Reforme

TWELVE SERMONS DELIVERED IN THE NEW TEMPLE OF THE ISRAELITES AT HAMBURGH. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY ANNA MARIA GOLDSMID. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION

1841 · Best.-Nr. 43466 — Charleston S. C.: Levin & Tavel 1841. with no dust jacket. 1st American Edition Original Publisher's Cloth Small 8vo 2 236 pages followed by several unnumbered pages of publisher's advertisements. Singerman 0761 Rosenbach 483. Jacob Rader Marcus the dean of historians of American Jewish history suggests in his work UNITED STATES JEWRY 1776-1985 Detroit 1989 that "The motive that prompted Nathaniel Levin and a Charleston associate to reprint an English translation of the sermons of Gotthold Salomon was apologetic.The book was Twelve Sermons Delivered in the New Temple of the Israelites at Hamburgh. The Hamburg temple in Germany was a liberal Jewish synagog one of the first in Europe. An English translation had been made of the sermons at London in 1839 by Anna Maria Goldsmid the daughter of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid the Anglo-Jewish emancipator and religious liberal. The American reprint appeared two years later. Both editions were intended not only to edify Jews but also to interest and attract non-Jews. It was Levin's hope that these sermons would remove unjust prejudices against the Jew and would present 'the lofty character of the Israelite in its true colors.' A book of this sort would help the Jews put their best foot forward." Interestingly this 1st American edition of Twelve Sermons contains a new preface extolling the religious liberty of America and highlighting the refuge it afforded to the Jews. The new preface is merely signed "L" certainly referring authorship by Isaac Leeser and further supported by the fact that volume is preceded by two pages of advertisements for works by Leeser even though his works had no connection to the Charleston Publisher of this work. That Leeser who would become American Orthodoxy's greatest warrior against the Reform would offer a preface to and advertise his works in a collection of sermons from the breakaway Liberal Hamburg Temple in Germany suggests that he did not yet see the coming threat from the Reform movement. At the time of printing in Charleston Gustavus Poznanski 5 years into his term as rabbi and still somewhat traditional was just starting to make what felt like radical reforms as he "excised the Resurrection of the Dead and abolished the Second day of festivals five years before the same was done at the Breslau conference." America's first Reform import from Germany and it's first synagogue established as Reformed Har Sinai Congregation in Baltimore was still a year away from birth. Indeed the official term "Reform" did even come into use to describe Liberal Judaism except as a general adjective until 1845 even in Germany. Leeser's involvement in this publication merits further study as it is not mentioned in the bibliographies nor in Sussman's comprehensive "Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism." Indeed in the 1840s at the time of this printing "there was a major split in Congregation Beth Elohim which many historians of American Jewish history see as the beginning of the American Reform movement. The conflict began after the introduction of an organ into the synagogue when it was rebuilt following a fire in 1840. The series of conflicts between Reform and Traditionalist elements in Beth Elohim resulted in a complicated dispute between the President who favored Reform and the Board of Trustees which was controlled by the Traditionalists. The President refused to call the Board of Trustees to meet as was required by the synagogue's constitution because he knew they would admit new traditionalist members and obtain control of the congregation. The Board ignored him and met on their own a move which the Reformers challenged in court. The resulting case State v. Ancker has become known as an early example of U. S. Courts refusing to intervene in complex religious questions" Wikipedia. Salomon 1784-1862 was the preacher of the new Reform Hamburg Temple. His "sermons modeled like those of other preachers on Protestant examples were praised by his contemporaries notably H. Heine." Goldsmid 1805-1889 a daughter of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid was a London author poetess translator educator and communal worker JE. Includes bibliographical references. SUBJECTS: Jewish sermons. OCLC: 5001081. OCLC lists 11 copies worldwide. The National Library of Israel keeps their copy in their Rare Collection. Binding split front board detached lacks backstrip foxing to first several leaves Good Condition thus. A scarce and important publication associated with the early beginnings of the Reform movement in Charleston and with Leeser's first years of scholarly output. B KH-9-29A-BDZS--'elx. Charleston, S. C.: Levin & Tavel unknown