Max Rossvally blowing the shofar ( 1879, Library of Congress ) Searching for historic photographs of Rosh Hashanah and blowing the shofar (ram's horn), we discovered a poster showing Jewish pictures of Jewish festivals. Starring in the 1879 photo gallery was a man named Max Rossvally. He appeared as a pious man even though, judging by the photos, he didn't seem to know laws of tefillin (phylacteries) or lulav (a grouping of flora, including a palm branch, used in Sukkot prayers.) Who was Rossvally? A Jewish man originally from Germany named Mordechai Rosenthal, a Civil War veteran who claimed he was a surgeon, a convict, and a evangelical convert to Christianity. Here are the poster and his pictures with a lulav and tfillin: Rossvally's gallery of pictures Rossvally and misplaced tfillin Rossvally with a few extra branches and misplaced tfillin, usually not worn on Sukkot (Tabernacles) Here's what we know about Rossvally: (From a description of Jewish converts to Christianity and Rossvally in " United States Jewry, 1776-1985 ," by Jacob Rader Marcus) A description of a meeting of an American anti-Semitic group attended by Rossvally who converted while serving a sentence in prison ( American Jewish Archives , 1964) Note: A reader claims the above is a satire: Reader "Sarah" informs us that the section below is a satire, using real names of known individuals of the time. Apparently the report on the meeting is a lampoon. She quoted from the editor's introduction : "Litigation apparently did not recornmad [SIC] itself to Harry Hananel Marks editor in 1878-1879 of New York City's Reformer and Jewish Times. Marks... preferred the "means" of satire and produced the lampoon reprinted above .... His pamphlet is, in any case, a clever - and even a prophetic -piece of work. .... Marks cleverly juxtaposed these savory characters with some of the leading and most accomplished Jews in the world at that time.... " and from wikipedia on Harry_Marks " He also published the sharp satire Down with the Jews! Meeting of the Society for Suppressing the Jewish Race (1879), which attacked anti-semitism among American politicians " Today, shofar-blowers are known for their piety and observance of Jewish commandments. Shana Tova! Happy Jewish New Year! The Shofar Resonates from the Past. Jews Will Blow the Shofar in Synagogues Next Week The pictures below are re-posted from last year: Yemenite Jew blowing the shofar (circa 1935, a ll photographs are from the Library of Congress archives ) The American Colony photographers in Jerusalem recorded pictures of Jewish elders blowing the shofar in Jerusalem some 80 years ago. The horn was also blown in Jerusalem to announce the commencement of the Sabbath. During the month prior to Rosh Hashana, the shofar was blown at daily morning prayers to encourage piety before the High Holidays. Ashkenazi Jew in Jerusalem blowing the shofar to announce the Sabbath Yemenite Rabbi Avram , donning tfillin for his daily prayers, blowing the shofar Man blowing the shofar in Mandelkern , NY, 1901
