The Wanderers and Other Jewish Scholars of My Youth
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Plate 6 Map of Hampstead and Maida Vale showing homes of Schechter and the "Wandering Jews". {fromBacon* s Atlas, 1885, in half'inch squares) ? ? ? Sch Solomon Schechter A Israel Abrahams G L. G. Greenberg ? ? ? B Herbert Bentwich D Arthur Davis M Asher Myers ? ? ? H Isidore Harris J Joseph Jacobs Z Israel Zangwill ? S Solomon J. Solomon Jewish Historical Society of England is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to Transactions Jewish Historical Society of England ® www.jstor.org The Wanderers and Other Jewish Scholars ofMy Youth1 By Professor Norman Bentwich, O.B.E., M.C., M.A., LL.D. IWAS greatly honoured by being chosen to be President of this august and learned Society. I realize that I have passed from the condition of an enfant terrible to a funny old thing',but I am full of apprehension about my address this evening. When I read the addresses ofmy predecessors, which are preserved in the Transactions of the Society, I felt that I could not emulate that scholarly company in historical research. I thought that, being older than most of your Presidents, and having reached the stage of second childhood, itmight be fitting to compose frommy fading memory, and from such documents as I could find, a picture of some Jewish scholars in this country whom I had known inmy first childhood. I could speak of scholars, if not of scholarship, and indulge in what Americans, I believe, call oral history. That is a record by living persons about those who have had a part in big events and the cultural development of the time. In my boyhood I had the opportunity of knowing some of the Giborei Hador, themighty men of the generation, or rather of two generations, those who were then the cultural leaders of the Jewish community, and those who were to become leaders. It is of some scholars of these two generations that I shall speak. I am themore conscious of falling below your learned tradition because I follow as President a fine scholar who brings the integrity of deep learning to his every literary effort. And I am themore conscious ofmy second childhood because itwas his father, Dr. Lionel Barnett,2 who once taughtme Greek prose and Greek verse, and made me understand themeaning of exact scholarship. In 1883, the year I was born, Anglo-Jewry was at a turning point of its economic, social and cultural history. The stream of immigration from Eastern Europe, from Russia and Roumania, had begun to flow in a flood and was bringing to these shores a mass of manual workers, tailors and cabinet-makers. They were without any material capital; but many of themwere possessed of that love of learning and devotion to Judaism which marked the Jews of the European Ghetto. It brought, too, a few Jewish scholars of eminence. Pre-eminent among them Solomon Schechter3 arrived in 1882, coming not direct from his native Roumania, but from Berlin, where he was a teacher at the 1 Presidential address delivered before the Jewish Historical Society of England on 9th November, 1960. 2 Lionel David Barnett, (1871-1961); C.B., M.A., Litt.D. (Cantab.), F.B.A.; Keeper, Depart? ment of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts, British Museum; Lecturer in Indian History, School of Oriental Studies; Warden and Elder, Spanish and Portuguese Community, London; editor of El Libro de los Acuerdos and Bevis Marks Records; prolific writer in the field of Indian and Oriental history. 8 Solomon Schechter, (1850-1915). Born, Foscani, Rumania; received traditional Jewish education and studied at Vienna and Berlin (Hochschule f?r die Wissenschaft des Judenthums and University). Came to London in 1882. Lecturer in Talmud at Jews' College. Reader in Rabbi nics, Cambridge (1890-1901) and Goldsmid Professor of Hebrew, London. Went to New York as President of Jewish Theological Seminary, 1901; founder of United Synagogue of America. Discovered Cairo Geniza (1896) containing 50,000 manuscripts and fragments including the Hebrew version of Ecclesiasticus (Ben Sira). His writings included Some Aspects of Rabbinic Theology (1909), Studies in Judaism and Documents ofJewish Sectaries (1910). Editor of Jewish Quarterly Review, Jewish Publication Society of America Bible Translation, and the Jewish Encyclo? pedia. 51 52 THE WANDERERS AND OTHER JEWISH SCHOLARS OF MY YOUTH Hochschule f?r die Wissenschaft des Judenthums. The late Dr. Claude Montefiore,1 who with his sister Alice (Mrs. Henry Lucas2) had gone to study at theHochschule, brought Schechter to England as his tutor in Rabbinics, recognizing that he had a rare spiritual quality. Schechter remained here for twenty years; and they were fruitful and decisive years in the field of Anglo-Jewish culture. He brought immense know? ledge, a burning passion for Judaism and, above all, a human approach to learning. And he was the central figure, the inspiration of two generations and two communities, a Socrates of English-speaking Jewry, teaching by dialogue. My paper is largely about his influence. Till the eighties the British community was culturally backward compared with German Jewry,which counted amongst itsmen of learning and scholars Zunz, Stein? schneider, Geiger, Frankel and Lazarus. English Jews had produced scarcely any books of Jewish scholarship, history, or creative literature about Jewish life. It had not then a historical society. Inspired by Schechter, an informal group was formed in North-West London, partly of English-born amateur scholars and communal workers, partly of foreign-born professional scholars, to discuss seriously questions of Judaism. At that time the recognized forum in London for Jewish lectures and discussion was the literary society attached to the Rabbinical seminary, Jews College. That institution had at different times several habitations, but all of them in Bloomsbury. There Jewish scholars, mostly of continental origin, and English Christian scholars would talk to an audience, which included not only the ministers, teachers and the students, but the lay-leaders of the community, such as Frederick Mocatta3 who gave our library, a Jewish Sir John Simon, Q.C., M.P.,4 and Dr. Claude Montefiore. The English soldier archaeologists of the Bible Land, Colonel Conder and Herbert Kitchener, talked there of the walls of Jerusalem, the Canaanite religion and the Tombs of the Maccabees. It was all very decorous. 1 Claude Joseph Goldsmid Montefiore, (1858-1938). Born London, son of Nathaniel Mayer Montefiore and Emma, daughter of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid; educated at Balliol College, Oxford and at the Hochschule fur die Wissenschaft des Judenthums, Berlin (1881-82). Hibbert lecturer, 1892; Hon.D.D. Manchester, D.Litt. Oxford; awarded British Academy medal for biblical studies. Joint editor Jewish Quarterly Review (1808-1908), author of the Synoptic Gospels (1909) and other works on Judaism and the origins of Christianity. Founder of the Jewish Religious Union and subsequently of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue. President, Anglo-Jewish Association (1896-1921) and University College, Southampton (1915-34). 2 Alice Lucas, (Mrs. Henry Lucas) (1851-1935). Sister of Claude Montefiore. President of the Jewish Study Society from 1900. Poetess and author. Her many publications included translations from the German poets, the Children's Pentateuch, 2, translation of David CassePs Manual of Jewish History and Literature, Songs of Zion, and The Jewish Year, a collection of devotional poems. 3 Frederick David Mocatta, (1828-1905). Partner inMocatta and Goldmid, bullion brokers to the Bank of England. Philanthropist, particularly interested in charity administration and reform, housing, hospitals and nursing, and patron of learning. Vice-President, Charity Organiza? tion Society; Chairman, Charity Voting Association; Vice-President, Board of Guardians; President, Home for Aged Jews; Vice-President, Anglo-Jewish Association; President, Anglo-Jewish Historical Exhibition, 1887. Bequeathed his library to the Jewish Historical Society; it is now housed in the Mocatta Library, University College, London. Author of The Jews and the Inquisition and Jews at the Present Time. 4 Sir John Simon, (1818-1897). Born Jamaica, educated Liverpool and at University College, London; called to the Bar, Middle Temple, 1842; practised law in Spanish Town, Jamaica, 1843-45; returned to England 1845. Deputy county-court judge 1858; serjeant-at-law 1864; acted as commissioner of assize and presided at City of London Court; Q.C. 1868; M.P. for Dewsbury 1868-88; knighted 1886. Spokesman in House of Commons for Jews of Russia, Rumania, Serbia and Morocco; originator of campaigns leading to Mansion House and Guildhall meetings, 1882; a founder of Anglo-Jewish Association 1871; associated with Reform Synagogue from 1842. Married Rachel, sister of Charles Salaman, the composer. THE WANDERERS AND OTHER JEWISH SCHOLARS OF MY YOUTH 53 The group formed around Schechter, on the other hand, was essentially for talk and discussion, much more intimate, and altogether informal. The meetings were never reported; and unfortunately they had no Boswell for their Dr. Johnson. The group started in Schechter's house inGascony Avenue, Kilburn, but they had no fixed meeting place. The members gathered in each other's houses. They were known as the Wanderers or theWandering Jews both for this reason, and because they were allowed as to wander from the subject of discussion the spiritmoved them. They included Israel Zangwill1 the novelist, Joseph Jacobs2 and Lucien Wolf,3 two eminent publicists a to who had special devotion the then unexplored field of Anglo-Jewish history both before and after the Exile, Asher Myers4 the editor of the Jewish Chronicle, who held a deep regard and respect for learning and was a friend of all scholars, Israel Abrahams5 one was a the native-born professional Jewish scholar, who tutor at Jews' College, and Oswald Simon,6 son of Sir John Simon, (mentioned above), an earnest amateur theolo? were to gian. They mostly hard smokers Attached the group were some professional men but not men of letters, such as my father7 who was a lawyer,my uncle Solomon 1 Israel Zangwill (1864-1926).