Remembering
Cecil Roth on the 35th Anniversary of his Passing
By
Shelomo Alfassá
Published by the History News Network (George Mason
University) / June
21, 2005
As
one of the greatest Jewish historians in the twentieth
century, he was much more inclined to read a stack of
books, going through them at a "voracious"
rate, then do anything else while growing up. Dr. Roth's
literary idol was Edwin Gibbons, famed eighteenth century
historian of world renown. He once said "I would
gladly give up all the work I have done in return for
the ability to produce one paragraph, or even one sentence
in the style of Edward Gibbon." But Roth developed
his own brilliant style which remains a shining example
of prose written by a man who felt enthusiastically
and emotionally linked to his subject matter. His style
stood out on his own, one that is, sadly, rarely found
in modern non-fiction prose. Many in the nineteen and
early twentieth century valued non-fiction works, much
the same as fictional prose is today regarded in contemporary
society. It was a period when readers and writers valued
wit and clarity of expression. Gentle mentions of current
events would be sewn into the work for comparisons without
taking away from the content or purpose, but yet adding
a special intellectual flair to the subject matter.
Roth
was raised in England into a family which valued British
proper manners and had an intense commitment to Jewish
nationalism. Although the Roth family was descendant
from Reb Y.T. Roth of Poland, there existed a family
tradition that they were descendant from Yossef Karo,
the Sephardic author of the Shulhan Aruh, Code of Jewish
Law. Nevertheless, Cecil, an observant Jew his whole
life, adopted the Sephardic minhag which he had learned
in Florence, Italy. He served in WWI in France and later
would study at Merton College. As an observant Jew,
Cecil helped convince Oxford University, which was not
overly receptive to matters regarding Jews, to allow
Jewish students to take exams on Sunday instead of Saturday.
These Jews had to be sequestered so that they could
not possibly learn what was on the exams, so many of
them spent the time at the Roth home, a place popular
among the students.
Until
1939 Cecil Roth had no permanent academic position,
and was thus free to travel the world, which he did
extensively, writing at his leisure. He traveled to
multiple continents, studying the Jewish populations,
becoming a desired visitor by many communities that
would offer to host him. During this period he developed
quite a reputation and developed friendships which would
last his lifetime.
In
London, the Roth family played host to a 'who's who'
of Jewish and international society. Personalities such
as the Angelo Sacerdoti, Chief Rabbi of Rome; Rabbi
David Prato, Chief Rabbi of Alexandria; Nahum Goldmann
who would become the president of the World Zionist
Organization; Ehud Ben-Yehuda who continued the pioneering
work of his father Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (father of modern
Hebrew language).
A
historian with seven decades of experience, intimate
with the rarest of Jewish books and exposure to the
world's best minds, he was able to locate some of the
most unique particulars of history. One of these involves
Austria's Archduke Ferdinand. Cecil said that before
he was assassinated in an event which was said to have
triggered World War I, Austria's Archduke was traveling
with his wife in Sarajevo on the way to the National
Museum to view the Sarajevo Haggadah, a collection of
Jewish scriptures written around 1314 in Spain and one
of the most valuable books in the world.
Long
before Hitler's name was common place in the newspapers
of the world, Cecil Roth became concerned about the
situation in Germany, specifically, the rising tide
of Nazism which he felt was not something that would
retreat quickly. As early as 1933, Roth penned a letter
of protest to the London Times against Hitler's declaration
to boycott Jewish establishments. Roth wrote numerous
articles and also developed books such as 'Jewish Contribution
to Civilization' that was written specifically because
it had the potential to show the Germans and the world
how the Jews have contributed greatly to society, and
possibly have the side effect of mitigating mal treatment
against the Jews. Many years after WWII, it was told
that Roth obtained German documents, the plans to occupy
London, plans that listed names and addresses of Jews.
He was shocked to have learned it was he who was on
the very top of the list, he would have been the first
capture by the Nazis.
Cecil's
tireless advocacy for the Jewish people is apparent
in the remarkable story of the keys of Florence, which
his wife told long after his death. Upon the liberation
of Florence, Winston Churchill's office telephoned Dr.
Roth who was in possession of the original and ancient
keys to the city. Mr. Churchill wanting a to make a
great impression upon his arrival to Florence as a victor,
wanted to know if Roth, a fellow Brit, would allow him
to return the keys during a ceremony with the mayor
of Florence. Roth had a "shocked" reaction
to this curious request. He told the office candidly: