The NY Times reports:
The inferno that killed 146 workers at the Triangle shirtwaist company 100 years ago occurred on March 25, but because 102 of the victims were Jewish, a date that is as significant is the 25th of Adar in the Hebrew calendar. That anniversary — their yahrzeit — occurred Tuesday.
So on a sunny if bitingly cold morning, 50 people trooped across a muddy cemetery in Staten Island run by the Hebrew Free Burial Association to say kaddish over the graves of 22 of the fire’s victims — 4 men and 18 women — who are buried on a hillside, most of them sewing machine operators whose families had been too poor to afford grave sites and headstones.
The crowd heard Rabbi Shmuel Plafker, with the wind whipping the pages of his prayer book, intone the Hebrew names of the dead — their given names and those of their fathers — while chanting another prayer of mourning, the El Molay Rachamim (God Full of Compassion).
First, in his strong tenor voice, he recited the names of the four men: Yaakov bar Mordechai (Jacob Bernstein), Kalman ben Menachem Mendel (Kalman Donnik), Aryeh Leib ben Yaakov Yoel (Leibel Rosen), and Zalman bar Shimon (Zalman Taback).
Then he read the names of the women, and 129 of the fire’s casualties were women: Leah bas Leib (Lizzie Adler), Chaya bas Eli ben Zion (Ida Brodsky), Sarah bas Mordechai (Sarah Brodsky), Aidel bas Asher (Ada Brook), Masha bas Meir (Molly Gerstein), Rashka Mirel bas Reb Moishe Leib (Mary Goldstein), Dina bas Dovid (Diana Greenberg), Perel bas Tzvi (Pauline Horowitz), Rivkah bas Yosef (Becky Kappelman), Basya bas Chaim (Bertha Kulla), Toiva bas Reb Aharon (Tillie Kupersmith), Yutta bas Reb Yehoshua (Julia Oberstein), Rivkah bas Simcha (Beckie Reines), Ettel bas Eliezer HaKohen (Ethel Schneider), Rivkah bas Reb Avraham (Margit Schwartz), Sarah bas Dovid (Sade Weintraub), Bracha bas Noach (Bertha Wendroff), Sima bas Mordechai (Simie Wisotsky).
It seemed important that each name be read because most of the victims’ lives were truncated at a young age, some in their teens, before they had a chance to carve out a strong identity. Almost all were immigrants from shtetls and ghettos in Russia, Poland, Romania and Hungary. And many had not been here long enough to learn English.
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14 Responses
The fire happened on Shabbos. A lot of them died after jumping onto the sidewalks from the building (misas sekila). “Ve’ha’nisharim ishmeu ve’irau…”.
I’m not trying to be insensitive – but that doesn’t change they were at the wrong place at the wrong time – it was SHABBOS…..
Baruch Dayan HaEmet……..Sweatshops are still sweatshops 100 years later………..
May their souls be elevated.
And may we resolve that no worker ever in the future face such a dangerous workplace, and that no Jew ever again have to choose between working on Shabat and feeding his/her family.
1 and 2 their Kapparah was years ago. You should never be faced with their nisyonos nor ever judge another yid based on your historical picture of events.
#4, Not up to us to decide, we can only hope.
#6, We should learn a lesson. Some people do not like to think of s’char and onesh — abd they are wrong.
My rebbi told us years ago to understand the nisoyon a bit.
If you wake up late to shachris on a regular basis, talk during davening then you would not be able to hold back that nisoyon in those times. That’s the barometer
#5, According to you, we should not discuss the reasons for churban Bais Rishon ve’Bais Sheini. Right?
To Yosher: No, you are not being insensitive you are being judgmental!!!! How dare you write something so crude and rude?
Even today, Jewish people work on Shabbos and the Major Jewish Holidays because they have to put food on their tables. Are you financially prepared to supplement their income? Don’t say food stamps: Not everyone is eligible and or even think of relying on the government.
I’m sure you are perfect and do nothing wrong. But, I’m sure your Rebbe is proud of you….for I’m sure he is also judgmental.
BTW, are you a B’aal Teshuva? If find that SOME BTs become very judgmental after they “find” G-d.
The remarks may be insensitive, but they are the Jewish way of thinking.
“Mida Kneged Mida” is a fundamental teaching. So is believing that Hashem does everything and everything He does is Just.
Plenty people had the same Nisayon – and passed it with flying colors; even if it meant looking for a new job every Monday morning.
Keeping Shabbos is core to Yiddishkeit, and there is never an excuse to go to work on Shabbos.
I’m not being judgemental; I’m just stating the facts as they are. Halacha doesn’t change because you’re hungry.
In the olden days people died for their Yiddishkeit – it was called “Al Kiddush Hashem”. A concept we seem to have lost.
And no, I’m not a BT, but a descedant of frum people who spent every Monday morning looking for a new job.
Walton, this is not a Reform WN. Not being judgmental is a ma’ala in Christianity. When are you becoming a Ba’al Teshuva?
To walton157:
And how are you not being judgmental too?
And how do you know that Jews that work on Shabbos do so to put food on their table. I know many rich Jews that work on Shabbos.
And what’s wrong with being a Baal Tshuva? I am sure they can teach you a thing or two about emuna and bitachon.
No. 2 writes, in part: “I’m not trying to be insensitive ….” Are you saying that insensitivity just comes naturally to you? Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Hi Walton
My family was here in the USA before the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge was built. We know about Shmiras Shabbos (my great grandfather not only struggled to support his family but loss all his savings on the run of banks which shut down and reopenned for withdrawls only on Shabbos and then closed forever)
No I’m not a BT – we are frum from then till my grand kids today. Nobody said life was easy especially when you’re hungry.
I believe what helped was the family respected their parents and the siblings helped each other financially.As you expected to breathe you were expected to be Shomer Torah. There were no questions.