04 Mar Williamsburg wasn’t always a haven for Jews…
Can you imagine a Williamsburg without a Jewish congregation?
Here’s a notice of – almost a rumor – of the formation of a synagogue in Williamsburg in 1852.
Williamsburg is described as a “growing town on Long Island”!
From The Occident, Elul 5612, September 1852.
04 Mar The House of the Prince of Peace once upon a time in Williamsburg
A century ago a Christian Mission to the Jews stood in the heart of Williamsburg. A great sign “The House of the Prince of Peace” stood atop the building, and inside was, among other things, a medical clinic called the Sar Shalom Dispensary.
It was founded by Leopold Cohn, a Hungarian apostate, who founded a ministry to the Jews called the Chosen People Ministry. Amazingly, the ministry founded in 1892 survived eventually became Jews For Jesus, 80 years later!
And even more amazingly, Leopold Cohn (1862-1937) wrote the following about his youth in Hungary:
“At about eighteen years of age I was proficient in Hebrew literature and Talmudic law. I then received from several rabbis, in whose colleges I had studied, a diploma containing a certificate of my good character and acquirements and and authority to become a rabbi. This was confirmed by my first and chief rabbi, a miracle performer, S. L. Teitelbaum, in Sziget.”
That is, the Williamsburg missionary Cohn was a student of the Yetev Lev, progenitor of the Satmar rebbes, in his youth, in Sighet!
06 Jun Roses are Red; Shovues is Green
Pre-Shovues shopping days in Williamsburg: Video captures a custom unique to Shovues and it isn’t about creamy cheesecakes.
To local florists in Hasidic Williamsbrug, business this week is busy. Very busy. The Shovues holiday substitutes for lost opportunities on Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, two holidays Hasidim generally don’t celebrate.
In the days leading up to Shovues, families and acquaintances will exchange the language of flowers. And by the time the holiday arrives – and shopping and commerce have come to a total halt in Hasidic Williamsburg – greenery and floral decorations will augment the holiday spirit in dining rooms at home, where holiday meals with family will be feasted, and around the bimah and aron hakodesh in synagogue halls, where holiday prayers and services will be held.
Note in the video how local religious schools also benefit from the increased demand, setting up competing ad-hoc florist bazaars.
Video courtesy of VINNews, 2013
Blog post by Yoelish
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