As far as can be ascertained, there have been two Jewish fatalities in the earthquake that struck California last Friday night. They are Mary J. Seelig, forty-five years of age, of Long Beach, and Frank Tobais, thirty-five years of age, 1853 Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles. Tobais was killed by a falling wall.
Among the several hundred names of those taken to the hospital at Long Beach, there appear but a scant dozen or so Jewish names. The lists, however, are still incomplete and it is difficult to determine the exact number of Jewish casualties.
Fortunately, the quake occurred at too early an hour in the evening to affect the worshippers in the synagogues at Long Beach or Los Angeles.
Dr. Beno Guttenberg, recognized as one of the world’s foremost Seismological authorities, and a member of the Independent Order of B’nai Brith, made a trip through the stricken areas for scientific purposes. He has arrived at the conclusion that the earthquake was due to a faulting in the earth’s crust, and not to any volcanic disturbance.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
