Ohio Jewish Chronicle. (Columbus, Ohio), 1991-04-04, page 01 |
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:AA TTTr X JL JLJL.I v> - The Ohio Jewish Chronicle 5erumg Columbus and Central Ohio Jewish Community for Over 60 Years • VOLUME 6ft«> NUMBER 14 APRIL 4,1991 20NISAN5751 DEVOTED TO AMERICAN AND JEWISH IDEALS « Concert to feature ypujig violinist / -■>:, \ ■ Page2 JGCs Finkelstein accepts f dsitioii in luos Angeles .-,•. V \ - - page3 State schedules Holocaust Manorial '- ; , *• / >, ;• page3. ^1 ^ rmdy6aim^ of a white .. i? page 4 Raffeld to be honored ' './' ':.'.• ; ' "-V *'■- '".v- ': page 5 Beth Tikvah to hpst ^0m HaShoah Service V »„,-■■.•■. ' - \] ' ~T~ ^^e;Kutis toiyhe ;; ttotioted bn^ApiltO; *":-'>r.!viv'-:--) .-' \- '<v.,s page6 Vvi J*' in*-We Chronicle' ^Thekjc;^;;. .•..CQiBimunity/. -.,..; A ca.')\', ,•','),..'.' 14,15 •■-'■-' - 5,9 12 %&A-, :^rMn^wmr^m&A4:Mv^A^7^^ Ohio Hist.society Libr. 19" .2 Vcima Ave. Columbus*, Ohio £ '13211 ' " . *>*?•> sxjhr.x ... .» '-* ]-, d ^1^V4i>*;L^' .> / f">& It ' 4 A. f ^ '?*. ^ i -* ' 'R* ■ J*..^ **. .___** i ' ■ ■■ ■ ■ K ' ■-- — ■-■■ THE JEWISH TRAVELER Basel — VrAere the Zionist dream came true By Ruth Rovner From the balcony of the Three Kings Hotel, the view of the Rhine River is dramatic. The current flows swiftly, and the water ripples and shim-. mere in sunshine. Ferryboats glide by, and pedestrians walk across the bridge that spans the river or stroll along the peaceful walkways lining the riverbanks. It was this river —almost this yery scerte — that captivated Theodor Herzl when he came to Basel to convene the world's first Zionist Congress InMW. In fact, the famous photograph showing Herzl gazing at the Rhine River was taken on the balcony of room 126 of the Three Kings Hotel, where Herzl stayed during the congress. When the room is not occupied, hotel staffers sometimes let guests look at the room and stand on the balcony as Herd did. The chance to re-trace Herd's steps — to visit the hotel where he stayed, to stand by . the river where. he dreamed of a Jewish state, to see the Stadt Casino where the first Zionist Congress was held — makes Basel a special destination for the Jewish traveler, ■.•..."■■• This Swiss city on the Rhine, at the crossroads of France, Germany and Swit zerland, has still other attractions for the Jewish traveler. Switzerland's only Jewish museum is here. So is the synagogue that is a national landmark, and an art museum with Marc Chagall's striking painting, "The Rabbi." In fact, so impressive are the Jewish highlights in Basel that the local tourist office even prepared a special pamphlet for Jewish travelers, printed in Hebrew, English and German. The Jewish Museum at Komhausgasse 8 is where much of the history of Basel's Jewish community is preserved. As evidence of the city's pride in this museum, sevenal signs point the way for visitors. Outside the museum, fragments of ancient Jewish tombstones are on display. These stones date back to the 13th century, when the Jewish community here was an important one, and Jews had full rights and prospered. Rut during the Black Death of 1348, the Jews of Basel and elsewhere were accused of poisoning the wells and causing the dread disease. They were taken to a nearby island and burned at the stake and from then on, excluded from the city. Full emancipation came in 1866. And well before the Zionist Congress, Jews of Basel made their impact on European Jewish culture; Basel became an important printing center where many Hebrew books were printed. The visitor sees evidence of this long history inside the modest museum. Display cases show ritual objects that once belonged to the Jews of nearby Alsacae and of the ancient Swiss communities of Lengnau and Endingen. Also on display are 16th century books in Hebrew, which were • printed in Basel, including an early Hebrew Bible from 1546. But for most visitors, the most compelling displays are those in the two cases devoted to the Zionist Congresses held in Basel. The famous photograph of Herzl gazing at the Rhine is on display here. So is a first edition of Herd's Der Judgen- staat, and a program for the first Zionist Congress .held Aug. 29-31 in 1897, with a photograph of all the delegates to that congress. The guestbook on a table in filled with messages express-, ing the delight of. visitors to see all this, visitors from Alberta, Canada; Ames, Iowa; Tel Aviv, Israel; Beverly Hills Calif., and elsewhere. "We get visitors from all over the world," says Jenny Fuchs, museum attendant. She checks her records and with typical Swiss precision, comes up with exact numbers. In. 1987, she says, a total of 4,700 people visited this museum. It's a short walk from the Jewish Museum to the Great Synagogue of Basel. The massive corner building is a striking sight, with its two, large Byzantine cupolas and its gold spire pointing skyward. Although it's obviously old, its distinctive exterior looks positively gleaming. That's because of an extensive renovation which took almost two years to complete. Old stones were replaced, the copper cupolas refinished, the furniture restored. "It was very, very costly," says Jacqueline Bloch, a longtime Jewish resident of Basel and staff member of the local tourist office, who often takes Jewish travelers on tours. But the cost was well worth it, and the Swiss Confederation provided one-third of the funds needed to restore this national treasure. Around the comer from the synagogue is Victor Gold- schmidt's bookstore. The modest exterior gives no hint of the important books inside. Ruth Rovner is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia and a frequent contributor of travel columns to Jewish publications around the country.
Object Description
Title | The OJC the Ohio Jewish chronicle. (Columbus, Ohio), 1991-04-04 |
Subject | Jews -- Ohio -- Periodicals |
Place |
Columbus (Ohio) Franklin County (Ohio) |
Creator | OJC Pub. Co. |
Collection | Ohio Jewish Chronicle |
Submitting Institution | Columbus Jewish Historical Society |
Rights | This item may have copyright restrictions. Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information |
Type | Text |
File Name | index.cpd |
File Size | 3564 Bytes |
Searchable Date | 1991-04-04 |
Format | newspapers |
LCCN | sn91075643 |
Date created | 2016-10-31 |
Description
Title | Ohio Jewish Chronicle. (Columbus, Ohio), 1991-04-04, page 01 |
Searchable Date | 1991-04-04 |
Full Text |
:AA
TTTr
X JL JLJL.I
v> -
The Ohio Jewish Chronicle
5erumg Columbus and Central Ohio
Jewish Community for Over 60 Years •
VOLUME 6ft«>
NUMBER 14
APRIL 4,1991
20NISAN5751
DEVOTED TO AMERICAN AND JEWISH IDEALS «
Concert to feature
ypujig violinist /
-■>:, \ ■ Page2
JGCs Finkelstein accepts
f dsitioii in luos Angeles
.-,•. V \ - - page3
State schedules
Holocaust Manorial
'- ; , *• / >, ;• page3.
^1 ^
rmdy6aim^
of a white .. i?
page 4
Raffeld to be honored
' './' ':.'.• ; ' "-V *'■- '".v- ': page 5
Beth Tikvah to hpst
^0m HaShoah Service
V »„,-■■.•■. ' - \] ' ~T~
^^e;Kutis toiyhe ;;
ttotioted bn^ApiltO;
*":-'>r.!viv'-:--) .-' \- ' |
Format | newspapers |
Date created | 2009-10-14 |