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Cincinnati.—At the regular meeting of the
Hebrew Benevolent Society, held on Sunday, the 10th
November, the following gentlemen were elected
officers for the ensuing year. President, Nathan
Maltzer; Vice-President, Lazarus Arnold; Treasurer,
Henry Mack; Secretary, Isaac E. Hackenburg. These
gentlemen, with the aid of the Trustees, Messrs. D.
Wolf, Dr. H. C. Cohen, L. Isaacs, and M. Loovis,
will have the superintendence of the annual dinner,
which comes off in a few weeks, and the
funds of this excellent society having been severely
encroached on during the past two years, in
consequence of the disastrous effects of the
cholera, it is to be hoped every exertion will be
used by the officers and members to replenish the
exhausted treasury, so as to be able to meet the
increased demand on this institution.
K. K. B’nai Israel of Cincinnati.—At the
annual election of this body the following gentlemen
were elected to serve as officers for the ensuing
year. Philip Heidelbach, Parnass; Michael Klaw,
Gabbah Zedakah; Hyman Moses, Gabbah Beth Haim; Jacob
Seasongood, Treasurer; Joseph Abraham, Secretary.
This, the oldest congregation west of the mountains,
has increased in members so much during the past few
years, that they have decided upon building a new
edifice for worship, the present one being found
insufficient to accommodate its visitors. The lots
adjoining the present Synagogue on either side have
been purchased and paid for by its own members, and
the building committee, consisting of the most
prominent members, are very assiduously employed in
considering plans for the erection of the new
building. Among the committee are several gentlemen
who were on the same committee some fifteen years
back, when the present building was about being
erected; one of them then made the remark, “What is
the use of putting up so large a
building!—you will have to get the Schamas a horse
to go round and hunt up the members; I am for
putting one up half the size.” Several of the
committee have lived to see that even their views
were too contracted, and happily find the increase
of our people so great, that four congregations now
exist in Cincinnati, all in a prosperous condition.
Thanksgiving in Ohio.—The Governor of this
State issued his proclamation, appointing the usual
Day of Thanksgiving, as follows:
Proclamation of the Governor for a Day of
Thanksgiving.
In
conformity with an ancient Christian custom among
the people of the <<477>>States composing this
Union, and in conformity with the obligations which
all people are under to the great Ruler of the
Universe for the daily blessings which they are
receiving at His hand, the General Assembly of the
State of Ohio did, at its last session, resolve—That
the Governor be requested to issue, within the
year, his proclamation recommending to the people of
the State the observance of a day of thanksgiving
and prayer to Almighty God for his blessings to us
as a people.
Now, therefore, in compliance with and in obedience
to recognised duty, I, Seabury Ford, Governor of the
State of Ohio, do appoint and set apart Thursday,
the 28th day of November next, to be observed as a
day of thanksgiving and prayer throughout the State,
and I hereby recommend to all the people that,
abstaining from all secular employments, they repair
to their usual places of worship, and feeling their
entire dependence upon that God to whom belongeth
“the earth and the fulness thereof,” they render to
him thanks and praise for peace in our borders, for
general health, for abundant harvests, for the
spread of knowledge, and for all his temporal
blessings; but especially for the Christian
religion, for the inestimable blessings flowing to
us from the prevalence of the principles of the
“everlasting gospel,” and that, relying in faith
upon the promises of that gospel, they earnestly
supplicate a perpetual continuance of these
blessings to all the people of this State and this
nation.
Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State
[L.S.]
at Columbus, the 31st day of October, A.D. 1850.
SEABURY FORD.
It
will be seen that, as on some former occasions in
various parts of this republic, he has fallen into
the great error of incorporating in his remarks
certain doctrinal opinions and wrongly puts them
forth as the popular will and law of the
land:—nothing can be farther than this from being
the intention of the framers of the organic code by
which this country is governed, not only as a
republic, but as the binding acts of the various
state constitutions, and any endeavour of an
executive to assume that any religion is recognised
by the state is, to say the least, a presumption not
warranted by any legislative enactment; as well may
a thanksgiving proclamation show favouritism to the
believers in the same political creed of the
executive as to his co-religionists.
A Jew in the Cincinnati Times thus notices
the Proclamation.
To
the Editor of the Times:—For the first time this
morning, I read the proclamation of the Governor of
the State, enjoining upon the citizens the
observance of a day of thanksgiving and prayer to
Almighty God for his blessings to us as a people. To
this proclamation I take exception, viz., the
Governor, after having appointed the day in
pursuance of a resolution paced by the General
Assembly, voluntarily, and on his own
responsibility, and, as I maintain, contrary to the
letter and spirit of the resolution passed by the
legislature, instructs the citizens to pray
“especially for the Christian religion and the
inestimable blessings flowing to us from the
prevalence of the principles of the everlasting
gospel, and that, relying in faith upon the promises
of that gospel, they earnestly supplicate a
perpetual continuance of these blessings to all
the people of this State and this nation.”
This may do very well in a country where the State
is the Church, but is <<478>>unbecoming in a republican government, where all
religions are equal, and is a positive impropriety
against those good citizens of the State whose
personal religious creed may be different to that of
the occupant of the gubernatorial chair: if the
system were recognised in this government, which
requires no religious test for eligibility to
office, we are liable at various times, and on
various occasions, to he instructed to pray for the
welfare of every religion in existence; and,
finally, the proclamations may assume the various
phases and doctrines of the many denominations in
existence.
If
we go on at this rate, we may some day see Baptists,
Catholics, Jews, Methodists, Mahomedans, Deists, and
others to be especially prayed for: and may be we
will progress so far as to be told only to pray for
those who do not sit in pewed churches.
A
JEW.
Thanksgiving Day.—The Governors of
Pennsylvania and New York have appointed the 12th of
December as a day of thanksgiving for the mercies
the country has received from an all-wise
Providence. Both these functionaries have now worded
their proclamations in general terms, not excluding
the Jewish citizens from joining the other
inhabitants of the land in lifting up their hearts
to God. We hope, therefore, that the day will be
properly celebrated in all our Synagogues.
Philadelphia.—At the annual election of the
Congregation Beth Israel the following persons were
elected the officers for the current year: Hyman
Polock, President; Joseph Rosenbaum, Treasurer; Sam.
Pagel, B. Myers, H. A. Levy, and A. Oelsner.—Trustees.
The Society of Mercy and Truth elected the
following: H. Marcus, President; A. Levy,
Vice-President; Samuel Hunt, Treasurer; Sam. Pagel,
Sol. Blitz, E. S. Linse, S. M. Klasser, Managers;
Dr. Young, Physician; Dr. Killduff, Apothecary; and
D. A. Phillips,
Secretary.
The New York Hebrew Benevolent Society
celebrated their anniversary by a public dinner on
November 7th. Speeches were made by Rev. Dr. Raphall,
S. M. Isaacs, and others, and we learn that a large
amount was collected on behalf of the charity.
The Anshe Emeth Congregation of Albany have
purchased a fine church edifice, located in one of
the principal streets in the centre of the city, as
a place of worship. It formerly belonged to the
Baptists, and it will be consecrated as soon as
possible to the service of the Lord, the God of
Israel.
Louisville, Kentucky.—At the last annual
election the following officers were chosen by the
Congregation Adas Israel: M. Strauss, President;
Simon Lichten, Vice-President; Jos. Lieber,
Treasurer; L. Lewossohn, Secretary; M. Goldberg, B.
Sachs, S. Ulman, Abraham <<479>>Dinkelspieler, A.
Steinauer, and P. Marx, Trustees, and Moses
Lieberman, Goba for Beth Haim.—A society for the
attendance of the sick, and officiating at burials,
was also lately constituted there, and the following
persons chosen as officers: A. Sammelson, President;
H. Stern, Vice-President; F. Mark, Treasurer; G.
Lorch, Secretary; David Dinkelspiel, Feist
Bamberger, and Samuel Godshaw, Trustees.—The Ladies’
Benevolent Society of Louisville have chosen the
following officers: Mrs. Phineas Marx, President;
Mrs. Sam’l Ulman, Vice- President; Mrs. Emanuel
Lieberman, Secretary; and Mrs. Hirsh
Haas, Mrs. Abm. Dinkelspieler, Mrs. Heyam Godshaw
and Mrs. Alan Sammelson, Committee of the Sick. It
is pleasing to record so much evidence of a
charitable disposition in a congregation but so
lately organized, and people cannot be far from the
right path, where true benevolence occupies so
prominent a position.
Augusta, Georgia.—The Israelites keep up
their organization, and have elected the following
officers: Saml. Levy, President; J. Levy,
Vice-President; Henry Morrison, Secretary, and
Isidore Care, Treasurer.
Cleveland, Ohio.—A new congregation has
constituted itself in this city, under the name of
“Tifereth Israel;” the officers are Alexander
Schwab, President; C. Rock, Vice-President; who in
connexion with Messrs. F. J. Cohen, George A. Davis,
the brothers Hoxter and S. Loeb, were the founders.
Our correspondent speaks in high terms of the
enlightened liberality of these gentlemen in
establishing a dignified and instructive place of
worship, and their first act has been the election
of the Rev. Isidore Kalisch as Rabbi and preacher of
their body. The consecration of the new Synagogue is
expected to take place on the 1st of December, and
we shall probably learn the particulars before we
issue our next number. We have received a copy of
their constitution and by-laws, from which we see
that it is the duty of the Rabbi to deliver an
address (in German) every Sabbath morning, or to
instruct the people through some exposition of the
Bible. He has assigned to him two assistant Rabbis,
with whom he is to consult once in four weeks; he is
also bound to give the requisite religious
instruction in the elementary schools of the
congregation. No Chazan, Shochet, or teacher, can be
chosen without the previous approbation of the can
didate by the college of Rabbins.—The sale of
Mitzwoth is abolished, and they are to be
distributed after the manner of the Portuguese. One
good provision we see has been adopted, which is,
that every three years the constitution shall be
revised, and can then be amended, if
<<480>>two-thirds of the congregation are in favour
of any proposed change or addition. We also observe
that the form of worship is to be regulated
according to the views of the Rabbins; which
provision we deem rather too hazardous in so new a
body as this congregation, and with their college
yet untried. Confiding, as they do, in the piety and
knowledge of their ministers, they may think
themselves acting prudently; but we dislike the
possession of so much power both in the laity and
the ministers. A fixed basis, established by an
organic law, is always the best, and we for our part
would never take the responsibility such as is here
conferred. But we expect much good from the labours
of Mr. Kalisch, who is represented to us as a ripe
scholar, though still a very young man.
New Orleans.—The ladies of the Portuguese
congregation have organized a Sunday school, and
elected Mrs. Henry Florance as Superintendent, Mrs.
George Jonas, Treasurer, and Mrs. Cohen, Secretary.
It was resolved that the ladies, teachers and
officers, should collect funds to carry on the
object of the organization, when, at their next
meeting, October 20th, $334.20 was handed in as the
amount obtained. The Rev. Mr. Nathan gave the ladies
his efficient services; and we learn that the
children of both sexes belonging to the Rampart St.,
Canal St., and Lafayette congregations, will be
admitted, though the government of the school will
be in the hands of the ladies of the Portuguese (the
Canal St.) Synagogue. Upon request we have forwarded
a quantity of school-books for this new institution;
and there can be no doubt but that they will be well
used, and tend to sow the seed of righteousness in
many a youthful mind.
San Francisco, California. We hear that there
are two congregations organized in the new
commercial emporium on the Pacific,—a German and a
Polish. We hope soon to learn particulars. The
Asmonean reports the proceedings held at a festival
on Simhath Torah, the late President of the
Baltimore Congregation, Parnass of the Kearney
Street Synagogue, being Hatan Torah. The Asmonean
also contains a sermon delivered on Kippur day by
our old friend Lewis A. Franklin. We wish him joy at
his acquitting himself so well, and hope that he may
persevere in diffusing the truths of his religion in
that far-off country. The Asmonean farther reports
another congregation has been established at Colluma,
on the Yuba River. It is thus we see, that with
God’s blessing, the word is spreading; let it suffer
awhile, never fear, it will triumph at last. |
