connected
with it, and which move, so to say, in its
sphere. Albert Cohn had a hand in all
these works; there was not a single
movement to which his activity has not
extended most beneficially.
The first and the greatest of the Par
isian charitable institutions is lloth
schild’s hospital. This institution was
established by the Committee of Benev
olence, and inaugurated April 1st, 1842.
At first it was only a “ modest house of
assistance,” situated in rue des Trois
Bornes, and containing only from fifteen
to twenty beds. Its annual expenditure
clid not amount to over 12,000 francs in
the year 1846. On May 26th, 1852, the
hospital was transferred to rue Picpus,
and installed in a new house constructed
for the purpose by Baron James de
Rothschild. Albert Cohn delivered an
oration at that installation. Since that
year the hospital became detached from
the Committee of Benevolence and had
a separate administration, Albert Cohn
was the financial secretary of that ad
ministration until his death. A great
part of the credit for establishing and
enlarging the hospital is due to him. In
the year 1873, it contained 174 beds, but
the number has increased every year
since. Beside the original services for
which the hospital has been established,
departments for sick children, for lying
in women and for wet-nurses, have been
added in the year 1865. The section for
aged persons belongs to the original ser
vices of the hospital.
The Rothschild family have construc
ted at a later period, a special depart
ment to the hospital to serve as a home
for the aged poor, with accommodations
for fifty persons. Toward the construc
tion of this department, Albert Cohn
had donated 10,000 francs. And very
recently at last, Mine, de Rothschild has
built in the hospital yard a magnificent
asylum for persons afflicted with incur
able diseases, to the memory of her son
Salomon, and of her husband James de
Rothschild. Albert Cohn assisted with
a joyful heart in the inauguration of this
department. He made it a practice to
visit it at least once a week, and to talk
to the sick, cheering and encouraging
their drooping spirits. A ray of light
always entered with him into that de
partment. .
Iii the same manner did Albert Cohn
devote his time and attention to all the
other institutions of the kind. He
visited regularly the orphan asylum of
Salomon de Rothschild, which was
founded in the year 1857 by a legacy of
200.000 francs from Salomon de Roth
schild, and by an annual contribution of
5.000 francs by the Rothschild family.
This institution was at first situated in
rue des Hosiers, and subsequently trans
ferred to rue Lambardie. The elegant
structure to which it has been trans
ferred, was reared at the expense of
Mine. James de Rothschild, and inaugu
rated on June 3d, 1874.
Albert Cohn was president of the “ So
ciety for the Patronage of Jewish Ap
prentices and Laborers of Paris,” * and
every one in that city was impressed
with the beautiful orations which he has
* This society was established in the year 1800,
and she was the ultimate development of the
•• Society of the Friends et Labor,” which had
been called into existence by O. Terquem in 1823,
and chatteled two years later, and which had been
reconstructed into “ The Society of Young Paris
ian Israelites for P octiring Places fo.- Appren
tices.” ill the year 1854, with Alphonze de Kotli
schild as Presid nt, and Albert (John as Secretary.
On April 15th, 1878, "the “Society of Patronage”
was recognized by a decree of the government as
an institution of public usefulness.