Archives Sources Show N. Y .-Was More Unitary Jewishly in 1762
Penn. Democrats Asked
What kind of community had produced in 1913 and 1920 in as a stand-in for the hazzan, or
American Jews developed two volumes 21 and 27 of the Publi- prayer leader, "in case the the closing months of 1762, to Favor Amendment
centuries ago—in 1762, 13 years cations of the American Jewish Hazan should be absent or in- accepted L4,12 "for attendins to Sunday Blue Laws
before the Revolutionary War? Historical Society, the execu- 1 disposed." Our Litvak factotum and medicyn" for the Widow
HARRISBURG, Pa., (JM).
Salomons and L16 "for at-
Sources available at the tives of Shearith Israel commis- was also the community's mohel. tendance
and medicyn to Mr. A request that the Pennsylvania
American Jewish Archives, the sioned Abraham I. Abrahams in During the summer of 1762, he Jacob
." Shearith Israel's State Democratic Party's plat-
historical research center on April, 1762, "to keep a publick jcircumcized his own infant son eighteenth-century
records dis- form this year include a pledge
the Cincinnati campus of He- school in the Hebra (synagogue Moses as well as the sons of play numerous other
instances favoring an amendment to the
brew Union College-Jewish In- building), to teach the Hebrew I Hyam Myers and Asher Myers. in which the Jewish commun-
Sunday blue laws, permitting
stitute of Religion, reveal a I Language, an6 translate the Some months earlier, in May, ity aided its poor by
Sabbatarians to keep their
community much more unitary same into English, also to teach he had traveled to mohel-less their rent, supplying paying
them businesses open on Sundays,
than its present day descendant. English reading, writing and Newport, Rhode Island, to per-
with medical care, and fur- was made by Jules Cohen, exec-
The American Jewish com- ; syphering (arithmetic)." Abra-1 form the operation on Isaac, the nishing them with food and utive director of the Jewish
hams—who
was
that
rarity
of
I
munity of 1762 was thoroughly
son of Moses Lopez. We know fueL There were many poor Community Relations Council
synagogue-oriented. The syna- rarities in Colonial America, a from other sources that Abra- Jews, and rarely did the com- of Greater Philadelphia.
Litvak
(his
father
had
been
a'
hams
gogue and the community were,
was also a petty business- 1 munity refuse them its sup-
in fact, co-extensive; whoever rabbi in Brest-Litovsk)—was to man—a distiller and tobacconist., port.
While audiences may cheer
governed the synagogue auto-, receive for his services "twenty
In 1762 as the congrega-
An extensive collecton of ma- male opera singers with "bravo,"
matically presided over the corn-1 pounds per annum with liberty tion's
aq
minutes indicate, some- terial shedding light on the the women rate a "brava."
munity as well. 1 of having offerings made him
thing of a "medicare" pro-
Though American Jewry had in synagogue. Tuition was free gram was operative among Jewish experience in colonial Available for Bar Mitzvahs, wed-
• no rabbis in 1762, its communal to "all such children . . . that; New York Jews, so that the America is to be found at the ding receptions or meetings —
American Jewish Archives at seating III-150. Finest Accommo-
t concerns and characteristic ex- , can not afford to pay," but "all congregation
drew on its
dations- Free Parking.
pressions were religious motiv- others are to be paid for guar- funds to compensate "Andrew the Hebrew Union College-
CRESTWOOD MOTEL
Jewish Institute of Religion in
ated to an extent all but unj
Y. •
Judah, Physician, for medical Cincinnati. Prof. Jacob R. Mar-
16221 W. Eight Mike
Caa imaginable today. The Ameri-, In addition to his teaching attendance
4 blks. W. of Jas. Couzens, adja-
and medicine to
to Northland Center.
can synagogue of two centuries; duties, Abrahams was to serve, poor people.. ." Dr. Judah, in cus is the director of the For cent
Reservations Call BR 2-1403
Archives.
W
ago conformed exclusively to
the Orthodox Sephardic rite--;
even though Jews of Ashken-'
azic origin had outnumbered
their Sephardic brethren since
the 1730's.
In some respects, America's
Jews of 1762 faced the same
problems we face today—for
example, how to meet the
community's educational
needs, and what to do about
individuals too poor to pay
their own medical expenses.
New York City, then as now,
sheltered the largest Jewish
community in English-speaking;
America (although in 1762 New
York Jewry numbered a little '
more than 100 souls, while 200
years later it numbers over
2,000,000). A glimpse into New
York's Jewry of 1762 shows the
present-day researchers that
some things do not change as
much as we would expect. Mu-
tatis mutandis, history has a
way of recapitulating itself.
Two hundred years ago the
day of the state-supported I
public school was still far in
the future, but Jewish-oper-
ated "all day" schools--an in-
stitution achieving increasing
prominence on the American
Personal and Business Checking Accounts— ❑
❑ Automatic Savilfgs Plan
Jewish educational scene to-
safe, convenient way to pay your bills
day—were very much in evi-
❑ Mortgage Loans
dence. Jewish parents had to
Econ-O-Check Accounts—most economical ❑
provide their own private
❑ Safe Deposit Boxes provided by Safe Deposit
' if you write less than 12 checks a month
educational facilities for both
Company of Detroit
religious and secular training.
Regular Savings Accounts 0
To meet this need, they
❑ Travelers Checks, Bank Money Orders,
turned to the congregation's
investment Savings Accounts ❑
Cashier's Checks
leaders, those who had been
Instaloans• for financing cars, boats,
elected to regulate the affairs
❑ Bank-By-Mail
of New York's only syna-
home improvements, personal needs
gogue, the 308-year-old Shea-
❑ Night Depository
rith Israel Congregation (still
College Education Loans ❑
❑ Trust Services for every Individual and
extant today as the Spanish
Drive-in Windows 0
and Portuguese Synagogue on
corporate need
Central Park West).
Gift Checks for special occasions ❑
❑ Overseas Remittances
1
-
Now all these banking
services available at our
Seven Mile-Wyoming office
7'
❑
According to the congrega-
tion's minute book, partially re-
German Teachers
I nstructed to Teach
Truth of Nazi Era
BONN, (JTA) --- The Minis-
tries of Education of all Ger-
man states instructed all his-
tory teachers and history text-
book writers to explain to pub-
lic school students the history
of the Nazi era as an element
of democracy's struggle against
Want more information about any of these
services? Check the list as a reminder and
come in soon to your neighborhood NBD
office. That's the nice part about doing busi-
ness with a full-service bank that's close by.
Everything you need, all the people who can
help you are in one place to make your bank-
ing exceptionally convenient, easy and pleas-
ant. And, no matter which office of National
Bank of Detroit you consider your office, you
can make deposits, withdrawals, or loan pay-
ments at any of our other offices when it is
more convenient.
SEVEN MILE-WYOMING OFFICE
totalitarianism.
the state ministries. which
have jurisdiction over education
in their provinces. had agreed
on these instructions earlier,
and the new regulations came
formally into force when they
were published in the govern-
ment's Official Gazette.
Under the new instructions.
not only will Nazism he pre-
sented to students as a form of
totalitarianism, but resistance
movements will also he ex-
plained -as part of history.
"Glorification of war and totali-
tarianism" will he forbidden in
the public schools.
Gesticulating with the hands
while talking was looked upon
with disfavor and disdain. —
Derech Eretz II.
NATIONAL BANK OF DETROIT
Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation