University of Finland, Helsinki (1921-24). Silverman was admitted to the bar in 1927 (Solicitor) and was elected to the House of Commons on a Laborite ticket in 1935. He was a president of the Liverpool Zionist Committee and founder of the local branch of the Poale Zion. SILVERMAN, SIME, theatrical publisher, b. Cortland, N. Y., 1872; d. Hollywood, 1933. In 1905 Silverman founded Variety, which has come to be known as the "Broadway Bible." Written by and for people of the theatre, Variety developed a slang of its own that has since, in part, become incorporated into the American language. H. L. Mencken, in compiling a list of the ten foremost language coiners in this country, listed Sime Silverman in first place. Under Silverman's editorship, Variety was an independent trade journal. He and his publication fought a long and winning battle with the Albee vaudeville interests, the KlawErlanger syndicate and the Shubert monopolistic practices in the theatre. Progressively edited, the paper envisioned the decline of vaudeville, the rise of the motion picture and the ascendancy of radio long before others in the trade became aware of the trends. Silverman, one of the most beloved of Broadway characters, was succeeded as publisher of Variety by his son, Sidney Silverman. SILVERS, LEWIS J. GORMAN, physician, b. New York city, 1895. He studied at the Cornell University Medical College (M.D., 1921) and served as otolaryngologist at several New York hospitals. From 1940 to 1942 he was president of the New York Physical Therapy Society. Silvers was a pioneer in the field of electrosurgery in otolaryngology, and published many papers and articles on rhinolaryngological subjects, such as the electrosurgical extirpation of the tonsil. Lit.: Kagan, Solomon R., Jewish Contributions to Medicine in America (1939) 703. SIMA, MIRON, artist, b. Proskoff, Russia, 1902. The son of an architect, he started drawing at an early age, studied at the Realschule of his native city, in 1920 went to Odessa to study art, and in 1923 entered the State Academy of Dresden, Germany, where he was influenced chiefly by his teacher and friend, the modernistic painter Otto Dix. In 1925 he visited Palestine, where his family was living. In 1932 Sima received the prize of the city of Dresden for his painting, The Grinder, but in the following year, when the Nazis came to power, he left Germany for Palestine. Sima first produced a series of woodcuts and drawings, showing pogrom scenes, but later the subjects of his paintings became chiefly the worker, the unemployed, the street urchin, painted in a realistic vein. During his visit to Palestine and after he settled there he made numerous lithographs and oil paintings on Palestine subjects. His work is represented in many museums and private collections in Germany and Russia, as well as in Palestine, where he had held numerous exhibitions. Lit.: Newman, Elias, Art in Palestine (1939) 100. SIMCHOWITSCH, JAKOB NAPHTALI (pseudonym, Simchoni), historian, b. Slutsk, Russia, 1884; d. Berlin, 1926. A student of modern Hebrew scientific literature and a gifted historian, he wrote: a study book on the history of the Jews (Hebrew; Berlin, 1922); biographies of Solomon ibn Gabirol (in Hatekufah, vols. 10, 12 and 17) and Samuel David Luzzatto; and translated Josephus' Jewish War into Hebrew. Simchowitsch was a member of the staff of the Encyclopaedia Judaica from 1924 until his death. Lit.: Jüdische Rundschau, 1926, Nos. 40-41; Zijunim (memorial volume for Simchoni; 1928). SIMEON BEN ELEAZAR SIMEON, 1. second son of Jacob and Leah, born in Haran (Gen. 29:33), and traditional ancestor of the tribe of the same name. There are only a few references to him in the Bible story. Together with Levi, he is reported to have taken violent revenge upon Shechem for the violation of their sister Dinah (Gen. 34). He was kept as a hostage by Joseph after the first visit of the brethren to Egypt (Gen. 42:24, 36; 43:23). In the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49) he is reproached for his anger and violence, and his descendants are doomed to dispersal. Bible scholars regard these stories as based on the history of the tribe. In apocryphal and rabbinical literature Simeon is given a somewhat larger role. He is depicted on the one hand as possessing extraordinary strength, and on the other as being the implacable enemy of Joseph. His being held as hostage is variously explained, either as in repayment for the fact that it was he who cast Joseph into the pit, or out of fear lest he destroy Egypt. 2. one of the tribes of Israel. Its history is comparatively obscure; thus in Num. 1 its man-power is placed at 59,300 and in Num. 26 at only 22,200, with no explanation for the startling decrease. The reference in the Blessing of Jacob seems to point to an unsuccessful attack on the Canaanites. According to Judges I, Simeon joined with Judah in a successful attack from the south of Canaan, and settled in the extreme southern part of the country. The tribe seems to have intermingled with the Canaanites, as one of its clans is recorded as being descended from a Canaanite woman (Gen. 46:10). The tribe is not mentioned in the Blessing of Moses (Deut. 33) or the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), although it is still regarded as an independent unit as late as the time of Hezekiah (I Chron. 4:24-26). The tribe seems to have been closely affiliated with Judah, especially after the rise of David. Lit.: The Biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias; Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11, pp. 344-46. SIMEON BEN ELEAZAR, Tanna of the fourth generation; according to Frankel and Bacher, he was a son of Eleazar ben Shammua. He was a pupil of Meir, whose Halachic and Haggadic teachings he transmitted as well as those of Judah ben Ilai, Jose ben Halafta and others. He had Halachic discussions with his friend Judah Hanasi and religious disputations with the Samaritans; he proved to the latter that the doctrine of resurrection was contained in the Scriptures (Sifre to Num. 15). He is mentioned only seven times in the Mishnah, but very frequently in the Baraithas. The story is told of Simeon that as he was returning home from the house of study in a very joyful mood he met a man, whose greeting he did not return, but instead mocked him for his ugliness. But when the ugly man answered: "Go and tell the Master who made me how ugly His work is," Simeon was ashamed. He descended from his ass, threw himself down before the man and begged forgiveness. The latter at first refused, and Simeon followed him back to his native city, where the inhabitants begged him again to forgive Simeon. He finally did so on condition that the rabbi would never act again in such fashion. Thereupon Simeon returned to the house of study and said: "Let a man be always pliable as a reed and not unyielding as a cedar" (Taan. 20a). He formulated an exegetical rule for those words in the Bible over which dots are placed: if the letters over which there are dots are more numerous, they must be interpreted; if not, those without dots (Midrash Gen. 48). Lit.: Frankel, Zacharias, Hodegetica in Mishnam, 200; Bacher, Wilhelm, Die Agada der Tannaiten, vol. 2, pp. 422 36. SIMEON BEN SHETALI SIMEON BEN GAMALIEL I, great-grandson of Hillel and head of the Sanhedrin from about 50 to 70 C.E. Little is known about his activity. He is reported to have taken drastic measures to reduce the price of doves in Jerusalem when it rose to an inordinate height (Ker. 1:7). As head of the Pharisaic party, he joined the Sadducean high priest Anan to take the lead at the beginning of the Great War against Rome (66-73). He was an opponent of Josephus, who nevertheless later praised him (Life 38) as being a prudent and capable leader. He perished during the siege of Jerusalem, but no details are known. His favorite sayings was: "I have lived all my life among the wise, and I have found nothing better than silence; not study, but conduct, is the principal thing; every one who talks much comes to sin” (Aboth 1:17). SIMEON BEN GAMALIEL II, Tanna of the third generation and head (Nasi) of the Sanhedrin. When his father died in 110 Simeon was still very young (Sotah 49b), and it was not until 140, when a new Sanhedrin assembled in Usha after the Hadrianic persecutions, that he was officially installed as Nasi. In the meantime the place was filled by the vice-president, Nathan the Babylonian, and a new office, that of Hacham, was created, and the post was given to the most important teacher of the generation, Meir. Although personally modest and humble, Simeon, like his father, attempted to increase the power and the authority of the Nasi. This led to conflicts with both Nathan and Meir. His Halachic teachings, which extend over all fields of the law, particularly civil and marriage law, show a desire to be practical. He favored modifications according to circumstance (B.B. 1:5; 6:8) and local custom (Keth. 6:4; B.M. 7:1). He sought to protect the interest of the wife in marriage, and to improve the position of the slave, declaring it a religious duty to aid the latter to obtain his freedom (Tos. Git. 3). He was most concerned with the common good, and declared that no ordinance should be issued which was too much for the majority to bear (B.K. 79b). He generally favored the more lenient point of view in religious matters; all but three of his decisions were ratified by the sages (Git. 75a). His best known Haggadic sayings were: "The world rests on three things: justice, truth and peace" (Aboth 1:18); "One need not erect monuments to the righteous, for their works preserve their memory” (Yer. Shek. 2:6). Lit.: Bader, G., The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, vol. 1 (1940) 343-52; Lauterbach, J. Z., in Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11, pp. 347-48. SIMEON BEN ISAAC BEN ABUN (known also as Simeon the Great), Talmudist of the 11th cent. He may possibly have come from Le Mans; he lived in Mayence, where he was famed for his scholarship and his willingness to serve. When Emperor Henry of Germany ordered the expulsion of the Jews of Mayence in 1012, Simeon collected large sums of money, which he used to secure permission for the Jews to live in the city. In thankfulness for this his name was mentioned as benefactor every Sabbath in the synagogue. Simeon was a skilful poet; his liturgical poems rank next to those of Kalir in the Ashkenazic prayer-book. He was a contemporary of Gershom ben Judah. Lit.: Graetz, H., History of the Jews, vol. 3 (1927) 245-47. SIMEON BEN LAKISH (also abbreviated to Resh Lakish), one of the most important Palestinian Amoraim of the second generation, b. about 200; d. about 275. Like Johanan bar Nappaha, he ascribed all his knowledge of the Torah to the instruction of Judah Hanasi (Yer. Betz. 63a). He was also a pupil of Bar Kappara, many of whose teachings he reports, and probably also of Hoshaiah. Simeon interrupted his studies for a time, and "sold himself" to the owners of a gladiatorial troupe, since he was possessed of uncommon bodily strength which made him always successful in the arena. Many stories are told about this period of his life. He was won back to the study of the Torah by Johanan, who gave him his sister in marriage. Simeon renewed his studies with such zeal that Johanan soon recognized him as his equal and his "right hand." A favorite saying of Simeon was: "If one neglects the study of the Torah for a single day, it will leave him for two" (Yer. Ber. 9). He never established an academy of his own, but was the principal assistant in that of Johanan. He would criticize the opinions of his master and his colleagues, and then give the reasons for his own view which contradicted theirs. Ulla described his skill in debating by calling him "one who uproots mountains and grinds them to bits" (Sanh. 24a). The places of his activity with Jo-. hanan were Sepphoris and Tiberias. Simeon is said to have pined away because of a remark made to him by Johanan. When he showed that he knew more than his master on a question involving knives, the latter rather testily remarked: "The robber knows his trade" (B.M. 84a). This allusion to Simeon's former profession as gladiator not only wounded him deeply, but led to stories that he actually had been head of a band of robbers. When he died, no one in the academy could take his place; Johanan sorrowed over the loss of his disciple, who could ask twenty-four questions on every Halachic subject, and soon followed him to the grave. Simeon's Haggadic sayings, which are characterized by acuteness and originality, are numerous, and in many places his opinion is transmitted to us side by side with the contrary view of Johanan (B.B. 16b; Midrash Lev. 13). Among them are: "No man commits a sin unless the spirit of insanity has entered him" (Sotah 3a); “Adorn thyself, then adorn others" (improve yourself, before you try to improve others; B.M. 107b); "Truth is the seal of God" (Midrash Gen. 81); "The words of the Torah will remain only with him who kills himself for the sake of learning" (Sab. 83b). An interesting piece of Bible criticism is found in Simeon's view that Job is not historical, but a poetic invention (Yer. Sotah 20d). Lit.: Bader, G., The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, vol. 2 (1940) 97-110; Lauterbach, J. Z., in Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11, pp. 354-55. SIMEON BEN SHETAH, one of the most important Pharisaic teachers, who lived in the 1st cent. C.E. He and Judah ben Tabbai constitute the third of the pairs (Zugoth) who transmitted the Pharisaic tradition. He was the brother of Salome Alexandra, the wife of Alexander Jannaeus (Ber. 48a), and this enabled him to take a prominent place in the Sanhedrin, which at that time was controlled by the Sadducees. The accounts of his activities are somewhat obscured by the legends about his life. The early period of Alexander's reign was favorable to the Pharisees, and Simeon apparently succeeded in placing many of the latter in the Sanhedrin. However, he is said to have clashed with the king when one of the latter's soldiers killed a man. He boldly summoned Alexander to appear before the court to stand trial, with the words: "You stand not before us, but before Him, Who commanded and brought the world into existence." However, the Sanhedrin was unwilling to press the case (Sanh. 19a). On the other hand, some scholars think that this story has been transferred to Simeon and really refers to Shemaiah and Herod. Alexander had also quarreled with the Pharisees on the occasion of the Sukkoth festival. As a result, he swung over to the Sadducees, and bitterly persecuted the Pharisees, whose leaders, including Simeon, were compelled to flee to Egypt. He apparently did not return until Alexander, on his deathbed (76 B.C.E.), made Salome Alexandra regent and advised her to give preference to the Pharisees. Simeon thereupon entered upon the most influential part of his career. He put the power so effectively into the hands of the Pharisees that from that time on their leadership was permanent. He recalled Judah ben Tabbai from Egypt, and appointed many of the Pharisees to the Sanhedrin. Two institutions of his are especially mentioned. Up to this time the marriage portion of the wife had been kept in escrow to be delivered to her if she was widowed or divorced; Simeon permitted the husband to make use of the portion, but made his entire estate security for its payment. The other institution was the requirement that every father should see that his son was educated; thus universal education began among the Jews. Simeon was extremely active in punishing violators of the Law, especially witches. He thus made for himself many enemies, some of whom suborned false witnesses to lay charges against Simeon's sons on a capital crime. As a result they were convicted and sentenced to death. The sons protested so vigorously that the witnesses confessed their perjury; but Simeon felt that it was better for the innocent to suffer than that the Law, which refused to accept the recantation of witnesses, should be violated (Yer. Sanh. 23a). This story may be reflected in his saying: "Be very careful in examining the witnesses; be prudent in your words, lest from them they learn to sin" (Aboth 1:9). Simeon's character is revealed in a story which tells how his pupils made him a present of an ass which they had purchased from an Arab. When they found a costly jewel hanging about the neck of the ass, they rejoiced, for they knew that this would relieve the poverty of their master. Simeon, however, gave the jewel back to the Arab, since he felt that it was not rightly his; whereupon the Arab exclaimed: "Praised be the God of Simeon ben Shetah!" (Yer. B.M. ii, 8c). SIMON COHEN. Lit.: Bader, G., The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, vol. 1 (1940) 79-86; Lauterbach, J. Z., in Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11, pp. 357-58. SIMEON BEN YOHAI, one of the most important Tannaim in the post-Hadrianic period (middle of the 2nd cent. C.E.), and reputed author of the Zohar, b. Galilee; d. Meron, near Safed, Palestine. His principal teacher was Akiba, whose academy at Bene Berak he and his close friend Hananiah ben Hachinai attended for thirteen years (Midrash Lev. 21). He was one of the pupils who visited Akiba for instruction while the latter was in prison. Akiba, however, ranked him as second to Meir, and seeing that Simeon was offended, comforted him with the words, "By thy life, thy strength is known both to me and to thy Creator" (Yer. Sanh. 19a). After the death of Akiba, Simeon received ordination, together with four others, from Judah ben Baba. He was persecuted by the Romans -according to the Talmudic story, because he uttered remarks derogatory to their building activity-and was compelled to hide with his son in a cave (Sab. 33a). There they remained for thirteen years, subsisting on carobs and water. As a result of this diet their bodies became covered with sores which, after they were able to travel freely once more, they healed at the warm baths of Tiberias. In gratitude Simeon proclaimed Tiberias, which had hitherto been regarded as ritually unclean because of the numerous graves there, to be clean and suitable for the residence of the sages; in consequence, the city became the center of Jewish SIMHAH BEN SAMUEL activity and eventually one of the four holy cities. Simeon settled in Galilee, where he gathered around him a school which became famous. He resided principally at Meron; other sources mention his residence at Tekoa, which is not the same as the Biblical Tekoa, but certainly a town in Galilee and perhaps identical with Meron (Sab. 147b). He became so influential that he was sent to Rome with Eleazar ben Jose to obtain the repeal of imperial orders which had forbidden certain Jewish ceremonial observances. He was successful in this, but the story (Meil. 17ab), as well as others about his life, are so intertwined with legends that it is impossible to know the exact facts. He died on the 18th of Iyar (Lag Beomer), and his traditional tomb is still shown at Meron. Simeon was one of the most fruitful teachers of the Halachah, his studies covering practically every branch of the subject. He is mentioned more than 325 times in the Mishnah, while Margaliot counted 2,245 references to him in Jewish literature. To him is ascribed the compilation of the Sifre (Sanh. 86a) and the Mechilta of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai; it is probable, however, that neither of these works as we have them now is wholly from Simeon or his school. His method of interpretation is that of logical deduction; he is interested in obtaining the underlying reasons for the laws, and he therefore advocated modifying them in many details in order to express their proper spirit. Simeon's Haggadic utterances are distinguished by richness of fantasy and forcefulness of expression. Some of them have become frequently cited, such as: "There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty; but the crown of a good name excels them all" (Aboth 4:17). "Injury by means of words is a greater sin than overreaching" (B.K. 58b). "It is better to jump into a fiery furnace than to offend another in public" (Ber. 43a). “Pride is akin to idolatry" (Sotah 4b). "The service of scholars is greater than the study of the Law" (Ber. 7b). "So great is the power of repentance that a complete sinner may be considered righteous if he repents before his death" (Tos. Kid. 1:14). Some of Simeon's utterances, such as his reference to a magic sword of Moses, have a mystic stamp, and he himself was not inclined toward modesty, declaring that even if the number of those who were to be admitted into the kingdom of heaven were very few, he and his son would be among the number (Suk. 45b); on another occasion he declared that he must be accounted perfectly righteous, since in his lifetime the rainbow, the sign of God's mercy, never had to appear (Yer. Ber. 9:2). These utterances, and his reputation as a wonderworker, have led to the ascription to Simeon of various mystical works, the chief of these being the Zohar, actually the compilation of Moses ben Shemtob de Leon in the 13th cent. As a result of this, Simeon ben Yohai (in Aramaic, Bar Yohai) is the chief hero of the mystics, who make an annual pilgrimage to his reputed grave at Meron on the 18th of lyar (See illustration in vol. 6, p. 509). SAMUEL ATLAS. Lit.: Margaliot, Isaiah, Middoth Rabbi Shimeon ben Yohai (1905); Bader, G., The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, vol. I (1940) 390-400; Kunitz, M., Ben Jochai (1815); Seligsohn, M., in Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11, pp. 359-63. SIMEON BEN ZEMAH DURAN, see DURAN, SIMON BEN ZEMAH. SIMEON KAHIRA, see KAYYARA, SIMEON. SIMHAH BEN SAMUEL OF VITRY, see MAHZOR VITRY. SIMMEL SIMHATH TORAH ("Rejoicing in the Law"), designation for the 23rd day of the seventh Hebrew month Tishri, the last of the nine days of Sukkoth and the second day of Shemini Atzereth, the concluding day of the series of Jewish holidays occurring during the month of Tishri. In the Talmudic period the especial character of this day, as we know it today, was still unknown. Its development did not begin until the time in which the yearly cycle of the reading of the Torah, or Law, was adopted, i.e. in the 9th cent. The reason for the special significance of this day consists in the fact that the yearly cycle of the reading of the Torah is concluded on this day with the reading of the last section of the Torah, and this occasion gives rise to increased joy in the Law. Beginning with the 14th cent., the reading of the last portion from the Torah on Simhath Torah was accompanied by the reading of the first portion of the coming cycle. Not much later there arose the custom of taking all the scrolls of the Torah out of the ark, of vying joyously in making donations for the maintenance of the synagogue, and of preparing a festive meal in honor of the Torah. In the 16th cent. arose the custom of making processions with the scrolls of the Law in the synagogue. The children, who on this day are called up to the Law (an exception being made on this day), in order to pronounce the blessing over the Torah, carrying little flags or little torches and candles in their hands, join the adults who are bearing the scrolls of the Law in taking part in these processions. The adults who carry the Torah scrolls during these processions give way usually to another group of adults after each procession, in order to permit all the members of the congregation to participate in the festivities. The procession takes place in the Evening and the Morning Service. The one who is called up for the reading of the last portion from the Torah is called Hathan Torah (the bridegroom of the Law,) and the person who is called up for the reading of the following first portion of the new Torah cycle is called Hathan Bereshith (the bridegroom of Genesis). Both these "bridegrooms" have the obligation of contributing more liberally and to invite friends and acquaintances to participate in the festive meal in honor of the Torah. For the Maftir (the concluding portion read from the Torah), as on the first day of Shemini Atzereth, there is read from the Torah Num. 29:35-39. The Haftarah, or prophetical portion, consists of Josh. 1. The special prayers recited and songs sung on this festival date from various periods, beginning with the 9th cent. The custom of presenting children with fruits on Simhath Torah is traced back to a very early period. The festival has an exceptionally joyous character, and gives eloquent and sincere, childlike expression to joy in the words of the Torah and to readiness to take them to heart and fulfill them. MAX JOSEPH. Lit.: Shulhan Aruch, Orah Hayim 669; Hirshowitz, A. E., Otzar Kol Minhage Yeshurun (4th ed.) 222-24; Sperling, A. I., Taame Haminhagim (1896) 97-98; Adlerblum, Nima H., A Perspective of Jewish Life Through Its Festivals (1930) 59-61; Lehrman, S. M., The Jewish Festivals (1936) 85-86. SIMLAI, Palestinian Amora of the second generation, who lived in the 3rd cent. C.E. He was the son of Abba and came from Nehardea in Babylonia, but spent most of his life in Lydda. He was especially noted for his interpretation of the Scriptures, and was very popular as a speaker because of his use of figures of speech and clear method of presentation. The most famous of his sayings was his enumeration of the commandments (Mak. 23b-24a): "The Torah consists of 613 commandments and prohibitions. David reduced them to eleven main principles (Ps. 15), Isaiah to six (Isa. 33:15), Micah to three (Micah 6:8), Simhath Torah: the procession through the synagogue with the Scrolls of the Law. From a painting by Moritz Oppenheim Isaiah again to two (Isa. 56:1), and Habakkuk to one, "The righteous shall live by his faith' (Hab. 2:4)." Simlai's extensive and thorough knowledge of the Bible made him eminently fitted to refute the teachings of the church fathers who sought to find proof for the doctrines of Christianity in the Scriptures. His polemic was especially directed against the doctrine of the Trinity (cf. Yer. Ber. 9:1; Midrash Gen. 9). Lit.: Weiss, I. H., Dor Dor Vedoreshav, vol. 3, p. 117. SIMMEL, GEORG, philosopher and sociologist, b. Berlin, 1858; d. Strasbourg, 1918. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Berlin in 1881, and taught philosophy at the Universities of Berlin and Strasbourg. Between 1900 and the time of his death he exerted a remarkable influence on liberal youth. He introduced the theories of Henri Bergson and William James, and combined them with the idealistic traditions which were then prevalent. Reexamining the sociological theories of Karl Marx. Simmel established the priority of the analyses of human attitudes to all changes in social institutions. His work, however, can not be defined in terms of any system, but rather as the personal interpretation of a philosopher and humanist who experienced transition and change in the established social and intellectual patterns. Man and his attitudes were made the center of philosophical reflection. Simmel began as a positivistic thinker who reduced moral and intellectual problems to empirical causes. Then he turned to the epistemological problems of NeoKantianism, and finally laid the foundations of a philosophical science of man, deeply influenced by Bergson and James. This development mirrors the revolutionary change in philosophical thought from a positivistic trend to a renaissance of idealistic tendencies and to a philosophy of life which analyzes scientifically the self-transcendence of man and opens new avenues to metaphysical reflections. In his philosophy of money Simmel discovered the impact of human attitudes on the transformation of social institutions. On the other hand, he noted the influence of economic forces on intellectual patterns. He saw that functional thinking as opposed to thinking in terms of substance was the result of the new mobile money economy, and established the thesis that there is a mutuality in all societal relationships. Society meant to him intersubjectivity as a constitutive element of human conduct. For this reason sociology and philosophy were two aspects of the interpretation of human existence in the world. In his biographies Simmel discussed the paradox of philosophers, poets and artists, determined in time and space, yet transcending their historico-social conditions and thus becoming the true witnesses that life is more life and more than life. Among Simmel's published works were: Über soziale Differenzierung (1890); Einleitung in die Moralwissenschaften (1892); Probleme der Geschichtsphilosophie (1892; revised ed., 1902 and 1907); Philosophie des Geldes (1910); Soziologie (1908); Kant (1903); Schopenhauer und Nietzsche (1906); Goethe (1913); Rembrandt (1916); Philosopkische Kultur (1919-22); Der Krieg und die geistigen Entscheidungen (1916); Das Problem der historischen Zeit (1916); Der Konflikt der modernen Kultur (1918); Lebensanschauung (1918); Fragmente und Aufsätze aus dem Nachlass (1923). Extracts from much of his work appeared in various periodicals published in English. Simmel was a member of the evangelical faith, but of Jewish descent. ALBERT SALOMON. Lit.: Frischeisen-Köhler, in Kantstudien, vol. 24 (1919) 1-51; Lewkowitz, Albert, Religiöse Denker der Gegenwart (1923); Mamelet, Albert, Le relativisme philosophique chez Georg Simmel (1914); Spykman, Nicholas J., The Social Theory of Georg Simmel (1925). SIMMONS, LAWRENCE MARK, rabbi and historian of philosophy, b. London, 1851; d. Manchester, England, 1900. In 1873 he completed his theological studies at the seminary in Breslau. Then he graduated from London University, and from Victoria University, Manchester. From 1877 until his death Simmons was rabbi of the Manchester Synagogue of British Jews, and reader in Hebrew and Arabic at Queens College, Manchester. He was considered one of the most devoted and scholarly Jewish ministers in England. Although he served at a Reform synagogue, he was respected by Jewish representatives of all factions, and even ultra-Orthodox Jews attended Simmons' sermons to learn his ideas. Simmons took a prominent part in the work of the AngloJewish Association and all charitable and educational work in Manchester. In the final year of his life he played a prominent role in the Indian Famine Fund Committee. He was especially popular with the Jewish masses of Manchester. When the philosopher Samuel Alexander, Nathan Laski and other Jewish leaders created the Lawrence Simmons Memorial Fund, hundreds of Jewish workers contributed a shilling each. Simmons was a regular contributor to the Jewish Chronicle and the Jewish Quarterly Review. He translated also into English Maimun ben Joseph's Letter of Consolation (1893) and published a study entitled Maimonides and Islam (1888). SIMMONS, MAURICE, lawyer, b. London, 1878. He was brought to the United States in 1880. Simmons studied at the College of the City of New York (B.S., 1897) and at New York University Law School (LL.B., 1899). He volunteered in the SpanishAmerican War (1898), was commander of the Spanish War Veterans of New York State and commanderin-chief of the Spanish War Veterans throughout the United States (1911-12). He was also founder and first commander-in-chief of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States. Simmons was chairman of the Anti-Defamation Committee which labored to suppress racial slander on the stage and took an active part in defending the rights of defenseless immigrants. He served as commissioner of the Board of Assessors of the city of New York (1916-24) and was made property clerk of the New York city police department in 1938. SIMON BAR GIORA, leader in the Great War against the Romans from 66 to 70 C.E. His name may SIMON THASSI possibly indicate that he was the son of a proselyte. Unfortunately the only detailed source for Simon's life is the writings of Josephus, who was distinctly hostile to him; hence all that can be said with certainty is the following: He was still a young man when he took up arms against the Romans, participating in the defeat of Cestius Gallus in 66. Later he left Jerusalem and maintained himself outside of the city, levying contributions for the needs of his army. In the spring of 69 he was summoned to Jerusalem by Matthias the high priest; from that time on he and John of Gischala desperately defended the city against the Romans. After the fall of the city he tried to escape, but was compelled to surrender; in 71, at the triumph of Titus in Rome. Simon, as the chief of the Jewish leaders, was dragged along in the procession and then executed, either in the prison next to the forum, or by being hurled from the Tarpeian Rock. Josephus charges him with ambition and cruelty, and with waging civil strife even against his fellow Zealots, but this is due partly to the historian's conscious blackening of the character of the Jewish patriot leaders, and partly to his motive of explaining the fall of Jerusalem as due to quarrels among the defenders. On the whole, Simon appears to have been the true leader of a desperate cause, bold, resourceful, ruthless and heroic. See also ZEALOTS. Lit.: Bentwich, Norman, Josephus (1914) 124-28; Sachar, A. L., A History of the Jews (1930) 120; Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 2, pp. 502-3. SIMON BEN AZZAI, see BEN AZZAI, SIMEON. SIMON THE JUST, high priest of the Second Temple, noted as the last of the Men of the Great Synagogue. Scholars differ as to his time and place in the line of high priestly descent. Graetz and Frankel follow Josephus in making him the son of Onias I and in stating that he lived about 300 B.C.E.; Krochmal, Brüll and Dubnow identify him with Simon II, son of Onias II, who lived about 200 B.C.E. His favorite saying is reported as: "The world rests on three things: the Torah, the divine service, and on beneficence" (Aboth 1:2). The Talmud (Yoma 69a) has a story of how Simon came out to greet Alexander the Great as the latter approached Jerusalem; this seems to be borrowed from the same story about Jaddua, as reported by Josephus (Antiquities, book 11, chap. 8). A more trustworthy report states that he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after they had been destroyed (probably in the wars between the Seleucidae and the Ptolemies). Sirach 50 gives an elaborate description of the appearance of Simon when he officiated as priest, and this poem, with certain changes, is found in the Abodah of Yom Kippur. Simon is said to have disliked the Nazirite vow, and to have approved it only in the case of a youth who feared to be too beautiful (Ned. 9b). He is reported to have been high priest for forty years, and to have foretold his own death when a figure, that appeared to him every year as he entered the Holy of Holics on Yom Kippur, appeared dressed in black instead of white garments. Two red heifers were prepared in his administration, and numerous miracles took place because of his sanctity. After he died the ineffable name of God (Tetragrammaton) was no longer pronounced in the Temple. Lit.: Bader, G., The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, vol. 1 (1940) 43-52; Ochser, S., in Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11, pp. 352-54. SIMON THASSI, one of the five Hasmonean brothers, and the last of them to become ruler of Judea (142-135 B.C.E.). He participated in the revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, distinguishing himself by his valor and circumspection. After the death of Judas Maccabeus, when Jonathan, their brother, became head of the movement for independence, Simon |