ENFacsimile
Transcription
{S. MORAIS,
546 N. FIFTH STREET,
PHILADELPHIA, PA.}
5
to human progress, nevertheless, they do not, --
nor can they, aim to elevate the standard of practical
Judaism. It would be unreasonable to suppose that such anticipate
is the drift ofresults from of such character from those superb donations magnificent presents.
But I can tell what concerns our racewill benefit us directly as coheirs of the Torah.
I can point out to the bounties of Baron Königswater
in the capital of Austria. Three years ago that believing Hebrew contributed
fifty thousand florins towards the erection and
maintenance of a high school for training Jewish
preachers. Just now Very recently he bequeathed it a liberal vast sum, in
order that his name may gain an imperishable memorial
among the stanch adherents of traditional Judaism.
Nor is the considerate act of that Israelite in Vienna, by any
means, unique. Many I have known in my early days who founded and upheld places
of sacred learning. In Italy the Treves Bonfils, the Abudharams, the Franchettis bade their gold flow to reach that soul elevating object. However I will not commit injustice. Short as the history
of the Jewish Theological Seminary yet is, it has chronicled
the goodness of some brothers and sisters in faith
of mine, who turned a kindly thought to it, while
making provisions for the their aneternityal of their souls hereafter by
deeds of Charity. Several legacies, varying in
dimension degree, were granted to it, snd I feel a pardonable
pride in stating that the very first bequest proceeded
from Philadelphia and the largest, thus far, emanated
Notes and Questions
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I wish to note that while I read Rabbi Morais's reference to a rich Vienna (, Austria) Jewish/"Israelite" Baron/donor/philanthropist who gave money for the establishment of a school for the training of what Rabbi Morais calls "Jewish preachers" -- in the line of text currently numbered 14 in the transcription -- as "Baron Königswater", I believe that the spelling of the family name is slightly mistaken (possibly due to thought of the English-language word "water": I believe that the prominent family referred to called themselves "Königswarter"s -- and those who held 19th-century Austrian titles as (in English) "Baron"s called themselves "Freiherr von Königswarter" -- as can be seen in the online transcription of the early-20th-century Jewish Encyclopedia article "Königswater" on the family.
It appears from the online transcriptions of the account of the life of Moritz, Freiherr (in English, "Baron") von Königswarter (1837-1893) found within/with the jewish Encyclopedia article "Königswarter" about his family -- and of the same encyclopedia's article "Israelitisch-Theologische Lehranstalt" that the subject of the latter article -- described in it as a "[r]abbinical and teachers' seminary in Vienna, founded in 1893" -- was the school in Vienna, Austria for "training Jewish preachers" referred-to by Rabbi Morais as having benefited from a large donation by a "Baron Königswater [sic]" - and that the Baron mentioned was Moritz von Königswarter -- who served briefly as the seminary's president before he died in November of 1893 -- slightly under a month after it "opened".
Thank you so much for this fascinating information. We really appreciate all your efforts.