General Grant’s Expulsion Of The Jews
While the Civil War was raging at the end of 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant sent the following letter to the Assistant Secretary of War:
Rebecca Gratz: Champion Of The Unfortunate
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the lives of most women were centered on family matters. Rebecca Gratz took a very different course. She never married, but instead "devoted her adult life to providing relief for Philadelphia's underprivileged women and children and securing religious, moral and material sustenance for all of Philadelphia's Jews.
Rabbi Dr. Bernard (Yissachar Dov) Illowy (Part I)
He was a powerful and fascinating speaker and convincing preacher, and his ministrations were so successful that his synagogue on Sabbath and holidays was always crowded with worshipers...
Rabbi Yehuda H. Levenberg, Torah Pioneer
In his capacity as chief rabbi he was no longer associated with any particular shul and would speak each week on a rotating basis at a different shul in the community.
Rav Shimon Schwab: Values And Views
After Rav Breuer was nifter in 1980, Rav Schwab led the community until his passing in 1995.
Jonas Phillips: Orthodox Colonial Businessman
Like many of his contemporaries, he went through some hard years, but eventually he earned the rewards of his perseverance and integrity.
Rabbi Simon Joshua Glazer: Early 20th Century Wordsmith (Part I)
Virtually all of the rabbonim who came to America during the latter part of the nineteenth century did not speak English. A few did master the language and become proficient at speaking and writing it; one of these was Rabbi Simon Joshua Glazer, who did more than just learn to speak and write in English - he also acquired a substantial secular education.
Hazzan Joseph Jesurun Pinto: Colonial Spiritual Leader
To celebrate this victory Hazzan Pinto wrote a special prayer that was read in Shearith Israel in October 1760.
Abraham Rice: The First Rabbi In America (Part II)
Last month we discussed how Rabbi Abraham Joseph Rice came to America in 1840 and became the rav of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (Congregation Nidchei Yisroel). Rav Rice was the first ordained Orthodox rabbi to settle in North America.
N. Taylor Phillips: Scion Of One Of America’s First Jewish Families
Naphtali Moses Taylor Phillips, generally known as N. Taylor Phillips, was a descendent of one of America's first Jewish families. His great-great-great grandfather, Dr. Samuel Nunes (Nunez) Ribeiro and his great-great grandmother, Zipporah were among the first group of Jews to arrive in Savannah, Georgia in 1733. Zipporah married David Mendes Machado, who served as the chazzan of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York from 1737 until his passing in 1747.
Early Caribbean Jewish Communities (Part I)
Places like Barbados, Curacao, Jamaica, Tobago, the Lesser Antilles, and St. Eustatia probably conjure up, in the minds of many Jewish Press readers, visions of vacation resorts.
The Life Of Rav Shimon Schwab (Part III)
Needless to say, a cool, calm and wise Rabbi Schwab soothed things over, as he had done on so many other occasions.
Gershom Mendes Seixas, American Patriot (Part Two)
The British evacuated New York on November 25, 1783, and Congress demobilized the American army shortly thereafter.
The First Yeshiva Gedolah In The U.S.?
Virtually everything we know about Yeshiva Or HaChaim comes from the pamphlet “Torah Or,” published anonymously in 1895 in Hebrew.
The Malach
The student followers of the Malach stood in direct opposition to his philosophy and to the standards of the yeshiva.
Manuel Josephson, Orthodox American Patriot
Last month we sketched the life of Manuel Josephson (1729-1796), who immigrated to New York in the 1740s. Manuel was one of the few learned Jews residing in America in the 18th century. His talents were recognized by Congregation Shearith Israel, and he served on the synagogue’s bet din for several years and as its parnas (president) in 1762. He earned his living as a merchant.
Preserving Baltimore’s First Synagogue (Part II)
Last month we dealt with the building of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, the first synagogue to be built in Maryland. This month we look at how the building became a church, then again an Orthodox Synagogue, and finally a historic site.
Joseph Rodriguez Brandon, Activist Lawyer
Brandon was committed to making sure the doctrine of the separation of church and state was adhered to in California, and he utilized both the courts and the press in his efforts.
The Proposed Touro Monument (Part I)
After his marriage he was successfully engaged in the lumber business.
Jewish Agricultural Colonies In America (Part II)
Last month’s column outlined some efforts during the first half of the nineteenth century to establish Jewish agricultural colonies in America. In only one case was a colony actually established.
Building And Dedication Of The Newport Touro Synagogue
The January installment of Glimpses Into American Jewish History discussed the early Jewish settlement of Newport, Rhode Island.Even as the Newport Jewish community developed, its numbers were always small, especially compared to Jewish communities today. Indeed, despite growth during the middle part of the 18th century, there were probably never more than 100 Jews residing in Newport.
Israel Rokeach (1841 – 1933): Founder of I. Rokeach & Sons
Practically to his last days the patriarchal founder was at his office almost daily and took an active interest in all matters connected with the business.
A Jewish Wedding In 1787
Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), a physician and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, "was the most striking, the most impressive, and the most controversial figure in North American medicine of his day. Brilliant and well educated, he was a restless soul, impatient and impulsive, quick to make decisions and to defend them against all disagreement.
Sampson Simson, Eccentric Orthodox Philanthropist
Sampson Simson was born on June 30, 1781 in Danbury, Connecticut and died January 7, 1857 in New York. Sampson's father, Solomon Simson, was also American born. Solomon was partners with his brother Sampson Simson, whom we shall refer to as Sampson the elder.
Mordecai Sheftall – Revolutionary War Patriot
In Savannah, Georgia, there is a memorial to the American Revolution called Battlefield Memorial Park. One of the markers there is for Colonel Mordecai Sheftall.
The Kosher Meat Boycott Of 1902
The bolder women joined in the fight and for some time there was a lively hair pulling in the street.
Henry Solomon Hendricks
Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are from “Necrology: Henry S. Hendricks (1892-1959)” by David de Sola Pool, Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society...
The Character Of Rabbi Jacob Joseph
When RJJ passed away, he was survived by his wife, Esther Rachel[i], his son Raphael, and two daughters, Mrs. Anna Brody and Mrs. S. R. Schultz.
Reverend Henry Pereira Mendes – Safeguarding Orthodox Judaism (Part III)
As this is our third column on the Reverend Dr. Henry Pereira Mendes, we’ll begin with a summary of his life.
Nineteenth-Century Sabbath Observance
The previous two columns discussed kashrus and bris milah observance in America during the 19th century. The trend was that until about 1860 most Jews were careful to observe these mitzvos. However, in the latter part of the century many Jews abandoned keeping kosher both at home and in public. Bris milah, though, was generally observed throughout the entire century.