Macys and Israel: What a story! Macys Department Store and Israel - Did you know? An interesting bit of Jewish history. It gives great meaning to Fate and Destiny. At the turn of the Twentieth Century, two of the wealthiest and most famous men in America were a pair of Jewish brothers named Nathan and Isidor Straus. Owners of R.H. Macys Department Store and founders of the A&S (Abraham & Straus) chain, the brothers were multi-millionaires, renowned for their philanthropy and social activism. In 1912, the brothers and their wives were touring Europe, when Nathan, the more ardent Zionist of the two, impulsively said one day, Hey, why dont we hop over to Palestine? Back then, Israel was not the tourist hotspot that it is today. Its population was ravaged by disease, famine, and poverty. But the two brothers had a strong sense of solidarity with their less fortunate brethren, and they also wanted to see the health and welfare centers that they had endowed with their millions of dollars. However, after a week spent touring, Isidor Straus had had enough. How many camels, hovels, and yeshivas can you see? It is time to go, Isidor decreed with edgy impatience in his voice. But Nathan refused to heed his brothers imperious command. It was not that he was oblivious to the hardships around him. It was precisely because of them that he wanted to stay in Palestine. As he absorbed firsthand the vastness of the challenges that his fellow Jews were coping with, Nathan felt the burden of responsibility. We can not leave now, he protested. Look at how much work has to be done here. We have to help. We have the means to help. We can not turn our backs on our own people. So we will send more money, his brother snapped back. I just want to get out of here. But Nathan felt that money simply was not enough. He felt that the Jews who lived under such dire circumstances in Palestine needed the brothers very presence among them: their initiative, their leadership, and their ideas. Isidor disagreed. The two brothers argued back and forth, and finally Isidor said, If you insist, stay here. Ida and I are going back to America where we belong. The two brothers then separated. Isidor and his wife returned to Europe, while Nathan and his spouse stayed in Palestine, traveling the country and contributing huge sums of money to the establishment of education, health, and social welfare programs to benefit the needy. Nathan also financed the creation of a brand-new city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. And since his name in Hebrew was Natan, and he was the citys chief donor, the founders named it after him and called it Natanya. Meanwhile, back in Europe, Isidor Straus was preparing to sail home to America aboard an ocean liner, for which he had also made reservations for his brother, Nathan, and his wife. You must leave Palestine NOW! he cabled his brother in an urgent telegram. I have made reservations for you, and if you do not get here soon, you will miss the boat. But Nathan delayed. There was still so much work to be done that he waited until the last possible moment to make the connection. By the time that he reached London, it was April 12 and the liner had already left port in Southampton, with Isidor and Ida Straus aboard. Nathan felt disconsolate that he had, as his brother had warned, missed the boat. For this was no ordinary expedition. It was no common, everyday cruise that he had forfeited, but the much ballyhooed maiden voyage of the most famous ship of the century. This was the Titanic. Following the tragic sinking, Nathan Straus was grief-stricken, and deeply mourning his brother and sister-in-law. He could not shake off his sense that he had had a rendezvous with history. The knowledge that he had avoided death permeated his consciousness for the rest of his life, and until his death in 1931, he pursued his philanthropic activities with an intensity that was unrivaled in his time. Today, Natanya is a scenic resort city of 200,000, and the headquarters to Israels thriving diamond trade, which is one of the most important industries in the country. And in almost every part of the city, there is some small reminder of Nathan Strauss largesse, his humanity, and his love for his people. His legacy lives on. Nathans son Nathan Jr. (1889-1961) attended Princeton University and arrived in Heidelberg University in 1908, where he met a young art history scholar named Otto Frank. Otto accepted a job in Macys with Nathan Straus, Jr., where he fell in love with New York and its brashness. But in 1909, Ottos father died and he returned to Germany, where he fought in World War I. Otto Frank lived to see the time when he and his family would have to leave Germany, because of the rise of the Nazi Party and growing Anti-Semitism. One of Ottos daughters was Anne Frank. •This essay was reprinted in [email protected] This is the on-line publication of Temple Beth Sholom (Reform), Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Rabbi Elliot Rosenbaum. The original author is unknown to me.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 07:46:26 +0000
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