The Jewish Herald (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 29, Ed. 1, Friday, April 9, 1909 Page: 2 of 8
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garegammiMi iinii Mm iBiiMiuTql
my married A daughter of oue
of the men who had come to Texas
soon after the Smilosky3 came
The greatest pride of the Smil
osky family was We ar3 Ameri
sAMf
y
duty we owe to this country
said the father Just think of
it why if we had stayed in Rus-
sia perhaps we would have all
been killed before this I do not
want you to ever forget my child-
ren what a great duty you owe
to America and if the time ever
comes I want you to perform that
duty willingly
Now wasnt it strange that the
very next day the terrible Civil
AVar should break out The
South enllod for volunteers and
the once despised Russian Jew
did not hesitate
Sammy lie called to the
oldest boy I leave the store in
your charge take care of your
mother little sister and brothers
till I come back I must do my
dutv + n tlm country to which I
owe ° Tnuch B ° T nd boy
Sammy and remember you are
an American Jew Think of it
mv liov anrl if ever duty calls you
to defend your try do not
fail to do so
These words sank deep into
young Smiloskys heart IIe was
fourteen years old now and was
a man in everything except in
years Take care of his mother
brothers and young sister I
should say so Did you ever see
a Jewish boy who promised him-
self to do a thing and did not do
it Especiallv an American Jew-
ish boy who was born in Russia
As I said before three other
Jewish families lived in this same
place and in all four Jews went
from 1his village to fight for the
Southland Three of them re-
turned from the war Smilosky
was I ITis dying words were
Tell my children to do their
duty to their God and their coun-
try
The war came to an end By
this time the three Smilosky boys
were almost grown Their busi-
ness had grown with tJiem It was
now Smilosky Bros These
same boys induced the railrods to
come through that partof Texaj
They built the first brick build-
ing in the whole county They
induced more Jews to come to
their town Finally they built
a little Synagogue Do you think
these boys were doing their duty
as American Jews Finally Sam
Eureka Laundry
We mend your clothes
a great Rabbi said his mother
There was one special question in
the catechism that the boy liked
to > answer This question was
ib SBgagBBnHwnni iJfMBaegqgga
Old phone 565
mi ii i i win miimmm Eras BEs
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE JEWISH LITERARY
SOCIETY
Owing to the effect of a report givencirculation in the
public press of Houston recently and which is working a
hardship on the Building Fund Committee of this Society
be it
RESOLVED that we the members of the Jewish Liter-
ary Society in session assembled assert that this society is
in no manner shape or form connected with either of the Jew-
ish Congregations and draws its membership from the Jews
of the Community regardless of Congregation affiliation
Be it also understood that the bylaws of our Society plainly
stater that any Jew or Jewess over sixteen years of age is
eligible to membership Be it further
RESOLVED that a copy of these resolutions be spread
on the minutes of this Society and printed iu the Jewish
Herald
> < > d this the fourth day of April 1909
JEWISH LITERARY SOCIETY
S J Westheimer President
Joe Finger Secretary
cans Our father was kiied dur-
ing the Civil AVar
But haint you all Joavs in-
quired a big yokel of Sammy
Of course we are was the re-
ply
Wall said the yokel I cant
see how that is Youall can
speak just as good Merican as
I kin an I hadnt never heard yau
talk one word of Jew talk yet
That is the greatest trouble So
many Gentiles can not understand
how we can be both Jews and
Americans To be a J r you
must talk Jew talk and come
from Jerusalem
Time passed on Sammy and
his wife Rebecca were very hap-
py They had one little son The
first thing the boy was taught was
I am a Jew The next J am
an American Now this boy
was an American in every sense
of the word and he was early
taught that he owed a great duty
to his country and that he should
always respond if that duty wfs
called on him The boys parents
worshipped him He was their
idol and he gave promise of great
things to come The boy went
regularly to the synagogue lie
could read Hebrew better than
his father
Perhaps he will some day be
What is our duty to the Coun-
try in which we live and the an-
swer would ring out loud and
clear Our duties towards the
country in which we live are Loy-
alty to its sovereign respect for
its laws cooperation for the up-
holding of its government ajid
prayers for its prosperity The
boy knew this answer backwards
and forwards and was ever ready
to abide by it
Now by this time the town was
full of young Smiloskys All of
the boys had married and had
families of their own They were
looked upon as the leaders in ev-
erything Sammy was elected
mayor and he did his duty to the
best of his ability
What afine youg man our
Abie is getting to be emarked
Mrs Sammy Smilosky to her best
friend Mrs Abramson
Yes was the reply and
Sarah my daughter is getting to
be a fine lady also From all in-
dications Mrs Smilosky I be-
lieve those two will some day be
married
I believe you are getting to be
a regular Schatchen said Mrs
Smilosky Nevertheless she was
pleased with the idea and told her
husband about it that evening af-
ter Abie had gone to see Sarah
What a beautiful life these peo-
ple were leading How they lov-
ed the coutry that had given them
liberty Had given them educa
A success Alhambra Theati e prices 15c 25c 35c and sflc
i JMuli
tion had given them life as it
were I think these people must
have taken their text from Jer-
emiah chapter xxix Seek the
peace of the city whither I have
removed you and pray in its be-
half to the eternal for in the peace
thereof shall ye have peace
And these people did indeed pray
for their countrys welfare Abie
brought many people to the sur-
rounding country He was look-
ed on as the model young man of
the community A young man
whom it was well to imitate by
Gcnliles as well as Jews Now
he became engaged to Sarah and
the wedding was to be in three
months One day the newspapers
came out having across their front
page in great staring headlines
The sinking of the cruiser Maine
Abie was more excited than he
had ever been before The idea
he said of Spain sneaking up aud
doing an act like that Spain
who has treated the Jews so cruel-
ly Abie was not the only ex-
cited one Every Jewish boy in
the town felt exactly as he did
AVar was momentarily expected
now and Abie made up his mind
to go Then the expected hap-
pened Avar was declared The
others stayed behind because they
were too young Now Mrs Smil
osky was a mother in spite of her
loyalty to her country and she
was loath to let her boy go to the
front Not so the old grand-
mother who came from Russia
years before She encouraged
him Thats right Abie she
said take up your country your
grandfather died for it Sarah
also told him to go but she felt
as if her heart was breaking
Oh if I
were only a man
she said I too would go to the
front and fight I have it I will
go as a nurse Ill be there to
attend to the boys who are wound-
ed So amidst weeping and
Availing laughter and tears the
American Jcavs Avent to fight
for their country As it hap-
pened Abie and Sarah Avent on
the same ship and their delight
knew no bounds About ten
nurses were on board four of
them being Jewish
girls It Avas
not long before the fighting be w
gan Tim terrible navaJJ jis
were far worse tlTan the lighting
on land It seemed hoAvever as
if God Avas on the American side
You knoAV of the repeated vic
tories Avhich the boys in blue Avon
t
N
j r
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Goldberg, E. The Jewish Herald (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 29, Ed. 1, Friday, April 9, 1909, newspaper, April 9, 1909; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth84764/m1/2/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .