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THE DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
THE EARLIEST JEWISH RELIGIOUS
SCHOOL IN AMERICA
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probable that Joseph Jeshitrum Pin a,
who aced as Ilazan after Pereira
went in England, for sonic reason
did not serve as teacher of the young.
For we find that in the fall of 1760
"At a meting of Parnasim & Elders,
Was ordered, that the Said Parnasim,
should write to Mr. Benjamin I'er-
reyra, to procure a Person, qualified
to teach the Chihlren of this Congre .
gation the Hebrew Language, and
agree to allow such teacher, Forty
Pounds pr Annum: Twenty Pounds
of which to lie taken out of Hazan's
Salary, the other Twenty Pounds to
be Paid out of the Sedaka."
.\ year and a half later the problem
of finding the teacher had been
solved: for we find in the Minute
Book of the Congregation under the
(late of April 25. 1762, that "the Par-
nasini, and Assistants; agreed with
Mr. Abraham Is. Abrohams to keep
a 'niblick school in the Hcbra, to
out interest to recount what we know teach the Hebrew Language, and
of the story of this earliest American translate the same into English, also
Jewish religious school.
to teach English, Reading, \Vriting
Beginning in the Seventeenth Cen- & Cyphering. The Congregation to
tury. The Hazan as Teacher.
allow loin Twenty Pounds per An-
In the eighteenth century, there num with liberty of having offerings
was no public school system in New made him in Synagogue. He is to
Y ork City, and the synagogue had to teach all such Children gratis, that
provide both secular and Jewish edu . can not afford to pay, all others to
cation for the children of its mem- be paid for Quarterly, as he may
bers. From the beginnings of the agree with those who send them to
community ill the middle of the school. In case the Hazan should
sevententh century, some provision he absent o r indisposed, Said Abra-
was probably made for instructing the ham. is to perform in that function,
young. What was its nature we do and if the fore-mention'd allowances
not know. The first fact on record should happen to fall short of Expec-
is the opening of a special school tation or his deserts, upon applica-
"()n the 21st of Nison, the tion to the Parnasini and .assistants
itli day of Pesach (1731), the day 01 - I bey are to lake it into Considera-
completing the first year of the open- tion."
ing of the synagogue, there was made
A month later, 5.1a y 21,th, 1762, it fs
codez (consecrated) the Yeshiliat noted that "at a 'meting of the Par.
called Minhat :Arch, in the name of nassim and .\ssistams 'Mr. Abram Is.
the following gentlemen, Mossch son :Abrahams Declared he could not
of Sarah and Jahacob, of Abraham, undertake keeping school for the sum I
and of Mrisseh Mendez de Costa, for alcove mention'd. The Majority
the use of this Congregation Sheerit therefore resolved to allow said Abra-
Israel and as a Ileth Ilamidras for ham Forty Pounds per annum out of
the pupils, in conformity with the the Seilaka."
From an incidental note, we per-
direct ion to that effect given by
Jahacob Mendez da Costa Signor, re- haps learn that not all the children
siding in London, to Messrs. 'Monk - of the Congregation attended the
chay and David Gomez of New York. school kept by the "Ribbi," as the
And may God bestow Ili , Blessing teacher was usually called. For on
October 21, 1764, it was resolved that
upon us. Amen."
The teacher was probably the all the children in Synagogue
Ilazaii, lint we know no further de- "whether Scholars or not, who are
tails until Hazan ',doses Lopez de seated, on the places, in the Corner,
Fonseca left the New York Congre - appropriated for them while there,
or
gation to at as Ilazan in Curacao. shall be governed Icy the Ribbi,
He was succeeded by David Mendes turit'd Prone thence, on proper appli-
cation
to
the
Parnassitn."
Machado, a refugee from the Portu-
On one occasion, in February, 1768.
guese Inquisition, who was elected
on January 30th, 1737, "to at as Mr. .\ brahams, the teacher, undertook
to act as Shammas, at a time when
hazan or reader to this our K. K. dc
the- regular Shamniits had been sus.
Seherit Yisrael. The Said M r.
pended from his office. This arrange-
Machado promising . and obliging
ment lasted for about a fortnight
himself to exercise said office, and
until clue Shammaa was reinstated.
also promises and obliges himself to
The teacher was also used, from time
keep a publick school in due form
to bins, as an emergency Hazan.
for teaching the Hebrew language,
On March 6. 1768, it was "resolved
either the whole morning or after-
that for the future Abraham Mira.
noon as he shall think most proper.
hams the Ribbi, should have Ten
and any poor that shall be thought
Pounds alowed him, in Consideration
unable to pay for their children's
of his removing from the House hell
earning they shall Ice taught gratis."
now lives in belonging to the Syna-
While Machado was head of the con-
gouge, & that the Ilazan (Gershon'
gregational school in 1744, Joshua
endcs Seixas) is to Go into said
Isaacs bequeathed "£50 to our con
House the first of May next, after
gregation of Jews in New York. the
which Time he IS to have no Allow-
income to be for the support of a ance for House Rent. Mr. Abrahams
Hebrew School to teach poor chil- the Ribbi, soliciting for Fifteen
dren the Hebrew tongue."
Pounds in Place of Ten Pounds, it
'Three years later, on April 5. 1747, was agreed That if at the close of the
it was agreed that the Hazan "David year, any moneys should Remain in
Mendez Machado shall attend at the the {lends of the Parnas Belonging
Ilebra to Teach Children the He- to the Synagogue, that he should
brew, from Niue to Twelve Each then Pay to the Ribbi, the Sum of
morning and from two till live Thurs- Five Pounds, to make up the Sum of
day afternoon, to receive eight shill- Fitteen By him Solicited For."
ings per quarter from each child that
On December 26th, 1785, when the
comes to said school and one load Congregation was passing through
the
troublous times following the
wood yearly front each child. Also
that the parnass or one of the ad- Revolution, a meeting seas called to
pintos shall visit the said school elect "a Hazan, Shochet and
\stab. Also that said Mr. Machado Shama s; and to consider of the pro-
shall teach such children gratis that priety of appointing a Ribbi." Ger-
S110111 clenches Scixas, the former
can't afford payment."
In March, 1748, Benjamin I'ereyra Hazan of the Congregation, who had
been acting as Hazan in Philadelphia
succeeded Machado as
Whether or not lie carried ou'ille during the British occupation of New
congregational school in the Helga York, was elected Ilazan. But appar-
, ently he was not willing to act as
or congregational building i s no
The story of the historical develop .
meat of religious instruction in
American Jewish communities is usu-
ally opened with the year 1838 when
Rebecca Gratz organized a Sunday
school in Philadelphia, and when the
Reform Congregation in Charleston,
South Carolina, also opened a religi-
ous school. But the story of Jewish
religious instruction in America goes
back far beyond this. We possess
illuminating notices about the religi-
ous teaching in the community in
New York City, which begin just one
century prior to 1838. These facts
are contained in the earliest extant
Minute Books of tile Congregation
Shearith Israel. .\s these notices
throw an amusing and instructive
light on modern 'questions of rcligi-
cus school acommodation, teachers
salaries, charges for instruction and
similar problems, it may not be with -
on
Easter Sunday
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Milk Fed Poultry.
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Pastry made to your special order.
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For the convenience of responsible pa-
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send no goods C. 0. D.
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I
stated in the records. But presume teacher. For the minutes of the
ably he did so; for we find action meeting read: "The Cong: then pro-
being taken on December 7, 1755, ceeded to the aftixg: of a 1(ibbi and
to change the meeting place of the after debating on the safe, it was
school It was then decided at a moved & seconded, that Public No-
eeting of the Parnasim and Elders rice be given in Synagogue That any
of the Congregation, "that Twenty person capable of keeping a school,
Pounds pr arum be added to the Sal- deliver in their proposals in writing
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Arithmetick. In the Summer from 9 gregation that no Person has yet
to 12 in the forenoon & from 2 to effered to serve as Ribbi and it was
5 in the afternoon & in the winter lesolved that the further time of Six-
and
that the
from 10 to 12 in the forenoon and ' ern \\*eel' s he alluw.(1
Iron 2 to 4 in the afternoon & that Parnassim & Junta exert themselves
the children may be strictly kept to to procure Terms from some proper
their learning, the Parnasim and the Person & then convene the Congre-
Elders according to their Seniority garcon." It seems clear that no stut-
engage to visit sd school monthly able teacher was forthcoming, con
if that Ilazan Seixas was virtually com-
to examine the children and judge
the Scholars under the liazans care pd;1171 to take charge of the education
But being a man of
advance in their learning; the above ' the Yfflull4'
additional Salary to commence front independent spirit, he did so on his
De-
,.., e : O
, niremr)ragri,T", o,,, f ;D
last Rash a Shanah & to continue ' wll , len, us ', 7o-k
us '"' '' ll ' - ""
whilst the Ilaran discharges the duty "timer
7,
171)3,
shows
was paid £32.10 per quarter for keep-
above expressed."
ing school, a marked increase in the
About a year later, on September „
s of the teacher. But Seixas
5. 1756, it was voted "that the Hazan s ' e' e la m rls. to have effected a further im-
he excused from keeping school o
Sundays
in of
the Health
al i ernon
on ascot.
I,rovement
on learn,
his salary;
his
ill stale
agreeable
to a f of stray
note we
that in for,
the from
fob O
gducft oii:igr
alowing
r e li gsi.oe ua sr , 1,7c91410, oh, . e
what he setts forth in his petition."
what
iin
t
h
s
a
re
gn
v' c .a
O
Hazan Pereira resigned his odic
re-
pounds a year for each child. A re-
ill
shortly afterwards
account
health,
and it was on
agreed
by of the port of Ephraim Hart, Parnas, and
adiuntos to writilit to Jacob Hart, dated September 20, 1794.
"Parnasirn &
s in existence, in which they declare
the
Parnasim
& Elders
the Por-
i
toques
Congregation
of of
London
to "that
the school children had made
very little progress" since their last
send us one to whome wee ordered v i sit
fifty Pounds Starling Salary pr an-
It is clear from the foregoing, that
num
to serve
as Hebrew,
a Hazan English
& teach
the poor
children
& in the eighteenth century, preceding 0
Spanish; the Letter being dated ye the foundation of the present Talmud
Apparently th Torah of the congregation, which
4th Elul, 5518."
ac made possible in 1801 by a be- II
was
Congregation was not immediately
Page 7.)
successful in finding a teacher. It is
U
t1
Cadillac 3509—Main 4404
Phones West 28 West 1392, West 4340
• ry of the H•zan un Condition that tic the Parnassim and Adjuntos by
he opens a School at his owe house this day three weeks, when the Con-
the week t bryday after- gregation are to meet & the same
every day 111
(loon, II oh. Days and Fast Days Ex- understood,
Ice laid before
that
it be
the them—:And
Ilebra will be
appro-
poor dol..
evicted) & teaches such
r iatcd for the use of the School.'
dren Gratis that shall have an order P
from the Parnas Presidente, the Ile- l'hree weeks later, in January 15.
brew, Spanish, English, writing & 1786, "The Parnas informed the Con-
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