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We
have been requested by the President of the
Louisville Congregation to spread the following
before the public, in justice to the Rev.
<<323>>Mr. Gotthelf, who has for the past two years given
satisfaction to the people as their minister.
Comment of ours is unnecessary.
To the Editor of The Occident
Dear Sir:—You will kindly excuse me for trespassing
on your valuable time, and, in justice to the
parties concerned, give insertion to the following
remarks, with perfect liberty to abridge in words,
on retaining the substance.
In the Occident of this month, which I have just
received, you make an apology
for
an article
published in some former number concerning the Rev.
H. A. Henry, then of Cincinnati. No doubt, by doing
so, you were guided by the noble desire to do a just
duty to Mr. H. But now let us view the other side of
the picture. Before beginning, I must declare firmly
that I have no ill-feeling whatever against that
gentleman, and that the love of truth, and the
dislike of all unfair, underhanded actions only
induces me to make the following statement.
About two years ago, when the Rev. H. A. Henry
arrived from London, it was, as I believe,
understood by that gentleman and the congregation of
this city that he should fill the then vacant office
of חזן, he being
recommended as qualified for the same; but when he
got to Cincinnati, he found that “there were two
strings to his bow,” as an election for the
non-vacant office of חזן
in that city was also going on, and he remained
there to await the result. In the mean time, the
congregation here procured the services of the Rev.
B. H. Gotthelf, then חזן
in Philadelphia, and Mr. H. was elected in
Cincinnati. About six months afterwards, Mr. H.
visited this city; and, obtaining permission from S.
Ullman Esq., our late Parnass, as also from our
חזן, read the
service, and delivered a lecture in the Synagogue,
in consequence of which a private committee of some
of our members presented him with a vote of thanks,
which resolutions appeared both in the Asmonean and
your valuable magazine. It is proper for me to
remark here, that, in the lecture delivered by Mr.
H. in the Synagogue on that occasion, he declared
having not the slightest intention of ever becoming
a candidate for the office then and yet held by Mr.
Gotthelf, which remark was received by his audience
with great satisfaction, as a good many entertained
some doubts of his sincerity regarding this point. A
few months afterwards, the gentleman made his
appearance again in this city, canvassing to obtain
a private school, and, I suppose, for a non-vacant
office as lecturer. I say non-vacant office as
lecturer, because there is not, and never was any
office of such a denomination in existence in this
congregation, as we engaged in the person of our
חזן, our lecturer
also; but respecting a school, I believe his
services would have been very acceptable, in
consequence of which his employers in this city
waited most impatiently for his arrival at the
appointed time; but Mr. H. did not come to attend to
his school.
Since that time we did not hear anything farther of
that gentleman concerning us, until last Monday, 4th
inst, when Mr. H. made his appearance again in this
city, and canvassed most vigorously among the
majority of the members of this congregation,
soliciting their support at the coming election for
חזן, promising
them, at the same time, that, if elected, he would
commence a good school. Whether Mr. H. is
dissatisfied with his congregation, or his
congregation with him, is not for us just now to
discuss; suffice it to say, that he has come here
with the avowed purpose to commit that very wrong
you, Mr. Editor, apologise for —; as, although an
election for חזן
every year is constitutional with us still the
office of the same is not declared vacant;
and, in justice to Mr. Gotthelf and his friends
elsewhere, I may add, that a large majority of his
congregation did never <<324>>entertain a thought of
change in his office, and that he has the good-will
and esteem of all his congregators.
Now, Mr. Editor, you may draw your own conclusions;
and I will only repeat what I myself and a great
many others told Mr. Henry openly, that we must
utterly disapprove of such conduct, and that Mr. H.
has no earthly chance to be elected.
Yours, respectfully,
President K. K. Adas Israel
Louisville, Ky, 10th August, 5611 (1851). |
