The Denver Jewish news., 1921-03-02
Mortimer L. Schiff Gives
Valuable Collection
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IL
BRARY ENRICHED BY GIFT OF
ISRAEL SOLOMON'S ANGLO.
JUDAICA.

With the acquisition vi some 1.SOO
books and pamphlets and LOO prints
comprising the Israel Solomons collec-
tions, presented recently by Mortimer
l.. Schiff. the library of the Jewish
Theological Seminary has attained
rank second only to the British Muse
um in regard to Anglo-Judaicu. En-
elusive of this gift, the library con-
tains 6O,37S printed books and palnpli-
lets and 1,S49 manuscripts.
The Solomons collection contains n
wealth of material for the student ill.,
Guiding valuable data on the Jews In
England. The collection is remar-
able, moreover, not only for its con-
tents but also for the condition of the
books and pamphlets. Anglo-Jewisil
history is represented from Il number
of different angles by the booSs just
received. One can follow up the
political developments from the days
of rescttlement (abOut 1861 thru the
Jew bill of 1853 until the final eman
cipation in the middle of the nine
teenth century. Manasseh ben Israel
was the outstanding figure in the
struggle for the right of Jews to re
settle in England. Most of his works
are found in this collection in the
original as well as in translation. II
las the Portuguese Gratulacao to the
Prince of Orange on the occasion of
his visit to the Amsterdam Synagog
In company with Queen Henrietta
Maria of England (1G42), a booklet so
rnre that the former owner inserted
II remark that he knows of no other
copy in England.
Identity of American Indians.
The Hope of Israel, in which the
identity of the American Indians with
tho ten tribes is suggested. is eNtant
in two Spanish issues of 1850. as well
as In Latin, English. Dutch and He
brew translatiOns. 1t has two original
editions of the Humble Addresses sub
:, mitted to Oliver Cromwell In, l1hs. and
several editions and TRANSACTIONS of
his famous defense Of Judaism enti-
tied Vindiciae Judaeorum 1G56). as
well as his various theological works.
Manasseh ben Israers proposals to
Cromwell are reproduced in II number
OF a contemporary newspaper. the Mer-
GURUS Politicus, and the proceedings
of the Whitehall Conference called by
Cromwell to consider the matter are
described by Henry Jessey (1655). OF
the various discussions favOring and
opposing resettlement. the very learned
objections of Prynne in his Short De-
murrer are particularly noteworthy,
since the text he quotes served for
long time as the main sources for the
history of the Jews in England of the
prc-expulsion period.
A century later I753) n first effort
toward the emancipation of the Jews
was made. The SOlomons collection
Is particularly rich in books ana
pamphlets dealing with this move
ment, as well as with its various de-
yelopments down to the nineteenth
century. OF about eighty-five tracts
discussing the Jew bill of 1853, for eX-
ample the collection has no less than
fifty.
The Solomons library has an equally
valuable body of literature dealing
with the inner life of English Jewry
If has some very rare ephemeral pub
LEGATIONS about the movement orig
mated by Shabbetai Zebi and his
prophet. Nathan GAIA. The sermon OF
David Nicto about divine providence
which caused the charge of pantheism
to be brought against him, and the de.
cision of Nathan Zebi freeing him
from these aspersions are found here
His philosophic work, the Second
KuZari, is included in all the differ
ont editions. His writings against the
inouisition as we'll us his bitter at.
tncks upon Nehemiah Haydn. fol-
lower of Shabbetai Zebi, are includ-
ed.
The Solomons collection is not Ell
tirely limited to Anglo-]cwish history.
It contains the exceedingly rare books
of ThorOwgOod and L'Estrange on thu
question whether the American In
,linns were or were not Jews. The
collection includes about seventy works
in Judeo- Spanish printed in Latin
characters which bring the Seminary :
collection of such books up to 123.
While the books and pamphlets of
the Solomons collection readily fit in
with the various collections of the
library, the pictures add an entirely
new division. Like the books, tn
pictures help to illustrate Anglo-.Iew-
ish history in its various aspects. 1t
includes snlendid printS of all the