1897 NY Times Article On Birchas Hachammah

[Full link below.] The following fascinating article about Birchas Hachammah, entitled “Hebrew Festival Marred,” appeared in the New York Times on April 8, 1897 (here). The subtitle on the piece states, “Rabbi Arrested for Observance of an Ancient Talmudic Ceremony in Tompkins Square.” The article then states: “No Permit Had Been Thought Necessary for the Gathering and Policeman Foley Could Not Understand What It Meant-Occurs Once in 28 Years.”

The article goes on to report:

“Orthodox Hebrews in every part of the world celebrated yesterday what is formally known among them as “the new sun.” The festival comes once every twenty-eight years, on the fourth day of the first week of the Hebrew month Nissan, corresponding practically to the month of April. The celebration in New York was spoiled for ‘some hundreds of people by the interference of two park policemen with a gathering in Tompkins Square, the arrest there of Rabbi Wechsler, and the flight of Rabbi Klein…”

To read the full article, click here to view a pdf file of the actual article as it appeared in the New York Times.

{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}