Thursday, March 02, 2006

"was educated as a Jew" vs "was a Polish Jew"

From the Bowes Park Weekly News Saturday March 14, 1914, obituary for Christian David Ginsburg:
Dr. Ginsburg, the grand old man of Palmers Green, passed away on Saturday last, at his house in Oakthrope-road, opposite the Southgate Council offices.

Dr. Ginsburg was 83 on Christmas Day and was a native of Warsaw. He came to England as a young man....Dr. Ginsburg has two claims to immortal fame. First, he was a distinguished Biblical scholar...

Dr. Ginsburg was educated as a Jew but he adopted Christianity at the age of 15...

A remarkable incident in the doctor's career was the detection of the famous Shapira forgeries in 1887. Shapira was a Polish Jew, with a shop in Palestine, and he sold to the Prussian Government some so-called Moabite potteries, which proved to be forgeries... (italics mine)
Wilhelm Shapira too was a convert to Christianity. Apparently "grand old [men]" were educated as Jews but forgerers remain Polish Jew[s].

Interesting what one finds in 90-year old newspapers.

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