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Lwów(Lemberg,L’viv):Childhood
21
wasborn1880),livedinpoverty.26BraudementionedthatalthoughMoshe
Thonwasanhonestman,hewasalsoimpulsiveandgrumpywhocould
notcontrolhistemper,sothechildrensometimessufferedmuchfromhis
severepedagogicalapproach.27Inamemoirwrittenayearafterhisdeathhis
daughterNellaThon-RostowaalsoconfirmedthatThon’sfatherMoshewas
aharshpersonandaconservativeJew,andhewantedhissontobecome
anorthodoxRabbi.YehoshuaThonhadtoconcealfromhisfatherthat
hestudiedmuchmorethanthestrictJudaicbooks.Athomehehidthe
secularbookswhichheborrowedfromfriendsbecauseifhisfatherfound
themhewouldhavetornthemup.Therefore,Thonreadthematnight
whiletheothersslept.28Thon,nevermentionedsuchdetailsinhismemoir.
Whatisevenmoreinteresting,ThonillustratedfiguresfromLwówand
alsomentionedsomefarmembersofhisfamily;however,onecannotfind
inhismemoiranythingabouthisfamilylife:notawordabouthismother,
brother,andsisters,andhementionedhisfatherinpassingonlythreetimes.
TheonlyfamilymembersthatThonmentionedwithgreatadmirationwere
hisuncles(NisanZis,ShmuelGoldberg)whowereworthrecallingdueto
theirknowledgeofJudaism.29
Thon’shousewasrathertraditionalandhestudiedinhedertilltheageof
ten.HewassuchabrilliantpupilthatwhentheMelamed(teacherinheder)
couldnotteachhimanythingmore,heleftthehederandcontinuedstudying
withoutteachersunderthesupervisionofthepublisherandtheprinterRabbi
UriZe’evWolfSalat.30Thonrecalledthismanwithgreatrespectand
admiration.Hewasthemostinfluentialpersonality,fromwhomheacquired
allhisknowledgeoftheTorahandgoodvirtues.Thondescribedhimas
agenius,whohadmanytalentsandskills.Apartfrombeingapublisher,he
wasaneruditescholar,ateacher,aleader,aguide,aneducator,anintellectual,
andapoet.31ThegreatestadmirationandgratefulnessThondirectednotto
inPalestine.HewasthefounderandthefirstchairmanoftheProvisionalCouncil(Ha-Va’ad
Ha-Zemanni)oftheJewishcommunityandlateronoftheVa’adLe’ummipresidium.See:
EncyclopediaJudaica.Vol.19:708
26Pfeffer,OzjaszThon,12.
27Ehrenpreis,Beynmizrah,15-16;Braude,“Zikhronotavshel,”47.Seealso,Nathan
MichaelGelber,“Dr.YehoshuaThon,”inSeferKroke:irvaaembe-Israel,ed.Aryeh
Baumingeretal.,(Jerusalem:MosadHa-RavKuk,1959),355-357.
28Thon-Rostowa,Wspomnieniacórki,8-9.
29Thon,“Demuyotmi-Lvov,”346-349.
30Frankel,OzjaszThon,6;Braude,“Zikhronotavshel,66-67.
31Thon,“Demuyotmi-Lvov,”350-352.