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בס"ד

New School in Charleston.

Charleston, May 6th, 1844.

To the Editor of the Occident.

It is a source of much pleasure to me, and it will no doubt be gratifying to yourself and the readers of your valuable periodical, to learn of the establishment of a school for instructing Jewish youth of both sexes in the faith, principles and ceremonial of our holy religion. This sacred and laudable undertaking emanates from the mothers and daughters of Israel who are opposed to the innovations lately established in this congregation, and whose zeal and energies will be actively employed in impressing upon the tender minds of their pupils the orthodox tenets of our religion which have been transmitted to us unimpaired through a succession of ages, and hallowed not only from their Divine origin and the lapse of time, but from the sufferings and persecutions our people endured to defend and sustain them. To expand the usefulness of this institution they have engrafted upon it a charitable society, thus blending, with the imperishable truths they will disseminate the active principles or charity and benevolence. It is ever thus with woman—and peculiarly so with the daughters of Israel, who are more deeply imbued with the true spirit of our religion than the "sterner sex," and are (as this Society will prove) the Guardians of its Faith and the ministering angels of its divine precepts.

At an adjourned meeting which took place yesterday, there were more than sixty names of Jewish ladies enrolled as members—a Constitu­tion and By-Laws were adopted for the good government of the Society. A large fund has been created, and donations are daily received. The name of the Society is חברה למודי תורת ישראל or "Society for the Instruction of Jewish Doctrine."

Its officers are—Miss Henrietta Hart, President; Mrs. Mary Hirsch, Vice President; Miss P. Valentine, Secretary and Treasurer; Mrs. S. Woolf, Mrs. M. Loovis, Mrs. Mary Levin, Mrs. S. A. Benjamin, Mrs. N. A. Cohen, Trustees; Mrs. P. Lopez, Mrs. Isabella Moses, Mrs. J. J. Josephs, Mrs. M. Davis, Mrs. R. Moses, Committee Benevolence.

The teachers who have volunteered their services to teach this year, but who will hereafter be regularly elected are, Miss Priscilla Tobias, Miss Rachel Alexander, Miss R. Zechariah, Miss Amelia Nathans, and Miss Eleanor Cohen. The scholars number now over sixty, and are divided into six classes, and will commence their studies next Sunday. The books are the same as those used in the school in Philadelphia. I have thus endeavoured to give you a brief outline of the establishment of this excellent school. If we allow our minds to dwell for a moment upon the future beneficial results it will exercise, not only upon its immediate recipients, but the community at large—if ­we reflect upon its ultimate consequences—the lessons of Divine wisdom it will inculcate, the training of the child to know its duty to Gds, its neighbour, and itself, and act in conformity with that duty—the moral principles it will disseminate—the formation of that religious germ which will bloom and expand in after life and bring forth imperishable fruit—an offering most acceptable to God: you as well as your readers will join with me in offering a sincere prayer to the God of our fathers for its increase in prosperity and usefulness, and in wishing it a hearty "God speed."

L.