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Jacob Gerstein

Rev. Jacob Gerstein (יעקב בן אלחנן דב גערשטײן, Yaaqov ben Elḥanan Dov Gershtayn; ca. 1866-1938), born in the Russian Empire, emigrated to the United States in 1905 after which he served Cong. Hevrah Kadishah and Daughters of Zion Hebrew Day Nursery in Brooklyn. He authored a rhymed version of a Talmud tractate and the Book of Esther, a bilingual English-Hebrew “Scroll of Victory” at the end of the World War Ⅰ, and in 1933, “A letter of blessing and thanks in English and in Jewish to Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

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שִׁיר לְצִיּוֹן | Shir l’Tsiyōn — a hymn celebrating the reïfication of the Balfour Declaration at the culmination of the San Remo conference on 11 May 1920 by Rabbi Jacob Gerstein

Contributed by: Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Aharon N. Varady (translation), Jacob Gerstein

In this song written in rhymed Yiddish verse, Rabbi Gerstein celebrates the day of 11 May 1920, the date upon which determined the fate of the Ottoman Empire after World War Ⅰ was concluded and the Balfour Declaration of 1917 reïfied in favor of Jewish national objectives in the Land of Israel.


💬 מגילת הנצחון של װאודראו װילסאן | Megillat Wilson — a Purim Sheni scroll for Armistice Day [after World War Ⅰ] by Rabbi Jacob Gerstein (1919)

Contributed by: Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Jacob Gerstein

This is a letter written by Rev. Jacob Gerstein in the form of a megillah to honor President Woodrow Wilson for his military support of France, thereby defeating Kaiser Wilhelm, Emperor of Germany, and ending World War Ⅰ. Rev. Gerstein notes the Hebrew/Jewish calendar date for the end of hostilities as 7 Kislev 5679 (11 November 1918). The letter was sent some time while Wilson was engaged in peace talks in France after the war, between 14 December 1918 and 28 June 1919. The English translation presented here is the one offered by the author of the megillah. The transcription here was made from a copy of the letter published for Armistice Day (11 November) 1921, לזכרון עולם (L’zikaron Olam ≈ “Everlasting Memorial”), מגילת נצחון (megilat nitsaḥon ≈ “Victory Scroll”).



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