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Offline The One and Only Mo

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a tale of 2 Jews
« on: July 23, 2010, 10:26:43 AM »
This story is true. For verification search wikapedia.

 

         An interesting bit of Jewish history...

         

         A Tale of Two Jews

         

            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. Macy 's 

            Department Store and founders of the A&S(Abraham & Straus)

            chain,the brothers were multimillionaires, 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 don't we

            hop over to Palestine?" Israel  wasn't the tourist

            hotspot then that it is today. Its population was 

            ravaged by disease, famine, and poverty; but the

            two had a strong  sense of solidarity with their less

            fortunate brethren, and they also  wanted to see the

            health and welfare centers they had endowed  with

            their millions.

             

            However, after a week spent touring,  Isidor  Straus had

            had enough. "How many camels, hovels, and  yeshivas

            can you see? It's time to go," Isidor decreed

            with edgy  impatience in his voice.

            But Nathan refused to heed his  brother's

            imperious command. It wasn't that he was oblivious to

            the  hardships around him; it was precisely because

            of them that he wanted  to stay.

             

            As he absorbed firsthand the vastness of the challenges

            his fellow Jews were coping with, he felt the burden of

            responsibility..

            "We can't leave now," he protested. "Look how much  work

            has to be done here.We have to help. We have the means

            to help.  We can't turn our backs on our people."

            "So we'll send more money,"  his brother snapped back.

            "I just want to get out of here."

             

            But  Nathan felt that money simply wasn't 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 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  separated. Isidor and his wife returned to Europe,

            while Nathan  andhis 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. And since his name in

            Hebrew was Natan, and  he was the city's 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 don't get here soon, you'll miss the boat."

            But Nathan  delayed.

            There was so much work to be done that he waited until the

            last possible moment to make the connection. By the time

            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, 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. 

             

            Nathan Straus, grief-stricken and  deeply mourning his

            brother and sister-in-law 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 l931, 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

            headquarters to Israel's thriving diamond trade - one of the

            most  important industries in the country.

             

            And in almost every part of the  city, there is some small

            reminder of Nathan Straus's largesse, his  humanity, and

            love for his people.

             

            His legacy lives  on.

Offline Secularbeliever

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Re: a tale of 2 Jews
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2010, 10:52:54 AM »
This sounds like a Paul Harvey story.
We all need to pray for Barack Obama, may the Lord provide him a safe move back to Chicago in January 2,013.