Delegation of of Rabbonim
משלחת של רבנים לעיר הבירה וושינגטון
Washington, DC c.1912Date of Death:
Mon. January 1, 1912 -
Exact date is unknown
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Biographical Notes:
Photo Caption: Delegation of Rabbanim, to meet with President William Howard Taft c. 1912, Credit: N/N
Pictured are:
1. Unknown child
2. Rav Yitzchok Siegel, Bayonne, NJ
3. Rev Glushok, Washington, DC
4. Rav Avroham Alperstein, New York City
5. Rav Gedaliah Silverstone, Washington, DC
6. Rav Dovid Ginsburg, Wilkes-Barre, PA
7. Rav Eliezer Silver, Harrisburg, PA
8. Rav Yaakov Redelheim, New York City
9. Unknown child
Note:
William Howard Taft served as the27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913.
Credit: N/N
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First lets use Moshe Escott’s great collection for the purpose of identification:
https://picasaweb.google.com/108906786730490821956/OtzarHaTemunos#
With that # 5 is no doubt RSA Jaffe and # 7 (or maybe # 2) is RAA Alperstien
# 6 is maybe Reb Velvel Margolies in his younger age
R. Baruch and R. YD,
I have a strong sense that the picture was taken significantly after 1903 and possibly was taken as late as the period between 1910 and the end of WW1.
This is based upon the following:
If you examine Rav Gedalia Silverstone’s picture here
https://picasaweb.google.com/108906786730490821956/FourYearsWarRelief19141918#5714458228514773954
then you will realize that this WW1 period picture of him bears a very strong resemblance to your #5. R. Silverstone was a rav in DC for many years and only came to the USA in 1906.
My guess is that #7 is R. Eliezer Silver after comparing this to the image that appears on his wikipedia entry. He came to the USA in 1907 and I seem to remember reading that he did participate in a DC delegation sometime in the post 1910 years.
Since R. Alperstein (born in 1853) might have been in his late 50s or early 60s at the time your picture was taken, it doesn’t seem to me that he would be one of the dark-haired rabbanim in the photo.
To me, #6 looks more like R. AA Yudelovitch than R. Velvel Margolis.
I have a suspicion that #8 might just be R. Aaron Teitelbaum who also appears in the picasa link I provided above.
I don’t think that R. Shalom Elchanan Jaffe is in your picture.
Moshe,
You are the expert and probably right, Silverstone is strong, Yudelevitch I doubt, Silver might be right.
When this picture was originally sent to me, Rav Alperstein was identified, so he’s defiantly in the picture. Unfortunately I can’t find the source of how I obtained the picture.
I don’t mean any disrespect however Rav Yudelovitch nose is much wider.
Ken zein – my strongest guesses are re: R. Silverstone and R. Silver. Not so confident about the others.
Two rabbonim that would have been part of such a delegation were Rabbi Bernard Leviathal of Philadelphia, PA and Rabbi Avroham Yaakov Gershon Lesser of Cincinnati, OH.
Can anyone compare their pictures?
this http://www.ivelt.com/forum/download/file.php?id=26151&mode=view is a 1910 picture of a Washington DC Delegation and I also though before that Silverstone matches to #5 (but i was scared of YD Miller to voice my opinion being that a good look at the position of that Rabbi it resembles very much on Rabbi Yaffa’s position of his face according to the picture here http://www.ivelt.com/forum/download/file.php?id=22059&mode=view).
The rabbonim of the 1910 delegation are Rabbis A. Teitelbaum, Y. Rosenberg M”z Margolis, B. Leventahl and M. Berlin.
and how about #7 is Alperstein? according to this photo http://www.ivelt.com/forum/download/file.php?id=22074
R. Stern – Rav Levinthal of Philly had a very distinctive look and does not seem to appear in the picture above. No idea re: R. Lesser
BBZ – Your 1st ivelt link of the DC delegation is a cropped section of the full picture that appears in my picasa link above. The page that contains that picture says that the date was February 17, 1916 and that the Rabbanim who were there represented the Central (Relief) Committee.
From Wikipedia, Rav Silver in his younger years. It does look very much like #7.
OK, the mystery is now mostly solved – see the new link at https://picasaweb.google.com/108906786730490821956/PicturesOfRabbanim#5733521464776150322
Which contains an image just snapped today courtesy of my brother.
It is an image from p.46 in The Silver Era by R. Aharon Rakeffet. This image contains the exact same delegation of rabbanim sans the 2 kids. It is from a 1912 rabbinical delegation to President Taft.
So now we can transfer this knowledge to our picture and can identify
1: unknown child
2: R. Isaac Siegel (Bayonne, NJ)
3: Rev. Glushok (DC)
4: R. Abraham Alperstein (NY)
5: R. Gedaliah Silverstone (DC)
6: R. David Ginsburg (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
7: R. Eliezer Silver (Harrisburg, PA)
8: R. Jacob Redelheim (NY)
9: unknown child
Wow! and now we change the year to 1912
Thanks Moshe (and your brother)
Done
R’ David Ginzburg
ר’ דוד ב”ר יצחק אייזיק גינזבורג
was a Rav in Rochester 5663
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=20769&st=&pgnum=86&hilite=
הוציא לאור ספר גליון מהרי”ל
לחמיו ר’ יקתואל ליב עליאן מצעזמיר:
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/6611
Ginsburg, David.
Rabbi of Congregations Beth Israel and Beth Hakneses Hachodesh, Rochester, N. Y. Born March 3, 1869 at Widz, Russia. Son of Isaac Ginsburg. Educated in Russia, at Viina, Kovno, Eiseshok, and St. Petersburg. Rabbinical diplomas conferred by Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Spector, Kovno, and Rabbi Samuel Mohilever, Bielostok. Publication: ” Giloion Maharil” (on the Mlshna). Address: 21 Harrison, Rochester, N. Y.
From:
http://thehistorybox.com/ny_city/nycity_bio_sketches_rabbis_cantors_U.S._freund-gittelsohn_article1408.htm
התקבל לווילקעס בערע באלול תר”ע:
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=23654&pgnum=1
R’ Jacob Wolf Redelheim owned “Redelheim Matzoh Company” in Chicago:
“Forward — January 24, 1921
Recently a new large matzoh factory was opened in Chicago by New York and Chicago leaders of orthodox Jewry. This factory is at 2109-2111 W. Roosevelt Rd., in the Jewish neighborhood and is called “Redelheim Matzoh Company.”
The by-products, such as Matzoh-Meal, Matzoh-Farfel, Matzoh-Cake, etc, are wrapped in separate cartons.
Jacob Redelheim, who is a member of the “Organization of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada – Agudah,” is a capable shrewd business man and devotes his entire time to the factory.
The Kashruth of the factory is under the supervision of the Chicago Rabbinate”
Source:http://flps.newberry.org/article/5423972_2_1633
R. Isaac Siegal was my grandmother’s uncle. My husband and I named our son after him. Would anyone know where R. Isaac Siegal is buried? Unfortunately we do not have much information on him other than a book ” Halichot Yitzchok: A Biography of Rabbi Isaac Halevi Siegal” By Rabbi Chaim Karlinsky printed in 1979 by Tova Press, Inc. Most of it is in Hebrew, and we’ve never had it translated, but the part in English does discuss this delegation in some detail. I would be happy to share this information, especially if someone could point me in the right direction to translate the Hebrew. Thank you.
Robyn,
1) My GGF (R. Yaakov Eskolsky) and your GGU probably knew eachother well from their involvement with Ezras Torah and with the Agudas HaRabbanim.
2) Here is an article (HaPardes #54 Vol 6-7 March-April 1980 p22) that has a review of Halichos Yitzchak by R. Chaim Karlinsky.
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=12547&pgnum=24
It mentions biographic info too and mentions that R. Siegal was in the delegaton sent by the Agudas HaRabbanim that met with Taft in 1912 on behalf of the plight of Russian Jewry.
Sorry I don’t have the time to translate that article. You could copy the Hebrew text there and paste into Google translate but it wouldn’t do it justice.
(R. Chaim Karlinsky is mentioned here in the page on his father R. Yeshaya http://kevarim.vohost.us/rabbi-yeshaya-karlinsky/ )
3) Looks like a copy of the biography can be had for a moderate price on eBay
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=halichot+yitzchak&_sacat=0
In any case, Halichos Yitzchak is not yet on the hebrewbooks.org site (free) but is on the Otzar HaChochma site (subscription)
Within the books it mentions that R. Siegel passed away Sunday 13 Tammuz 5736 (July 11, 1976) in Jersey City. The funeral was two days later.
The book derives information about the funeral from an obituary in Hapardes vol 51 #1 (October 1977) (also on Otzar HaChochma) which does not mention the country or cemetery where the burial took place.
4) Among the many things mentioned in the book is that R. Siegel was a mashgiach for Manischewitz Co. and that he served as a rabbi in Jersey City at Congregation Sons of Israel.
Info on Sons of Israel is contained at http://hudsonjewish.org/1/content/view/20/29/ so it might be worth an outside shot to contact them if they know of a burial location.
5) R. Siegel was one of the founders of Ezras Torah. He wrote an article which appears in their “Zichron B’Sefer” at:
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=44163&st=&pgnum=19
If you have further questions, you can contact me at eskolskyinfo@yahoo.com.
corrections:
3) Hapardes vol 51 #1 (October 1976) – not 1977
5) Sefer HaZikaron – not Zichron B’Sefer
Thank you so much for that information. It seems more and more that Rabbi Isaac lived a very full life.
We never knew the name of the congregation in Jersey City, so that is fantastic information. Last week I emailed a funeral home in Bayonne, and from them I learned:
“Both he and his wife were buried by my grandfathers funeral home (no longer in existence). My uncle is fairly certain that Baron Hirsch Cemetery is where you will find their graves.”
So I will look into that this week. Also, there is a picture in that book I will email you this week in case your GGF is in it. I would tell you more about it, but the caption is not in English. But it looks official.
We have a Jewish Day School in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and I’m sure they can help me find someone to translate. I have some family members who may be able to help as well. I really cannot thank you enough for the information.
I am the granddaughter of Rabbi Isaac Siegel and my mother was his daughter.
My dad’s grandmother was Rabbi Siegal’s sister, Rebecca, and my dad remembers meeting your grandfather several times. I would love to connect with you via email to see any family history information you have, as we are slowly putting together what we have thus far. robynalexandracohen@gmail.com
Robyn,
My husband Howard Weinstein, is Rabbi Isaac
Siegal’s grandson. We live in Skokie, Il. We have visited his grave at Baron Hirsh on Staten Island.
That is amazing! We have had the most wonderful time reconnecting/connecting with family through this website. We are in Minnesota. We would love to chat and share pictures if you would be interested. robynalexandracohen@gmail.com
I went to the Rabbi David L. Silver Yeshiva in Harrisburg and knew Rabbi Silver very well. He led the Kesher Israel Synagogue where my family was married etc….
His father was Eliesar Silver – Though Rabbi David Silver Z”l has passed I can attempt to confirm if the person in the photo is his father through other elderly members of the shul.
ianpsinger@gmail.com
I am trying to find out more about Rabbi Dovid Ginsburg in the photo because I recently found out I might be related. Does anyone know his wife or children’s name?
I am Rabbi Redelheim’s great grandson. Thanks for letting me see this picture.
a news report of the delegation of Rabbis to Taft
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Call/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Call%201912/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Call%201912%20-%200548.pdf
My great great grandfather is pictured here, Isaac Siegal, I wish i knew more about him and why he is in this photo, thank you
My great great grandfather, Isaac Siegel is pictured here. He lived in Bayonne New Jersey and was the father of Jacob Siegel and father in law of Theresa Siegel. That is all I know about him, but recently u heard he may have been a congressman, I want to know meow about him and what this picture is. Please let me know if you have any information. Thank you
Your GGF was one of the most prominent rabbi’s, a leading figure of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis (Agudas Harabinim)
In addition to the news report Ben Bee Zee mentioned above, the event of the 1912 delegation of rabbonim in Washington, DC was reported upon in some detail in The Evening star (Washington, DC), June 12, 1912, p2, “Taft Receives Rabbis”
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1912-06-12/ed-1/seq-2/
I have a hunch that the “Rabbi Halper” mentioned in the article might have been misheard by the reporter an really refers to Rav Alperstein.
Reports also appear in The Washington Times, June 12, 1912, p2, “President is Thanked by Rabbi Delegation”
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1912-06-12/ed-1/seq-2/
And in The Sun (NY, NY), June 13, 1912, p10, “Rabbis Call on Taft”
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1912-06-13/ed-1/seq-10