Jewish Member of Byrd South Pole Expedition Had Talith,. Tefilim, Sidur with Him

The first talith (praying shawl), tefilim (phylacteries), sidur (prayer book) and tsitsith (fringes worn by Jews on edge of clothes), to be taken to the South Pole was part of the baggage of Master Sergeant Benjamin Roth, the only Jewish member of the Byrd Expedition to the South Pole, who together with the other Polar heroes and explorers was honored by the City of New York on his return. Sergeant Roth, who was recently promoted for his excellent work with the expedition to the Antarctic regions, is 38 years old, and was one of Admiral Byrd’s chief assistants on the expedition, his duties consisting chiefly of keeping the aeroplane engines in order.

Sergeant Roth was known to the rest of the members of the expedition as “Benny” and sometimes as “Jew-fellow” in a good-humored vein, and was very popular with them. He formerly lived in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn where his brother, Samuel, still lives. Roth was born on Avenue A on the East Side. His mother died when he was four years old and five years later his father too died. At the age of 24 he joined the United States Army where he distinguished himself as a motor mechanic, taking a special interest in aeroplane motors.

When Admiral Byrd was preparing for his South Pole Expedition and was picking the personnel that was to accompany him, he asked the United States Army to recommend a first-rate aeroplane mechanic. Benjamin Roth was recommended and received the appointment.

Other members of the expedition, speaking of Roth, declared that the latter never sought to hide his Jewishness, either in the Army or as a member of the expedition, but, on the contrary, has been very proud of it. The talith, tefilim, sidur and tsitsith that he took with him to the Antarctic were given him by his brother. Roth had already finished serving his Army term for which he had enlisted, but desirous of going to the South Pole, enlisted for another three-year period.