Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-18
The American Jews.

In their AnnuGt Tor 1883 the num-
ber of Jews in the United States is
put at 100000, total that seems
small when we consider that they are
scattered throughout the Union and
are of so great power in trade
and finance. The vast majority
OF them, too, have been added to our
population, within the last gener-
alton, the number of Jewish congre-
cations having increased from fifty
six in 1850 to $50 in 1887, with a
membership of more than 10000
families.
Yet the Jews began to settle in
New York as early as 1649, and by
the middle of the next century they
had established themselves in New
port, in Philadelphia and in Charles
ton and Savannah, though they were
nowhere welcomed by the other colo
nists. Maryland granted religious
liberty to Christians only; Pennsyl-
vania required that all of the offices
OF the colony should be fled by pro-
fessed Christians; New England colo
nies and New Jersey, the Carolinas
and Georgia made church attendance
compulsory. Delaware made belief in
the Trinity requisite to holding public
office, and New York refused to Jews
the privilege of voting for colonial
representatives. But after the pas
sage in Virginia, in 1885, of Jeffer-
SON famous" Act to establish religious
freedom," the Jews began to enjoy
liberty of conscience, though even as
late as 1926 North Carolina forbade
the elevation to office of any Jew, and
Maryland sentenced a Jew for having
spoken disrespectfully OF Jesus. In
New Hampshire, too, up to 1877, all
State officers were required to be
Protestants.
pur authority for these facts is Rab-
bi Joseph Krauskopf, who writes in
the JeUs' annual, and who finally re-
fars to the order OF General Grant in
1868, expelling all Jews from his
military department, as "the most
noted act OF intolerance against the
Jews" The same author gives his
tory of the progress OF Jewish reform
in the United States by reason Of
which American Judaism has become
"a distinct religion, as compared with
Judaism elsewhere. That reform cul-
minated in the adoption by a confer
ence of rabbis at Pittsburg
in 1855 OF declaration Of
principles in which only the
moral laws of the Mosaic leg
islation was held as binding, and only
"such ceremonies as elevate aud
sanctify our lives" the others being
rejected as "unadapted to the views
and habits of modern civilization.
The Mosaic and rabbinical laws regul-
ating diet and priestly purity and
dress were set down among those
altogether foreign to our present
mental and spiritual state"; and
the "Messianic hope" OF the Jews
was described as not the re-estab-
lishment of the ancient Jewish State,
under a son of David, and the
renewed separation from the ma
tions, but 'the establishment of the
king lom of truth, justice and peace
among all men," The immortality
of the soul was affirmed, but both
the resurrection of the body and ever
lasting punishment were rejected rs
ideas not rooted in Judaism" At
this conference DIR. Kohler described
the circumcision of adult proselytes
as "a barbarous rite" and at con-
ference held fifteen years before,
among the articles adopted was one
offered by DR.. Wise declaring that
"the circumcision of proselytes as an
act of initiation is not required"
The annual also reports that the
Sabbath schools and confirmation
classes have increased by 10 per cent.
during the last year; that the estab-
lishment of new congregations is
"almost of daily occurrence )" that
there is growing demand for rabbis
Of academic training, and that the
many temples, charitable asylums,
schools and club-houses built and
building show the high moral and re-
ligious development of the race.
Semitic departments have been
added to Columbia College. the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania and Johns
Hopkins University; and though the
Hebrew Union College, or theological
school, will graduate no students in
1888, it expects to graduate ten in
1889. 1t seems that at the beginning
of this year rival theological semin-
airy was started here by the more Or
thodox Israelites, who obtained aid
from the Portuguese congregations
OF New York and Philadelphia, with
the view OF combating the progress
of reformed Judaism but the annual
has no faith in its continued existence
as an orthodox rabbinical institute.
since mo orthodox institution holds
out long among American Israelites."
AS to the movement to bring about
the observance Of Sunday as the Sab
bath, it has amounted to nothing, ac-
cording to this authority, which tells
us that 'the Jew may be Sabbath
breaker. but never Sabbath. changer,
for he never changes a genuine arti-
Gle for a counterfeit" The attempts
at proselyting the Jews it also speaks
of as foolish and hopeless. If the
Israelite ever changes, it says with
truth, he becomes an agnostic and not
a Christian.
Finally, the annual gives list of
more than 200 Jews who hold, or have
held, public office in the United
States. though, of course, it is by no
means complete. Among public Off
GERS elected at the last election in this
city were six Jews-Theodore w.
Myers, Comptroller; Jacob A. Cantor,
Senator; Joseph Blumenthal, Assem-
blyman; Philip Benjamin, Alderman,
and Henry M. Goldfogle and Samson
Lachman, Civil Justices. I'm. Y. Sun.