The most notable landmark, in a city full of noteworthy landmarks, is Budapest’s Chain Bridge. This was the first bridge to span the Danube thereby connecting the ultimately merged cities of Buda and Pest.

Few people bother to read the dedication plaque affixed to the on-ramp which credits the engineers and financiers who made this game-changing bridge possible. Alongside the more familiar name of Samuel Mayer von Rothschild (1774-1855) is that of another Jewish financier  –that is, another man who was a Jew at that time.

The name is hardly known today. But Samuel Wodianer (1778-1852) , like so many self-made men, had a very rich father. And, like such ‘self-made’ men who had been born with solid gold spoons in their mouths, he later exceeded his father’s wealth by a quantum factor. Hence his ability to convince himself that he deserved all the credit for his staggering success. Had he possessed an ounce of humility he would have thanked God. Had he had any sense of personal pride he would never have converted to Christianity  just in order to become eligible for membership in an exclusive  Budapest billiard club.  After all Samuel Wodianer’s  father had been one of the pillars of the Jewish community and a significant Torah scholar to boot.

וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה׃

וְזָֽכַרְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כִּ֣י ה֗וּא הַנֹּתֵ֥ן לְךָ֛ כֹּ֖חַ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת חָ֑יִל לְמַ֨עַן הָקִ֧ים אֶת־בְּרִית֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ 

וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁכֹ֤חַ תִּשְׁכַּח֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֗ אַחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַעֲבַדְתָּ֖ם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִ֣יתָ לָהֶ֑ם הַעִדֹ֤תִי בָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)