'Titanic': The story of the Jews on the 'unsinkable' ship

• Published date: 12 April 2024
• Author: ALEX WINSTON
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The world's greatest and largest ship ever built has just struck an iceberg, shredding the ship's side. Although most of its 2,200-strong crew and passengers are asleep, most of them have less than three hours to live but don't know it

Dubbed the "unsinkable" amid great fanfare before embarking on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, the ocean liner was a paradigm of unheard luxury for all three classes. It was a marvel of its time, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities. It made brief stops in Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, before it set off across the Atlantic.

About 650 km. off the coast of Newfoundland, and only a couple of days away from its destination, the great ocean liner struck an iceberg on the starboard side of its bow. The iceberg flooded the watertight bulkheads below deck beyond their capacity, dooming the ship to sink on its maiden voyage.

The 2,240 passengers and crew on board were made up of scores of nationalities. Among them were some of the wealthiest and most influential people of the time. Many of the second-and third-class passengers were emigrating from Eastern Europe. Due to new immigration laws introduced in England, they were on their way to the US to forge new lives or join families already residing in the blooming nation.

Some 69 of the passengers on board the Titanic were known to be Jewish, and their stories and experiences are some of the most interesting and heart-wrenching of the whole saga. As Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, president of the Titanic Museum Attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, told the Magazine, "It is about the stories, it is not about the ship. It is about the stories, and I think it's important to keep this story alive, to tell the individual's story, not about a ship which unfortunately had a terrible accident."

The tale of the passengers

Benjamin Guggenheim was a notable American businessman and scion of the wealthy Guggenheim family, whose name is known worldwide thanks to the family's philanthropic endeavors.

Upon boarding the Titanic, Guggenheim was accompanied by his mistress, French singer Léontine Aubart, along with his secretary, Victor Giglio; his chauffeur, René Pernot; and Madame Aubart's maid, Emma Sagesser. Guggenheim held ticket number 17593, which reportedly cost £79 4s, though other sources suggest a slightly lower price. Guggenheim and Giglio occupied stateroom cabin B84 during the voyage, while Aubart and Sagesser stayed in cabin B35.

Isidor Straus was a prominent Bavarian-born American businessman, politician, and co-owner of Macy's department store in New York with his brother Nathan. He also served as a member of the US House of Representatives for just over a year.

Returning from a winter sojourn in Europe, mainly at Cape Martin in southern France, Isidor and his wife, Ida, boarded the Titanic and set sail for home.

Jakob Birnbaum was 24 years old when he boarded the Titanic for home. He was the head of the diamond firm of Jacob Birnbaum & Co. of San Francisco, where he resided. According to White Star Line records, his European residence was in Belgium at 11 Rue Membling, Antwerp.

"He's a first-class passenger, although not of the same wealth as people such as the Guggenheims or Straus," Eli Moskowitz, author of The Jews of the Titanic, told the Magazine. "Although from Belgium, the [Birnbaum] family originated from Poland, and he [Jakob] came from a wealthy family of diamond merchants."

In 1912, Birnbaum had been to Antwerp for business and should have returned to the US before April 1912, but his family persuaded him to stay for Passover.

Birnbaum had booked passage with another company, but due to the coal strike in England, his passage was transferred to the Titanic, which he boarded at Cherbourg (ticket number 13905, £26).

According to his descendants, Birnbaum's family had begged him not to take a ship on its maiden voyage. Still, Birnbaum reassured his family that the ship was "unsinkable."

Adolphe Saalfeld, a chemist and perfumer originally from Germany, relocated to Britain in the mid-1880s and was granted naturalized citizenship in July 1896, residing at Clarence Lodge, Victoria Park, Manchester.

A successful entrepreneur, Saalfeld served as chairman of Sparks-White & Co. Ltd., a company specializing in chemistry and distillation. In his senior role...