On the afternoon of Dec. 3, at the General Hospital, towhich he had been {taken a few hotirs earlier on seizure by a sudden illness, Mr. Nissim Ezra Benjamin Ezra, founder and Editor of "Israel's Messenger." a monthly Journal devoted to Jewish rests, died. Mr. Ezra came to Shanghai in_ 1698 and was. employed bby 'Messrs, D, E, Sussoon & Ca. In' 1804, he ott that' firm to found "israet's Messenger." "a monthly which "he edited "with vigorous championship of Jewry's place in the world, "He also organized and, managed the China Palestine Trading Company.
Mr. Ezra was a self-made man. short of stature, but of tremendous He was ever a fighter and secret that the polemical letters which appeared in the daily Mr, N, BB zea ress over the pseudonym "Mentor" were hiss for he frankly republished them with his own. signature "Israel's Messenger," piquantly add-ug to them letters which had been submitted to but failed to find favor with' the various newspapers ce cerned. In championing. the cause (of his ce-religionists, Mr. Ezra may fat times have allowed his zeal to overrun his. discretion; he was a controversialist who would "never yield an inch. and strategic withdrawal in order to make more round seldom commended itself him. In recent days he naturally espoused the Jewish side in the trayie developments in Germany and Palestine. was a remarkable reader and had quotations always at his elbow.
was no uncommon thing for him to present a loiter to this office at nine o'etock in the morning in reply to some statement either in the cor-
Fespondenee columns or the news telegrams which had come out that. very day, and his quotations "would he apt and comprehensive, "He was) ever proud of Jewish achievements and recorded them with faithful Me dustry, He was equally generous in recognizing support given to his community by other nationalities, and, a British subject, he was fervent {in his respect for and loyalty to the Empire.
'A. large congregation, comprising practically the entire Jewish com-Munity, gathered at the Baikal Road Cemetery, on Dee. 4, to accord Jewish funeral rites (o Mr. Bara. A. stirring tribute to Mr. Bzra was paid by Rabbi Mendel Brown, who emphasized the eeensed's forcefulness of charneler fand adherence to the Jewish faith, and called for sympathy for the children of the late Mr. Ezra, also for his twin brother, Mr. A, B.'Ezxa, his slaters, Mes. I, B- Sargon and Miss Flora' Ezra, an nephews and A tribute also was paid by Rabbi Ashkenazl, on behalf of his com-
The service was conducted by Mr. 8, Jacob and among those present were Messrs. C. S, Gubbay, Horace Kadoorie E. D. Nissim, Abraham, Mrs, R. E, Toeg, tr. S.
Levy, Mr. H. Gensburger, Mr. and Mrs, M- Bloch, and Mr. B. A. Topas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.