Mr. Monday and other tales of Jewish Amsterdam

63 Air. Monday and Other Tales of Jewish Amsterdam

sheet for popularising the Papal encyclical "Rerum Novarum."

Now the club leader was noted for his irrepressible itch to make fun of others at any cost, but this time he managed to control himself... Almost...He only said musing:

"David Augurkiesman and Pope Leo the Thirteenth, how did those two ever get together?"

David made desperate attempts after that blunder to be taken seriously by the study club, but he became more and more uncertain each week. The crisis came when the leader himself presented a magnificent and elaborate lecture on "The Scientific Significance of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels". Deep philosophical theories, intricate economic doctrines and irrefutable conclusions. The only bright spot in this obscurity of erudition was one short remark— Engels had supported the Marx family financially.

When he had ended, the club members had the opportunity to exchange views with the speaker. David had a question:

"In what line of business was Engels, that he earned enough money to be able to support Marx?"

"He owned a tailor-shop," the learned speaker snarled.

A few days later David terminated his membership of the club. Political and economic science is a difficult field of study...

The Union building was the centre of this splendid movement, the source that fed the large but unified community. Union members regarded the Building as their Temple.

I remember that one night my father took me along to exchange some books. Pointing at the wall of the building