Three Jews and a Balloon:
Salomon, Nones, Phillips
in Philadelphia, where, in 1778,
he enlisted in a company of
Philadelphia militiamen.
One of the founders of COng.
Mikve Israel, Phillips presided
at the consecration of its syn-
agogue in 1782 and signed the
letter inviting George Washing-
ton to the dedication services.
On Sept. 7, 1787, Phillips ad-
dressed to the Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia
what is believed to be the only
communication received by'the
Convention from an individual
petitioner on the subject of
religious liberty.
In his letter, he protested :
against the test oath in the
Pennsylvania state constitu-
tion "for (him) self, (his)
children and posterity and for
the benefit of all the Israelites
through the 13 United States
of America." Since Phillips
fathered 21 children, his pos-
terity were rather extensive,
among them being numbered
the famous politician Morde-
cai M. Noah and Commodore
Uriah P. Levy.
The involvement of these
three American Jews, all of
them immigrants, in the spec-
tacular, if ill-fated, Philadelphia
balloon ascension project of
1784 was only a minor instance
of their zeal for their adopted
land and . ,of their readiness to
sacrifice in its . behalf.
Fuller accounts of that zeal
and that readiness may be
found in "Early American Ni
Jewry" by Dr. Jacob Rader
Marcus, director of the Amer-
ican Jewish Archives, and in
"The History of the Jews of
Philadelphia" by Edwin Wolf II
and Maxwell Whiteman, assist-
ant to the director of the Am
_ er-
ican Jewish Arohives.
The above statue of ROBERT MORRIS, GEORGE WASH-
INGTON and HAYM SALOMON, designed by sculptor Lorado
Taft, has been erected in Chicago in tribute to . the Bill of
Rights. Salomon, who helped finance the American Revolution-
ary, War, held the title "Broker to the Office of Finance."
,*
*
(Editor's Note: Since the writing
of this article on Jews and their
interest in balloon ascension, a , pres-
ent-clay Jew, Air Force Maj. David
G. Simons, made history when he
ventured a 32-hour balloon flight to
a record height of 102,000 -feet, almost
20 miles into the fringes of outer
space, higher than any human being
has traversed before. He received the
Distinguished Flying Cross for his
efforts.)
Recently an American Jew,
Michael Todd, has excited much
interest in balloon ascensions by
virtue of his motion-picture,
"Around the World in Eighty
Days," -based on Jules Verne's
classic. Yet 'Mr. .Todd_ is not the
first Ameritai• Jew to ' evince
an interest in balloon ascen-
. sions.
Nones, and Jonas Phillips,
whose names were among
those "of gentlemen who had
consented to receive subscrip-
tions" for this colorful—and
.costly—venture, though they
had no "adV"antage or interest
to hope for firom carrying on
the design," were accustomed
to taking risks for the sake of
American advancement.
Polish=born Salomon, 44
at the time of the Philadelphia
balloon project, had arrived in
New York about - 1775 and by
1776 had already become deeply
involved in- the struggle for
American independence. Soon
after the British occupation of
New York, SaloMon had been
In possession of the American arrested as a spy by General
Jewish Archives, on the Cincin- Robertson and imprisoned in
nati campus of the . Hebrew the dreary Provost.
Unite' College is a copy of "The
Released to act as purveyor
Pennsylvania Packet" of June of commissary supplies to the
29, 1784, indicating that a bal- Hessian commander, Salomon
loon ascension project which worked quietly for the British,
gripped the imagination of late- but found opportunities to help
eighteen century Philadelphia French and American prisoners
numbered _ among its financial escape. When his attempts to
supporters three prominent persuade Hessian soldiers to de-
Philadelphian Jews, Haym Sa- sert the British ranks were ex-
lomon, Benjamin NoneS and posed, Salomon' was forced in
Jonas Phillips, all Revolution- 1778 to flee to Philadelphia.
ary War patriots.
Later, he became chief broker
A year before the Philadel-
to the Treaury of the
phia balloon ascent project of struggling young republic.
1784, the experiments of the
Benjamin Nones, born'in Bor-
French physicist, Jacques A. C.
Charles, had so engaged the at- deaux in 1757, came to Phila-
tention of Benjamin Franklin delphia at 20. Enlisting under
that iii December, 1783, Frank- General Pulaski in Capt. Ver-
lin had termed Charles' ascent dier's regiment, Nones fought in
N
one of the most extraordinary every battle in the Carolinas
discoveries that this age has and distinguished himself par-
produced, by which men are ticularly at the siege of Savan-
enabled to rise in the air and nah.
travel with the wind."
Verdier wrote form Charles-
Franklin's enthusiasm per- ton in -December, 1779 that
ineated Philadelphia, his home- Nones'. "behavior under fire in
town, and on July 4, 1784, Peter all the bloody actions we
A. Carnes prepared to make a fought, had been marked by
lralloon ascension in that city. bravery and courage which a
His attempt, ultimately a fail- military man is expected to
ure, was not actually made until show for the liberties of his
July 17, but the project "of con- country."
structing and raising, by sub-
The oldest of the three, Jonas
scription, a large and elegant Phillips, born in Germany in
air balloon" had apparently 1736, came like Nones as a
won the support of many out- youth of 20 to America. Settling
standing Philadelphians,- moti- first in Charleston, S.
C. and
vated, as "The Pennsylvania then in Albany, N. Y., Phillips
Packet" •said, by "a love of established himself in New
science and the honor of their York City and there in 1769
country."
became a, freeman.
These men were keenly aware
An ardent patriot from the
of what a boon to American
beginning, Phillips was among
Bence and to the prestige of those to sign the Non-Importa-
the newly-independent United tion or Boycott Agreement of
States a successful balloon 1770, designed to bring the
ascension would be.
British government to terms.
Haym Salomon, Benjamin
Leaving New York, he settled
,
riZr1:11 riZlat
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