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(Continued
from Vol. I, issue #11.)
Before proceeding further, permit me to make a few remarks from the
period of the arrival of the first Israelite in Cincinnati to this date,
the Israelites have been much esteemed and highly respected by their
fellow-citizens, and a general interchange of civilities and friendships
has taken place between them. Many persons of the Nazarene faith
residing from 50 to 100 miles from the city, hearing there were Jews
living in Cincinnati, came into town for the special purpose of viewing
and conversing with some of "the children of Israel, the holy
people of God," as they termed us. From the experience which we
have derived by being the first settlers of our nation and religion in a
new country, we arrive at the conclusion, that the Almighty will give
his people favour in the eyes of all nations, if they only conduct
themselves as good citizens in a moral and religious point of view; for
it is already conceded to us by our neighbours that we have the fewest
drunkards, vagrants, or individuals amenable to the laws, of any
community, according to our numbers in this city or district of country;
and we also appreciate the respect and esteem those individuals are held
in, who duly conform to the principles of our religion, especially by a
strict conformity to our holy Sabbath and festivals.
The original founders of our congregation were principally from Great
Britain, and consequently their mode of worship was after the manner of
the Polish and German Jews; but being all young people they were not so
prejudiced in favour of old customs as more elderly people might have
been, and especially as several of their wives had been brought up in
Portuguese congregations. We therefore introduced considerable chorus
singing into our worship, in which we were joined by the sweet voices of
the fair daughters of Zion, and our Friday evening service was as well
attended for many years as the Sabbath morning. At length, however,
large emigrations of our German brethren settled amongst us; again our
old customs have conquered, and the sweet voices of our ladies are
seldom heard; but we have so far prevailed as to continue to this day,
the following beautiful melodies, the 29th Psalm,
מזמור
לדוד which is chaunted as the procession
slowly proceeds to deposit the Sepher Torah (Book of the Law) in the
ark; also the אין
כאלהינו and after
the service is concluded none attempt to quit their seats until the
beautiful hymn אדון
עולם "Universal Lord! who the
sceptre swayed," is finished, being sung by all the congregation in
full chorus.
For several years we had no hazan (reader) and the service was read
and chaunted in rotation by Messrs. David I. Johnson, Morris Moses, and
Joseph Jonas. We had purchased a burial-ground about three years
previous to our organization, and at that time Jonas Levy was our
שוחט
Messrs. Morris Moses and David I. Johnson were elected Parnass and Gabah
for the year 5586; about which time Nicholas Longworth, Esq., gave the
congregation a piece of land adjoining our burial-ground. During this
year, a committee of correspondence was appointed to correspond with
several congregations for the purpose of procuring aid from our brethren
to build a Synagogue. Applications at this time were responded to from
Charleston, S. C., and a remittance forwarded to us of one hundred
dollars, also fifty dollars From Benjamin Elkin, Esq., of Barbadoes, W.
I.; the names of all the donors were duly recorded; twenty dollars were
also received from Joseph Andrews, Esq., of Philadelphia. Some time in
the year 5588, the corresponding building committee reported 16l.
2s. equal to $71 55 cents, received from the congregation of
Portsmouth in England; the name of each donor was also recorded.
About this time we lost a worthy member of our congregation, Samuel
Joseph, Esq., late of Philadelphia, but originally from Plymouth,
England. He lived respected and esteemed, and died regretted by every
one, (peace be unto him;) also during the years 1826 and 1827, the God
of our fathers thought proper to take to himself two amiable young
women, sisters, and daughters of the late Rev. Gershom M. Seixas, of New
York; lovely, in their lives, both mental and personal, it may easily be
supposed how deeply they were lamented by their bereaved husbands,
Abraham and Joseph Jonas.
During the year 5589, Messrs. Morris Moses and David I. Johnson were
appointed a special committee to procure subscriptions towards building
a Synagogue, from our brethren at New Orleans, and they reported 280
dollars collected; each individual's name was entered on record. About
the same time Augustus Emden, Esq., gave us a donation of ten dollars.
During the month of July this year, the congregation purchased a
suitable lot of ground on the east side of Broadway below Sixth Street,
on which our present Synagogue is erected; thus far had the Lord
prospered our way.
(To
be continued.) |
