Friday, Maul 31, 1918 9

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Jewish Fur Trader Active in Wartime, Jewish Affairs

By IRVING I. RATZ

Executive Secretary
Temple Beth El

Levy Solomons, reputed
to be the largest fur trader
in British Colonial times,
was heavily engaged in the
fur trade in Michilimac-
kinac (Mackinac), a
strategic fur trading center.
.Born in England in 1730,
Solomons came to New
York City no later than
1755 and was naturalized
there. He moved to Albany,
N. Y., where he continued
as a fur trader. During the
British conquest of Canada
(1759-60), a major military
operation, he became a sup-
plyman to the British ar-
mies, in partnership with
his cousin, Ezekiel Sol-
omons (first Jew in Michi-
gan), Chapman Abraham
(first Jew in Detroit), Ben-
jamin Lyon and Gershon
Levy.
Levy Solomons and
Levy escaped to Fort De-
troit, Chapman Abraham
was exchanged for an In-
dian chief in Fort Detroit,
and Ezekiel Solomons
was ransomed by fellow
Jews in Montreal.
After the British con-
quest, the partners made a
vocational shift from army
supply to the lucrative fur
trade. During the Indian
uprising of 1763, led by
Chief Pontiac, Levy Sol-
omons, Ezekiel Solomons,
Chapman Abraham and
Gershon Levy were cap-
tured by the Indians but all
gained their freedom.
The partnership suffered
heavy losses in the Indian
War, which lasted a whole
year, and their financial
situation went from bad to
worse because of the post-
war restrictions imposed by
England on the fur trade
with the Indians. The
partners were forced into
bankruptcy, owing their

creditors 18,000 pounds.
There was some sort of a
settlement with the cre-
ditors for this business fai-
lure did not preclude each of
the partners to continue
business on his own, with
the partnership dissolved.
After residing in
Montreal, Levy Solomons
made Michilimackinac his
headquarters of operation
and became a successful and
large-scale fur trader and
merchant. His enterprises
extended from Michilimac-
kinac to the Gulf of St.
Lawrence and down the
Hudson River.
Aaron Lopez, the out-
standing merchant ship-
per of Newport, R.I., had
a non-Jewish agent in
Montreal. Benjamin
Lyon, a trader in
Michilimackinac, was
acquainted with Lopez.
In 1770 he wrote to Lopez
that Levy Solomons is re-
garded as the largest fur
trader in Montreal and
that he would recom-
mend to Lopez that the
non-Jewish agent be re-
placed by Levy Solomons
because he is more com-
petent. Benjamin Lyon
was anxious to win a con-
tract for Levy Solomons
and himself. Lopez disre-
garded the suggestion
and did not make the
change.
Levy Solomons moved
back to Montreal where he
played a conspicuous part in
public and Jewish affairs.
When the British occupied
Canada, the country was
ruled by the military. A
segment of the civilian
population, including Jews,
were unhappy with such a
regime and petitioned for a
House of Representatives.
Levy Solomons was among
these petitioners in 1773
and 1774.
When the Americans in-

his friends shunned him
and refused shelter. In
postwar years, Solomons
appealed in vain to Con-
gress for repayment of
the money he had ad-
vanced to Gen.
Montgomery's forces in
Montreal during the crit-
ical days of 1775-76.

vaded Canada in 1775, Gen.
Richard Montgomery ap-
pointed Levy Solomons as
an army purveyor. His job
was to establish hospitals.
He set up three, one for the
sick, and two quarantine
hospitals for smallpox vic-
tims. He provided these
hospitals with housing, food
and transportation and
when necessary advanced
his own funds.
After the death of Gen.
Montgomery, Benedict Ar-
nold took charge of the
British forces. He confis-
cated much of the stock Sol-
omons had stored up for
trading with the Indians in
the upper country. When
the Americans withdrew
from Canada in the spring
of 1776, Solomons helped
the sick and the wounded to
escape. Later he went out of
his way to befriend Ameri-
can prisoners in British
hands. The British, back in
Canada, were aware of Sol-
omon's activities and made
him pay for his friendship
with the Americans. On all
sides he found himself sub-
jected to insults.
On July 4, 1776, British
soldiers seized his goods
and furniture and threw
him into the street. Even

No U.S.-Israeli Crisis'

JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R-
NY), insisting that there is
no "crisis" between the Un-
ited States and Israel,
nevertheless urged Israel to
reconsider its -positions on
controversial issues where
it does not see eye-to-eye
with the U.S.
Javits visited Israel for
two days this week, and his
words of "no crisis" in U.S.-
Israel relations were echoed
by Defense Minister Moshe
Dayan.
Javitz met with Prime
Minister Begin, Dayan, and
leaders of the opposition
Labor Alignment.

In Miami, at the Ameri-
can Jewish Congress
convention, Israeli Am-
bassador Simha Dinitz
said no Mideast negotia-
tion will take place as
long as the Arabs believe
that the U.S. can force
concessions from Israel.

He said, "Sixty years of
Arab Jewish conflict since
the Balfour, Declaration de-
serve more than 36 hours of
-negotiation from President
Sadat."

In New York, Ehud Av-
riel, deputy director general
of Israel's Foreign Ministry,
told a Zionist Organization
of America meeting that
Washington had failed "in a
futile attempt" to tell Israel
what her best interests are.
The ZOA passed a resolu-
tion supporting Begin and
. committed itself to an edu-

Javits

cational campaign on the
Middle East issues.
The board of governors of
Bnai Brith District 3 have
asked national president
David Blumberg to call a
meeting of Jewish organiza-
tions in Washington next
month to counter "a rever-
sal of U.S. policy in the Mid-
dle East."

Neo-Nazi Is Killed by Bomb

PARIS (JTA) — A self-
proclaimed "remembrance
commando" assumed re-
sponsibility for the death of
an extreme right-wing
French leader who was kil-
led last week in a bomb exp-
losion.

date in last Sunday's par-
liamentary elections on an
extreme right wing list, was
the author of several history
books that tried to minimize
the number of Jewish vic-
tims who died in Nazi con-
centration camps.
Duprat was killed and his
wife seriously wounded
when a bomb exploded in
his car as he was driving
home from a political meet-
ing.

A communique issued by
the group said it had acted
"lest Auschwitz be forgot-
ten" and that it had planted
the bomb which killed
Francois Duprat "because
he was the author of a series
of neo-Nazi pamphlets de- Students have been work-
nying the existence of the ing their way through col-
( Nazi) concentration camps, lege for years. This -is a good
gas chambers and cre- time for the colleges to try to
matoriums." • work their way through
Duprat, who was a candi- some students.

Solomons was one of the
founders of Montreal's Con-
gregation Shearith Israel in
1768 and served as its pres-
ident in 1778. He was mar-
ried twice, the second time
in 1775, to Rebecca Franks,
daughter of Abraham
Franks, one of the earliest
Jewish settlers in Canada
and a prominent merchant.
Col. David Salisbury
Franks, American patriot
during the Revolutionary
years, was Rebecca's
brother.
Jacob Franks, Jr., trader
in Mackinac, was the son-
in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Levy
Solomons, having married
their daughter, Mary. Sol-
omons died in 1792 and his
wife in 1812.

Solomons' children were
Levy, Jr., (married
Catherine Manuel), Mary
(Mrs. Jacob Franks, Jr.),
Benjamin, Elizabeth,
Rachel (Mrs. Henry
Joseph), Catherine,
Backky, Esther, Jessica,
Benjamin Samuel (married
Elkaleh Seixas), Fanny and
Sarah (Mrs. John McCord).

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