Sketches of Anglo-Jewish history

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SKETCHES

ANGLO-JEWISH HISTORY.

SKETCHES

ANGLO-JEWISH HISTORY.

JAMES PICCIOTTO.

LONDON:
TUUBNEE & CO., LUDGATE HILL.

1875.
[All riyhts reserved.]

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY
EDINBURGH AND LONDON

SIE MOSES MONT

&C. t&C. &C.
THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY

IBetitcateti

AS A HUMBLE TRIBUTE OF ADMIRATION AND VENERATION
FOR HIS UNIVERSAL AND HEROIC CHAMPIONSHIP

, . OF THE JEWISH CAUSE,

FOR HIS PURE AND LOFTY PHILANTHROPY, AND
FOR HIS- UNIVERSAL BENEVOLENCE,

BY THE AUTHOR.

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PREFACE.

IT is singular that few enlightened and wealthy communities
know so little of their own early history, as the Jews of
Great Britain. Yet few races indeed present more vicissitudes
for description, or possess records offering a more interesting
and extended field for investigation. Perhaps the mart,
the exchange, the counting-house, may have absorbed, in
former times, and under especial circumstances, energies
which, if directed to literary pursuits, would have de-
served and commanded success. Certain it is that no
chronicler -has narrated the earlier struggles of the Jews
when they returned to these isles after centuries of
banishment, and no writer has attempted to depict
the gradual rise and progress of the Jewish community in
London. Nay, the archives of the older Synagogues, which
are treasures of curious information, remained until the
present time buried in obscurity, their very existence being
scarcely known. Some few of the elder officials had a glim-
mering of their contents, but to the vast majority of even
the Jews themselves these books were as hidden and impene-
trable as the Vedas or the Zend Avesta. In addition to being
jealously guarded, they were written in the Spanish and Por-
tuguese languages, or in the Jewish-German dialect, which
rendered them thus necessarily understood but by few. The
author has had the privilege of being permitted not only to

vi PREFACE.

in

Aspect these valuable registers, but to study them closely,
with the kind assistance of the Synagogue officials ; and
months have been devoted to this labour. At the same time,
he made continuous and diligent researches in all quarters
where information on the subject that engrossed his attention
was likely to be obtained. Libraries, public and private, were
ransacked; friends good-naturedly unlocked ancient memories
of past events on his behalf, and placed the correspondence
of departed relatives at his disposal ; eminent members of the
Jewish community volunteered valuable information. Great
care has been exercised to ensure accuracy; and it has been
sought, so far as practicable, to obtain a confirmation of all
statements and communications before any fact has been held
out to the public as authentic.

The result of the labours of the author appeared in
print in the Jewish Chronicle, in a series of papers entitled
" Sketches of Anglo-Jewish History." As these papers
were written pari passu with the progress of the researches,
they necessarily bear the character of journalistic essays,
rather than of a complete history. Whilst, therefore, the
work in question does not aspire to rank as a regular
history, the author claims to be the first Israelite who has
given a full and connected account of the vicissitudes passed
through by the Jews of Great Britain, from the days of the
Saxon kings until the middle of the present century. He
also claims to have brought to light a mass of original in-
formation, the very existence of which was all but unsus-
pected. These papers, therefore, must prove of greater
interest to Jews than to Christians. But though they were
written by a Jew for Jews, the author trusts that Christians,
whose faith was founded by members of the Jewish race, will
find in these chapters, in addition to that which is entirely new,
much that may be of interest also to them. He hopes that as
Christians learn to know better, they will also learn to like

PREFACE. vii

and appreciate better, Englishmen of the Jewish faith, whose
inner life has unreservedly been laid open before them ; and
that the former may look with a less prejudiced eye on the
foibles of the latter. He trusts that Christians may respect
and esteem the many good qualities which their Jewish fellow-
countrymen possess, sympathise with them in their struggles
to elevate themselves, and heartily stretch forth to them the
hand of friendship.

The writer, by permission of the late Editor of the Jewish
Chronicle, now offers " The Sketches of Anglo-Jewish
History" to the public in a separate form. These articles
have been carefully revised, facts re-arranged in a closer
chronological order, important additions made, errors recti-
fied, and the general utility of the work has been consider-
ably enhanced.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAOM

INTRODUCTION ...... 1

I. THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND . . . 2;>

II. THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON ... 32

III. STRUGGLES AXD SUCCESSES— KING CHARLES II. AND THE

JEWS ....... 3!)

IV. THE ALIEN DUTIES . . ... .46

V. ANECDOTES — CONVERSIONS — LEARNED RABBIS — NEW

SYNAGOGUES ...... 52

VI. HEBREW CAPITALISTS ..... 58

VII. SPECIAL LEGISLATION — JEWISH LOYALTY — CONTINUED

PREJUDICES — ENEMIES AND FRIENDS . . 65

VIII. COMMUNAL CHARITIES — INTERNAL LEGISLATION . . 74

IX. THE NATURALISATION BILL OF 1753 ... 80

X. REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL — LITERATURE OF

THE BILL ...... 86

XI. POSITION OF THE JEWS — BARON DJAGUILAR . . 92

XII. JEWISH MARRIAGES . . . . . 100

XIII. ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES . . .113

XIV. THE HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES OF THE BRITISH JEWS . 122
XV. THE EARLY DAYS OF THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE . . 132

XVI. PROGRESS OF GERMAN CONGREGATIONS . . .138

XVII. CONVERSIONS — JEWISH LITERATURE — THE GREAT SYNA-

GOGUE AGAIN ...... 143

XVIII. THE PORTUGUESE JEWS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY . 149

x CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGE

XIX. AGAIN WITH THE PORTUGUESE JEWS . . 157

XX. JOSEPH SALVADOR — HONORARY OFFICES AMONG THE

PORTUGUESE JEWS . . . 161

XXI. SWEDEN AND THE JEWS — PORTUGUESE RELIGIOUS AND

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS — DR KENNICOTT . 167

XXII. CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES — THE JEWS OF PORTUGAL —

JEWISH OFFENDERS — THE JEWS AND THE LORD
MAYOR ....... 175

XXIII. A NOBLE PROSELYTE ... .183

XXIV. A NEW IMMIGRATION-— ECCLESIASTICAL LOSSES AND OFFI-

CIAL CHANGES— CEMETERIES AND BODY-SNATCHING 190

XXV. CONVERSIONS ...... 196

XXVI. THE PURIM RIOTS — THE BERNAL FAMILY . . 205

XXVII. SAMUEL MENDOZA — THE SHECHITA — SYNAGOGUE DIFFER-
ENCES ....... 212

XXVIII. THE RICARDO FAMILY — THE ALIEN BILL — SYNAGOGUE

FINANCE . . . . . .' 219

XXIX. SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS — TWO JEWISH WORTHIER . . 225

XXX. FRIENDS AND VINDICATORS OF THE JEWS . * . 234

XXXI. 'CON VERSIONIST ATTEMPTS — PRIVILEGE OF PRISONERS —

THE JEWS' HOSPITAL — A BAAL SHEM . . . 241
XXXII. THE GOLDSMID FAMILY . . . . . 249
XXXIII. A SCHEME FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE POOR 257
XXXIV. THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE IN THE NINEETENTH CENTURY . 264
XXXV. THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE IN THE NINETEENTH CEN-
TURY . ... 270
XXXVI. JEWISH VOLUNTEERS— WRITERS ON THE JEWS . . 276

XXXVII. RISE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY — THE DUKE OF SUSSEX A

WEDDING AND A MURDER — A NOBLE-HEARTED JEW . 283
XXXVIII. THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHARITY— THE LAWS OF THE
GREAT SYNAGOGUE— UNION OF THE CITY ASHKENAZIM

CONGREGATIONS— IRREGULAR MARRIAGES . . 289

xxxix. ISAAC D'ISRAELI AND HIS FAMILY 295

XL. J. KING AND JEWISH WORSHIP— SIR MAURICE XIMENES—

MORDECAI RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ . . 302

CONTENTS. xi

CHAP. PAG K

XLI. A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAHAM .... 307

XLII. JEWISH WORTHIES — THE REV. SOLOMON LYON — EMMA

LYON— MICHAEL JOSEPHS — ARTHUR LUMLEY DAVIDS 313

XLIII. THE JEWS IN HAMBURG AND IN LISBON — THE SHAARE
TICVA SCHOOL — AN UNLAWFUL MINYAN — GIFTS TO
THE SEPHARDI SYNAGOGUE . . . .319

XLIV. MOVEMENTS IN THE PORTUGUESE CONGREGATION —
PARTIES IN THAT COMMUNITY — PROGRESS OF THE

SEPHARDIM — SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE . . 325

XLV. NEW A8HKENAZI INSTITUTIONS — SYNAGOGUE LIBERALITY 332

XLVI. TESTIMONIAL TO SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE — SYNAGOGUE

IMPROVEMENTS ..... 338

XLVII. SIMON SOLOMON — ISAAC GOMES SERRA — ABRAHAM

MONTEFIORE — NATHAN MEYER ROTHSCHILD . . 341

XLV1II. BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST — MISSION OF SIR MOSES

MONTEFIORE ...... 347

XLIX. SOME MORE JEWISH AUTHORS .... 359

L. THE REFORM MOVEMENT ..... 367

LI. THE WEST LONDON CONGREGATION OF BRITISH JEWS . 374

LII. THE CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS OF THE JEWS . . 386

LIII. REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES . . . 394

LIV. THE JEWISH PRESS ..... 402

LV. CONCLUSION . . . . . .410

LIST OF AUTHORITIES AND SOURCES WHENCE THE FACTS AND IN-
FORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS WORK HAVE BEEN GATHERED 415-

INDEX . 417

SKETCHES

ANGLO-JEWISH HISTORY.

INTRODUCTION.

. ' <

THE early history of the Jews in this country is necessarily
obscure and uncertain.

It has been surmised that the ancient Jews traded with the
ancient Britons, and that the former visited and even dwelt
in this island. This is pure speculation. Leaving on one
side legendary times, we find the presence of Jews in Eng-
land under the Saxon Kings fully attested. The first mention
made of the Jews in any document connected with English
history, is found in the canons of Ecbright, Archbishop of
York, which contain an ordinance that no Christian shall
presume to eat with a Jew or shall judaise, whatever that
may have meant. These canons were issued in the year 740
or 750 C.E., for the government of the province of York. We
see therefrom that not only there were Jews in England at
that period, but that they were deemed of sufficient import-
ance for the ruling powers to warn the guileless Christians
against their seductions.

It is related in the history of Croyland Abbey that in 833
Whitglaff, King of the Mercians, having been defeated by
Egbert, took refuge in that Abbey, and in return for the pro-
tection and assistance received, he granted a charter to the
monks of Croyland, confirming to them all lands, tenements
and gifts bestowed upon them by his predecessors and their
nobles, by Christians and by Jews. It is asserted that the

A

2 INTRODUCTION.

Jews were banished from England at the beginning of the
eleventh century and that they returned with William the
Conqueror. This statement has not been satisfactorily
proved; but certainly many Jews settled in this country
under his reign. He encouraged their immigration from
Rouen ; and he appointed a city, the name of which has not
been preserved, for their residence in England. Numerous
Jews subsequently took up their abode at Oxford. They be-
came possessed of most of the houses in the parishes of St
Edward and St Aldate there, which were from this circum-
stance called Great and Little Jewries. They also erected a
Synagogue. Some of their houses being frequented by
scholars for purposes of instruction, in course of time they
came to be distinguished by the name of halls, as Moyse's
Hall, Jacob's Hall, and Lombard's Hall.

Under William the Conqueror, William Rufus, and Henry
I., the Jews were well treated, and increased in numbers and
in .wealth. It is astonishing what sums of money, enormous
for those days, the Jews commanded. William Rufus, who
was far from being a devout Catholic, especially befriended
them. He even shocked the feelings of the -enlightened
populations of the day, by holding public intercourse with
the enemies of Christ. He ordered a theological contest to
take place in London between Christian bishops and Jewish
rabbis, and he swore by the face of St Luke that if the rab-
bis conquered, he would become a Jew. The controversy was
carried on in fear and trembling by the bishops, but happily
the Jews were covered with confusion. At least so say
Christian historians. The reader may perhaps remember
the answer of the lion, when a man showed him the figure of
a brother lion subjugated by a hunter. It is you who have
painted the picture, the Jews may truly say to the Christians.
Indeed the Jews had the audacity of alleging that the sup-
posed victory had. been won by fraud, and that in reality they
had themselves obtained the best of the argument.

Rufus was not in good odour with the Church, and he was
looked upon as little better than a Jew. He promised the
Israelites, of course for a "consideration," not to permit any
of their body to embrace Christianity. A certain Israelite
offered the King 60 marks to induce his son Stephen, who

INTR OD UCTION. 3

had abjured the paternal faith, to revert to Judaism. Said
the King to the youth : " Get thee hence quickly and obey,
or by St Luke's face I will cause thine eyes to be plucked out
of thine head." The bold youth, instead of obeying the im-
perious monarch, reproved him for not being a good Chris-
tian, and insisted on following his new religion ; upon which,
it is said, the King allowed him to depart, returning to the
father one-half the sum paid. Rufus gave the priests still
greater offence by not filling up bishoprics as they became
vacant. He retained in his own hands the incomes of the
empty sees, which were sold to the highest bidders. Mean-
while the benefices were farmed out to Jews. It appears that
the latter were making great progress and even gaining pro-
selytes. The Church, alarmed at the ground won by the Jews
among Christians under the reign of Henry I., sent monks to
preach against the Israelites in various cities. At this period
the latter had only one burying ground in all England, and
thither they were constrained to carry their dead from all
parts of the country. It was called Jews' Garden, and was
situated in St Giles', Cripplegate, on the spot occupied by
the present Jewin Street in London.

The tranquillity and protection enjoyed by the Jews under
the first three Kiiigs after the Conquest, soon came to an end.
Their hopes of enjoying a permanent and safe asylum in Eng-
land were frustrated. Their persecutions began, and increased
in proportion to their wealth. Enormous taxes and contri-
butions were laid upon them, and their payment was enforced
by cruel outrages and unendurable bodily torture. Crimes of
every kind, the most absurd and the most groundless, were
laid to their charge, and were eagerly believed by an ignorant
and fanatical population. Riots were excited against them
on the most frivolous pretence, or without any at all. Their
houses were periodically pillaged and burnt, and they them-
selves outraged and murdered. The history of the Jews of
those days presents an almost uninterrupted record of deeds
of blood and rapine, perpetrated too often in the name of re-
ligion, by the followers of a creed which theoretically preaches
charity and love to all men. In the ninth year of Stephen,
the Jews for the first time were accused of the crime of cruci-
fying a child at Norwich. The reason alleged for the sup-

4 INTR OD UCTJON.

posed deed was that it was intended in derision of the
crucifixion of Christ. Similar atrocities were attributed to
the Jews at Gloucester and at St Edmondsbmy. One of the
imaginary victims was canonised, and his tomb became a seat
of miracles as active as the shrine of our Lady at Lourdes.
Other charges at random were laid at the door of the Jews.

One day the complaint was that they had advanced money
to some adventurers who proceeded to Ireland against the
King's orders. Another time it was that they had received
in pledge some of the holy vessels in the church of St
Edmondsbury. At each accusation treasure was squeezed
from the unhappy Jews. There was method in the madness
of their persecutors, for the offences of the Jews were never
detected unless the King's coffers were manifestly empty. At
one time Henry II. extorted a large sum from them, banish-
ing those who did not comply with his requests. On a sub-
sequent occasion a tallage of a fourth part of their goods was
levied from them. "When funds were required for the King's
journey to the Holy Land, an especial tax was raised for the
purpose. The whole population of the kingdom was assessed
at £70,000, while the share of the Jews amounted to £30,000
according to some authorities, or to £60,000 according to
others. Individual Jews too were heavily fined. One Jur-
nett, a Jew of Norwich, was mulcted at different periods in
the then very considerable sum of 7525 marks. During this
reign the Jews were permitted to purchase ground for ceme-
teries outside all the cities in which they dwelt.

The accession of Richard I. to the throne was celebrated
by wholesale massacres of the Jews. The King, of whom
England is so proud, was a zealous Christian, and he enter-
tained a proper hatred against the Jews. He issued a
proclamation forbidding any Jews to enter the palace at
Westminster during the coronation. The Jews augured ill
from this beginning ; and to endeavour to soften the King's
heart, some of their principal men gathered from various
parts of the country. Attired with brave apparel and
loaded with rich gifts, they ventured to approach the gates
to wait for the arrival of Richard. The crowd behind,
swaying and surging in its excitement, pushed the Jews
within the prohibited precincts. The attendants forcibly

INTR OD UCTION. 5

dragged forth the hapless suppliants, and showered heavy
blows on their devoted heads. The mob beset them, fell upon
them, -wounded some and killed others. A report was now
raised that the King had ordered all the Jews to be put to
death for disobedience to his commands. The populace be-
gan their work of destruction. The Jews were maltreated
and killed. Their houses were found to contain immense
wealth behind plain exteriors, and they were plundered and
burnt. The children of Israel had thriven notwithstanding
all ill-usage, and their silver had proved inexhaustible, like
the oil of the Shunammite. After numerous Jews had perished
with their families by sword and by fire, the King despatched
Eanulf de Granville, Lord High Steward, with some of the
chief nobility, to quell the riot. The mob paid no attention
to the King's representatives. A considerable force was
sent to the city next day, when the work of destruc-
tion had been completed, and after the blood of Jews had
flowed in torrents. Killing was no murder in those days as
far as Jews were concerned. Some of the rioters were appre-
hended, but it was not considered worth' while to punish
them, for their victims had only been Jews. Three men
were hanged, one because he had robbed a Christian dwelling,
and the other two because by setting fire to the house of a
Jew, they had endangered the safety of the neighbouring
Christian habitations. A few Jews had sacrificed their faith
to save their lives. A certain Benedict who had submitted to
baptism, prayed the King to be permitted to return to his
former creed since he had acted on compulsion. The King re-
ferred the question to Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury,
who with blunt good sense exclaimed : " Why, if he is not
willing to become a servant of God, he must even remain a
servant of the devil." Benedict, however, soon afterwards
died from the effects of the ill-treatment he had suffered.

The example of London was sooner or later imitated by
several country towns. Wherever intending crusaders ap-
peared, the Jews fell victims to popular fury. Fierce soldiers
and fanatic monks who had taken up the cross, preached
against the Jews. Autos da fo were performed at Norwich,
Stamford, St Edmondsbury, Dunstable, Lynn, and York.
Cries of <; Death to the Jews " rang throughout the length

6 INTR OD UCTION.

and breadth of the land. At York especially a fearful tragedy
was perpetrated. The mob began as usual to follow their
pastime of plundering and burning Jewish houses. The dwel-
ling of Benedict, who had already succumbed in London, and
who was a native of York, was sacked and destroyed, and
his widow, children, and numerous relatives were slaughtered
like wild beasts. The popular frenzy increased, and the Jews,
with their portable treasures, took refuge in York Castle.
They had reason to suspect that the governor was secretly
plotting for their surrender, and that a considerable part of
the booty was to be the price of his treachery. During the
temporary absence of the governor, the Jews closed the gates
against him. The sheriff of the county happened to be at
York with a number of armed men. It was represented that
the Jews had perpetrated an insult on the King's authority.
The sheriff was persuaded by the governor, and an order for
the attack was given. The mob joined the soldiers in the
onslaught. "When the sheriff perceived the mad fury of the
mob and the storm he had raised, he repented the order, and
publicly revoked it. It was in vain. The rabble could not
be refrained. The Church joined in the assault. " Destroy
the enemies of Christ ! Destroy the enemies of Christ ! ' •
shouted a canon of the Prremonstratensian Order, as he
rushed to the front rank of the assailants. Daily the priest
was at his post, until a stone rolled from the battlements
over his head and silenced his zeal for ever. The Jews
fought with desperate valour. They offered large sums of
money for their lives, and for once Jewish precious metal was
refused. When they saw their inevitable doom staring them
in the face, a council was called. A rabbi, a man of great
learning, asked whether it was not better for the children of
Israel to render up their souls voluntarily to their Maker,
than to submit to the tortures to be inflicted by their enemies.
Those who were not willing might leave. With few excep-
tions the assembly assented. To find a parallel for such
conduct, we must refer back to the days of the siege of
Jerusalem. Every head of a family cut the throat of his wife
and children, and then cut his own. The survivors threw the
dead bodies over the heads of their enemies. They then burnt
their apparel, cast their treasures into the sinks, and set

INTR OD UCTION. 7

fire to the castle. The rabbi was left to the place of honour.
He killed Joachim or Jacinus, one of the principal Jews of
York. Joachim was a friend of Benedict, with whom he
had been to London, and he had narrowly escaped from death
during the massacre of the Jews in the capital. The rabbi
then met death at his own hands. The few remaining Jews
ran to and fro on the battlements amidst the flames, beseeching

* o

for their lives, and offering to receive baptism. Their terms
were accepted, but no sooner were the assailants admitted
within the gates, than the poor wretches inside were all slain.

The King sent directions to his chancellor, the Bishop of
Ely, to inquire into the matter, and to punish the offenders.
These as usual escaped, some having fled to Scotland, others
pursuing their journey to the Holy Land, while those who
were captured were released on their own recognisances. The
governor of the castle was deprived of his office, and the
principal inhabitants of York paid a fine to the King. These
were the only penalties inflicted for a barbarous outrage that
cost the lives of 1500 peaceable individuals, whose only crime
was that they belonged to that race whence had sprung the
founder of Christianity !

Richard I. on his return from Palestine took the affairs of
the Jews into his own hands. They became subjected to
certain special regulations, and were to be regarded as private
property of the Crown. The King appointed itinerant Justices
to make inquiries into all the disturbances that had broken
out in his absence. They were to take an account of the
property that had been stolen from the Jews, and also of the
debts owing to all members of the community on mortgage or
otherwise. In the same year were passed decrees for the
registration of all the estates and possessions of the Jews. No
bond was to be valid unless executed in the presence of two
Jewish lawyers, two Christian lawyers, and two notaries.
Special Justices were also instituted for the Jewish Exchequer,
Scaccarium Judceorum. Their office seems to have consisted
not only in collecting the funds payable by Jews to the na-
tional Exchequer, but in trying actions at law wherein a Jew
was concerned. Originally the office was entrusted to Jews,
and in the great Roll of the tenth year of Richard I. we find
that Benedictus de Talemunt and Josephus Aaron, two Jews,

8 INTR OD UCTION.

were termed Justiciarum Judceorum. Subsequently, Jews and
Christians were employed conjointly, but often Christians
alone. Their annual salary was fixed at forty marks, which
was the sum enjoyed by the barons, though doubtless their
perquisites were considerable.

The bonds or contracts between Jew and Christian were
called Starrs, from the Rabbinical Hebrew term Shetar, which
signifies a contract. Three copies were usually made of these
securities, one of which was deposited with the creditor, one
with a magistrate, and the third with a person of note. The
term Star Chamber, subsequently given to a court of law, is
probably derived from the name of the apartment where thesf
Starrs were deposited for safe keeping.

The foreign commerce of the Jews acquired considerable
importance under the reign of Henry II., and enabled them
to amass wealth, notwithstanding the periodical and syste-
matic spoliation which they underwent. The Jews were the
first to introduce into this country the use of bills of exchange.
It was not only in trade that the Jews surpassed the Chris-
tians. The former constituted the most enlightened portion
of the population of Europe. They were the principal factors
of civilisation. No educated classes existed in those days.
The priesthood, with a few honorable exceptions, were steeped
in fanaticism and ignorance. The higher classes consisted of
amiable and indolent bullies, who, under the pretence of
redressing wrongs, wandered about Europe, leading a very
questionable existence unden the title of knight-errants, and
of robbers who, rejoicing in the names of earls and barons,
enriched themselves by preying upon their weaker neighbours.
The little learning that was found in the world dwelt mostly
among the Jews and the Moors. The Jews in Spain held
the principal chairs of mathematics in the Mahomedan Uni-
versities of Cordova and Seville. The Jews of that country
were pre-eminent in all the sciences then known, and their
brethren abroad drank also freely from the tree of knowledge.
Jews taught geometry, logic, and philosophy in the Univer-
sities of Oxford and of Paris. They instituted schools or
colleges in London, York, Lincoln, Oxford, Cambridge and
Korwich ; and thither flocked Jew and Gentile to hear dis-
tinguished rabbis expound the principles of arithmetic, of

INTRODUCTION, g

Hebrew, of Arabic and of medicine. The celebrated Aben
Ezra visited England, it is believed, in 4919 A.M., or 1159 C.E.,
and here he delivered some lectures and wrote two works in
Hebrew. The skill of Jews as physicians in the dark ages
has often been mentioned. King, baron and knight, were
glad to summon them to their side when sick or wounded.
The Jewish leech, by the numerous cures eifected through his
superior attainments, excited the envy and animosity of the
monks who professed to restore health through the aid of relics.
The Jews, it was rumoured, were acquainted with cabbalistic
secrets and with ungodly sciences ; their cures were carried
out by incantation and witchcraft, and in time the Jews to
their other virtues added that of being sorcerers.

It is probable that John Lackland before his accession to
the throne of England had had many dealings with the Jews.
He was accustomed to " borrow " from them, and he knew
full well their financial value. He was afraid lest they
should take alarm at the persecutions of his predecessors, and
betake themselves to other lands, with their gold and their
silver and their precious jewels. Whether John laid a crafty
plan to entice Jews into this country, and then wring from
them their hard-earned treasures ; or whether at first he really
did mean well towards them, and then his weak vacillating
nature was moved to cruelty by stern necessity, we are un-
able to say. Certain it is that in the beginning of his reign
he appeared determined to win their confidence and to attract
foreign settlers to these shores. He seemed to heap favours
upon them. He gave them the right of electing a presbyter
or high priest, or in other words a chief rabbi. When a
certain Jacobus or Rabbi Jacob was appointed to the office,
the King gave him a patent with a safe conduct, in which he
addressed the rabbi in affectionate terms and styled him dilec-
tus et familiaris noster. The King in the second year of his
reign also signed two charters, one extending to the Jews of
England alone, and the other comprising those of Normandy.
The Jews might dwell freely and honorably where they
chose. They might hold lauds and be entitled to all their
privileges as in the time of Henry II. If a Jew died the
King would not disturb his possessions, provided he had heirs
who could answer for his debts and forfeitures. The oath of

i o INTR OD UCTION.

a Jewish witness was to be as valid as that of a Christian
witness. Actions at law, where Jewish interests were at-
tacked, were to be tried before a jury of Jews. All the King's
subjects were bidden to defend the Jews and their chattels as
the property of the King. The Israelites paid the King for
these privileges a sum of 4000 marks. When in the fifth
year of his reign the citizens of London heaped indignities
on the heads of the Jews, John sent a sharp reprimand to
the Mayor, in which he stated that he attributed the late out-
rages to the fools and not to the wise men of the city, and he
ended by placing the Jews under the Mayor's protection.

These measures of conciliation had the desired effect. Jews
came over from the continent, and relying on the King's favour,
applied themselves to the pursuit of wealth. True, their
position was insecure, and the people scowled at them with
hatred and jealousy. But they looked upon the promises of
the King as their safeguard, and they were tolerably easy. A
sudden change came over John. He met opposition on every
side, and here were subjects for whom no one would lift up a
finger. The Jews became his victims. If formerly they
were scourged with whips, now they were scourged with
scorpions. A tallage of 66,000 marks was laid upon them,
which was an immense sum for those days. Nearly every
Jew, man, woman, or child, was dragged to jail and put to
torture. Estates were confiscated, and barbarous torments
were employed in dragging forth from them the secrets of
their wealth. In a great many instances the victims were
deprived of an eye. Abraham was the name of the unhappy
Jew of Bristol, who lost one tooth a day by refusing to give
up the sum demanded, until seven teeth having been torn
from his aching jaw, he saved his one remaining molar by
paying a ransom of 10,000 marks. Again and again John
extorted money from the Jews, and when he was unable to
reach them they were pillaged by the barons. The King
plundered the Jews because they were his property. The
barons robbed them because they were the property of their
enemy the King. The warriors of the Magna Charta under-
stood so little the commonest principles of freedom, that
whilst they were in London to collect their forces they sacked
the houses of the Jews, and after carrying away all their

INTR OD UCTION. i x

portable valuables they rased these dwellings to the ground,
and took away the stones to strengthen the city walls.

A favourite practice of King John had been to grant any
habitation or property belonging to a Jew, and by him
tenanted, to some minion of his, as it suited his whim or his
interest. For any man may give away his own, and the
Jews were only chattels of the Crown. However, the rights
of the King as derived from Jewish claims, pressed too
heavily on the debtors, and when the Great Charter was
signed, two clauses were introduced regulating these ques-
tions. If a man died indebted to a Jew, the latter was to
receive no interest until the heir became of age. The wife
was to attain her dower, and Uie children their mainten-
ance ; and the debt was to be liquidated from the residue
of the estate. Altogether the power of the creditor was
sensibly diminished.

Happier days for the Jews seemed to break in the early
days of the reign of Henry III. .The Earl of Pembroke, and
afterwards his successor Hubert de Burgh, administered the
kingdom for the Royal Minor with fairness and impartiality.
The Jews were treated as members of a common humanity,
and not as wild beasts to be hunted down and killed. Mea-
sures were adopted for their especial safety. Those who were con-
fined in prison were released. In each town where Jews lived
twenty-four burgesses were chosen to protect their persons and
property. The Israelites were exempted from the jurisdiction
of the ecclesiastical courts. The old Justices in the Exchequer
were dismissed for corruption, and others supposed to be more
immaculate were appointed. Finally, and that was a ques-
tionable measure, the Jews were ordered to wear a special
badge over their attire, consisting of two broad slips of linen
or parchment affixed to their breasts. This cannot be con-
sidered otherwise than as a mark of degradation. The reason
alleged for the regulation was that the Jews might be recog-
nised without difficulty, so that there should be no pretext for
their ill-usage.

Once more the Jews were encouraged by good treatment to
immigrate into this country. As we have said, the Jews un-
derstood the elements of trade better than their Christian
neighbours. By means of their superior knowledge, and by

1 2 INTR OD UCTION.

their correspondence with their brethren in all the then known
parts of the globe, the former were enabled to undersell 'the
latter. The Christian followed the dictates of his pocket rather
than those of his conscience, and preferred purchasing from
the Jewish merchant any commodities he might need rather
than from his fellow-believer. The Jews by the operation of
this and other causes gathered fresh enemies. Hatred, jea-
lousy, fanaticism and ignorance surrounded them on all sides.
Some of their coreligionists were imprisoned on their landing
in England, by the Warden of the Cinque Ports, and their
effects were pillaged. They were eventually released by order
of the court upon consenting to enter their names upon the
Rolls of the Justices of the Jews, and not to depart the coun-
try without permission. The ecclesiastical authorities took
umbrage at the countenance given by government to the Jews.
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Hugh of
"Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, issued an order prohibiting Chris-
tians to buy from Jews, or to sell them provisions, or to hold
communication with them, the latter being excornmunicated/or
their infidelity and usury. The Jews were not cultivators of
the soil ; they did not grow corn or oats, and had these man-
dates been strictly obeyed they must needs have met with the
fate of Count Ugoliuo. There are indeed on record several
instances of Jewish families who dragged themselves about
the country, vainly applying for food, until one by one the
wretched children of Israel sank and perished from absolute
starvation. Happily all Christians did not implicitly follow
these inhuman injunctions. In the majority of instances
provisions were supplied to the Jews for love or money ; pro-
bably for money rather than for love. Meanwhile they applied
to the crown for relief; and directions were dispatched to the
sheriffs of the different counties and cities to prevent the
prohibitions in question from being enforced.

Seven, years afterward a change occurred in the direction of
affairs. The tolerance extended to Jews was changed for ex-

O

action and oppression. Their wealth offered too great a temp-
tation to a needy King. All their actions were distorted into
crimes; even their suing a religious corporation on its bond
was alleged as an offence, and led to an accusation of forgery
against the Jews. In. the year 1230 they were constrained to

INTR OD UCTION. 1 3

give up to the crown one-third part of their movables. The
King generously gave them permission to build a Synagogue.
A magnificent fane was erected. As soon as completed, it
was seized and granted to the brothers of St Anthony of Vienna
to be converted into a church, which was annexed by Edward
IV. to "Windsor College. At a subsequent period, another Syna-
gogue was appropriated by the Friars Penitent, and turned
into a chapel. Scarce a year was allowed to pass without taxes
to a grievous amount being extorted. The King was continually
in want of funds to celebrate a marriage in his family, to un-
dertake a journey, or to discharge a debt. "Whenever any royal
festivities gladdened the land, it was the Jews who paid the
piper. The taxes against them were enforced by imprisonment,
by confiscation of their property, and by seizure of their wives
and children. Heavy sums were demanded as penalties for real
or imaginary offences. They were accused once more of crucify-
ing the children of Christians, and of stealing Christian infants
to perform upon them the covenant of Abraham. When the King
was distressed for lack of mea/is on the eve of his marriage with
Eleanor of Provence, it was discovered that the Jews of Norwich,
who were wealthy, had circumcised a Christian boy. Seven
Jews were brought before the King on this absurd and ludi-
crous charge, and were condemned to be drawn and quar-
tered, and, of course, to have their property confiscated. Some
years afterwards, in 1240, a similar offence was laid at the
door of another rich Jew of Norwich, named Jacob. A boy,
nine years old, declared he had been similarly treated when
he was five years of age. The Bishop of Norwich acted as
judge, and the Archdeacon and priests as witnesses. It may
be imagined how the Jew fared at the hands of so impartial
and merciful a tribunal. Notwithstanding that medical evi-
dence did not confirm the boy's contradictory story, the sham
trial ended as might be expected, by the execution of Jacob
and of other Jews, and by the confiscation of their estate.
The Jews were, moreover, accused of plotting against the
State and of attempting to overturn the government. It was
alleged that th«y had collected together large quantities of
combustible materials at Northampton for the destruction of
London by fire. Upon these baseless and astounding charges
many Jews were burnt alive, and their effects seized. Matthew

i4 INTRODUCTION.

Paris, the historian, who was an eye-witness to their suffer-
ings, concludes thus an account of the King's extortions as
practised on that unhappy race : " Non tamen abrando vel
excoriando sed eviscerando extorsit."

In 1234 and in 1236 heavy tallages were laid on the Jews.
The King and the people seemed to consider their wealth as
practically inexhaustible, and even as being gotten by super-
natural means. While the heir of a baron paid for his
barony only 100 marks, and the fee of a knight was 100
shillings, the daughter of Hamon, a Jew of Hereford, paid
to the king as a relief the sum of 5000 marks ! Aaron of
York, one of the richest Jews of England, had contributed
to the royal treasury within seven years 30,000 marks of
silver for the King, and 200 marks of gold for the Queen.
He compounded subsequently with the King to be free from
taxation by payment of 100 marks annually. The ordinary
currency then consisted of silver pence called easterlings,
while gold was exceedingly scarce, and usually imported
from abroad. The Jews were at different epochs accused of
clipping the coinage, but this seems so far from having been
their practice, that in the twenty-second year of this reign,
they presented £100 to the King, praying that all Jews found
defacing coin might be banished from the realm.

In the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Henry III. (1240
C.E.), the Parliamentum Judaicum was summoned. The King
sent writs to the sheriffs of each county, commanding them
to return before him at Worcester on Quinquagesima Sunday,
six of the richest Jews from every town, or two only from
such places where they were but few, to treat with him con-
cerning his own as well as their benefit. The hopes of the
Jews rose high on their being called to take part in the
King's counsels. Perhaps their years of bondage were over,
perhaps better days were about to dawn for downtrodden,
persecuted Israel. Great was their disappointment and sore
was their trouble, when they found that supplies were the
burthen of his most gracious Majesty's speech. He had
brought them together to think of the ways and means of
furnishing him with 20,000 marks. Six among them were
appointed collectors. They might assess the sum among
themselves as they pleased, but the cash must be forthcoming

IX TR OD UCTION. 1 5

in two instalments within a stated period, otherwise their
persons would be answerable to the King. The required
amount was not delivered on the stipulated day, simply
because the funds could not be gathered ; and the unhappy
collectors paid the penalty of disobedience to impossible
commands. They were thrown into prison with their wives
and children until the whole sum was squeezed from the
Jews.

These chapters present a melancholy sameness. Our nar-
rative is a tune played on one string, spoliation. Almost
yearly did the King make fresh calls on the unhappy Jews
to provide for his personal necessities, until the barons
insisted on inquiring whither had disappeared the large
sums which the King had extracted from the Jews. The
King was constrained to allow one of the Justices of the
Jews' Exchequer to be appointed by parliament. This Act
proved of no benefit to the Jews. Funds were needed to
repress incursions from Wales, and 8000 marks were de-
manded from them, under penalty of transportation to
Ireland. They were prohibited at the same time from
removing their families from their ordinary places of abode.
During the ensuing three- years no less a sum than 60,000
marks was squeezed from the Jews.

A Jew known as Abraham of Berkhampstead had been
imprisoned for treating with contumely an image of the
Virgin, and for ill-treating his wife, who would not follow his
example. He was released by the aid of Richard Earl of
Cornwall, on payment of 700 marks. The Jews opposed
Abraham's liberation from jail, he being a man of ill-repute,
and bringing discredit on their race; whereupon the same
man, to revenge himself, laid information as to imaginary
plots on the part of his co-religionists, and what was more to
the purpose, he gave detailed accounts, of their wealth and
where they stored their treasure. Then followed rigid inves-
tigations as to the value and nature of the property of Jews,
which ended in fresh calls being made on their purse.

The oppression suffered by the Jews became utterly
unbearable, and they were compelled to cry out in agony.
They were expected to coin gold, when in reality the com-
petition of the Caorsini or Pope's usurers had materially

1 6 INTR OD UCT10N.

detracted from the profits of money-lending. In vain did the
Jews crave for permission to depart, and seek an asylum
elsewhere. Proclamations were issued forbidding any Jew
to leave England without the King's license. The principal
Jews were summoned before Richard Earl of Cornwall — the
King's brother — whose private coffers were well filled, and
they were threatened with confiscation and death unless they
supplied him with the sum demanded. Elias their presbyter
or high priest (probably Chief Rabbi), a venerable old man,
stood up and spoke warmly in expostulation. He prayed for
a safe conduct to quit the country, as his brethren had
determined to leave, rather than submit to impossible
demands. Their trade was ruined, they could scarcely
exist, they were beggared, and if they sold their skins they
could not gather the sums exacted. The poor rabbi, ex-
hausted by his own energy, was carried away fainting. Earl
Richard did not appear to press heavily on the Jews, and
was not himself harsh against them. Subsequent^, on a
renewal of the King's demands, they presented his Majesty
with a memorial addressing him thus : " Sir King, we see
thou sparest neither Christians nor Jews, but studiest with
crafty excuses to impoverish all men. We have no hope of
respiration left us, the usurers of the Pope have supplanted
ns. Permit us to depart out of the kingdom with a safe
conduct, and we will seek for ourselves such a mansion as we
can, be it what it may." This speech was bold for a people
who had lived under the direst bondage and oppression.
The King received the memorial with a burst of anger. He
shrieked complaints as to the debts that bound him, which
amounted to 200,000 if not 300,000 marks. " He was a maimed
or deceived King ; he was but half a King. He was deceived
on every side. He must have money from any person or by
any means." These undignified complaints of a weak King,
ended in his mortgaging the Jews to his brother Richard for
an advance of 5000 marks. They were evidently considered
as serfs, who could be transferred from one person to the
other as security for a loan of money. Again at a subsequent
period, Earl Richard advanced 6000 marks on their security
to the King, without pressing too hard on the Jews.

The Caorsini, as we have said, were the financial rivals of

INTROD UCTION. 1 7

the Jews. The Caorsini were so called from the city of
Cahors in France, though in point of fact they were Italian
merchants in the service of the Pope. These benevolent in-
dividuals would advance money to the necessitous without
interest, and consequently they were not amenable to the
usury laws. Only they would make loans for exactly one-half
the period required by the borrower, extending the time as
much as desired on payment of a commission for damages of
fifty per cent, per annum or five per cent, per month. In
addition they charged to the debtor the expenses of the keep
of the merchant, his servant and his horse, for so long as the
principal remained unpaid. The Caorsini rolled in wealth,
the people cried out, and the government tried to expel the
disinterested money-leuders ; but they were the servants of
the Pope, and no one dared lift up a finger against them.
Well might Jews chuckle at Christian notions on usury. It
was a truly edifying spectacle to perceive the Vicar of Christ
on earth, the representative of Him who preached lowliness,
poverty, and charity, and who said that it was easier for
a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich
man to go to heaven, amassing treasure at the expense of
the needy. The unhappy Jews who were permitted to follow
no other avocation than dealing in money, who were shut
out from all ennobling pursuits, who were made to pay with
silver for mere existence, for questionable protection, for the
very air which they breathed, were branded as usurers. His
Holiness the Pope sanctioned plunder and extortion by the
practices of which he benefited ; but he was infallible, and
all his acts were pious deeds.

The oppressions to which the Jews fell victims continued.
Westminster Abbey was rebuilt, and though heretics could
not be admitted within its precincts, their funds were as
useful as those of true believers ; so the Jews were made to
contribute to the pious work. The widow of an opulent
Jew of Oxford was constrained to give considerable sums,
and all Jews of means furnished compulsory assistance in
proportion.

The exactions practised on the Jews rendered them obnoxious
to the inhabitants of the towns where they dwelt. The Jews
actually disbursed the amounts requisitioned, yet large sums

B

1 8 INTR OD UCTION.

were withdrawn from the district, and the whole neighbourhood
became impoverished. Many towns applied for charters ex-
empting them from the presence of Israelites. Members of
that unhappy race wandered about the country with their
families, houseless and vainly seeking for shelter. In many
places they were treated with open violence. On the sorriest
pretext they became victims to every kind of cruelty and rapa-
city, and hundreds fell under the fury of an ignorant and fana-
tical mob. At Norwich, at Brentford, at Oxford, the Jews were
thrown into dungeons and their houses pillaged on the most
frivolous excuses. At Lincoln, a rumour was spread that
they had crucified a boy eight years old. He had been fat-
tened with white bread and milk — so it was alleged — he had
been scourged, crowned with thorns, he had been made to
drink gall, and at last his side had been pierced with a spear.
This highly probable story found universal credence. The
Jews were tried on this charge after the fashion of the day.
That is to say, they were placed under torture, until un-
speakable physical agony tore from them a confession of their
imaginary crime. The master of the house where the dead
child was discovered, was tied to the tail of a horse and torn
to pieces. Eighty-eight of the richest Jews of Lincoln were
dragged to London in chains as accomplices, and were
drawn and quartered, and their bodies hanged on entirely
new gibbets. Twenty-three more Jews were consigned to the
Tower of London to wait for a similar fate. As for the
young martyr it was proved that the earth would not receive
his remains, and as often as they were interred they were
again vomited forth. So he was duly canonized, and his
tomb in Lincoln attracted crowds of devout pilgrims.

At Oxford the Jews met with another disaster. It was
alleged that during a procession of the chancellors, masters
and scholars, accompanied by the clergy, to the relics of S.
Frideswide, an individual said to be a Jew snatched a cross
from its bearer, trampled upon it, and broke it in pieces.
We do' not know whether in those days Jews were
allowed to be present at religious processions, but at all
events, no Israelite would have been insane enough to expose
himself to certain death. But when accusations were brought
forward against Jews, mere probabilities were not studied, and

INTRODUCTION.

T9

the wildest charges were made and believed, without the
slightest evidence. Fortunately they escaped a massacre
in this instance. They were ordered to provide funds for
the erection of a cross of white marble with a gilt image
of the Virgin and Child, and also to give a silver cross to
be borne in future processions before the masters and
scholars. As the means required were not forthcoming, all
the Jews were arrested and sent to gaol ; and as they pleaded
inability, all their property in the hands of third parties
was seized. The statue was completed after some delay and
erected before Merton College.

The Jews were mercilessly bandied about in a royal game of
financial shuttlecock and battledore. From the Kiiiir they

O *J

were transferred to his son Prince Edward, and by him to some
Caturcensian merchants, until the Crown seized them again.
Each temporary owner sought to enrich himself at their ex-
pense. In the civil wars that raged in the latter years of
Henry III., they as usual proved the severest sufferers. The
King seized their money to fight the barons : and the barons
stripped the Jews because they had assisted the king. After
the battles of Lewes and Evesham, the Jews of London,
Lincoln, Northampton, and Cambridge, were fobbed of their
portable wealth ; and the richest among them were carried
away until released by heavy ransoms. The populace, on
witnessing the ill-usage of the Jews, concluded that they
were not entitled to the protection of the law, and, imitating
their superiors, they pillaged and maltreated the Jews on
their own account.

The King recollected that the Jews were Crown property,
and he awoke to the folly of allowing others to injure that
property. He gave permission to the Jews who had sought
safety in the Tower and elsewhere to return home. By his
orders Parliament restored to them their goods and chattels.
They agreed to pay to the King £1000 to be free from
taxes for a certain period, on condition that during that
time the King should neither undertake a crusade nor set out
for a foreign journey. The temporary lull in the persecution
of Jews lasted but little, and the rapacity of Henry III. be-
came greater than ever. A few individual -Israelites were
especially exempted from chronic extortion by favour of some

20 INTRODUCTION.

member of the Royal Family. At the instance of the
Church the religious and personal liberty of the Jews was re-
stricted at the end of the reign. They were not allowed to
build schools, except where they already existed. They
were commanded to pray slowly in the Synagogues, so
that no Christian ears might be shocked by the sound of
prayers to the Lord of Israel. No Christian was to serve a
Jew or abide with him in his house, and no Christian
woman was to nurse or suckle the child of a Jew. No Jew or
Jewess should eat meat in Lent, or enter church or chapel,
or dwell in any place except where they resided before, with-
out the permission of the King.

Another heavy blow to the Jews proved the last statute
enacted by the King on their affairs. This law prohibited
Jews from holding any longer any freehold in any manor,
lands, tenements, &c., whatever the origin of the property
might have been. They were only allowed to retain the
houses where they dwelt. All their lands were taken away
from them. Those on which they had advanced money on
mortgage to Christians, were returned to their owners on
receipt of the principal without interest.

After this the King levied new taxes, punishing with a
kind of fury the defaulters ; that is, those who were too poor
to satisfy his greed. Even the bitterest enemies of the
Jews, the Caorsini, and the monks, pitied the lot of the
wretched Jews, for their fate in the last days of Henry III.
was indeed bitter. The sums extracted by the King from the
Jews were enormous. Payments have been recorded to the
amount of 214.825 marks of silver, as well as £1000 and
some small sums in gold. In addition, the community on
repeated occasions were called upon to contribute a third or
a fourth of their total property, and private individuals were
continuously and heavily taxed. Considering the value of
money in those days, our Jewish readers will form some
notion as to the sacrifices borne by their ancestors in this
country.

The death of Henry brought momentary relief to the Jews,
but, alas ! it was only momentary. Royal proclamations
brought forth promises of protection to Jews and Christians,
to prove as usual empty words. Edward I. determined to

INTR OD UCTION. 2 1

obtain from the Jews only the sums he required, so as to gain
popularity. The registers of the Jews were examined, a new
tallage was imposed upon them, and payment enforced with
the greatest severity. The goods and chattels of the Jews
were levied in satisfaction of the King's demands ; and if
they proved insufficient, banishment or imprisonment fol-
lowed. These measures were so ruthlessly applied by the
clerical tribunal appointed to carry them out, that even the
King himself took compassion, and some Israelites were
released by his orders. In answer to popular complaints
against the Jews, the King, in the third year of his reign,
passed the so-called statutum de Judaismo. It was enacted
therein that no Jew should practice usury ; that no distress
for debt to a Jew should be so grievous as not to leave the
debtor the moiety of his lands and chattels ; that no Jew
should have power to sell any house, rent, or tenement with-
out the King's leave. Jews might purchase houses in cities
as heretofore and take leases to farm land for ten years. They
might carry on mercantile transactions in cities, provided
they were not talliable with the other inhabitants of the city.
They might reside only in such towns as were the King's own.
All Jews above seven years were to wear two tablets of yellow
taffety on their breasts ; the order soon afterwards was ex-
tended to females, and all Israelites above the age of twelve
were to pay at once the sum of threepence to the King.

Efforts were made to convert the Jews to Christianity.
Dominican friars offered to preach before the stubborn Jews,
and the latter were ordered to go to church and listen to
reason. Until then, Jews adopting Christianity forfeited
the whole of their property. As au inducement, neophytes
at this period were allowed to retain one-half of their pos-
sessions, the remainder being allotted to the house of con-
verts established in Chancery Lane in the previous reign.
It does not appear that many Jews were tempted to embrace
a new dispensation, the followers of which seemed, in those
days, to pride themselves on their rapacity, their cruelty, and
their inhumanity.

The Jews remained subject to heavy tallages and fines.
Their money chests were examined by order of Government,
and their effects were seized and appropriated. Moreover,

2 2 INTR OD UCTION.

they were accused of various crimes, especially of clipping
and falsifying coins. As we have already said, when the
Jews were concerned at that period, accusation meant con-
demnation. On the most slender grounds two hundred and
ninety-four Jews, in London alone, were put to death in one
year. A new source of extortion now arose against that un-
happy race. They were threatened to be charged with coin-
clipping, unless they purchased silence. The King then
ordered that thenceforth no Jew should be answerable for
any oifence committed before. A Jew so accused, however,
should pay a tax to the King. In the sixteenth year of
his reign the principal Jews of the realm were thrown into
prison one night, and were only restored to freedom on
payment of £20,000. At the same time popular clamour
against the Jews became more and more widely spread and
violent. The clergy and gentry joined the people in de-
manding the expulsion of the Jews. Edward, to satisfy his
French subjects, had already exiled the Israelites from his
continental dominions. On his return to London he was
received with signs of joy and approbation for so noble a
deed. Before this feeling could subside, the King was in-
duced to sign a decree for the final banishment of the Jews
from England. The pressure must have been great to impel
so sagacious a monarch to kill the hen with the golden
eggs. It was commonly reported that the Jews had eaten
his people to the bones, and that they had caused great hard-
ships to the country. What the Jews had endured at the
hands of King, nobles, clergy, and people, nobody thought it
worth while to consider. This unhappy people had laboured
for centuries to enrich the King and the state. Tolerated
only because they yielded so much treasure, the children of
Israel were regarded as common property and common prey.
It would not be surprising if, under these circumstances,
some few of them had resorted to illicit practices to gather
those precious metals with which they purchased their very
existence. It is probable too that the populace shouted for
the expulsion of the Jews, in order to cancel the debts which
they owed to the hated Israelites. In return for this act
of grace, the King received from the commons one-fifteenth
of their goods, and the clergy, in token of their approval

INTRODUCTION. 23

of so much mercifulness, made him a gift of one-tenth of
their personalities. The decree of the King commanded that
all Jews with their families should quit England before the
Feast of All Saints. As a matter of generosity, Edward
permitted them to take with them a part of their chattels
and sufficient money to defray the expenses of the journey.
All their houses and the great mass of their property and
treasure were appropriated by the King. True, he promised
the Church liberal grants from the vast wealth he had plun-
dered, but his words remained only empty promises. He be-
stowed dowries on three of his daughters who married at
that period ; and the Court of Queen Eleanor became
renowned for the splendour and magnificence of its gold and
silver plate. We do not suppose that King Edward bore
any especial animosity against the Jews. He desired to
court popularity, and he found means which easily fulfilled
his object and enriched him in addition. The fable of hero
worship is now exploded. The so-called heroes of the Middle
Ages stand now in their true lights. We see them as they
were — insolent, rapacious, and unprincipled tyrants, whose
virtues, if they happened to possess any, were overshaded
by their crimes.

The people of England did not allow the Jews to depart
in peace. They persecuted them, ill-treated them, and
robbed them of the few coins that had been spared to them.
The King gave the principal Jews a safe conduct, which was
not always respected. They fell victims to numerous out-
rages. A story is told of the master of a vessel who took
a number of Jews on board. He stopped at Queenborough,
and went on shore, followed by the Jewish passengers. As
the tide was rising the master and crew returned to the ship,
leaving behind the Jews, unconscious of their danger. Too
late they entreated the mariner to save them. He laughed
and jeered, and told them to call on Moses who had led
them through the Red Sea. Consigning them to their fate,
he sailed away with their small remaining effects. The
master unfortunately boasted of his valiant feat, when, it is
said, he was arrested, tried, and hanged for murder. Ac-
cording to another version, however, he was rewarded by the
King. The number of Jews who quitted England in 1290

24 INTRODUCTION.

is differently estimated at 15,060 or at 16,511 persons. They
went principally to Spain, Sicily, Africa, and the east. Their
valuable libraries were appropriated by Convents, the richest
of them being those of Stamford and of Oxford.

One or two authorities have attributed the banishment of
the Jews to the fact that a Dominican friar, being enamoured
of a Jewess, became a convert to Judaism, and subsequently
sought safety in flight. This act, it is alleged, being re-
garded as a slur upon the Church, caused its high digni-
taries to bestir themselves, and thus they induced the King
to sign the edict for the banishment of the Jews. This
version is derived from a Jewish writer. However romantic
the story may be, it seems to us improbable and far-fetched ;
and being uncorroborated by sufficient testimony, we cannot
think it deserving of credence.

For two centuries there must have been few, if any, resident
Jews in this country. In the course of time, however, their
commercial pursuits and their enterprising nature must have
brought occasionally some Israelites to these shores. During
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Jews began to visit England
freely, and we hear of their presence in these realms. His-
tory tells us that Queen Elizabeth confided the care of her
health to a Jewish physician, Rodrigo Lopez ; for in those
days Jewish doctors were in fashion with crowned heads,
just as French cooks have been in more recent times. A
conspiracy was organised against Rodrigo Lopez by jealous
courtiers. He was accused of an attempt to poison the
Queen, and his fate being resolved upon, it became easy to
justify legal murder by sham evidence. Probably individual
Jews were tolerated in England at that period in the same
way as they remained unmolested in Spain under Queen
Isabella. Some Israelites doubtless dwelt in England prior
to the advent of Oliver Cromwell, or under the Common-
wealth. We know that in 1650 a Jew, named Jacobs, first
introduced the use of coffee in this country by opening a
coffee-house at Oxford. It was only under the Protectorate
that organized efforts were made by Jews from abroad to
regain a footing in this country.

CHAPTER I.

THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND.

No complete and authentic account of the circumstances attend-
ing the re-establishment of the children of Israel in this country,
during the seventeenth century, can be discovered. It appears
that negotiations were held at the time of the Commonwealth
between some foreign Jews and the British Government, with
reference to the re-admission of the former into this country.
Wild reports were circulated concerning the wealth of the Jews
in those days, and we find historians gravely asserting that
the Israelites offered to advance to Parliament £500,000, re-
quiring in return the cession of St Paul's Cathedral, to be
converted into a Synagogue, and moreover, the Bodleian
Library at Oxford ! Parliament, according to the story, did
not seem at all scandalised at the demand for the grandest
national temple and the richest national library, but insisted
on increasing their stipulated price to £800,000. It is diffi-
cult to say whether there is any substratum of truth in this
statement, or whether it is wholly mythical. Certain it is,
that some correspondence did take place between the Jews of
Amsterdam and Oliver Cromwell, who gave them permission
to send over an agent to represent their interest.

Menasseh ben Israel was in this instance the champion
and representative of Judaism. He was born in Spain or
Portugal about 1604 ; and his family was connected with
that of the illustrious Isaac Abarbanel. His father, a rich
merchant, succeeded in effecting his escape into Holland with
his household. Menasseh was educated under Rabbi Isaac
Uziel, and pursued his studies with such success that, at the
age of eighteen, he was appointed preacher and expounder of the
Talmud, in the Synagogue of Amsterdam, in the place of his
ancient master. Before Menasseh was twenty-eight years

26 THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND.

old, lie published in Spanish the first part of his Conciliador,
of which a Latin version was issued on the following year by
Dionysius Vossius. This work was recommended to the
notice of biblical scholars by Grotius, who did not disdain
to consult Menasseh. ben Israel on the thorniest points of
theology.

In 1656 Menasseh wrote his Apology for the Jews in Eng-
lish. At that time he had already printed sixty other books
in English, Hebrew, and Spanish. The Inquisition had con-
fiscated his paternal estates in the Iberian peninsula, and
during his latter years, he was constrained to exchange the
study of the mental treasures he loved so well, for the
merchant's ledger, and, as some say, for the watchmaker's
workshop. He died in Amsterdam, shortly after his return
from his mission to London, either in 1657 or 1659. He was
the author of numerous works of a philosophical, historical,
and critical nature ; he was a profound Hebraist, an adept in
hermeueutics, and a graceful scholar. He was well versed
in several languages, ancient and modern ; and he was inti-
mate with some of the great thinkers of the day. Grotius
valued his friendship, and Gaspar Barlseus said of him :

" Si sapemus diversa Deo vivamus amici,
Doctaque mens pretio constet ubique suo,
Hsec Fidei vox summa mea est : Hoc credo Menasse,
Sic ego Christiades, sic eris Abramides."

These liberal sentiments — uttered in the days when the
Holy Inquisition was periodically consigning to the flames
scores of Jews and heretics, and when to belong to the race
that gave a Messiah to the Christians was to be subjected to
degradation and persecution — caused considerable trouble to
poor Barlams, who was fain to conceal as much as possible
his indiscretion.

We will not dwell on the various interviews of Menasseh
ben Israel with Cromwell before the Privy Council and the
eminent magistrates, the wealthy merchants, and the erudite
divines summoned to meet him. We will only repeat some
of the arguments employed in favour of his cause by those
who supported his proposals. The Israelites should be ad-
mitted " because their brothers we are of the same father
Abraham ; they naturally after the flesh, we believers after

THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND. 27

the spirit. Because many Jews are now in very great straits
in many places, multitudes in Poland, Lithuania, and Prussia
by the late wars, by the Swedes, Cossacks, and others being-
driven away from thence. Hence their yearly alms to the
poor Jews of the German Synagogue at Jerusalem hath
ceased, and of seven hundred widows and poor Jews there
about four hundred have been famished, as a letter from
Jerusalem to their friends relates. Also the Jews in Spain,
France, Portugal, and in the Indies under the Spanish crown ;
if they are professed Jews they must wear a badge of it, and
are exposed to many acts of violence and cruelties, to avoid
which many dissemble themselves to be Roman Catholics ;
and then if in anything they appear Jewish they forfeit
goods if not life also. Now some of these entreated Rabbi
Manasseh to be their agent to entreat this favour for their
coming to England, to live and to trade here."

Such was the unhappy condition, as described by Christians,
of the descendants of Abraham. Contemned, reviled, pil-
laged, murdered, neither their property nor their lives were
safe except in a few places, such as Leghorn and Amster-
dam, when they humbly applied to be received on the
shores of Albion. Their "proposals" were unpretending
enough ; they only prayed to be permitted to erect a Syna-
gogue wherein to worship the God of their fathers ; to traffic
in merchandise,ftto be protected in limb and chattel, to bury
their dead. They begged also that any law existing against
them be repealed, and they proffered in order to save the State
from unnecessary trouble, that the heads of the congregation
should arrange all disputes or differences arising between its
members.

During the debate at Whitehall on the re-admission of
the Jews within the British realm, popular feeling seems to
have been engaged on both sides of the question, and it
found its vent in a number of pamphlets that were issued
from the press. Among the most strenuous opponents of
the return of the children of Israel was conspicuous the noted
Prynne — he who forfeited his position at the bar, as well as
his ears, for writing " the Histrio-mastix " or " Players'
Scourge." On one occasion he was interrogated by the Rev.
M. Nye, the rector of Acton, who held totally different views

28 THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND.

on the subject, as to whether he knew of any law against
bringing in the Jews ? Upon which Prynne replied that
whatever might be the opinion of others, he was himself
certain that they could only be brought in by Act of Parlia-
ment. This consummation, he added, he would struggle
against and withstand to the utmost* of his power, for he
would fain save his country from the disgrace of harbouring
clippers, forgers of money, and men that had crucified living
children. Partly for this laudable purpose, and partly to
thwart Cromwell, whom he suspected, and probably justly
suspected, of favouring the Jews, he composed a small book
entitled : " A Short Demurrer to the Jews, &c.," wherein he
set forth all that could make the name of Jew odious.
Prynne displayed in this diatribe that partiality and virulence
of temper, accompanied with that want of judgment, which
are remarkable in all his writings. He was answered by one
Thomas Collier, who, dedicating his effusion to Oliver Crom-
well, satisfactorily proved that the descendants of the Patri-
archs— notwithstanding all arguments to the contrary — ought
to receive a shelter in this country.

The Judges declared that there were no laws prohibiting the
Jews from dwelling in England. Nevertheless, the repeated
conferences of the Privy Council, which lasted between the
4th and 18th December 1655, ended without producing any
immediate result. There must indeed at one-time have been
a decision in favour of the Jews, for Evelyn says, under date of
the 14th December 1655: "Now were the Jews admitted."
Bishop Burnet, moreover, writes that, " he (Oliver Cromwell)
brought a company of them (Jews) over to England, and gave
them leave to build a Synagogue." On the other hand, the
Political Mercurius, a kind of journal published at the time,
and the Harleian Miscellany most distinctly aver that on the
18th December 1655,. the Lord Protector dismissed the as-
sembly without having arrived at any conclusion, because the
Council were of two or three distinct opinions. The Harleian
Miscellany further adds : " Rabbi Manasses remained in Lon-
don some time, but he had received no reply to that date (1st
April 1656) which was, according to Holy Scripture, 14th or
15th Abib, the first month also called Nissan, when the
feast of Passover was to be kept. Many Jewish merchants

THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND. 29

had come from beyond the seas to London, and hoped they
might have enjoyed as much privilege here, in respect of
trading, and of their worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob here in Synagogue publicly, as they enjoy in
Poland, Russia, and other places. But after the conference
and debate at Whitehall was ended, they heard by some that
the greater part of the ministers were against this, therefore
they removed hence to beyond the seas, with much grief of
heart that they were thus disappointed in their hopes."

Who was the writer of the above passage we are not
told ; but had he been a Jew he could not have spoken more
feelingly and sympathisingly. This, at all events, renders
clear one point, and that is, that there were other Jews in
England at the time in addition to Menasseh ben Israel. In
fact, we are distinctly assured by some authorities, that an-
other party of Jews came over contemporaneously to that of
the rabbi and physician, headed by " one of their most
learned rabbis," who is not named. Their ostensible object
was to establish a company to trade with the Levant. Their
real object was said to be to inquire into the pedigree of the
Lord Protector, and to prove him, if practicable, a descendant
of the Messiah. The same individuals are asserted to have
negotiated at a private interview with Cromwell, for the
purchase of the valuable library of the University of Cam-
bridge. They obtained permission to repair to that city, and
they examined and took catalogue of the most valuable
books. After a time they appear to have established them-
selves at Huntingdon, Cromwell's birthplace, to inquire as to
his supposed descent from the Messiah. The research was
not conducted with sufficient prudence, and the subject of it
soon became known. Cromwell found himself exposed to
public raillery, and he commanded them to return to London,
where he summoned them before the Privy Council and
ordered them to depart the country.

Leaving aside the absurd fable of the Jews seeking for a
Messiah in Oliver Cromwell, or the still greater absurdity of
their looking for his descent from a Messiah, who, accord-
ing to Jewish belief, never existed, we gather from the
legend that separate attempts, in addition to those made by
Menasseh ben Israel, were effected by other Jews to obtain

30 THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND.

a footing in England. In what precise year the Jews first
openly commenced residing in the British Islands, we have
no means of ascertaining. Probably some few families
remained in England from the time of Menasseh ben Israel,
though the Jews did not take up their abode in any number
in this country until the ^Restoration. The " Merry Mon-
arch" proved himself a wise monarch in this one respect, for
he extended his aegis over the persecuted race, and displayed
a tolerance and foresight scarcely expected from a prince of
his character. One of the great bugbears of the opponents
of the admission of the new settlers, was the fear lest the
wicked Jews should seduce and corrupt good Christians and
turn them to their own faith. It must have been to guard
against the possible dangers of such occurrences, that we
find the most stringent enactments passed by the early law-
makers of the Israelites, under the severest penalties in their
power to inflict, against the reception of proselytes into the
community. This principle has been so rigidly adhered to
even to the present day here, that the spiritual guides of the
Jewish community have ever persistently refused to admit
strangers to the rites, privileges, and duties of Judaism.

Before the end of 1660 the Jews had attracted some
public attention, for whilst on the one hand, Thomas Violet,
a goldsmith, petitioned the King for their expulsion and the
confiscation of their property, on the other, an order of the
Lords in Council was presented to the House of Commons,
recommending to the House to take measures for the protec-
tion of the Jews. The narrow-minded goldsmith's petition
did not have a successful issue, and the descendants of the
patriarchs were not molested. It has been asserted that as
early as 1656 there was a Jewish place of worship in London,
but we cannot find that this statement is borne out by facts.
On the contrary, considering the very limited number of
Israelites that could then have been discovered in this capital
and their precarious position, we are inclined to question the
accuracy of this assertion.

The earliest authentic record of a Jewish Synagogue in
London dates from 1662. The building, which was situated
in King Street, Aldgate, consisted merely of a house
temporarily fitted up for the purpose. The number of

THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO ENGLAND. 31

the children of Israel then existing in this country seems to
have been somewhat differently estimated. Dr Chamberlain
stated that there were thirty or forty families at most, whilst
one Thomas Greenhalgh, who visited the Synagogue in the
above year, narrated that he found therein upwards of " one
hundred men apparently of affluence, and the ladies were
very richly attired."

The oldest congregation in London, it is known, is that of
the Sephardim or Spanish and Portuguese Jews. Its founders
came over from Holland, but also, to a limited extent, from
Portugal and from Italy. Indeed, when it became understood
that the Jews were tolerated in Great Britain, many of their
less fortunate coreligionists on the Continent crossed the
Channel to establish themselves here, induced partly by their
unsafe position at home, and partly from a desire to extend
their commercial transactions in a country which was already
acquiring a reputation for enterprise and industry. No
doubt the original immigrants hither from Amsterdam were
men of means, intelligence, and education, and they were
very careful to preserve the high standard of their body,
which accounts for the somewhat exclusive character of their
legislation.

CHAPTER II.

THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON.

IT has been difficult to ascertain who were the first Jewish im-
migrants into this country, after the time of the visit of Me-
nasseh ben Israel. But Emanuel Mendes da Costa, an eminent
natural philosopher of the eighteenth century, bequeathed
among his papers a curious note. This document is neither
more nor less than a list of the names of the original
Jewish settlers in this country — a most interesting and
important document. It is impossible for us to ascertain
its accuracy ; we can only say that its learned possessor
seemed to place entire faith in its correctness. Accepting,
then, the authenticity of the information, it confirms our
assertions that the re-establishment of the Jews in Great
Britain took place under the reign of the gay Charles, and
not under the protectorate of the stern Oliver, though the
exact year is not fixed. This list had been handed by Dr
Chauncey to Mr Mendes da Costa. It is evidently written
by a foreigner, possessing only a slight acquaintance with
the English tongue. At the same time the orthography of
the day is followed, in so far as any recognised form of
orthography is adopted. "\Ve will transcribe the document
literally : —

"The widow Fendenddoeswith her tow sons and tow servants, Leaden-
• hall Street.

Sinor Antony Desousa, Boshapgat Street.

Sinor M'uell Rodregoes, Crechurch Laine.

Sinor Samuell Devega, in Beues Marks, great, jeweller.

Sinor Antony Rodregus Robles, Duck's Plate.

Sinor Josep \ Deohnezous

Sinor Mihell } Duck's Plate, brothers.

Sinor Duart Henrycus.

THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON.

u w

Sinor Perera ) Brothers at a Plum-

Sinor Perear ) bers in Chrechurch.

Three mor Jewes. Merchants at the sam hous.

Sinor Dn. Diego Rodrego Aries, Fanchurch Street.

Sinor Dormedio and Sin Soloman, his sou, St. tellen's.

Sin. Soloman Frankles, Fanchurch Street.

Sin. Manuel de Costa Berto, Duck's Plate.

Sin. Doctor Boyno, Phision to the Jews, Duck's Plate.

Sin. Steauen Rodregoes, near Algat.

Sin. Franco Gomes, St. Mary Acts.

Sin. Moses Eatees, Chreechurch Lane, a Jewish Rubay.

Sin. Beniman Lewme, Chreechurch Laiue.

Sin. Aron Gabey, Duck's Plate.

Sin. Domingo Deserga, Duck's Plate.

Sin. David Mier, Leadenhall Street.

Sin. Moediga, Clerk of the Synagogue.

Most have wifes and sarvants ."

Some of the above n'am'es are easily recognisable through
their grotesque disguise ; others are more puzzling-. We find
no such patronymics as Deohnegous (Dionisius ?), or Boyno,
or Henrycus, in the early records of the Portuguese congre-
gation. These Jewish visitors appear nearly all to have been
of Spanish or Portuguese origin, with two or three excep-
tions ; such as Solomon Frankles (Frankel), Beniman Lewme
(Levin), and David Mier. Neither can we state whether
they all remained in this country. Some of the Sephardic
names became well known in the community ; of others no
trace is left, and it is not at all impossible that a few
families may not have found sufficient temptation to take up
permanently their abode in the British capital.

This would help to dispose of a statement attributed by
the learned author of the " Anglia Judaica," to Haham
Netto, that in 1663 the whole number of Jews in London
did not exceed twelve.

There must be some misapprehension in the matter, for
the learned Rabbi could scarcely have made a report so iuac- '
curate. Even in 1662 we have the testimony of Christian
observers, which we have already cited in our previous chapter,
to the effect that the Synagogue in King Street was well
attended, and that on one occasion upwards of one hundred
men were there worshipping their Creator. Twelve men
surely could never have formed or supported a Synagogue ;

c

34 THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON.

their presence would not have been known or felt in this
country, neither do we see any reason to disbelieve the allega-
tions of Christian eyewitnesses, who could have no reason to
exaggerate numbers or make wilfully false declarations. In
conclusion, we are able to ascertain by contemporary statis-
tics, that twelve children were born in the Jewish community
in 1663. Now in London, the births average about 139,000
yearly, in a population of say three millions and a quarter.
In the same proportion twelve births would represent a
population of nearly 280 individuals, which is much nearer
the mark, and which agrees with the statement made by
Thomas Greenhalgh. In conclusion, the individuals above
named, with their wives and servants, must, among them-
selves, have numbered a hundred.

During the same year, 1663, the Hebrews in London were
pained by the public conversion to Christianity of an Italian
Eabbi named Moses Scialitti. This individual was baptized
upon Trinity Sunday at St Margaret's, Westminster, by the
Rev. D. Warmestre, Dean of Worcester, his sponsors being
George, Lord Bishop of Chester, and Samuel Collins, Doctor in
Physic, and his godmother, Lucy, Countess of Huntingdon,
daughter of Sir John Davies, the Irish Attorney-General.
The Rev. Paul, alias Moses, Scialitti, subsequently addressed
a letter to his former coreligionists, explaining the cause of
his adopting a new faith, and exhorting them to follow his
example, and to come within the true fold. His advice does
not appear to have gained many followers, and only three or
four conversions among the Jews occurred at this period.
One of these converts was a wealthy merchant named
Dupass, or more probably De Pass or De Paz, as the name
was- originally spelt.

In the following year, in .1664, the Jews in England were
rapidly increasing in number, and a regular constitution was
drawn up and adopted in the congregation. The necessary
funds were secured by the imposition of a kind of iucome-
tax, consisting of a very small percentage, levied on all
goods bought or sold, and also by the addition of one
farthing for every pound of meat consumed by the com-
munity. Then two wardens and a treasurer were appointed,
and the first officials in the Portuguese congregation whose

THE FIRST S YNA GOGUE IN L OND ON. 3 5

names have been recorded were David Abarbanel Dormido,
Mosseh Baruli Lousada, and Elias de Lima. When the con-
gregation was duly organised, it was found necessary to
procure the services of a spiritual guide to expound the
Jewish law, and to recite the prayers in Synagogue. There
being no one suitable in London, the services of a Itabbi
from Amsterdam were secured, and Haham Jacob Sasportas
was the first religious head of the Sephardim in our capital.
Haham Sasportas was a pious man, and, moreover, a great
talmudist. This gentleman was engaged to deliver Dinini
(decisions) daily, to teach Gemara, and to officiate as Ilazan ;
whilst his son, Samuel Sasportas, undertook the office of
supplying meat to the Jews according to religious custom.

The most important duty of the ruling spirits of the con-
gregation was the preparation of a code of laws to determine
the functions of honorary and of paid officials, the principles
which should regulate the conduct of different members of
the congregation towards each other and towards the outer
world ; and finally, to provide for the management of the
Synagogue economically and religious^. The Roman Re-
public had shown its wisdom in its veneration for custom ;
and no nation has followed with more implicit obedience and
reverence the decrees of immutable custom than the Jews.
In this especial case, however, written legislation was re-
quired, and the instances of the ancient communities of
Venice and of Amsterdam were imitated.

The task of the founders of the London congregation was
unquestionably an arduous one. They were persons of un-
blemished character, but their brethren might be expected to
gather thither from distant lands, tempted by the display of
religious toleration, or by the hope of realising a fortune.
There might be arrivals of ignorant fanatics from the wilds
of Poland, or of unlettered traders from Turkey, of men who
were unacquainted with Western manners and civilization.
The heads of the Jews were constrained to remember that
they were strangers in a foreign country, surrounded by a
population, which, if not openly hostile, at all events, eyed
them with distrust and jealousy, and where the slightest
oifence against the laws of the land might entail misery and
expulsion to all of their race. Moreover, they dwelt in the

36 THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON.

midst of easily-aroused Englishmen, and not of phlegmatic
Dutchmen, and in the bosom of a nation wherein reigned at
the same time the extreme of licentiousness and disbelief,
and the extreme of religious hypocrisy. The gay courtiers
of fair Albion worshipped as their divinities only Bacchus
and Venus. The gloomy saints prayed to a Lord of their
own selection, that he might smite all those whose theolo-
logical opinions were not in exact accordance with their own.
The lower classes were divided by a strong sectarian spirit,
each sect believing itself the only one chosen for salvation,
while all the others were doomed to everlasting punishment.
Popular pastimes were rough and cruel, and personal violence
was resorted to on the slightest provocation. Bull-baiting,
cock-fighting, and pugilistic encounters were the ordinary
diversion of the people, occasionally varied by the finding
and roasting of a witch at the stake.

It will be easily perceived how precarious was the position
of the new immigrants, and how guarded their every act
had to be, not to imperil their safety. It was in this spirit
of cautious prudence that the founders of the Portuguese
congregation approached their task. The laws they promul-
gated may be roughly classed into three divisions, viz. : —

1. Those regulating the internal service of the Synagogue.

2. Those providing for the maintenance of the congrega-
tion, and the raising and administration of its funds.

3. Those finally laying down a basis for the social conduct
of Jew towards Jew and towards Christian.

It is these last that mainly deserve our attention, as
throwing some light on the spirit in which the Israelites met
the peculiar circumstances that surrounded them. A Jew
was not to be allowed to take legal proceedings against a
brother in faith, unless the question at issue had been
argued first before the Parnassim (wardens). Should a
settlement not be arrived at, then only each party might be
at liberty to have recourse elsewhere. The Mahamad
(Council) was endowed with extensive powers, and practised
a mild and paternal despotism. No Jew was to be per-
mitted to hire a horse or rent a house from a coreligionist
without the consent of the ruling powers. Moreover, no Jew
should venture to print books in any language, be it English,

THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN 'LONDON. 37

Latin, or Hebrew, unless his work had obtained the sanction
of the same authority. Too much knowledge was not con-
sidered beneficial in those days, and ignorance was deemed
safer than the handling of dangerous topics.

As may be imagined, the intercourse between Jew and
Gentile was hemmed in by many restrictions. It was strictly
forbidden to a son of Israel to raise any religious discussion
with a Christian, or to endeavour to convert him, or to admit
him to the covenant of Abraham, or to speak in the name of
the nation to a stranger, or to write defamatory libels con-
cerning him, or to intermarry with him. The Jews, finally,
were strenuously discouraged from infringing the laws of the
country ; and it was decreed that " should any Jew be
arrested by justice for thieving, swindling, or any other evil-
doing, expecting that the nation would aid and abet him
in perpetrating these villanies, it is firmly resolved that
neither time nor money shall be expended in assisting him,
and that he shall be left to be chastised according to his
crimes."

The punishment for infraction of any of these edicts con-
sisted either of fines, with deprivation of all Jewish rites
until their payment, or of the application of Beracha, as
Herem (excommunication) was euphemistically designated.
This punishment will .probably appear in our days as too
serious to be indiscriminately awarded to heavy and to light
offences ; but in justice to the early Jewish settlers in Great
Britain, we must remind our readers that their chief men
possessed no other means of enforcing their decrees, that
they had neither soldiers, nor jailers, nor watchmen at their
disposal, and that they had to rely on moral means in the
absence of physical means of coercion. It was better to
appeal to the desire implanted in the human heart for reli-
gious consolation, and to its natural longing for the society of
members of the same race and creed, than to the dread of
the prison-house or the hulks. Finally, we must reflect that
the Jews had to maintain their high character for honour and
honesty ; to avoid coming into conflict with the prejudices
and notions of their fellow-townsmen ; and to eschew afford-
ing offence by word or deed to those who had admitted them
in their midst. The main object of the first Israelites in

38 THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON.

this country was to traffic in merchandise, and to live in
peaceful obscurity following the precepts of their faith.

We learn from chroniclers of the time, that the conduct of
the Jews was irreproachable, which confers no small praise
on the prudence of the immigrants and on the wisdom of
their chiefs.

The original laws or Ascamoth were first promulgated in
Spanish ; subsequently they were written in Portuguese.
They were altered from time to time as the occasion re-
quired, but they were preserved in one or other of the above
languages until the year 1819, when they were rendered into
an English guise.

CHAPTER III.

STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES.— KING CHARLES IT.
AND THE JEWS.

So many years had elapsed since the Jews had publicly and
avowedly dwelt in Great Britain, that on their re-establish-
ment in this country, their persons and their ceremonies
were eyed with no small curiosity by the inhabitants of
London, to whom Jewish customs were necessarily as little

/ •>

known, as are to us of the nineteenth century the rites
attending the worship of Buddha or Bramah. The Syna-
gogue in King Street became a kind of show-place, whereto
resorted substantial citizens, gay gallants and fashionable
ladies, who visited thither just as they went to see the
handsome Kynaston at the Cockpit Playhouse in Drury
Lane, or to hear the dignified Betterton at the Duke's
Theatre in Lincoln's Inn. Even Mr Secretary Pepys himself
considered the Jews' Synagogue as worthy of his inspection,
for he tells us that he proceeded thither on the 14th October
]663, after dinner, with fair Mistress Elizabeth and Mr
Rawliuson. The garrulous secretary to the Earl of Sandwich
does not appear to have been edified by the spectacle that
there met his view. Thus he writes : " I saw the men and
boys in their vayles and the women behind a 'lattice out of
sight ; and some things stand up which I believe is their
law, in a press, to which all coming in do bow; and at the
putting on their vayles do say something, to which others
that hear the priest do cry amen, and the party do kiss his
vayle." From the date and the description given, we gather
that Secretary Pepys' visit must have occurred in the after-
noon of the last day of Tabernacle (Simchath Torah), for he
continues : " And anon their laws that they take out of the
press are carried by several men, four or five burthens in all,

40 STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES.

and they do relieve one another, and whether it is that every
one desires to have the carrying of it, thus they carried it
round about the room while such a service is singing." The
absence of decorum must have been very apparent, for it
struck Mr Samuel Pepys, who in these wrords comments
upon it: "But Lord! to see the disorder, laughing,
sporting, and no attention, but confusion in all their service,
. . . . and indeed, I never did see so much or could
have imagined there had been any religion in the whole
world so absurdly performed as this."

Doubtless, had the worthy secretary to the Navy lived at
the present time, he would form a very different opinion on
that point, and he would be satisfied with the improved
order that prevails in Jewish Synagogues during service ;
but in those days the noise and loud talk that so shocked
him were seemingly the ordinary accompaniments of divine
worship. The Synagogue authorities endeavoured to
remedy this evil by passing stringent enactments which,
in conjunction with a sense of propriety on the part of the
congregation, it is hoped may have had the desired effect.
It must be said, on the other hand, that the presence of a
concourse of curious sightseers was not at all likely to
promote the religious feelings of the congregants. Indeed,
the latter abuse became so great, that in 1665 a law was
made to the effect that no member should bring with him
any ladies, nor rise from his place to meet them, nor make
room for them, nor introduce any gentleman without the
express sanction of the Mahamad (Council), for it was the
desire of that body to preserve the sacred character of the
locality — a fact that at times both Jews and Christians seem
to have overlooked.

The original laws or Ascamoth of the Portuguese com-
munity were signed by the wardens and thirteen of the
elders. Among these signatures we remark such well-known
names — at least to the Sephardim — as Lousada, Gomez
Serra, Netto, Barzillai, Mendes, Nunes, and Azevedo. All
these patronymics are still in existence, either in this
country or on the Continent. It is a recognised fact that the
Spanish and Portuguese Jews were the first to adopt
surnames, while their Eastern brethren, and those of Germany,

STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES. 41

were only addressed by their own biblical names. In Spain
the Jews who occupied important and influential positions
found it advantageous to call themselves by the appellatives
borne by Christian families with whom they came into
contact. Thus it happens that numerous Christian Spanish
houses bear to the present day those cognomens that are so
familiar all over the world, wherever a Portuguese Synagogue
rears its head. This, however, may be explained, in some in-
stances at least, by the fact that there is a considerable stream
of Jewish, blood flowing in the veins of some of the most
ancient families in the Peninsula. The Jews of Italy have
mostly designated themselves by names of cities, which may
be exemplified by such instances as those of Modena, Perugia,
Alatri, Piperno, &c. This custom has been also accordingly
adopted by the Jews of Germany, as Cleve, Worms, Xeu-
megen, sometimes with some little modifications, as in the
cases of Berliner, Wiener, Danziger, &c.

The early members of the Portuguese congregation in
London were evidently not only in affluent circumstances,
but also were disposed to liberality in all that regarded their
faith. When the first balance-sheet of the expenditure for
communal purposes was prepared in 1665, there was found to
be a considerable deficit. This was at once made up by a
subscription, to which twenty-three members, each one
according to his means, contributed. Moreover, when it was
considered necessary to double the communal impost, the
additional burden was cheerfully accepted ; and also a house-
to-house visitation was instituted to assist in raising funds
for the poor. Indeed, the requirements of the needy were
carefully attended to, as is customary among Jews. In
1666 — the year of the great fire of London — was founded the
Hebra of Bikur Holim, or society for visiting the sick ; a
code of laws was framed for its guidance, and an honorary
officer was appointed to direct the affairs of the brother-
hood.

Nor were the intellectual wants of the community neglected.
A school was established as soon as the first house of worship
had been erected ; the Rabbi of the congregation, notwith-
standing the very modest salary he received, devoted several
hours daily to the religious instruction of the children ; and,

4 2 STR UGGLES AND S UC CESSES.

to impart greater efficiency to the system of education
pursued, a warden was appointed to supervise the establish-
ment.

The community was evidently increasing in number and
wealth, for the temporary building wherein the children of
Israel addressed their prayers to the God of their fore-
fathers in time became too small, and in the year 1676
a new and larger Synagogue was inaugurated. The funds
required for the purpose seem to have been obtained partly
by especial contributions, and partly by the payment
in advance of five 'years' impost. No contractor was
engaged for the construction of the sacred edifice, but a
number of tradesmen and workmen were employed under the
inspection of an architect. The exact site of this Synagogue
we are unable to verify at the present moment. It is
generally believed to have been raised on the same spot as
the previous temporary structure, but is stated by some to,
have been situated in Heneage Lane. Even this last
Synagogue could not have been very large, for in 1699, or
twenty-three years after its opening, it was found requisite
to erect another, which is the building in existence at the
present moment in Bevis Marks.

Thriving as the Jewish community was under Charles II.,
its prosperity was not uninterrupted, nor was its political
position so secure as not to give rise to frequent anxiety.

Among its internal concerns, its rock ahead was the
influx of foreign poor. Then as now, various expedients
were tried, and tried in vain, to check an organised immigra-
tion of paupers. Ordinances after ordinances were promul-
gated by the Synagogue authorities, but apparently with
little effect, to judge from the frequency with which other
enactments for the same object followed. In 1670 it was
found necessary to decree that all foreigners coming from
abroad for assistance, should depart within five days from
the shores of England; that they should not be permitted
to enter Synagogue in the meanwhile, and that the Zeddaka
(poor fund) should allow them all it could spare. Soon
afterwards it was ordered that no foreigner should be admitted
as member of the congregation, or even be allowed to attend
divine service, until he satisfied the wardens as to his

STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES.

43

possession of the means of subsistence. Nevertheless, poor
Jews from Holland and Poland continued to flock over, and
additional laws were made on the subject, probably with as
little result as the previous enactments. Members of the
congregation were strictly enjoined not to raise subscriptions
for any foreigners, nor to canvass in their favour, nor in any
way to encourage their presence. The success achieved by
these new measures is not recorded, but it cannot have been
great, otherwise further legislation in the same sense would
not have been continued.

The Jews, as we have seen, were far from enjoying a secure
position, and occasionally they were thrown into a fright by
being threatened with expulsion, and with confiscation of
their property. These storms happily subsided peaceably, and
it must be owned that the King persistently refused to give
countenance to the machinations of the enemies of the Jews.
In 1664 a petition was presented by Emanuel Martinez
Dormido, and two others, probably the wardens, on behalf
of the Jews for protection, and leave to trade in the kingdom.
The petitioners set forth " that they had long traded there,
and behaved with due obedience to the laws ; but Mr Ricault
and others threatened seizure of their estates, and say that
both life and estate are forfeited ; the Earl of Berkshire says
he has a verbal order from His Majesty to prosecute them, and
seize their estates unless they come to an agreement with
him." No doubt this was a speculative attempt on the part
of that shrewd nobleman to obtain a handsome sum from
the Jews on the plea of shielding them from persecution.
If so, the attempt failed, for the King in Council replied
that he had issued no such order, and that they might enjoy
the same favour as before, so long as they demeaned them-
selves peaceably, and obeyed the laws.

In 1670 the Jews had acquired sufficient importance to
induce the House of Commons to direct that an inquiry
should be made as to their number, and on what terms they
were permitted to reside here. The report, however, was not
published, and thus we have lost some valuable information.

An old friendship subsisted between the Jews and Charles
II. It is said that the Jews of Amsterdam had advanced
him 1,000,000 gulden (about £84,000) to assist him in

44 STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES.

returning to England, and that he granted them a charter
permitting them to settle in this country. It is alleged that
a copy of this charter is still in possession of the Jews of
Amsterdam. Moreover, the presence of two Jews among
the retinue of the Queen may have had some influence in
inducing him to extend his protection to their brethren.

When Catherine of Braganza was on her way to become the
consort of the King of England, during her journey through
New Castile, she was attacked by erysipelas. The physician
of King John IV. of Portugal was sent for to heal her. His
name was Antonio Meudes, and he was a Jew. He gained
favour in the sight of the princess, who made him a
member of her household, and appointed his brother Andrea
Mendes to be her chamberlain. Catherine desired that
they should accompany her to England, and settle there.
The two brothers consented to this proposal. They subse-
quently summoned their third brother to establish himself in
England, and he acceded to their wishes. Then all three
threw off their assumed garb, and openly proclaimed them-
selves as Jews. Probably the royal lady may have been
somewhat shocked at finding herself attended by heretics,
but she does not appear to have dispensed with their assist-
ance on that score. Her Majesty, though not by any means
beautiful, possessed a youthful, innocent, and fresh counten-
ance, which was very captivating to a blasd man of the world
like Charles Stuart ; and not seldom her modest and simple
charms prevailed over the bold shamelessness of aCastlemaine,
the saucy effrontery of a Nell Grwynne, and the meretricious
smiles of a Louise de Querouaille. It is not at all improbable
that the Queen may have exercised her influence in favour of
the Jews. Antonio and Andrea Mendes appear to have taken
active part in the affairs of the Jewish community of England,
for we find their names mentioned more than once in the
early records of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation.
Subsequently the Mendes family repeatedly intermarried
with that of Da Costa, as we shall see in its place, and
tlaeir common descendants became known by the two sur-
names.

The King evidently preserved a certain amount .of good-
will towards the Jews, and the Jews seized every opportunity

STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES. 45

of demonstrating their loyalty and gratitude towards the
King. Sometimes the expression of their feelings took a
.singular shape.

It is recorded that in the year 1678 Rabbi Jacob Jehudali
Leon, of Amsterdam, dedicated to His Majesty a small
pamphlet, entitled " A relation of the most memorable things
in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon,
according to Scripture." This effusion was forwarded to the
King with a model of Solomon's Temple constructed by
Rabbi Leon, and accompanied by an address wherein he says
"the holy vessels, garments, and utensils thereof are delineated
and set forth to the life, and which was graciously owned
with devout affection thirty years ago and upwards by that
serene Queen, your Majesty's mother; so be pleased, most
noble prince," &c. To us this appears a strange gift to
address to the protector and companion of the witty and
profligate Rochester and the accomplished and equally
profligate Buckingham ; to the royal lover of Nell Gwynne,
the sauciest of orange-girls, of the handsome and rapacious
Lady Castlemaine, of the scheming Louise de Querouaille, of
La belle Stuart, and of various other equally meritorious
ladies. We do not know what reception the King gave
to this singular present. His Majesty was really good
natured, and no doubt the model was duly accepted, and his
sense of filial duty may possibly have caused him to prize an
object that had appertained to his royal mother.

CHAPTER IV.

THE ALIEN DUTIES.

THE Jews of England, it must be owned, ever obtained pro-
tection from the Stuart Kings against the persecution of
their too zealous subjects. In 1673 the Jews were indicted
for worshipping in public in their Synagogue, probably at
the instigation of persons of the same class as those who
institute proceedings against Sunday trading, in the belief
that they only serve their Maker when they inflict pain on
their fellow-beings. The consternation of the children of
Israel may well be conceived. To renounce their newly-
adopted country, or to renounce the worship of the Lord of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, seemed the alternative forced
upon them. There could be no hesitation as to their choice.
They petitioned King Charles, that during their stay
in England they might remain unmolested, or that time be
afforded to them to withdraw from the country. The King
appeared well disposed towards them, and on the llth
February 1673, His Majesty decided in Council "that the
Attorney- General stop all proceedings, and that they receive
no further trouble in this behalf." In 1685 a similar mis-
adventure occurred to the Israelites, for thirty-seven of their
merchants were suddenly arrested on one occasion in the
Royal Exchange, under the statute 23 of Elizabeth, for not
attending any church. Happily they were not at the mercy
of the fanatics who once more interrupted their tranquillity.
They dwelt not in a country where it was considered " an
Act of Faith " to broil alive a certain number of its citizens
because they happened to hold theological opinions at vari-
ance with those of the majority. The Jews addressed them-
selves to the new King, James II., beseeching his support
and countenance for the exercise of their faith. On the 13th

THE ALIEN DUTIES. 47

November, the King in Council ordered " that the Attorney-
General do stop the said proceedings ; " His Majesty's inten-
tion being that they should not be troubled on this account,
but they should enjoy the free exercise of their religion
whilst they behaved themselves dutifully and obediently to
his government. This appears to have been the last time
when the Jews were avowedly molested on what is conven-
tionally termed religious ground. We say conventionally,
for there is no creed that enjoins harassing and tormenting
human beings belonging to another race, and least of all,
Christianity, which lays claim to especial mercy, charity, and
love for all mankind.

During the reign of James II., the question of the levy
of the Alien Duties was the question that, most of all others,
engrossed the attention of the Jews. The King Lad
granted them letters of denization, which relieved them
from the payment of the special tax on all goods exported
by foreigners. This proceeding was resented by the English
merchants, who were apprehensive lest the same duties
should also be remitted upon all merchandise imported.
The representatives of British commerce petitioned against
this measure, alleging " that the remission of duty inwards
or outwards would be injurious, and a means of the diminu-
tion of the revenue, and would throw the mysteries of our
artificers into the hands of foreigners, to the ruin not only of
the trading and working people at home, but also of the
several English factories abroad. The petition was signed
by Sir Mathew Andrews, Sir Benj. Newland, Sir Thos.
Griffith, Sir John Chapman, Sir Henry Tulse, Sir Robert
Jeffrey, Sir Samuel Dashwood, Sir Benjamin Ayliffe, and
fifty-seven others. A similar address was also presented
apart by the Hamburgh Company, the Eastlaud Company,
and the merchants of the West and of the North of England.
Notwithstanding all these efforts, prompted by a rivalry of
calling, the petitioners were unsuccessful in their endeavours
to maintain the communal disabilities of the Jews. Nor
does it appear that the direful calamities foreseen by those
liberal-minded traders ever fell on British industry and
enterprise, which on the contrary attained considerable
development at this period.

48 THE ALIEN DUTIES.

In the commencement of the reign of William III. the
Jews still received the royal countenance in the matter. Mr
Thomas Pennington, one of the officers of the Custom House,
acquainted the King, through one of the Lords of the
Treasury, that, though the clauses of exemption from pay-
ment of alien duties granted to the Jews in their patents of
denization by King Charles II. and King James II. non
obstante, the statutes were void at the demise of the first and
abdication of the last, and that His Majesty had neither
confirmed those non obstante clauses nor granted any new
patents of denization with similar clauses, yet the Jews
presumed to enter their goods since His Majesty's reign in
their own names, paying only English duty, by which means
goods so entered became forfeited. His Majesty, in answer
to this, vowed that he would not abate the Jews of three-
pence of what was due to himself, which was a moiety, and
he ordered Mr Pennington to enter an information in the
exchequer for £58,000. Nevertheless, the Jews had so much
influence at Court and among the Commissioners of Cus-
toms, that for a long time they baffled all the efforts of
their enemies. They succeeded in procuring an order of
Council, not only against the information brought by Mr
Pennington, but against all others that should be brought
against their nation on the same grounds.

In vain Mr Pennington addressed a short petition to the
Council, while the order was pending, praying that both
parties might be heard. In vain he urged time after time
that his petition might be considered. When the case came
on, the matter was passed without any debate. The petition
was brought forward of Antonio Gomez Serra, Phineas
Gomez Serra, Andrew Lopes, Antonio da Costa, Joseph
Bueno, Menasse Mendez, Antonio Correa, and several others,
making twenty merchants in all. Among other allegations,
it was urged in that document that the petitioners had been
lately arrested in His Majesty's name by one Thomas Pen-
nington, for vast sums of money, being the value of all
goods exported and imported since llth December 1688,
that the said Thomas Penningtou had brought information
of devenerunt against them in the Court of Exchequer,
which greatly impaired their credit and stopped their trad-

THE ALIEN DUTIES.

49

ing ; that as to the duties inwards most of them were free
denizens, and therefore discharged from paying any more
customs than his Majesty's natural-born subjects, and those
that were not denizens had paid duty ; and that as to alien
duties outwards, they had been taken off by Act of Parlia-
ment in King Charles' reign, and by proclamation in the
late reign, as greatly prejudicial to the exportation of the
woollen manufacturers, and it was never demanded. II is
Majesty in Council assembled, on the 26th February 1CS9,
after due deliberation, was graciously pleased to order that
Sir George Trewby, his Attorney-General, do cause nolle
prosequi to be forthwith entered upon said information, or
any others brought against the petitioners upon the like
accounts, it being his Majesty's pleasure that they enjoy full
benefit of their respective letters patent.

The triumph of the Jews was of brief duration. The
battle of the duties was not over. The English merchants,
with the proverbial tenacity of their race, which does not
know when it is defeated, renewed their efforts to place the
Jews at a disadvantage. They industriously spread rumours
that the Jews had obtained a decision in their favour by
openly bribing personages in high office, and that the whole
proceeding was very discreditable to the Government. They
addressed the King, holding forth that were the order in
question to be carried out, his Majesty would lose £40,000
by not prosecuting for the forfeiture already past, and that
the duty thereby cut off for the future would amount to, at
least, £10,000 per annum ; that these sums would have to be
made up by the people of England ; that the balance of
trade would be broken, and the Jews let loose to overrun
the trade of the English merchants both at home and
abroad ; that most English merchants had estates in land as
well as stocks in trade, and paid taxes for them, whereas
rich Jews " were past finding out," and it would grieve the
English to pay any new taxes if Jews were illegally
exempted from payment of any ancient duties. The Com-
missioners of Customs represented these matters to the
Council, and exercised such pressure, that notwithstanding
all the efforts of the Jews, the foregoing order was super-
seded, to the great joy of the Christian merchants; The

D

50 THE ALIEN DUTIES.

King decreed, at a Council held at Hampton Court, on the
14th October 1690, that the Lords Commissioners of the
Treasury do give directions to the Commissioners of Customs
and other officers for collecting all such duties as are by law-
payable for goods of native product or manufacture of
this kingdom that shall be exported, notwithstanding the
order of the 22d January 16G5, or any other direction to the
contrary.

This unfavourable conclusion of a prolonged struggle must
have proved a heavy blow to the Jews. As we have seen,
they not only forfeited thereby £40,000, but their future
commercial operations would be taxed to an amount esti-
mated at £10,000 per annum. We have no means of judging
as to the extent of the injury inflicted upon them by this
adverse decision. "We are able, however, to form some idea
of the financial position of the Jews at this period, by re-
ferring to their assessment for communal purposes. Thus,
in the year 1677, no fewer than twenty members of the con-
gregation were assessed at £20 each for their share of the
half year's communal impost. The largest contributor to
the fund was Solomon de Medina, the eminent merchant and
army contractor, who was taxed at £28. This income-tax
was calculated on the basis of 4s. for every £100 on all
merchandise bought and sold, 2s. for every £100 on goods
in transit, and Is. on bullion, plate, and jewellery ; and it-
was assessed on the half-yearly returns rendered by the mer-
chants themselves. Reckoning this impost at an average
rate of 2s. 6d. per £100, a payment of £20 for a period of
six months, would represent transactions to the extent of
£32,000 per annum, a by no means despicable amount for
those days. In the following year, Sir Solomon Medina
paid an impost of £50 for six months, the result of opera-
tions reaching to £80,000 per annum, which figure merchants
of two centuries since must have regarded as altogether
beyond the common range. This well-known individual, to
whom we shall revert more fully hereafter, was the first Jew
who received the honour of knighthood.

It is clear, therefore, that the commercial dealings of the
Jews were of sufficient importance in 1678, and a fortiori
ten years later, when their numbers had further increased,

THE ALIEN D UTIES. 5 1

their trade must have assumed still greater proportions.
The check they received by the rehnposition of the alien
duties, was surmounted in time, and that enterprising race,
notwithstanding its having been — to use a sporting expres-
sion— so weightily handicapped, in a few years, by dint of
superior energy, industry, and perseverance, showed again to
the front.

CHAPTER V.

ANECDOTES— CONVERSIONS.— LEARNED RABBIS— NE W
SYNAGOGUES.

THE old penal statutes against the Jews of the time of
Edward I. long remained unrepealed, though apparently
allowed to fall into desuetude, and their existence was openly
adverted to by the enemies of the Jews so late as the reign
of the First George. One of these enactments forbade the
Jews to appear in public without a yellow badge, under pain
of forfeiting their lives. Amidst a series of laws, equally
rational and merciful, it was decreed that no Jew should sue
a Christian in his own name, but only in the King's name,
and with the royal licence. The knowledge of this fact,
suggested to an ingenious Christian, who happened to be
indebted to an Israelite, a new way to pay old debts, with
a saving-clause for his conscience. Legal proceedings were
taken by the clamorous Hebrew, and the case came for hearing
before Chief Justice Jeffreys — the judge of "bloody assize"
notoriety. The defence was simple enough. A Jew had no
right, according to the laws of England, to bring an action
against a Christian. The Chief Justice inquired of the
defendant whether he had any other plea to urge. " No,
my lord, I insist on this plea," replied the honest debtor.
" Then," shrieked the judge, " I tell you that even according
to your defence, you must pay his demand, for he did not
bring the action against a Christian, but against a Jew, and
one greater than himself."

For once, perhaps, one of the greatest bullies that ever
sat on the judicial bench was right. But the sentence, just
in itself, was supported by arguments more offensive to the
plaintiff, than the allegations of the defendant.

Notwithstanding the eventual decision of William of

ANECDOTES. 53

Orange in the matter of the alien duties, there is no reason
to doubt his favourable disposition towards the Children of
Israel. Indeed, it is asserted, that without the assistance of
the Jews of Amsterdam, the King could never have reached
the throne of England, for his intended expedition was at
a standstill for want of funds, until they advanced some very
large sums. If such was the case, the loans in question must
have been effected to the government of the republic, and not
to the Stadtholder personally ; for we are informed by Lord
Macaulay, that soon after the Chief Magistrate of Holland
had ascended the throne of England, the English Parliament
voted a grant of £600,000 to repay the Dutch Republic for
the costs of the expedition. At all events, William must
have well known the great benefits that the presence of the
Je»vs had conferred upon Holland. He must have seen
with his own eyes the enterprise and the industry, the financial
genius and the honesty — ay, the honesty, of that much
maligned people, to whom his native country was so greatly
indebted. He must have perceived how materially they had
helped in rendering that small strip of marshy land that
struggled for bare existence against the all-devouring sea-
waves, one of the wealthiest states in Europe, the flag of which
rode proudly over every ocean. Doubtless, King William had
to yield to pressure in the question of the alien duties. But
when the inhabitants of Jamaica petitioned his Majesty to
order the Jewish settlers to quit their homes, and leave their
property at the disposal of the patriotic natives, he most
positively declined to entertain their application.

Another instance also is recorded of the King's prudent
forbearance towards the Jews. In 1689 two millions were
voted by Parliament for the conquest of Ireland. The diffi-
culty was how to procure the money. A new assessment
was made on real property; a poll-tax was levied, an$ extra
duties were laid on tea, coffee, and chocolate. All these
sources of revenue proving insufficient, it was proposed to
tax the Jews to the extent of £100,000. The Jews at once
petitioned the King, and declared that they could not afford it,
and they would rather leave the country at once than be ruined.
Wise statesmanship showed that such a tax would be little
better than confiscation, and it was eventually abandoned.

54 ANECDOTES.

•

We may here observe that singularly enough, while few

English Jews selected the army as a profession, the sister
service found much favour in their sight. Our co-religionists
have furnished several distinguished naval officers to their
country. Among these we may name Commodore Chamber-
lain, who flourished at the time of William and Mary : and
in our own days we have known several Israelites holding
commissions in the British navy.

It has been remarked by some writers that in the reign of
King William III. and Queen Anne, there were many con-
versions of Jews to Christianity. Now we have grounds for
believing that the number of these conversions was much
exaggerated. Few names of note have been handed down
to us as appertaining to persons who forsook their ancient
religion at that period. We shall hereafter fully analyse
the subject of conversions from the old faith to the new dis-
pensation. We shall merely observe at present that obvious
reasons for the adoption by some stray members of a barely-
tolerated race of the external religion of the country which
tolerated them, will suggest themselves to all readers.

Some of the conversions were evidently of a hollow
nature, and cases are known of "converted" individuals, who,
before their death, desired to return to the old persuasion.
Among these we may adduce the example of Mr Dupass, to
whom we adverted in a previous chapter. This gentleman,
who was a Dutch merchant of means, had come to England
at the time of the Restoration, and had then embraced Chris-
tianity. As a reward for this act, he had been appointed a
clerk in the office of the Secretary of State, Sir Lionel Jen-
kins. Dupass became a court favourite, and married a wealthy
English lady. According to a writer, who is a bitter enemy of
the Jews, these latter persecuted him until he went to India,
and there he was driven to seek re-admission into Judaism.
Mr Dupass died in that country, and we are told that the
wicked Jews who held his property declined to give it up to
his widow until constrained by proceedings at law.

The influx of Jews from Lithuania and Germany became
greater and greater towards the end of the seventeenth century.
The aristocratic Sephardim, whose ancestors had banqueted with
sovereigns, and held the purse-strings of kings, looked with

ANECDOTES. 55

some disdain on their poorer and humbler brethren — the ple-
beian Ashkenazim, who had dealt in worn garments or huck-
stered in petty commodities on the banks of the Vistula, or iu
German Ghettos. The Portuguese did not allow the Germans
to have any share in the management of congregational affairs.
It was especially enacted that the latter, who probably were
neither very refined nor very cultivated, should not be allowed
to hold office in the Synagogue, nor vote at meetings, nor be
called to the Law, nor receive Mitzvotk (religious honours),
nor make offerings, nor pay imposts. The Germans, in point
of fact, were treated as belonging to a lower caste, and the
only functions that a member of that nationality was permitted
to fulfil were the useful, albeit lowly, duties of beadle, which
were actually entrusted to a German — a certain Benjamin
Levy. In time the Germans resolved to establish a Syna-
gogue of their own, as our readers will see in due course.

The Spanish and Portuguese Jews were fortunate in obtain-
ing the services of men of great learning and piety as Rabbis
of their congregation. Among these we may name Rabbi
Jacob Abendana, who was elected Haham, or Ecclesiastical
Chief, in 1680. He was distinguished by his profound know-
ledge of Hebrew, and he rendered the " Cuzari" into a Spanish
dress. His brother Rabbi Isaac Abendana settled soon after-
wards at Oxford, where he became professor of Hebrew. He
is said to have been an indefatigable writer, and he translated
the " Mishna "and the " Commentaries of Maimonides " into
Spanish. He also produced a work entitled, " Discourses on
the Ecclesiastical Polity of the Jews," which caused some
sensation among Christian scholars.

' The most eminent Haham or Chief Rabbi that the Sephardim
ever possessed in this country was unquestionably Rabbi
David Nieto. He was a philosopher, physician, poet, mathe-
matician, astronomer, and theologian. Like many other great
men among the Jews, he showed that faith and science may
go hand-in-hand together, and, whilst being the spiritual guide
of his flock, he did not disdain to heal their bodily infirmities.
The Rabbi was practising medicine at Leghorn, and had written
in his own language an erudite work entitled, " Pascologia,"
demonstrating the errors that had crept into the calendar
from the Council of Nice to 1692, when he was summoned

56 ANECDOTES.

to preside over the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation,
London. In the English capital he composed a book called
the " Matteh Dan," which is a kind of supplement to the
well-known " Cuzari" of Rabbi Yehuda Halevy, and has for
its object a vindication of the Oral Law. He, moreover,
gave forth another work in Hebrew, the " Aish Dath " —
" Fire of the Law," which was aimed at a Eabbiof heterodox
opinions, named Nehemiah Cheyon. The heresies of this
individual served as a theme for the lucubrations of another
Rabbi, Haham Joseph Ergas. This work is said to be well
written, but conceived in an intemperate spirit. The print-
ing of these early Hebrew books was attended with great
difficulty, and reflected great credit on the energy and per-
severance of their authors ; for there were no Jewish com-
positors in those days, and Christian workmen, being ignorant
of the Hebrew letters, committed numberless typographical
errors, requiring the revision of many proof-sheets.
. Hebrew genius and learning were honoured in England
even during the early part of the 18th century. Among the
talented Jews who acquired a reputation with English sa-
vants we may distinguish Daniel Israel Laguna, who pub-
lished in 1720 a metrical version of the Psalms, under the
title of " A Faithful Mirror of Life ;" a work that was
highly commended. Then another Portuguese Rabbi, Jacob
de Castro Sarmiento, attracted general attention for his pro-
found erudition, and his extensive acquirements in natural
science and philosophy. He was elected a member of the
Royal Society, and an honorary diploma was conferred upon
him by the University of Aberdeen ; facts that speak well,
not only for the appreciative discrimination of Englishmen
of letters and science, but also for the spread of liberality
and religious tolerance.

During the first year of Rabbi Nieto's residence in Eng-
land, an important event occurred in his congregation. A
new Synagogue was inaugurated. The increase in the com-
munity had of late years been so rapid, that, in 1698, it was
resolved to raise a new place of worship. In that year the
wardens and elders summoned a meeting of the members,
and applied to them for the payment of the sums they had
subscribed towards a building-fund. On the 12th February,

ANECDOTES.

57

1699, a contract was signed by six representatives of the
Synagogue, viz., Antonio Gomes Serra, Meuasseh Mendes,
Alfonso Rodriguez, Manuel Nunes Miranda, Andrea Lopez,
and Pantaleao Eodriguez on the one part ; and Joseph Avis,
carpenter, on the other ; for the construction of the new
Synagogue. It is related that the builder, who was a
Quaker, returned to the Portuguese authorities, on the day
of the opening of the Synagogue, the profit he realised on
the contract. He would not retain to his own use any of
the gold intended for the erection of a fane to God. The
cost was to be £2750, and the payment to be effected in
seven, instalments. On the 13th November of the same
year, a lease was signed by the same gentlemen for the land
on which the Synagogue was to be raised — for sixty-one
years certain, and the remainder, viz., thirty-eight years at
the election of the Jewish representatives, was granted by
Lady Ann Pointz, alias Littleton, and Sir Thomas Pointz,
alias Littleton, for the site of Plough Yard, in Be vis Marks,
at £120 per annum. The leasehold, we may add, was
afterwards converted into a freehold property.

During the progress of the new building, the old Syna-
gogue was becoming too small for the congregation. It was
so crowded that the wardens were ungallant enough to ex-
clude the ladies from divine service, and they ordered that the
men should temporarily sit in the ladies' gallery, the 'old
entrance thereto being bricked up, and another ingress being
opened from the men's side. The new Synagogue was in
time completed, and was consecrated in the year 1702.
Curious to say, Queen Anne presented a beam to the new
Synagogue, which is still to be found in the ceiling there.
Many of the original benches were brought thither from the
old Synagogue, and some of the brass candlesticks had been
conveyed over from Holland. With the exception of some
unimportant alterations in the shape of the windows and
other minor matters, the old edifice remains there unaltered
to the present day ; and it is there that the ancient Por-
tuguese community still assemble to pray to the God of
Israel.

CHAPTER VI.
HEBREW CAPITALISTS.

THE success achieved by Jews in commercial and financial
operations has been regarded at all times and in all coun-
tries as an especial grievance, by some at least of their
Christian neighbours. We will not discuss whether such
feelings as envy and jealousy may not have some share in
the half ludicrous, half bitter lamentations on the supposed
great wealth of the Jews, lamentations which are occasionally
wailed forth from some Gentile journal, more remarkable for
fiery zeal than tolerance or discretion. The greed, the love
of gold, of the Jews has formed the theme of many an in-
vective thundered against that unhappy race. Comparatively
few writers have rendered them the common justice of admit-
ting that the greed or love of gold of Gentiles has been quite
as great ; and if a few Hebrews have occasionally realised
exceptional fortunes, it has been because they possessed ex-
ceptional foresight, perseverance, industry, and courage.

The eighteenth century has furnished several examples of
financial genius among the Jews. Among the men who
made their mark in their day and who gained a place in
history, we will mention first the " Jew Medina," who lived
in the reign of Queen Anne, and to whom we have already
adverted. It is recorded in British annals that in the year
1711 the Duke of Marlborough was attacked in Parliament
for receiving from a Jew a yearly payment of the sum of
£6000. The keen general, who hungered as sharply after
the precious metal as any Israelite, replied that the money
had been applied towards obtaining trustworthy information.
During the enquiry that followed, the curious fact was
brought to light that, since' 1672, the Jews of Amsterdam
had handed over annually an amount of between £5000 to

HEBREW CAPITALISTS. 59

£6000 to the commander of the Dutch forces, an office
vested in 1711 on the conqueror of Blenheim. These and
other discoveries made as to the Duke's rapacity, -were so
handled by his political opponents that the haughty John
Churchill fell for the time into disgrace. The Jew who ac-
companied the Duke of Marlborough in all his campaigns,
and who administered to the avarice of the great captain,
was Sir Solomon Medina, he who for years had been the
largest contributor to the funds of the Sephardic Congrega-
tion. This enterprising gentleman is the " Jew " who at one
period held contracts to supply the army with bread. Sir
Solomon Medina amply repaid himself for the advances made
to Marlborough by forwarding expresses bearing intelligence
of some of the most glorious battles ever won by English
bravery ; and Ramilies, Oudenarde, and Blenheim contributed
as much to the wealth of the Hebrew as to the glory of
England. Sir Solomon Medina bequeathed a considerable
fortune at his death ; and we believe his descendants
eventually left the pale of Judaism.

Menasseh Lopez was another member of the Portuguese com-
munity who acquired riches by superior sagacity and courage.
He was a successful dealer in stock, when one day rumours
of the death of Queen Anne were circulated. The tidings
produced a sudden panic in the capital. The train-bands
desisted from their exercises : eager crowds flocked in alarm
at the street corners, and the funds fell with suddenness.
Gentile speculators became intimidated, and did not muster
sufficient resolution to operate. Stock was openly offered at
rapidly diminishing prices, and no one had the boldness to
purchase, until Lopez and other Jews stepped forward to
buy all the government securities they could obtain. The
news in time was discovered to be false ; public agitation
quietly subsided, and a rebound upward occurred in every
kind of stock. Lopez by his nerve and discernment cleared
very large profits on this occasion ; and he became the pos-
sessor of a fine property. Of that other Menasseh Lopez,
sprung from the same stock, who came many years after-
wards, we shall speak in its proper place.

Pre-eminent among the Hebrew capitalists of last century

60 HEBREW CAPITALISTS.

ranked Sampson Gideon, for that was the name by which the
great " Jew broker " was known in the Gentile world. He
was the "greatest Roman of them all." He was the
Rothschild of the day, the friend of Walpole, the pillar of
state credit. His operations were executed on a scale that
was then considered gigantic. During the crisis that fol-
lowed the South Sea Bubble, Gideon was anxiously looked
up to, but he was as firm as a rock, as impenetrable as a
sphinx. It is said that he rendered Sir Robert Walpole
considerable services at this time, not only in a private
capacity, but also in materially assisting the minister in
allaying public alarm, and in restoring general confidence.
It is noteworthy that the Jews, with their commercial in-
sight into the real nature of undertakings, held aloof from
the South Sea Scheme and its sequel which promised sudden
riches to all. When the whole nation was infected in an
astonishing degree with the spirit of stock-jobbing; when
Exchange Alley was crowded with statesmen and clergymen,
whigs and tories, churchmen and dissenters, sober merchants
and fashionable ladies ; when other employments and profes-
sions were utterly neglected ; when new companies started up
every day under the highest auspices ; when the Prince of
Wales was constituted Governor of the Welch Copper
Company, the Duke of Chandos headed the York Buildings
Company, and the Duke of Bridgewater formed another for
building houses, the Jews appeared to preserve their calm-
ness and perspicacity in a remarkable degree. They did not
allow themselves to be carried away by the universal passion
for gold, nor to be led into the vortex that dragged thousands
upon thousands into destruction. When the crash came,
and disappointment, rage and despair preyed upon numberless
victims, the Jews reaped the fruits of their caution. Insol-
vencies were exceedingly numerous, but not a single Hebrew
name is perceived in the list of bankrupts.

It is related of Gideon that in the panic that accompanied
the advance of the Pretender to London in 1745-46, he pur-
chased stock when everybody else was eager to sell. The
consternation was general. Thfc King was trembling, the
prime minister was wavering, and the funds were offered at

HEBREW CAPITALISTS. 61

any price. Sampson Gideon went to Jonathan's and bought
all the government securities lie could obtain ; he advanced
every guinea he possessed, he staked his credit, and he held
as much stock as all the remaining speculators put together.
The Pretender soon after retired, and Gideon nearly doubled
his fortune ! Some months before the revolution, this enter-
prising financier had borrowed, to carry out some operation,
a sum of £20,000 from Mr Snow the banker. When
the Pretender was marching on the capital, Mr Snow wrote
to Sampson Gideon in tones alternately piteous and offen-
sive, requesting an immediate return of his advances.
Mr Snow not only really required the money in his
own bank in this emergency, but he was afraid of losing-
it altogether. Gideon quietly proceeded to the Bank
of England, and obtained therefrom twenty £1000 notes,
which he rolled around a bottle of smelling-salts, and
forwarded to the dismayed banker. The latter, reani-
mated probably more by the sight of those crisp pieces of
paper than by the pungent scent of the stimulating agent,
addressed immediately a gushing letter to Gideon, vowing
everlasting gratitude. Sampson Gideon, it is well known,
was the ancestor of the Eardley family, on the female side,
and he purchased the Belvedere Estate at Erith, which re-
mained until late years in the possession of his descendant,
Sir Culling Eardley, Bart. Sampson Gideon espoused a
Christian lady, and his son, Sampson, was baptized and
raised to the peerage under the title of Baron Eardley. One
of the daughters of Lord Eardley was united in matrimony
to a gentleman bearing the not uncommon name of Smith,
and who was created a baronet in 1802. Mr Smith became
Sir Culling Smith, Bart. ; he eventually styled himself Sir
Culling Eardley, and is the progenitor of the present repre-
sentative of the title.

One day in Heshvan, 5514 (1754>), while the elders were
holding a meeting, a notary entered and delivered a com-
munication to the President. It was from Sampson de
Rehuel Abudiente, resigning his membership of the con-
gregation. The letter caused little surprise and was not
taken into consideration for three weeks, when the tendered

6 2 HEBR& W CAPITA LISTS.

resignation was accepted. The withdrawal of Sampson
Abudiente was received without comment, for he had long
ceased to take part in Jewish affairs. Sampson Abudiente
had become a great man. No longer was he seen in the
Jewish quarters with his basket in his hand ; no longer did
he wend his way to Synagogue on Friday evenings ; and his
seat in the house of prayer was teuantless. Sampson
Abudiente had grown into a power on 'Change. Sampson
Abudiente, whose sordid and mean attire had passed into
a proverb, was the friend and confidential adviser of the
Prime Minister of England. Sampson Abudiente was now
called Sampson Gideon. The strange foreign designation
had become distasteful to him, and he had adopted a patro-
nymic more suitable to English ears. But he had never
ceased to be a Jew, and it was not that he loved Judaism
the less, but that he loved wealth and worldly honours the
more. In former days he had desired to purchase a landed
estate and found himself surrounded by difficulties. It
was a disputed point whether a Jew could legally own landed
property. By using his great influence with Sir Eobert
"Walpole, he had obtained a special Act of Parliament
authorising the vendor to transfer to him, Sampson Gideon,
the rich acres he coveted. But this process was uncertain
and unsatisfactory. It was his ambition to be the founder of
a great family. He was anxious to secure his millions to
his children. To cut away all difficulties he brought them up
to the Christian faith. As it happened, his plan did not attain
the end he coveted. Poetical justice usually occurs only in
the third volume of a novel, or at the close of a melodrama,
for in reality it is seldom visibly carried out in actual life.
It is worthy of remark, that Sampson Gideon's eldest son,
Lord Eardley, left no male issue ; and, consequently, the
title became extinct, and the vast wealth accumulated by the
" Jew broker " went to enrich strangers. A baronetage by
the female side and a burdened estate are all that are left
now of the financier's ambitious dreams.

As we have already said, Sampson Gideon had never for-
saken Judaism, and until the time 'of his withdrawal from
the synagogue, in 1754, he continued to pay regularly his

HEBRE W CAPITALISTS. 63

tax (finta) to the Portuguese congregation. He also was
employed as broker to buy or sell the communal funds when
needed. Even after his retirement he remained a Jew at
heart, and until his last day he retained a singular hanker-
ing after his race. When Sampson Gideon, in 1703, was
summoned to join the greater number, his will brought to
light in an unexpected manner the state of his feelings.
His executors forwarded a copy of his will to the authorities
of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, with a request
that orders might be given for the interment of the deceased.
The following paragraph was found in that document : " To
my executors — £1000 to be paid by them and applied to
and for the use of the Portuguese Synagogue in Bevis
Marks, London, in case I shall be buried in the Jews'
burying-place at Mile End, in the carreira (regular row of
graves), with the right of a guebir (member), and an Escaba
(or prayer for the dead) said every Kippur." The reply of
the Portuguese elders was brief and dignified, and to the
effect that orders had been given to the keeper of the
burying-ground at Mile End to let the grave be open accord-
ing to the desire of the deceased, and that his remains would
be treated as those of any other member. Then Phineas
Gomes Serra, a gentleman belonging to one of the first
families of the community, came forward and stated that a
certain sum offered annually by him in the name of " Peloui
Almoni" — as anonymous donors were designated — in reality
was contributed by the late Sampson Gideon, who had thus
regularly kept up his payments as member. Here we have,
indeed, a strange phenomenon. A man who would be a
Jew, and would not appear a Jew ; who believed in Judaism,
and brought up his children to Christianity ; who moved for
years solely among Christians ; and yet who craved to be
laid in his last sleep beside Jews. Perhaps Sampson Gideon
when he entertained his lordly and honourable guests at
Belvedere House, Erith, was a less happy man than when
he trudged on foot to Synagogue. Who can tell the struggles
that tore his bosom between religious faith and worldly
ambition, between conscience and self-aggrandisement ! No
better lesson on the emptiness of human ambition, on the

64 HEBRE W CAPITALISTS.

vanity of human pride and greatness, can be furnished, than
is afforded by the career of Sampson Gideon.

According to Jewish custom, only a plain stone points out
to visitors to the Portuguese cemetery at Mile End, the site
of the grave of the great financier. And every year during
the evening of the solemn Fast of Expiation, a short prayer
is recited at the Portuguese Synagogue for the soul of
Sampson de Rehuel Abudiente.

CHAPTER VII.

SPECIAL LEGISLATION— JEWISH LOYALTY— CONTINUED
PREJUDICES— ENEMIES AND FRIENDS.

DURING the first half of the eighteenth century the legislature
of the country commenced to take notice of the existence of the
Jews, and passed several enactments applying solely to the
ancient people of God. In the year 1715, it was represented
to both Houses of Parliament, that the severity of Jewish
parents was a great hindrance to the children being con-
verted to the Christian faith. It was firmly believed by
some well-meaning enthusiasts, that were Jewish youths and
maidens assured of not forfeiting their share of their father's
fortune, they would forsake in crowds the old faith to adopt
the new dispensation. An Act of Parliament therefore was
passed, to the effect that if the child of any Jewish parent
became a Christian, or was desirous of embracing Chris-
tianity, he might compel such parent, upon applying to the
Lord Chancellor, to make due provision for him.

It does not appear that this law caused any especial
number of conversions. On the contrary, about three years
after this there was a groundless rumour that the Jews had
converted several Christians. We know that such an occur-
rence could not be; but a credulous individual, more fana-
tical than prudent, published a small anonymous pamphlet,
frantically inveighing against Jews and Judaism, and dedi-
cated this lucubration to " the reverend clergy, and particu-
larly the members of the Convocation." The author observed
with "wonder and strangeness that amidst a multitude of
outcries for reformation, they had still left the greatest work
of all undone, namely, the suppression of the Jews, and until
that were accomplished, all other attempts would be to little
purpose." The poor man, in a state of great alarm, thus

E

66 SPECIAL LEGISLATION.

concluded, not without indulging in a sly hit against his
own clergy — " The suffering of the Jews to erect a new
Synagogue in the heart of the City of London is such
encouragement to Judaism, that enemies of the Church
of England say that if rabbis and priests of Jews had
but as ancient pretensions to church livings and ecclesias-
tical dignities as popish priests, our most spiritual Lords the
Bishops would be as energetic in expulsion of Judaism
as they were in King William's time for the excision of
Popery."

We hardly know which is the more entertaining: the
intense dread of the Jews experienced by the author, or the
simplicity with which he attributes to his own priesthood an
overwhelming desire for a monopoly of the loaves and fishes.

Some of the laws in question were framed to grant to the
Jews some slight instalment of the commonest rights.

In Great Britain, as in some other European kingdoms,
the Government has been usually in advance of the popula-
tion in their treatment of the Jews. In England, in France,
in Italy, the rulers fully acknowledged the title of the Jews
to the citizenship of their country, while the inhabitants eyed
them suspiciously as aliens. Indeed in most states the law
recognised the equality of the Hebrews to the remainder of
their countrymen, when society failed to admit it.

In the year 1723 the British Government carried through
Parliament an Act which, albeit apparently of small import-
ance, was yet of great significance, for therein it was pro-
claimed for the first time that the Jews were British subjects.
This Act determined that " whenever any of his Majesty's
subjects professing the Jewish religion shall present them-
selves to take the oath of abjuration, the words ' on the true
faith of a Christian ' shall be omitted out of the said oath,
and the taking of it by such persons professing the Jewish
religion, without the words aforesaid, in the manner as Jews
are admitted to be sworn to give evidence in courts of justice,
shall be deemed a sufficient taking." Here we have a be-
ginning of religious tolerance. The rights of individual
conscience are conceded, and the scruples of even a Jew are
respected. Moreover, we notice that the obnoxious words
had been previously left out on taking oaths in Courts of

SPECIAL LEGISLATION. 67

Law, so that the Hebrews already possessed some privileges,
which on this occasion were extended and further sanctioned
by the legislature.

The next concession in this direction was in 1740, when
another Act of Parliament granted the rights of natural-
born subjects of Great Britain to those Jews who hud already
resided in the American Colonies, or who had served as marines
during the war in British ships for two years.

No state, we may here remark, ever had cause to regret
its due recognition of Jewish claims. Loyalty is a quality
essential in the Hebrew race. The Jews have invariably
paid implicit obedience to the powers that be, as they have
always supported public order. In a republic, the Jew is a
moderate republican ; in a monarchy, he is a consistent con-
stitutionalist. A Hebrew sans culotte would have been as
curious a phenomenon as a religious reformer in the chair of
St Peter. In this country, as elsewhere, the Jews, whenever
treated with common humanity, have been ready to shed
their blood and to expend their treasure on behalf of the
legal authorities. The attachment of the Children of Israel
to the House of Brunswick is notorious. Not that they had
any ground of complaint against the last two Stuart Kings,
who, as we have already seen, displayed towards them a wise
tolerance. But Dutch William, and the House of Hanover
which succeeded him, represented the cause of progress,
liberty of conscience, and religious equality, while the last
James allied himself to bigotry and fanaticism and narrow-
minded despotism. The Jew, though quiet and orderly, is
no humble submissive slave ; and the natural inborn love of
independence of his race will lead him ever to prefer that
form of government which is most in accord with his desires
and requirements. A Jew will not join any revolutionary
movement against constituted authorities, but he will be
more zealous in his 'allegiance towards those who are willing
to concede that amount of political and religious freedom
to which every sane adult is entitled. Thus it happened
that the Jews were constantly willing and ready in every
emergency to take up arms in defence of the British throne
in general, and of the Guelph dynasty in particular. The
Jews in 1745-46 honourably distinguished themselves in

68 SPECIAL LEGISLATION.

taking part in the common danger against an enemy who
represented a retrograde movement in civilisation. The
lower classes in the community enlisted themselves in the
city militia. Those of higher rank entered into associations
of all kinds, whilst those whose condition made them more
useful in following their own callings, every way promoted
•whatever was thought serviceable to the Government. Public
credit was sinking, the run on the Bank of England was
unceasing, and the drain of specie was becoming so serious,
that a stoppage of the bank was generally apprehended. The
Jews imported specie, and brought it to that establishment,
which proceeding materially contributed to the restoration of
national credit. Many people, indeed, solicited the Jews to
let them have the gold and silver, so that they might have
the merit of taking it to the bank themselves. The situa-
tion was so critical, that it was not sufficient to bring in
supplies, unless a stop were put to the continual demand.
It is useless to pump water from a disabled bark unless the
leak be stopped. Some persons, whether actuated by malice
or panic it does not appear, exposed some bank-notes publicly
for sale at a discount. Twelve merchants, two of whom
were Hebrews, formed at once a union, each member of
which signed an undertaking to accept bank-notes in pay-
ment at par. This resolution saved the sinking credit of
the country, and the union was joined by numerous patriotic
traders, among whom figured all the principal Jewish com-
mercial and financial men. Moreover coin was scarce in the
Treasury, and immediate calls for it were pressing. Coercive
measures would have been simply destructive, for they would
have increased the alarm of the people, and occasioned a
renewed run on the bank. A subscription was opened in
the city by Government to borrow money on the land-tax.
The conditions of this loan were by no means favourable to
the lenders ; nevertheless, the Hebrews came forward freely
and subscribed fully one-quarter of the required amount.
The conduct of the once persecuted race seems to have been
duly appreciated, for when it was resolved to" present an
address to the King, a Jew was elected as member of the com-
mittee that was to head the merchants on that memorable occa-
sion, an honour that would not have been paid to the despised

SPECIAL LEGISLATION. 6g

race unless its zeal and loyalty had gained general appro-
bation. In conclusion, two wealthy Israelites had armed two
vessels in the river for the purpose of privateering, and also
for loading goods for foreign markets. When it became
known that ships were required to prevent the enemy from
landing, the owners tendered the vessels, so fitted out at
their cost, to the Government, sacrificing their private ad-
vantage to the necessities of the country. Nevertheless, the
patriotism of the Jews was soon forgotten, for when, in
1753, the Naturalisation Act passed, the greater — or the
most noisy — part of the population was up in arms against
the obnoxious law, and peace was not restored until the
slight boon conferred on the Hebrews was revoked by
Parliament.

In the beginning of this century, when all England was
thrown in a fever of alarm by the anticipation of a never-
intended invasion by the " Corsican Ogre," the Jews eagerly
enlisted themselves among the volunteers. In 1848, when
some silly and mischievous demagogues desired to convince
the country forcibly that prosperity, independence, and ample
labour would be magically bestowed upon all by the adoption
of the several points of the Charter, numerous Jews were
observed patrolling the streets with the special constable's
badge round their arms and the emblematic staff in their
hands. Finally, when, a dozen years ago, England awoke to
its unprotected condition, Jewish young men stepped forward
by hundreds, and leaving the fascinating pursuits of pleasure
and the engrossing cares of business, stood arrayed side by
side with the flower of British youth, prepared to incur any
sacrifice on behalf of their native land.

We must not believe that the position of the Jews in
England during the first half of the eighteenth century was
especially enviable or brilliant. No doubt many Israelites
were gathering hither from the Continent ; which, however,
is rather a proof of the inferiority of their condition in the
rest of Europe, than of the abstract goodness of their con-
dition in England. Though Government protected the Jews
from actual ill-usage, social prejudices against them broke
out occasionally, hampering their every movement, 'and sur-
rounding them with difficulties. In the year 1715 a Jew

70 SPECIAL LEGISLATION.

applied to "be admitted as broker in the City of London,
when a petition was presented against that application by
the brokers. It commenced thus : — " Reasons offered
humbly to the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen against
a Jew (who is a known enemy to the Christian religion) his
being admitted a broker." The reasons alleged were six in
number, and were in substance as follow : — 1. That the
brokers were limited to 100, and that the Act of Parliament
made no mention of Jews or other foreigners. 2. That of
the Jews that were brokers, not above one-half were " of any
advantage to the merchants in any branch of trade what-
soever." 3. That for drawing and remitting money to and
from foreign countries the Jews might be serviceable ; but
that there were twice as many " Jew brokers " as were
required, which was the cause that one-half of them became
addicted to stock jobbing, and had recourse to irregular
practices. 4. " That no branch of trade will not receive
detriment by admitting Jew brokers." 5. That the Jews
were neither free of the City nor of any livery company, and
paid very little towards public support; whereas the peti-
tioners were house-keepers, freemen, liverymen, who paid
scott and lott, and had a right to the immunities and privi-
leges of Englishmen that Jews had not. 6. That Jews had
no right to immunities and privileges, as would appear from
the many statute laws in force against them, which were
printed in 1703, and dedicated to Convocation.

This curious document brings forward several interesting
facts concerning the Jews. In the first place, we perceive
that the pursuit of a broker was much in favour among the
Hebrews, and greatly resorted to by them. Then we observe
the numerous restrictions that hemmed them in in the battle
of life, and the prejudices that were rife against them ; and,
in conclusion, we learn that many .penal enactments still
existed at that period in the Statute-Book rendering the
property of that race insecure, and their lives barely safe.
This petition was not successful ; for the Corporation of
London, with that liberality which has generally characterised
its conduct towards, the Jews, took no notice of it, and granted
the application to the Hebrew broker.

Occasionally some voice from the crowd was raised against

SPECIAL LEGISLATION. 71

the Jews at this period; and an anonymous pamphlet was
published a few years later, in which it was stated that " the
Jews, by their corrupted charms and secret intrigues, though
they have no manner of right to live here, do boldly presume
not only to engross the principal part of our trade, but are
now admitted, as some say, to shares in the East Indian,
African, Hudson's Bay, and Hamburgh Society." From this
and other analogous sources we gather that, notwithstanding
so many adverse circumstances, the Jews, by their natural
sagacity and indomitable energy, had already acquired an
important position in British commerce ; that they had
engrossed the Portugal and Barbary trade to themselves ;
that they were running a close race for that of Spain ; that
they had got into their hands Barbadoes and Jamaica ; and
that by their foreign relations they regulated the course of
the Exchanges. We are also apprised that the Jews were
shareholders in many of the principal companies ; but
that as all Jews had been declared traitors by an Act of
Edward I., they could own no property. Therefore they were
liable, at the King's pleasure, to have all their funds seized.
All the joint concerns in which the Jews possessed any
interest were, moreover, subject to the same risk. We do
not learn that the Jews were ever practically despoiled in
this manner at this period ; and their enemies take care to
inform us that the former played their cards so well, by pro-
fessing friendship with all religions, that they were growing
into favour with both laity and clergy.

The Jews, at the same time, were not without friends and
supporters. In 1736 a singular pamphlet was published.
It attracted much attention at that period. It is addressed
to " the Rev. High Priest of the Church by law established,"
and it is signed by "Solomon Abrabanel, in Synagogue Lane,
Bury Street, the 12th day of the 12th month of Adar." In-
ternal evidence would lead us to the belief that this little
treatise was not written by a Jew, and it appears the pro-
duction of a practised writer. It is composed in a forcible,
half-jocose, half-satirical style, that reminds us of the diatribes
of the great Dean of St Patrick. We question whether a Jew
— even had he possessed the necessary abilities — would have
ventured at that time to make use of some of the bold ex-

72 SPECIAL LEGISLATION.

pressions therein contained. There was, however, a family of
the name of Abrabanel in existence among the Israelites ; but
whether any member of this family lent his name to the pam-
phlet, we are unable to say. The essay is a representation of
the grievances of the Children of Israel under the penal laws,
and prays for the repeal of the Test Act. This slight work
ran through seven editions. We shall give some brief
extracts, as specimens of its language and line of reasoning.
" You avow that the Christian religion mas never intended
to leave the rights of manldnd in a worse condition than it
found them, and since 'tis proposed that no religious opinion
shall be any longer a civil disqualification, we hope, sir, that
you will be our patron on the principle of universal charity,
and that as Paul gloried in being the apostle of the Gentile,
you will think it no dishonour to be the Bishop of the Jews,
and that we may say of you, Behold an Israelite in whom

there is no guile You have laid hold of the

promise made to father Abraham, and have taken the
Kingdom of Heaven as your inheritance ; you have con-
verted our moiety of the Bible to your own use ; you have
seized upon Moses and Aaron, and the ten commandments,
which were our natural property, and placed them over the
communion tables ; yet make this pretence of Christian com-
munion a reason for excluding us from the advantages of
the commonwealth, so that our law and our prophets can
afford us no protection though you have exalted them. You
have robbed us of our priesthood, Urim and Thummim, and
of our tithes also, yet give us nothing in exchange but dam-
nation, as if Satan could be such a fool as to take us when
we lost all." After justifying the act of the Jews in con-
demning Jesus to death in incisive terms that cannot be
adverted to here, and dwelling on the equality of Jew
and Christian, the writer continues — " It is true we are
charged with too violent a passion for the mammon of un-
righteousness, but that we find the most sanctified Christians,
in respect of worldly lucres, as little scrupulous of taking
the profit to themselves as they are of throwing the scandal
upon us. We get what we can, and keep what we get, not
by any principle of religion, but of convenience, which
principle reigns in as full perfection amongst the saints at

SPECIAL LEGISLATION. 73

Hackney, as among the Children of Israel in Bury Street or
Duke's Place."

The author then suggests that Jews should be appointed
tithe-collectors, for they would afford no more offence than
the generality of church officers; he deplores the scant courtesy
shown by dissenters towards Jews; he gives a brief sketch of
the history of the Jews in England, and thus he concludes
his essay in a humorous strain — " When a petition for the
Repeal of the Test Act shall be about to be presented, we
intend on that day to march in a solemn procession from
our Synagogue in Bury Street, with our priests and our law
and Aaron's bells at the head of us. If this moving appear-
ance shall not have its effect, we must give up all hope of
being restored to our national rights. We hope you will
imitate the Apostle Paul, who unto the Jews became as a
Jew, that he might gain the Jews ; and if you protect the
Children of Israel in this emergent affair, we will promise
you, whenever you come amongst us, the first cut of the
Paschal Lamb, and the chief seat in the Synagogue."

CHAPTER VIII.

COMMUNAL CHARITIES— INTERNAL LEGISLATION.

DURING the earlier half of the eighteenth century, while the
Jews were surely, if slowly, strengthening their outward
position in this country, their inward or communal existence
was acquiring a vigorous development in proportion to their
increased numbers and importance. Comparative prosperity
did not cause the Children of Israel to forget the Lord of
their forefathers. They obeyed His precepts, and manifested
their reverence for Him by dedicating to Him various houses
of worship ; while they displayed their love for their suffer-
ing fellow-beings by founding a number of institutions for
the relief of the unfortunate, the sick, and the aged.

In the beginning of that century, in addition to the
German Synagogue in Broad Court, Duke Street, and the
Portuguese Synagogue in Bevis Marks, we find recorded the'
existence of a smaller house of prayer in Coleman Street.
A contemporary Christian writer adverts to it as a proof of
the spread of Judaism; but at the present day we are unable
to fix on its precise site, or state whether it belonged to the
one or the other of the two Jewish communities. We are
apprised by another authority that the German Synagogue
was by no means so imposing in appearance as the Synagogue
of the Portuguese, and that the new edifice wherein the
latter gathered to pray was about twice the size of the
Ashkenazi Schule.

The German Israelites were rapidly increasing, owing to
a considerable immigration ; and in 1722 they reconstructed
their Synagogue on an enlarged scale, and they consecrated
it with great solemnity. Even this new arrangement prov-
ing insufficient for their wants, in 1726 another Synagogue
was erected near Leadenhall Street, and became known as
the Hambro Schule.

COMMUNAL CHARITIES. 75

The Portuguese remained content with their one grand
old building, which appeared enough for their congregation.
The Sephardim, if they did not raise new temples, probably
performed as good work in the sight of God, for they took
tender care of His forlorn creatures. Various noble institu-
tions arose for the education of the young, and for the relief
of the poor, the sick, and the aged. In 1703 they founded
the Orphan Society, or " The Gates of Light and the Father
of the Fatherless." The object of the charity, as its name
purports, is to maintain, educate, and apprentice a number
of orphan boys, who are admitted by the votes of the sub-
scribers.

Then in 1724 another society was brought into existence,
which grants annually a dowry of £60 to one or more father-
less girls of the Portuguese congregation, and distributes
the small gifts of £1 to every poor woman lying in at the
hospital, and 5s. to every individual above ten years old
undergoing confined mourning. Subsequently, in the year
1730, a wealthy and generous personage, Isaac Da Costa
Villareal, made a liberal endowment for the education and
clothing of twenty poor female children of the same con-
gregation. The Villareal school — the pupils of which are
distinguished by their neat though old-fashioned garb — is
under the management of a committee of ladies, who devote
much thought and time to the welfare of the future mothers
of Hebrew workmen. The family of Villareal, we may re-
mark, was one of the most ancient and honourable among
the Portuguese. The Villareals had occupied some of the
highest posts at the Court of Portugal, and when driven
from the banks of the Tagus by the implements of torture
and blazing stakes of the Inquisition, they brought away with
them a great name and a considerable fortune. In England
their blood became allied to Albion's proudest aristocracy,
and we believe that it flows through the veins of at least two
members of the British peerage.

The condition of poor damsels seems to have received con-
siderable sympathy, for six years after the establishment of
the Villareal school, another association was created for the
purpose of furnishing marriage portions to the extent of £80
to destitute orphan girls of the Sephardic congregation.

76 COMMUNAL CHARITIES.

It was in 1747 that first originated the Portuguese
" House of the Sick," the Beth Olim, one of the most use-
ful and noblest foundations in that congregation. Therein
the sick are tended with care and skill, and their suffering
is alleviated by the visits of relatives and the knowledge
that, should God please to summon them to His Presence,
their last hours would be soothed by the countenance and
prayers of their brethren of the House of Israel. Under
that roof needy married women are assisted in bearing the
curse of Eve ; in that building, broken-down, decayed persons
of both sexes find an asylum for their old age ; and finally,
in the surgery of the hospital gratuitous advice and medi-
cine are supplied to the patients who cannot be admitted
within its walls.

In 1749 the " Society of Good Deeds," Mahasim Tobim
was established. The good deeds here assume a variety
of shapes. Poor boys of the Spanish and Portuguese
congregation are apprenticed to suitable trades. Small
sums are advanced to the industrious poor ; rewards are
granted for satisfactory behaviour to servants and apprentices,
and outfits are provided for boys leaving the country. After
this a long pause occurs, and we hear of no new charitable
associations until 1778, when a union was founded, " That
giveth Bread to the Hungry," for distributing a certain
number of loaves weekly to the Portuguese poor.

We have so far seen how the Jews augmented in numbers,
and how they were provided for in sickness and in poverty ;
let us now inquire how they were disposed of after death.
When the first Hebrews had come over from Holland, they
had purchased for 999 years a piece of land at Mile End
to serve as a " Beth Haim," a House of Life. This is the
cemetery of the Sephardic congregation. It has in recent
times been extended by the acquisition of an adjoining tract
of land. The hospital to this day stands in a corner of the
original estate. Until 1738 all the Jews in London in-
terred their dead in the same locality. At about that period
the Germans, who possessed their Synagogues and institutions
apart, began availing themselves of a separate place of burial.
We will here observe, that among the muniments of the
Spanish and Portuguese community is found a conveyance

COMMUNAL CHARITIES. 77

of a certain space of ground in the city of Dublin, bought
in 1748, for the purpose of conversion into a cemetery; and
we believe that the same land is now employed for that
identical object by the Dublin congregation.

We are unable to ascertain positively whether any Jews
dwelt in Dublin in the above year, but indubitably some
Israelites frequently visited that city. It is related that a
learned rabbi came over from the Irish capital to confer
with the London rabbis, a fact that would encourage the
belief that there were on the banks of the Liffey resident
Jews. During the middle of the eighteenth century the
Jews unquestionably spread throughout the country, and
they established themselves in fewer or greater numbers at
Canterbury, Chatham, Cambridge, Bristol, Exeter, Edin-
burgh, Glasgow, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, and Ply-
mouth.

Among the Portuguese community the elders continued to
exercise a paternal sway over the other members, which, how-
ever childish and irksome it may appear to us, in reality must
have proved beneficial, for it certainly helped to maintain
the high character of the congregation. It is evident — and
the fact is confirmed by Gentile writers — that the Spanish
and Portuguese Jews were held in greater repute, socially
and commercially, than their less fortunate German brethren,
which result may, perhaps, be partly attributed to the less
stringent rule of the German authorities.

The Sephardic governing body, at the period of which we
are writing, directed a number of enactments against a
variety of offences. It was prohibited to advance funds on
post obits, or otherwise to young men of expectation, who in
their turn were enjoined not to borrow cash from money-
lenders. Clandestine marriages were held up to reprobation.
Interference in parliamentary or municipal elections was
strongly condemned, and betting was strictly forbidden.
The betting to which the Israelites were addicted at this time
— let us hasten to state — does not appear to us in these
days of plunging as of a very formidable nature. The
young Jews of the day did not lay or take odds on turf
events, neither did they back the favourite pugilist for the
next encounter in the ring, nor the most strutting cock for

78 COMMUNAL CHARITIES.

the following fight in the pit. They simply wagered as to
the day of arrival of the Dutch mail, an incident which
seems to have happened with sufficient irregularity to war-
rant its causing some excitement.

The infringement of these ordinances was naturally at-
tended by proportionate penalties. Herein, or excommunica-
tion, was no longer applied so freely as it was two or three
generations before. Money-fines, and mere exclusion from
Synagogue, seem to have had sufficient deterrent effect to
maintain a wholesome discipline. We perceive in one in-
stance that a certain individual had been debarred from
attending the Portuguese Synagogue at Bever's Marks — as
some writers spelt the name — owing to an accusation under
which he laboured of being particeps criminis in an abduc-
tion case. The young lady was recovered, and returned
safely home to her parents, upon which the person in ques-
tion humbly petitioned the " Very Magnificent Gentlemen of
the Mahamad " to open to him once more the gates of the
House of Prayer. The request of the petitioner was not
granted, probably because his innocence was not so clear to
the eyes of the Parnassim or Wardens as to his own.

We have already observed that the fear that Jews
should pervert Christians to their own tenets was one
of the principal bugbears raised by the opponents of the
admission of the Jews into England in Cromwell's time —
wherewith to alarm the credulous and the ignorant. The
Sephardic authorities had always been strenuous in their
endeavours to avoid affording any umbrage to their Christian
friends. In 1751 the question arose again, as it had nearly
a century previously, and the Sephardic chiefs thought it
their duty to adopt new measures on the subject. They
addressed, at the same time, to the heads of the Ashkenazi
community, the following curious letter in English, which
we reproduce verbatim : —

LONDON, 27th December 1751.

GENTLEMEN, — Being persuaded that you -will join with us in all things
that tend to preserve the present happy toleration, we take this opportunity
to acquaint you as worthy representatives of your congregation, of a grow-
ing evil among us, viz. : that of permitting proselytes, for which end we
have heard that two or three Christians have come hither from Norway

COMMUNAL CHARITIES. 79

with that intention, and lest these practices should extend to English
proselytes, which is contrary to the express condition annexed to our first
establishment here, we have thought proper to forbid in our Synagogue
any from aiding and assisting them therein in any manner whatsoever, under
the penalties as we send you enclosed. We do not doubt that you will
also concur with us to endeavour to prevent the same from taking cil'ect
amongst you in the manner that may be judged most expedient. We pray
God to preserve you for many years, and believe us to be, Gentlemen, your
friends and humble servants,

A. DE CASTRO, for the Congregation.

We formerly remarked that we could find no trace of the
express condition above adverted to, and we can only confirm
our opinion on the subject. Whether this condition be
traditionally understood or otherwise, certain it is that our
spiritual guides of all communities in London have stead-
fastly refused to admit converts from Christianity into the
covenant of Abraham.

The communication herein given was accompanied by a
copy of the resolutions voted on the subject by the Mahamad.
The two documents were duly acknowledged by the chiefs of
German congregations, who, perfectly agreeing in the view of
the case adopted by their Portuguese brethren, framed some
ordinances in an analogous sense.

CHAPTER IX.

THE NATURALISATION BILL OF 1753.

NOT many measures caused greater commotion in London,
or gave rise to warmer discussion, than an Act of Parliament
which merely proposed to grant a few, only a few, of the
privileges of Englishmen to a very limited number of
foreigners. Neither the Repeal of the Corn Laws, nor the
introduction of Free Trade, nor the passing of the Reform
Bill caused more excitement in their day than the question
as to whether or not some scores of Dutch or German Jews
were to be allowed to go through costly proceedings to acquire
the right of holding property in England.

In the year 1753 the House of Lords passed a bill, per-
mitting those Jews who had resided for three years in Eng-
land, and not absented themselves therefrom for more than
three months at one time, to be naturalised by Parliament.
The bill having received the sanction of the Upper House,
was despatched to the lower and more popular assembly,
usually supposed to be the more liberal of the two. On the
16th of April the bill was read for the first time, and a
number of violent debates ensued, in which was exhibited
more passion than patriotism, more sound than sense. The
ministry was under the guidance of Mr Pelham, who, with
his brother, the Duke of Newcastle, held the complete con-
trol, of public affairs. Reports of Parliamentary proceedings
were not then permitted to be avowedly published. No
public journal ventured to print the speeches of British peers
or commons, but the sayings and doings of the Parliament of
Lilliput, during the earlier half of the eighteenth century, were
made known to the public through various periodicals and
magazines. Among the names of the orators of that famous
legislature, readers of the present day would scarcely recog-

THE NA TURALISA TION BILL OF 1733. 8 1

nise personages who had made their mark in the history of
these realms. Who would discover in Hurgo Castrolet the
witty and polished Earl of Chesterfield, or in ITurgo San-
tkepo the accomplished Earl of Stanhope : though, through
the thin disguise of Sir Retrob Walelop, it is not difficult to
detect the future Earl of Orford.

We cannot consequently read in their entirety the debates
that occurred on this question. But we know that an exag-
gerated and factitious importance soon became attached to
this bill, as if the very fate of the whole country depended
on its issue ; and that an amount of fallacies was uttered on
the subject, and a degree of ignorance displayed, that would
fairly astonish an ordinarily educated individual of the pre-
sent generation.

A petition, signed by above one hundred merchants and
traders of the City of London, was presented to Parliament
in favour of the bill during its discussion. This petition was
followed by another in the same sense, to which subscribed
upwards of two hundred persons, consisting of merchants,
traders, manufacturers, shipwrights, and commanders of ves-
sels, many of whom were said to be " people of the greatest
fortune, judgment, and abilities." It was urged in that
document, among other reasons, that the passing of this
measure would " increase the shipping and encourage the
-exportation of the woollen and other manufactures of this
kingdom, of which persons who profess the Jewish religion
have for many years last past exported great quantities."

The City member, Sir John Barnard, spoke vehemently
against the bill, prophesying a thousand calamities should it
be allowed to become law; and the Corporation of London, con-
trary to its customary liberality and toleration , strongly opposed,
with all its powerful influence*, the intended enactment. Sir
Crisp Gascoigne, the Lord Mayor, presided over meetings of
Aldermen and Liverymen, and exhorted the citizens to resist
the poor little concession about to be made to the Jews.
Petitions — presaging the direst consequences from such dan-
gerous generosity— ^-were drawn up and eagerly pressed upon
the House of Commons. Counsel was heard and evidence
was examined. Notwithstanding all opposition, Government
courageously persevered in its action. The bill was com-

F

82 THE NATURALISATION BILL OF 1753-

mitted : it passed through all its various stages with some
modifications, and within five weeks it received the royal
sanction.

The Act in question was entitled tl An Act to permit per-
sons professing the Jewish religion to be naturalised by Par-
liament, and for other purposes therein mentioned." The
bill was at best of limited advantage to the Jews, for it was
of a permissive kind, and only the wealthy could have set
in motion the machinery necessary to obtain the desired
naturalisation. Then the privileges of Jews were curtailed,
for they were placed under special civil and political dis-
abilities, and they were debarred from purchasing or inherit-
ing " any advowson or right of patronage or presentation
or other right or interest whatsoever in any benefice, prebend,
or other ecclesiastical living or promotion in school or hos-
pital."

It is difficult in our time to understand how a boon so
grudgingly bestowed upon an inoffensive race, and of so
slight a nature, could have attained so high a degree of un-
popularity. Reports exaggerating its effects were industriously
spread throughout the length and breadth of the laud. The
enemies of the Jews joined hands with the enemies of the
ministers, and actively circulated a number of fables so
wildly absurd, so palpably improbable, that nothing but
violent party spirit, gross ignorance, and blind prejudice
could have induced any reasonable being to place belief in
them.

It was alleged by the opponents of the measure that the
naturalisation of the Jews was not consistent with the Chris-
tian religion, and was repugnant to the constitution of Great
Britain. That it would diminish the consumption of ham,
bacon, and brawn, and thus materially injure the trade in
those commodities. That it was an act against the will
of God ; it was flying in the face of prophecy, which
declares that the Jews should be a scattered people,
without country or fixed habitation, until they should be
converted from their infidelity, and gathered into the land
of their forefathers ; that the Jews would become so nume-
rous as to exclude all Protestants from the home or any
other trade. That so many rich Jews would come over to

THE NATURALISATION BILL OF 1753. 83

England that they would purchase all the lands in the king-
dom, and influence elections, so that no one would be chosen
nnless in their interest ; that they would become members of
Parliament themselves, and reach the highest posts under
government. That a number of poor Jews would flood the
land and devour it like locusts ; that they would deprive of
bread the natives who earn their livelihood by work, or else
bring such a mass of pauperism into the country as to greatly
impair its resources, spread misery, and seriously augment
taxation. That Jew brokers, usurers, and beggars, would
flock hither, robbing the real subjects of their birthrights, dis-
gracing the character of the nation, endangering the consti-
tution of Church and State, and proving an indelible reproach
to the established religion of the British realms. That the
Jews would multiply in number, increase in wealth, and gain
power to such an extent as to acquire great personal import-
ance, introduce universally their customs, and render Juda-
ism the fashionable religion of the English. That they
•would engross all the foreign commerce of the realm, and
that the Spaniards and Portuguese would be greatly offended
at the refuge afforded in England to a people whom they
had driven away from their kingdoms, where they would not
be tolerated. That the Jews were more ready than any other
people on earth to betray intelligence ; and that should a
Jew be found in the councils of the country, or in any branch
of government wherein he could arrive at a true state of affairs,
it would be in his power to betray the counsels and secrets of
the nation to every court in Europe. That to harbour a Jew
was, in the words of Innocent III., when he expelled that race
from Rome, to receive " mus in pera, serpens in gremio,
ignis in sinu." Finally, that by bringing the Jews into
England, with them would be brought the curses that have
pursued them through all countries and for so many ages, and
the same part would be acted as that of Julian the Apostate,
when he invited them to gather in his empire and erect a
temple.

It was impossible to stem the torrent of popular fanaticism.
In vain it was represented by reflecting and outspoken men,
in reply to these ludicrous, contradictory, or malicious mis-
representations, that the Act would produce a very incon-

84 THE NATURALISATION BILL OF 1753.

siderable effect, that the number of Jews that could avail
themselves of its provisions must necessarily be very re-
stricted, and would exert no perceptible influence in the
destinies of Great Britain; that rich Jews desired to be
naturalised, not to be enabled to sit in Parliament, enjoy
posts of honour and profit, or obtain possession of all the
estates in England, but to. labour no longer under a stigma,
to be treated by Protestants with the same respect as they
displayed towards each other, and to be suffered to live
in peace, in case some few of them purchased lands ; that
in the actual state of public feeling, scarcely any wealthy
Jews would venture to settle in England, and that in point
of fact, new emigrants of that class from distant countries
ceased to arrive, preferring to proceed to Holland, where they
were welcomed, and to France, where the laws, promulgated
under Kings Henry III., Louis XIV., and Louis XV.,
secured them some immunities and rights.

In vain it was repeated that commerce and manufactures
would be greatly benefited by the establishment here of a
number of industrious traders, who not being manufacturers
themselves, but exporters and importers, would necessarily in-
crease and encourage English production. That should a
Jew ever become member of Parliament, he would give his
vote on that side of the question which should appear to him
most advantageous to the society of which he would then be
member; that should the subject under discussion be one
connected with trade or finance, he would be especially
qualified to illustrate and point out the merits or defects
of the proposal under debate, and that it would be no
easy matter to puzzle his understanding with sophistical
arguments. That the Jews were the most peaceful sect in
England ; Sampson Gideon was the father of the poor, and
his charity was as boundless as his fortune ; the generous and
noble members of the Mendes family with Franks, Salvador,
and others, were famed far and wide for their beneficence and
largeness of mind, and when the nation had been in need,
they had proved its friends indeed, and had furnished the State
with ample funds. In conclusion, it was asserted that Jews,
being induced to take up their abode in England, might the
more easily receive the Gospel ; and one of their defenders thus

THE NATURALISATION BILL OF 1753. 85

ended an emphatic appeal in their favour — " No doubt they
(the Jews) labour under most unhappy prejudices, but for these
they must answer to their Maker. Suppose our Saviour him-
self now was to appear where the Orthodox court is established,
and was to preach against the temporal kingdom which has
been erected upon the simple principles of His gospels, don't
you think it probable He would be taken into the hand of the
Corregidor, and be made a spectacle as an auto-da-fe? "

In time the scanty concession to the Jews became more
and more generally disliked. As the controversy grew hot
between their supporters and enemies, the popular clamour
arose with greater intensity and fury. The opponents of the
measure grew in number and in violence. An outcry against
it was heard throughout the country, and the hostile majority
soon silenced the friendly minority. Reproaches were heaped
on the heads of the Ministry who had introduced so hateful
an enactment, and the two brothers who held the helm of
the affairs of the State were alarmed at the effect this clamour
might have on the next election, which was approaching.

CHAPTER X.

REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL— LITERATURE
OF THE BILL.

THE Ministers, frightened at the storm they had raised, be-
came as eager to annul the unpopular measure as they once
had been eager to make it law. At the very opening of the
parliamentary session in 1754, the Duke of Newcastle, im-
mediately after the customary address to the Crown had been
voted, abruptly presented a bill for the repeal of the obnox-
ious Act, which, he said, had been used by the disaffected as
a handle to produce general discontent. The work of the
previous session was undone with far more speed than it had
been done. All were ready with more or less ardour to
throw stones at the very enactment which the majority of
them had supported but a brief year before. At first the
clause in the bill disabling all naturalised Jews from purchas-
ing, inheriting, or holding any advowson, or presentation or
right to any ecclesiastical benefice or promotion was allowed
to stand separately. Subsequently it was argued that such a
clause remaining unrescinded might imply that Jews being
especially debarred from the possession of any ecclesiastical
right of presentation, might be considered as having the power
of purchasing and inheriting lay property in the kingdom.
This illusory advantage was more than ought to be accorded
to miserable Jews, and the whole Act of Naturalisation was
revoked without exception. A few only among the Peers
had the courage to oppose such unworthy and pitiful sub-
mission to external pressure. Among these was honourably
distinguished Earl Temple, a nobleman of high abilities, who
in an eloquent discourse, powerfully though vainly espoused
the cause of the unfortunate Jews.

In the Lower House members of all parties vied with
each other, and with members of the Upper House, in dis-
playing their detestation of this ill-fated Act. -The British

REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL. 87

Parliament hastened to obey the voice of the people as if it
had been the voice of G-od, and not the voice of interested
agitators and ignorant fanatics. On the very first day of the
session, Sir James Dashwood, an influential member of the
Opposition, gave notice that immediately after the Address to
the Throne had been voted he would propose a measure of
very great importance. After that proof of loyalty to his
Majesty had been given, Sir James Dashwood rose again, and
having dwelt on the just and general indignation caused
by the Act of the preceding session in favour of the Jews, he
asked that a certain early date should be fixed for taking that
Act into consideration. It was inconsistent with the rules of
the House to fix a date for the purpose, but the general
motion was seconded by Lord Parker, who was his political
opponent, and it was unanimously accepted.

Meanwhile the Lords had hastened to frame a bill, which they
transmitted to the Commons, who saw no objection to it with
the exception of the preamble, which excited a strenuous op-
position. It was thus worded — ' ' Whereas an Act of Parlia-
ment was made and passed in the twenty-fifth year of His
Majesty's reign intituled an Act to permit persons professing
the Jewish religion to be naturalised by Parliament and for
other purposes therein mentioned ; and whereas occasion has
been taken from the said Act to raise discontents and dis-
quiets in the minds of his Majesty's subjects, be it enacted,"
&c. This introduction, which happened to represent the
truth, was stigmatised as a reflection upon the former op-
ponents of the bill in particular, and the body of the people
in general. Sir Eoger Newdigate moved the substitution to
the previous form of the following words — " Whereas great
discontents and disquietudes had from the said Act arisen."
A violent debate ensued. Mr Pelham and Mr Pitt resisted
the amendment, which was rejected. The bill, as originally
drawn up, was in due course read a third time, and obtained
the royal approbation.

This humiliating concession did not satisfy the nation,
which seemed to look upon the Jews as so many ogres ready
to devour with an insatiable appetite the inhabitants of Eng-
land, and to seize upon their goods and chattels. An attempt
was made to repeal the Act of 1740, which allowed those who

88 REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL.

had resided for seven years in any of his Majesty's colonies
to become free denizens of Great Britain without taking the
Sacrament. A sudden alarm was conceived at the danger-
ous tendency of this law. In the House of Commons motions
were made for the production of papers concerning the work-
ing of the Act. It was ascertained that though theoretically
many Jews were entitled to claim this privilege, practically
very few availed themselves of their right, which could only
be attained with much trouble, and at a considerable cost.
Nevertheless Lord Harley moved for leave to bring in a
bill to repeal that part, and Sir James Dashwood and the
Earl of Egmont spoke in the same sense. The eloquence of
Mr Pelham and of Mr Pitt prevailed, and the majority saved
Parliament from the disgrace of persecuting the weak to
curry favour with the strong.

The Naturalisation Bill, like all questions which greatly
excite the popular mind, produced a special literature of its
own. It was attacked and defended, censured and praised,
abused and commended. Not only the then existing organs
of the press took the one or the other side of the controversy,
— it was mostly the other side, — but a number of persons in
private or public life rushed into print, sometimes to enlighten,
more frequently to bewilder or further prejudice the public
mind. The Gentleman's Magazine, the Westminster Journal,
the London Evening Post, distinguished themselves for the
bitterness of their invectives against the Jews. The General
Evening Post and the Public Advertiser had the courage to
open their columns to those who dared speak the truth to an
ignorant multitude.

There was little variety in the arguments employed by the
opponents of the Act of 1753, but their language had the
merit of diversity of expression. Some writers exercised con-
siderable ingenuity in culling the most forcible terms of
abuse to be found in the vernacular, and applying them to
the Children of Israel. The expressions of forgers, clippers,
blasphemers, murderers, were amenities commonly showered
on their devoted heads. One gentleman, more penetrating than
the rest, discovered that not only the Jews were unclean
in person, that they squinted, and were awkwardly built, but
that there was a demoniacal leer in their eyes which marked
them from the rest of mankind.

REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL. 89

Others spoke far more moderately and reasonably, and
supported their view of the case without heaping a volley of
insulting epithets on an unoffending race. A generous indivi-
dual went even so far as to assert that good qualities might be
possibly found in Jews, and that he had actually heard of the
existence of one truly good Jew. This Israelite was Benjamin
Meudes da Costa, a man endowed with a large heart, and
whose unbounded charity in its most extended form had en-
deared him to Jew and Gentile. Mr Da Costa, we will
add, took an active part in communal matters, and we shall
have hereafter frequent occasion to refer to his name.

Among the supporters of the bill, we often perceive an
apologetic deprecating tone, as if they were ashamed of
the cause they were defending. In some instances the
attempted advocacy was carried on in such an hesitating or
questionable manner, as to render it difficult to ascertain
whether the writers were blundering friends or malignant
enemies. We have heard the story of an Irishman, who
on recommending a friend to a position of trust in a ware-
house, asserted that his companion was incapable of stealing,
for he was always in a state of such complete drunkenness as
to render him absolutely unable to commit a theft.

A parity of reasoning was followed by a certain person
who alleged in favour of the measure that it might very
safely be passed, for the Jews, who were a very subtle and
deceitful people, were hated and detested by all who pro-
fessed themselves Christians, whether Protestants or Papists ;
and they knew so well the feelings they inspired, that they
would take good care to stay away from England, notwith-
standing all concessions made to them. Another writer,
before breaking a lance on behalf of the Jews, observed that,
after all, the devil was not so black as he was painted,
and that Israelites probably would not prove to be so totally
devoid of conscience, principle, and honour as they were
represented. Some men, however, with a liberality and
freedom of thought not often met with in those days,
espoused the cause of the Jews on its own merits, in
language elevated and refined, and with arguments drawn
from Christianity itself. One of the warmest supporters
of the Jews deserves honourable mention, for he suffered

90 REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL.

in person for the nobleness of his sentiments. A clergyman
of the Established Church, the Rev. Josiah Tucker, M.A.,
Rector of St Stephen, Bristol, and chaplain to the Bishop of
that diocese, ably and temperately vindicated the Jews from
the numerous foul and baseless calumnies hurled against
their devoted heads. Whereupon the generous mob seized
the minister who had preached Christian charity and tole-
ration towards the race that had produced the founder of
Christianity, and maltreated him until he with difficulty
escaped with bare life.

Some wit and coarse humour were brought to bear in the
controversy, mostly on the side of the opponents of the
Naturalisation Bill. It was so easy to make butts of the
victims to the persecution of ages. The following lines,
which are a fair specimen of the satire then in vogue, were
circulated in some of the periodicals of the. day : —

"Vhus step by step a nation is undone,
And prodigals lose what their fathers won.
A Jew, a Turk, or devil may come here
And naturalise ; it will not cost him dear."

The dreadful menace herein implied has been realised, and
we are happy to say that, albeit Jews and Mussulmans have
acquired the rights of Englishmen, we do not perceive any
signs of immediate ruin in the prospects of the British Empire.
Those who were alarmed at the possibility of the Judaisa-
tion of the English nation anticipated the most serious and
melancholy consequences from the passing of the bill. A
number of squibs were composed, representing the condition
of England a hundred years thence ; and as most of our
readers have the opportunity of judging how far the facetious
prophecies therein contained have hit the mark, we will cull
some samples of those witticisms of last century. " From
the Hebrew Journal, published by authority. — ' This is to
inform the public that the good ship Rodrigue, alias Salvador,
Emanuel de Fonseca, commander, 1100 tons burthen, 50
guns, Jewish built, a prime sailor, having excellent accommo-
dation for passengers, is now lying at Mr Caneo's dock,
at Limehouse, ready to take in those Christian families that
may be inclined to transport themselves into any part of
Turkey, as choosing to live under a Mahommedan rather

REPEAL OF THE NATURALISATION BILL. 91

than a Jewish government. It is proposed that this ship
shall return, loaded with a proper number of foreign Jews,
against the next sessions of Parliament. All Christians,
therefore, who are disposed to leave the once Christian
kingdom of Great Britain, are desired to apply every first
Sunday in the month to Mr Lopez d' Almeida, who is never
absent from his counting-house, in the Old Jewry, 011 that
day ; at Solomons' Coffee-House, near the Custom House ;
the Francos' Head Tavern, in Fenchurch Street, or Sampson's
Coffee-House, in Exchange Alley, where attendance is given
every day in the week, the Jewish Sabbath excepted.' '

" On Wednesday last, died at the seat of His Grace the
Duke of Hebron, in Barkshire, Sir Nadab Issachar, Attorney-
General. He was esteemed a sound lawyer, an able poli-
tician, and a friend to the Sanhedrin. He is succeeded in
his office by Moses da Costa, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn."

" On Monday last a dispensation passed the Great Seal, to
enable Abraham Levi to hold a living in the Synagogue
of Pauls, together with the rectory of the Rabbi in the
diocese of Litchfield."

" Last night the bill for naturalising Christians was thrown
out of the Sanhedrin by a great majority."

11 At two o'clock this morning, died at his house in
Grosvenor Square, the Right Hon. the Earl of Balaam,
Baron of Zimri, and Knight of the most Noble Order of
Melchisedek. He married Miss Bathsheba. . . . His lord-
ship's remains are to be interred in Westminster Abbey,
and we hear that he has left an estate of £100,000 per annum."

The humour herein displayed is not of a high class, but it
tends to show the kind of fears that were entertained in all
good faith - by numbers of persons of average intelligence
120 years ago. If the writer were now to arise
from his grave, he might experience some temporary con-
sternation in beholding a Jew, an observing Jew too, dis-
pensing even-handed justice in the High Court of Chancery.
But on glancing round him, with the single exception of
that one point, in which, curiously enough, he came near the
mark, he would no longer be dismayed at the possible
encroachments of the Jews, and would return in peace to his
long sleep.

CHAPTER XL
POSITION OF THE JEWS— BARON D'AGUILAR.

THE ill effects of the repeal of the Naturalisation Act soon
became apparent. The Jews in general, notwithstanding the
wealth possessed, and the consideration enjoyed by a small
number of their body, were looked upon more than ever as
aliens, as interlopers, as suspected foreigners. It was regarded
as a doubtful question whether even English-born Jews were
entitled to any of the rights of Englishmen. In the face of
the several enactments of the Legislature, which had ap-
parently settled the question in the affirmative, new doubts
were raised and many politicians obstinately denied that an
Israelite could possibly be considered as a Briton. A spirit
of persecution against the Jews became manifest, and a
tendency to reduce their scanty privileges was visible. Thus
when a rich Jew, named Elias de Pass, bequeathed the sum
of £1200 for the erection of a Hebrew College, the Govern-
ment refused to allow a proper application of the legacy.
The authorities discovered that to raise a Hebrew College
was to encourage superstition, which was contrary to law.
In accordance with an old Act of Parliament, the bequest of
£1200 was seized, and without the slightest reference to
the testator's desires, the sum was devoted to the Foundling
Hospital. This unjust and arbitrary act of Government,
created a considerable impression at the time, and proved a
check — happily only temporary — to the destination of sums
for religious or charitable objects.

Let us now endeavour to ascertain what was the state of
the Jews of England when George II. reigned, and the great
Mr Pelhani governed. Their number then, in this country,
was estimated at between six and eight thousand souls. The
population of the British islands at that period was reckoned

POSITION OF THE JE WS. 93

at about 8,000,000 of inhabitants. The increase of the Jews
during the last 120 years in English soil is by no means
extraordinary, for while the general population has quad-
rupled, the Jews have perhaps quintupled in number. Con-
sidering the important and incessant immigration from
the Continent that flowed in during the second half of the
eighteenth century and the first quarter of the nineteenth,
the result, probably, scarcely equals that attained by the
inhabitants of the British Isles, with whom the tide has
largely streamed outward.

In 1753, according to an authority avowedly hostile, there
were only twenty opulent families among the Jews ; then
followed about forty brokers, some of whom were not deemed
among the most honourable in their profession. Finally
came a train of hawkers, pedlars, traffickers in every imagin-
able commodity in every imaginable way. It was repre-
sented that not more than ten Jewish houses of business of
any great note were in existence. Some able and learned men
were recognised among the Hebrews, some being physicians
and some merchants. The Jews were said not to practise
agriculture or manufacture ; nor to serve in the army or
navy. It was commonly reported that Jewish property,
to the extent of £2,000,000, was invested in English stock,
a considerable portion of which sums, however, belonged
to foreign Israelites. One Jew was reputed to possess
£200,000 in the funds.

According to more friendly — and probably more accurate
— writers, many affluent families, some of which were very
rich, flourished among the Jews. They were not allowed to
possess landed property, and the first of the nation, Sampson
Gideon, was constrained to obtain an express Act of Parlia-
ment in his favour, permitting the seller to convey to him a
certain estate.

Herein we are enabled to furnish a list of the principal
Jewish merchants of the day, some of whom rivalled in the
extent of their transactions the foremost English houses
in the City of London. Abraham and Jacob Franco, Francis
Salvador, Joseph and Jacob Salvador, Benj. Mendes da
Costa, Aaron Franks, Levy and Keuben Salamons, Isaac
Lamego, Gonzales and Da Costa, Pereira and Lima, Jacob

94 POSITION OF THE JEWS.

Fernandez Nunes, Moses Lamego, Abraham Osorio, Daniel
Mendes Seixas, Moses Franks, Isaac Levy, Joseph Treves,
Abraham Fonseca, Jacob Levy Sonsino, Judah Supino.

It has been averred that wealth, when not invested in real
property, seldom remains for above a century in the hands of
one family. The fact certainly receives full confirmation in
the present instance. Not only not one of the above Jewish
firms is now to be discovered, but even their very names —
with two or three exceptions — have disappeared from the face
of the earth. The descendants of the Francos have long for-
saken the God of their forefathers, and changed their appel-
lation. The name of Salvador, once the representative of
generosity, kindliness, and courtliness, is only known now in
connection with a building on an old site in the city. The
patronymics of the other Portuguese merchants are recol-
lected in the congregation merely from their being painted
on the walls of the vestry-room ; and few now living have
ever heard of the hospitable and charitable house of Franks.

Some of these great merchants, we are aware from other
sources, left large fortunes ; and though we may not accept
literally the fact that there were a hundred other Hebrew
firms with means as considerable, we may safely affirm that
this picture of the Jews is not distant from the truth. It
was calculated that full one hundred families would each
expend annually between £1000 and £2000, and that estimat-
ing the number of Jewish families at 1000, excluding the
poor, their average outlay might be fixed at the moderate
rate of £300 for every Jewish household, which would produce
a total of £300,000 distributed annually by the Jews through-
out the land. The Jews paid all duties and taxes and
assessments. In addition, they supported their own poor.
They clothed and fed them in health, relieved them in sick-
ness, buried them in death. The foreign commerce of the
Jews was reckoned at £1,500,000 yearly. The trade with
Jamaica was principally in Hebrew hands, and in that island
about two hundred Jewish families resided and had been
naturalised.

Many of the above-named Hebrew merchants possessed a
high reputation for integrity, benevolence, and largeness of
heart. Foremost in their ranks shone conspicuously Ben-

POSITION OF THE JE WS, 95

jamin Mendes da Costa, to whom we adverted in a previous
chapter as the " one truly good Jew," who in his own resplen-
dent virtues would have sufficed to save the whole nation
from obloquy. 'The family of Meiides da Costa was one of
the most ancient and honourable among the Portuguese Jews.
The noble figures of grand old Alvaro da Costa, of the gifted
Antonio Mendes, physician to Queen Catherine of Bragauza,
and of the courtly Andrea Mendes, her chamberlain, rise
before our eyes ; and we cease to wonder that the family of
Mendes da Costa should have enriched the Jewish commu-
nity with so many eminent men. Emanuel Mendes da
Costa was another distinguished member of that family. He
was the grandson of Alvaro da Costa, who had wedded the
sister of Antonio Mendes, and who quitted Portugal in 1C92.
After spending ten years at Rouen in Normandy, the Portu-
guese merchant immigrated with his family into England —
then a land of promise to the hunted, persecuted Jews.
Here the old stock took root, and spread forth a number of
branches in various directions. Alvaro's son Abraham or
John Mendes da Costa, married his cousin, a daughter of
Dr Meudes, and became in 1717 the father of Emanuel, who
shone as a botanist, a naturalist, a philosopher, and as col-
lector of anecdotes of literati, and of valuable notes andMSS.
Emanuel Mendes da Costa contributed many valuable papers
to the Philosophical Transactions and to other scientific
publications. It was in the library of this gentleman that
the list of the original Jewish settlers in this country was
found. The collection of printed books and MSS., and
engravings and drawings of natural history, which had cost
Emanuel Mendes da Costa many years to gather, was of
great value. At his death it was brought to the hammer,
and dispersed among numerous purchasers.

Several other members of the community also enjoyed
great personal consideration. Much prejudice, however, was
still rife against the Jews, and with the exception of a
favoured few, who were admitted into the higher ranks of
society, the great bulk of the ancient people were eyed by
the British vulgus as outcasts and Pariahs with whom it was
discreditable to consort. We have read a letter written by a
gentleman at Isleworth to a friend in town, in which he

96 , POSITION OF THE JEWS.

says that he would have found the country very pleasant had
he not had the mortification of seeing the finest seats in
possession of the Jews. Since the last Act — the Naturalisa-
tion Bill — they had grown very familiar. The Jews had
come between the wind and his nobility, and he did not like
it. Let us give the concluding paragraph in the missive in
his own words — " M — s H — t (Moses Hart) and A — n
F — s (Aaron Franks) at the last vestry held here, mingled
with the rest without opposition, though two clergymen and
Justice B — were present. No less than a coach-load of
them (Jews) last Thursday assembled at a clergyman's
house very near us to play cards." Had the writer lived at
the present day, he would be far more startled and shocked
at the spectacle of a Jewish Member of Parliament making
eloquent speeches to an attentive House, a Jewish Lord
Mayor admitting within the City precincts a foreign poten-
tate, and a Jewish judge presiding over one of the highest
courts in the realm.

Among the not numerous Israelites who moved on nearly
equal terms with the aristocracy, we may mention Mrs
Judith Levy, daughter of Moses Hart, founder of the first
German Synagogue in London. She was the widow of
Elias Levy, a wealthy financier, and sister-in-law to Isaac
and Aaron Franks. This lady, who lived to a great age,
enjoyed an income of £6000 a year, and dwelt in great
splendour. She frequented many of the nobility's routs, and
played half-guinea quadrille with the Countess of Yarmouth,
Lady Holdernesse, Lord Stormont, and other persons of
quality. She was exceedingly charitable and warm-hearted,
and she distributed to her indigent relatives upwards of
£1000 per annum. Her greatest delight was in rendering
happy those that surrounded her. She died when ninety-
seven years old, in January 1803, at her house in Albemarle
Street, and she was interred with Jewish rites at Mile End.
She left no will, and her fortune was inherited by John
Franks, who was remarkable for benevolence, and who fol-
lowed her noble example, dispensing substantial relief to
hundreds of Jews and Christians without distinction of
creed.

Notwithstanding all drawbacks, wealthy Jews came occa-

POSITION OF THE JE WS. 9 7

sionly to settle in England. In the year 1756 Baron
d'Aguilar arrived in London with his numerous offspring,
consisting of twelve sons and daughters, and he was said to
have brought with him an immense fortune. Moses Lopez
Pereira was descended from an ancient Portuguese family.
He first visited London in 1722, and then proceeded to
Vienna, where he farmed the tobacco and snufF duties.
Being successful in his undertakings, he gradually became a
great favourite of the Empress, and was appointed her
treasurer. The Emperor Charles VI. conferred upon him the
title of Baron d'Aguilar, which, according to a writer, had
formerly existed in his family. Baron d'Aguilar died in
1759, and his eldest son, Ephraini d'Aguilar, succeeded to
his title and to a large share of his riches. Young Ephraim.
was then only twenty years old, and two years before, in
1757, he had become naturalised, and had wedded the
daughter of Mr Moses Meudes da Costa, a lady who brought-
him the princely dowry of £150,000. The Baroness died
in 1763, leaving several young children, who inherited the
whole of their mother's wealth. The eldest of his daughters
became the wife of Admiral Keith Steward, who was pos-
sessed of great property in Scotland ; and the second bestowed
her charms and her fortune upon Dr Ewart, Physician-
General to the establishment at Bengal. For some time
D'Aguilar took part in the communal life of his co-religionists,
and we find his name in the list of the treasurers of the
Synagogue. Several of the minutes of the proceedings of
the Mahamad bear the signature of Ephraim d'Aguilar — a
neat and clerkly handwriting, not at all like the production
of an ill-regulated, badly-disciplined mind. IVAguilar was
elected Warden in 1765, when he declined to serve, and
refused on technical grounds to pay the fine. Eight days
were given him to accept or submit to the penalty. He
evidently complied with the law, and later on he was again
made Warden.

In 1767 Ephraim d'Aguilar married the relict of Mr Ben-
jamin Mendes da Costa. She was a very good and accom-
plished lady, and was possessed of £10,000 and £1000 per
annum, which sums were happily settled upon her for her
sole use. For some years the young Baron lived in great

G

9.8 POSITION OF THE JE WS.

style in a mansion in Broad Street Buildings, which had
been built by his father-in-law, Mr Moses M. da Costa. He
kept several carriages, and maintained a retinue of twenty-
four servants. The loss of a large estate in America, and
other causes, induced him suddenly to change his mode of
living. On the expiration of the lease of his house, he
renounced the character of a gentleman, and became rude,
slovenly, and careless of his person and conduct, totally
withdrawing himself from his family connections and the
gay world.

Baron d'Aguilar budded out into one of those eccentric
characters that appear inexplicable to the philosopher and
the psychologist. He affected an appearance of poverty,
albeit he was in affluent circumstances. He parted from
his wife, and for twenty years forgot her existence. He
suddenly recollected her, and visited her one day. Subse-
quently, he frequently dined with her, and finally he took up
his abode altogether with the lady, apparently to render her
life a burden. His pleasure appeared to be to give her pain.
He tormented her and distressed her in every way in his
power. He locked her up for three days, and the Baroness
was constrained to flee through the window. She had long
discovered the difference between her second and her first
husband, the " one truly good Jew," and she had recourse
<to legal proceedings in her own defence. The lady had the
whole court in her favour, and thenceforward she was freed
from any further persecutions from her tyrannical spouse.

The Baron purchased several houses in various parts of
London, while he resided in Shaftesbury Place, Aldersgate
Street. He converted some ground into a farmyard, near
Colebrook How, Islington; he filled it with domestic ani-
mals, which he declined to feed and refused to sell, until
they were converted into living skeletons. Withal, incre-
dible as it may seem, he was really benevolent and charitable.
His donations to the poor were numerous, and his good
deeds were performed unostentatiously. He opened an asy-
lum in his own establishment for the destitute poor, especially
females, and many unhappy beings were saved by him from
distress or destruction. Charity covers a multitude of sins,
and let us hope it redeemed his transgressions. He died on

POSITION OF THE fE WS. 99

the 16th March 1802, in Shaftesbury Place, after an illness
of seventeen days. He would light no fire in his house,
notwithstanding the severity of the weather, and it was
thought he perished for want of proper care and treatment.
His remains were interred in the Sephardic Cemetery at
Mile End, whither they were followed by a few mourners in
half-a-dozen coaches. Much valuable property was discovered
in his dwelling after his death. Among other objects were
discovered a quantity of cochineal and indigo worth £10,000,
and jewels estimated at £30,000. The present General
d'Aguilar is descended from one of the elder sons of
Ephraim d'Aguilar. Among the Sephardic Congregation
there are still living the representatives of a younger son,
who remained stanch adherents to the old faith.

Baron d'Aguilar was a most singular character — a com-
bination of vice and virtue, of misanthropy and benevolence,
of cruelty and kindness, of avarice and liberality. He was
a Harpagon, with a good deal of the Cheeryble and a tinge
of the Squeers in his composition. In his earlier days he
associated with his co-religionists. Subsequently he com-
pletely disregarded Jewish observances, and ceased to follow
Hebrew rites. He neglected to give his daughters any reli-
gious education, and he married them without the pale of
their race. The history of Ephraim Baron d'Aguilar, if it
does not adorn a tale, will, to the thoughtful mind, assuredly
serve to point a moral.

CHAPTER XII.

JEWISH MARRIAGES.

FKOM the settlement of the Jews in England down to our
own time, that is, to the passing of the Registration Acts in
the reign of William IV., the question as to the validity of
Jewish marriages has been one of vital importance to the
community. Abstract questions as to whether foreign Jews
were legally admissible into the kingdom, and entitled to
dwell therein without an Act of Parliament, had always
afforded matter for ingenious speculation to the lawyers of
the time. Practically it mattered little whether it was held
with Prynne in his celebrated " Demurrer," that as the Jews
were banished by an Act passed in the reign of Edward I.,
they could -only be readmitted by its repeal ; or whether it
was maintained with Lord Coke in his " Institutes," that the
statute " De Judaismo " imposed such onerous disabilities
upon them that they migrated from England of their own
accord. We do not believe in the correctness of Lord Coke's
version, and we have already laid before the reader a brief
account of that event, as gathered from the best authorities.
It was, however, all important to the Jews that the State
should recognise the validity of marriages performed amongst
themselves according to the rites of their religion, as upon
such recognition depended the legitimacy of their children,
the right of inheritance, the devolution of property, and even
their individual status in a court of justice.

By the ancient common law of England, which had been
revived after the Restoration, there were three modes of
entering into matrimony — (1) By public solemnisation in
facie eccksia ; (2) By clandestine celebration ; and (3) By
consent of parties, called consentual marriages. The civil
marriages before justices of the peace, which prevailed dur-

JE WISH MARRIA GES. i o i

ing the Commonwealth, had been abolished, and the Regis-
tration Acts placing Jewish marriages on an equality with
those performed in church did not yet exist. It would
have been an act of profanity for Jews to wed in church,
and an act of indelicacy as well as profanity to have
had the marriage service read clandestinely by a parson.
It was essential to the Jews that marriages performed
according to the rites of their religion should be recognised
as valid by the courts of law. Yet, by the law as adminis-
tered in the temporal courts, no marriage was held valid
unless celebrated by a clergyman in holy orders, episcopally
ordained. No ceremony in church was then necessary, but
any person once ordained by virtue of his orders — which no
degradation could extinguish — was enabled to unite a couple
behind a hedge, in a field, or in a tavern, in a prison, or in
a drawing-room. The evils arising from the solemnisation of
secret marriages had become so glaring as to attract the
attention of the Legislature. The sous and daughters of
noble or wealthy houses were daily seduced in their affec-
tions, and inveigled into matches laden with shame and
infamy. A band of profligate miscreants, the refuse of the
clergy, men abandoned to all sense of decency and decorum,
frequently prisoners for debt and crime, hovered about the
verge of Fleet Prison to intercept customers, and united
couples for life, without license or question, to the scandal
of religion and the disgrace of their cloth. Young and
inexperienced persons of both sexes were tempted by the
facilities offered to them by wretches without honour or
principle, to indulge in a passing fancy or a questionable
inclination, and so wreck for ever their chances of happiness
in this world. The conjugal infidelities, the misery, the
sin, the crimes, caused by these practices, were seriously
undermining the morality of the country. Never, not even
in the profligate times of Charles II. and his minions, had
the nuptial knot been so little respected. Marriage itself
was falling into disrepute. A work was published in defence
of the holy tie that joins together two human beings for
better and for worse, and therein it was actually alleged that
it would be a pity to abandon altogether the old practice of
marriage, for it did occasionally serve to good purposes. A

102 JE WISH MARRIA GES.

remarkable case of a scandalous nature was presented before
the House of Lords as an appeal from an inferior court,
and Lord Chancellor Hardwicke determined to terminate
these abuses. To that effect he framed a bill, which even-
tually became law, after passing the ordeal of warm debates
and undergoing many modifications. Of the nature of the
provisions of Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act we will speak
hereafter.

Before this period the Ecclesiastical Courts were the only
tribunals in matrimonial questions, and remained so until
their jurisdiction was abolished, when the present court of
marriage was established. The legality of Jewish marriages
could only be tried in these courts, while their validity would
merely incidentally arise in the Courts of Common Law. By
the Ecclesiastical Courts consentual marriages were regarded
as complete in substance, but not in ceremony. As a mat-
ter of discipline, it was enjoined in such courts that the
ceremony should be performed by some one in orders, in
proof of a consentual marriage. As regards property, legiti-
macy of children, and disabilities of coverture, the temporal
courts held that a consentual marriage gave no rights. Iso
cases relating to the marriages of Jews can be found earlier
than the reign of George II. But the question as to the
validity of a Jewish marriage must have been considered as
early as the reign of William III. In 1695, when England
was engaged in a death struggle with Louis the Great of
France, and when funds were sadly needed to pay soldiers
and feed sailors, an Act obtained the sanction of Parliament
granting duties to the Crown on all marriages, and levying a
tax upon bachelors.

Though the Common Law Courts did not hold any one to
be married unless the ceremony had been performed by an
individual in holy orders, yet as Jews, Papists, and Quakers
did marry according to their own rites, Parliament resolved
that Jews and others should pay the marriage-tax. With a
consistency equalled only by its liberality, the Legislature
declined to recognise such persons as legally married. The
money of the Jew would certainly be received, but then the
rights of a civilised being, not to say an Englishman, would
be withheld from him. So it was enacted that if Jews lived

JE WISH MAURI A GES. 1 03

together as man and wife, they should be subjected to the
tax. At the same time there was inserted in the Act one of
those ingenious saving clauses which gladden the heart of
the lawyer and perplex the mind of the judge. It was pro-
vided in this Act " that nothing contained in it should Le con-
strued to make good or effectual in law any such marriages
of Jews or pretended marriages, but they shall be of the same
force and virtue as they would have been if this Act had
never been passed." What force or virtue was attached by
law to such a marriage ? That question the Legislature left
undecided. In this position of affairs it happened that the
first recorded case referring to a Jewish marriage came before
an English tribunal. That was the once famous suit of Da
Costa v. Villareal, which, it is stated, caused considerable ex-
citement in the courts, and doubtless acquired great notoriety
in its day in the Jewish community. Both parties were mem-
bers of the highest families in the Portuguese Congregation.
Mrs Catherine da Costa Villareal was the daughter of
Moses or Anthony da Costa, an opulent merchant, who had
attained the dignity — unusual for a Jew — of director of the
Bank of England. This Moses or Anthony da Costa had
contracted a union with his cousin, Catherine Mendes, who
was born in the royal palace of Somerset House, and who
was named Catherine because the royal Catherine herself,
the dark-skinned but not unpleasing consort of the fickle
Charles, had stood her sponsor. Catherine da Costa Villa-
real, a lovely bride at eighteen, a wealthy and beautiful
widow at twenty-one, had no lack of admirers. The lady,
on being free, promised Jacob Mendes da Costa to espouse
him at the termination of her widowhood of twelve months,
provided her father consented. The gentleman was her first
cousin, and the brother of the Emanuel Mendes da Costa of
whom we have already spoken. At the expiration of the
stipulated period, Mrs Villareal, availing herself of the
privileges of her sex, flatly refused to maintain her promise.
Mr Da Costa, actuated by love either for the person or
purse of the lady — her purse, we may remark, was un-
commonly weighty — proceeded against her in the Ecclesias-
tical Court to constrain her to fulfil her engagement. The
cause was tried in the Court of Arches, that is, the Court of

1 04 JE WISH MARR1A GES.

the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 1733. It was
objected by the lady's counsel, that as the persons were not
Christians, and that the alleged promised marriage was to
be performed according to the rites of the Jews, and not in
foro ecclesice, the Court of Arches had no jurisdiction. The
Court, however, decided that if it had full proof -that the
parties had bound themselves to each other in marriage, and
that at the end of the time agreed upon Mr Da Costa had
demanded, and Mrs Villareal had refused, a fulfilment of
her promises, the Court possessed authority to enforce it,
though the parties were not to be married in church.

When the case came on for hearing, the Court ruled that
as the lady's promise was conditional, and not absolute, it
was not binding upon her, and dismissed the application. In
vain the baffled suitor addressed himself to the Court of
King's Bench to obtain compensation for his wounded feel-
ings. The action he brought against the lady for breach of
promise was unsuccessful. Lord Hardwicke, the future Lord
Chancellor, and then Chief-Justice of King's Bench, gave
judgment that the sentence of the Court of Arches was con-
clusive evidence that Mrs Villareal was not bound by such
promise, and nonsuited the plaintiff, who was left without
further remedy. When Lord Hardwicke had decided that a
woman's promise was not binding upon her conscience unless
accompanied by indisputable legal forms, Mrs Catherine da
Costa Villareal married Mr William Mellish, a gentleman
belonging to a family of great commercial standing, and
who had himself filled some high functions under Govern-
ment. Subsequently this lady not only embraced Chris-
tianity herself, but brought to the baptismal font the two
children who had been left to her care by her first husband,
a girl and boy of tender years, who were named Elizabeth
and William. Elizabeth grew up as comely as her mother,
and a coronet rested on her brow as the wife of Lord Galway,
to whom she bore several children.

Four years after this decision, Mrs Andreas, a Jewess,
sued her husband in the Consistory Court of the Bishop of
London for restitution of conjugal rights. Before the Court
could decree the restitution prayed for, it. was necessary to
prove that Mrs Andreas possessed marital rights. The

JE WISH MARRIA GES. 105

learned doctor of law who appeared for Mr Andreas ob-
jected that as the parties had been united according to the
forms of the Jews, and not of the Church of England, the
Court could take no notice of such marriage, and Mrs Andreas
could not establish a case against her husband in the
Ecclesiastical Court. But the court held that the parties
were duly bound according to Jewish forms, and the lady
obtained the desired redress. Let us hope that circumstances
may not have caused her afterwards to repent of her success.

Such was the state of the marriage laws in the country in
general, and among the Jews in particular, when Lord
Hardwicke in the year 1753 introduced his celebrated Act.
This important measure completely revolutionised the com-
mon law of England as affecting marriages, which hitherto
hud rested on the old canon law of the church. Before this
Act was passed a marriage was valid by the mere consent of
the parties, or by the presence of a priest in orders at any
time or place. The inconveniences and hardships, both to
married persons and their children arising from the existing
law were glaring ; and of the frightful abuses and immorality
caused by it we have already spoken. Lord Hardwicke's Act
struck at the evil from its very root. Consentual marriages
and suits to compel celebration of the same in facie ecclesi(B
were abolished in England, and all marriages were declared
null and void unless performed by a priest in orders, under
banns or license, according to the liturgy of the Church of
England. No alteration of the law was made in Scotland,
where Gretna - Green marriages flourished until within
memory of the present generation. The disorders resulting
from the state of the law north of the Tweed have long
proved favourite themes for the imagination of novelists, and
recently they were powerfully depicted in Mr Wilkie Collins'
tale and drama of " Man and Wife."

In the greater part of the British Islands, the trade of
Fleet or hedge parson became extinct. Considerable hard-
ship was however inflicted on Dissenters and Eoman Catho-
lics, for the law constrained them to marry according to the
prescribed service, or renounce wedlock altogether. If the
Jews had not been exempted from the operation of this Act,
no valid marriages could have been contracted by them.

1 06 JE WISH MARRIA GES.

The influence of the Jews was brought to bear on the
Government, and their exertions were successful, while Dis-
senters obtained no immunity, albeit some of their body sat
in the House of Commons. The same Lord Chancellor who
had brought in the Naturalisation Bill, again befriended the
Jews with characteristic enlightenment. In a specially intro-
duced clause, the eighteenth, it was declared that nothing in
the Act should extend to any marriage among persons pro-
fessing the Jewish religion, when both parties were of that
faith. Though by this enactment marriages between Jews
were not expressly declared valid, they were excepted from
the operations of the Act which abolished consentual mar-
riages. Hitherto the marriages of Jews, not being performed
by a clergyman in orders, had been deemed consentual
marriages, and as such had been acknowledged by the
Ecclesiastical Courts. The exemption of the Jews from Lord
Hardwicke's law was hereafter held by such courts to be by
implication a statutable recognition of the validity of Jewish
marriages.

For nearly forty years after the passing of this Act, no cases
relating to Jewish marriages seem to have arisen, but between
1790 and the commencement of the present century several
very important cases appeared before the English courts. In
1794 the suit of Vigevena and Silverra v. Alvarez was instituted
in the Prerogative Court, to decide who should be entitled
to the property of a deceased Israelite. The claimant repre-
sented himself to be the legitimate son of the person whose
property was disputed. The question turned on the legiti-
macy of one whose parents had been wedded according to
Jewish law. It was objected that persons coming before
the Ecclesiastical Courts to claim any right by marriage,
must show the marriage to have been in conformity with the
rites of the Christian Church.

To this it was replied, " that the peculiar and fundamental
tenets of the Jews were averse to the use of such rites, and it
was unreasonable to maintain that their marriages according
to their own rites should not be valid ; that the Jews had
always existed as a separate community, and were entitled
to have their marriages tried by their own law." The judg-
ment of the Court, delivered by Sir William "Wynne, solemnly

JE WISH MARRIA GES. i o 7

declared the legal effect of Lord Hardwicke's Act upon Jewish
marriages. " There is no case," enunciated the Judge, " in
which a Jew has been called upon to prove his marriage. If
there had, I conceive the mode of proof must have been con-
formable to the Jewish rules. The Marriage Act lays down
rules for all marriages excepting those of Jews and Quakers.
There is no comparison between Je.ws and Dissenters. Jews
are anti-Christians, Dissenters are Christians. Here the
parties are alleged to be married according to the rites and
ceremonies of the Jewish Church, which I hold to be suffi-
cient."

Lord Stowell acted in the well-known cases of Lindo v.
Belisario and Goldsmid v. Bromer on the doctrines here
established, that Jews were entitled to try and prove their
marriage according to their own code. These cases are most
interesting, not only because the judges of the Consistory
Court of the Bishop of London referred a question of law to
a Jewish Beth-Din (Ecclesiastical Court), but also because,,
when the evidence of custom was conflicting, the judgment
of a Beth-Din was deemed conclusive by a Christian Eccle-
siastical Court.

In the year 1793, Miss Esther Lindo, a minor, was pre-
vailed upon to consent to a clandestine marriage with Mr
Mendes Belisario. The young lady met by appointment her
lover at the house of his brother ; then Mr Mendes Belisario,
before two credible Jewish witnesses, asked Miss Lindo
whether she understood the purport of the proceedings, and
on receiving an affirmative reply, he placed a ring on her
finger, repeating at the same time in Hebrew the formula
used in the celebration of Jewish marriages. There was no
Ketuba (contract), Khupa (canopy), nor the seven nuptial
blessings. It was a Mekadish or irregular Jewish marriage,
recognised by Jewish law if contracted in accordance with its
ordinances. Immediately after the ceremony the newly
united couple separated, never again to enjoy each other's
society. Miss Lindo was an orphan and much younger than
her alleged husband. When her guardian learned what had
taken place, he resolved that the marriage should never be
completed. On the question being referred to the Portu-
guese Beth-Din, they pronounced the ceremony to be a doubt-

1 08 JE WISH MARRIA GES.

ful betrothment, without declaring whether it constituted the
relationship of husband and wife. To further secure the lady
against the enterprises of her husband, the asgis of the High
Court of Chancery was thrown round her. That Court, which
disposes of the substance of so many orphans, accepted her
as a ward. Lord Loughborough, then Lord Chancellor, pro-
hibited Mr Belisario from having access to her, and ordered
that Mr Abraham de Mattos Mocatta, her guardian, should
institute a suit in the Consistory Court to test the validity
of the marriage. A suit of jactitation of marriage was there-
upon commenced in the Court of Consistory, and the case
was tried by Lord Stowell, one of the greatest jurists that
ever adorned the bench. Consentual marriages amongst
Jews being recognised, and the Ecclesiastical Courts having
held that Jewish marriages were to be tried by Jewish law,
Lord Stowell had to decide whether there had been between
Miss Lindo and Mr Mendes Belisario a valid marriage.
• With that diffidence which characterises great minds, Lord
Stowell entered into the investigation with doubt, being, as
he said, fearful that in applying the principles of Jewish law
lie might run the risk of mistaking those principles, and
that his decision might affect a very numerous and respect-
able body of people, as he designated the Jewish community.
The question was reduced to this issue : whether a Mekadish
without being followed by consummation constituted a valid
Jewish marriage. Various Jewish authorities, ancient and
modern were consulted, the opinions were taken of Mr
Julian, Mr Almosnino, and Mr Delgado, the members of the
Portuguese Beth-Din ; of Mr Is. Jimenez, ex-Chief Rabbi of
the Portuguese Congregation at Hamburg, of the Rev. S.
Lyon of Cambridge, and of other learned rabbis. The certi-
ficate of the Beth-Din of 1776 was handed in as evidence
proving that a Mekadish between a certain Benjamin Hen-
riques and a lady had constituted a valid marriage. Autho-
rities as usual disagreed. The rabbis took opposite views on
the question. Maimonides was at variance with the Talmud,
and the Hebrew text of the great philosopher and the Latin
text of his translator again differed.

Lord Stowell was perplexed. The difficulties of the case
will remind the reader of a celebrated instance in modern

JE WISH MARRIA GES. 109

days, where a similar question was solved in three distinct
ways by three British courts of law. Much interest was at
one time felt in these islands as to whether Miss Theresa
Longworth possessed legally the right of designating herself
the Hon. Mrs Yelverton. It will be recollected that an
irregular Scotch marriage had taken place between the lady
and Mr Yelverton. On her applying to the tribunals of her
country to obtain public recognition of her position, it was
ruled by a Scotch court that she was not married in Scotland,
by an Irish court that she was married in Ireland ; and by
the highest English court, the House of Lords, that she was
not married either in England, Scotland, or Ireland.

No wonder that Lord Stowell and the Jewish Beth-Din
were puzzled. Lord Stowell, who evidently only sought fur
fuither light, proposed to the Beth-Din a number of ques-
tions relating to Jewish marriages for their decision. After
carefully considering the replies of the Beth-Din, the court
delivered judgment. In the opinion emitted by that body,
it was stated that the law of Moses did not prescribe any
formal ceremony of marriage, but there were legal institu-
tions to which the Jews adhered in practice, and which must
be considered as having the force of law, and there were the
laws derived from the institutions of the rabbis : that as con-
summation had not taken place, Mr Belisario had no right
to demand of the lady to perform the duties of a wife ; that
there had been only a betrothment, that the contract was de-
terminable at will, and the wife might decline to continue to
be his partner.

Lord Stowell, on delivering judgment, adverted to the
necessity for a court of law, when dealing with Jewish
rites and ceremonies, to consider not alone the law of Moses,
but the laws of the recognised rabbinical authorities. His
Lordship thought that the finding of the Beth-Din must be
considered as a judicial opinion, and not that of an indi-
vidual ; as an authoritative opinion, not only conveying know-
ledge, but also sanctioned by the qualifications of probity,
learning, and judgment, which must have recommended the
individuals to the stations entrusted to them. Lord Stowell
then confirmed the decision of the Beth-Din, and declared
Miss Lindo not to be the wife of Mr Belisario. The wifeless

no JE WISH MARRIA GES.

husband appealed from this decree to the Court of Arches,
where in 1796 Lord Stowell's judgment was confirmed by
Sir William Wynne, the judge of that court. The unhappy-
man, who was sincerely attached to the lady, continued for
some years to struggle against these adverse decisions, but
his efforts were necessarily hopeless.

The first petition for divorce among Jews was filed in
1794 before Lord Stowell. The plaintiff in that suit was
Baroness d'Aguilar, who instituted proceedings against her
husband, Baron Ephraim d'Aguilar, charging him with
cruelty and adultery. In our preceding chapter we gave a
brief sketch of the strange career of this worthy. When his
wife escaped from his power, she was seventy years old and
infirm in health. The sympathies of the court were enlisted
in her favour, and the levity displayed by the respondent was
sternly reproved by the judge. The marriage had been con-
tracted in 1767, according to Jewish rites, and Lord Stowell
now decreed its dissolution. Objections were taken on the
ground that the marriage had not been performed in church,
but Lord Stowell in giving judgment declared forcibly the
civil rights of the Jews. " The marriages of the Jews," said
he, " are expressly protected by the Marriage Act, and per-
sons of that persuasion are as much entitled to the justice of
the country as those of any other. Jews have the same
rights of succession to property and of administration as other
subjects, and they come to the Ecclesiastical Courts to have
such rights secured. Many of them are possessed of consi-
derable property, and they have the same rights to transmit
it as others. It would be hard, therefore, if they had not the
same mode of securing the legitimacy of their children, and
consequently if the same rights of divorce did not belong to
them."

Hardly had the excitement in the community attending
this case and that of Lindo v. Belisario subsided, when pub-
lic attention became engrossed in the story of Miss Goldsmid
and Mr Bromer. In 1798, Miss Maria Goldsmid, a daugh-
ter of one of the most influential families among the Jews,
with all the susceptibility and inexperience of sweet sixteen,
was captivated by the charms of Mr David Bromer, one of
her father's clerks. This enterprising gentleman, who visited

JE WISH MARRIA GES. 1 1 1

the family of the young lady, succeeded in inducing her to
agree to marry him clandestinely. For this purpose Mr
Bromer accompanied Miss Goldsmid in a coach to the
tl Shakespeare Tavern," Covent Garden, where two Jewish
witnesses, named Levy and Hess, were in attendance. Be-
fore these persons the bridegroom placed the mysterious
golden circlet on the bride's finger, pronouncing at the same
time the Hebrew words constituting the ceremony of Kedu-
shirn. Meanwhile arrived Mr George Goldsmid, the lady's
father, who broke up the young couple's happiness by taking
away the bride. Moreover, Mr Goldsmid brought a suit of
jactitation of marriage in the Consistory Court of London,
to declare the marriage invalid. It was proved that the
ceremony at the tavern was defective, owing to the disquali-
fication of the witnesses. Such disqualification might pro-
ceed from certain degrees of consanguinity to either of the
parties who marry, or from nonconformity with the cere-
monies of the Jewish religiop. Evidence was given to the
effect that the mother of Levy, one of the witnesses, and
the mother of Bromer, the bridegroom, were sisters ; and
that Hess, the other witness, did not conform with the prac-
tices of the Jewish religion, for he profaned the Sabbath and
ate forbidden meats.

Lord Stowell decided that, according to precedent, the
validity of the marriage must be tested by Jewish law. The
Beth-Din of the German Congregation declared the marriage
to be void on the above grounds, and the Portuguese Beth-
Din concurred with that judgment. It was urged on behalf
of Mr Bromer that the law enunciated by the Beth-Din was
most unreasonable. Lord Stowell declined to discuss the rea-
sonableness of Jewish law, which must be taken as it is found.
He considered that the Beth-Din was a tribunal of great autho-
rity on matters of Jewish law ; at the same time he did not
think the law so unreasonable, for its object was to render
clandestine marriages almost impossible, and such marriages
are admitted to be evils in all civilised countries. Conse-
quently Lord Stowell pronounced against the validity of the
marriage.

In the reign of George IV., Lord Hardwicke's Act was
modified and amended, and the exemption in favour of the

ii2 JE WISH MARRIA GES.

Jews was re-enacted. That law remained in vigour until the
passing of the Marriage and Registration Acts in the reign
of William IV., which now regulate all marriages under these
Acts ; the marriages of Jews properly solemnised are placed
on an equality with those celebrated in church. At the same
time an Act was passed declaring good all Jewish marriages
previously performed, so as to remove doubts with reference
to the validity of consentual marriages in the temporal courts.
The history of Jewish marriages illustrates the history of the
Jews struggling in the courts of law for a recognition of
their civil rights, as the history of the Oaths Bill embodies
the history of their struggles in Parliament to obtain their
political rights.

CHAPTER XIII.
ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES.

IF union be strength, organisation is certainly power. During
the first half of the eighteenth century, whenever the Jews
had occasion to address themselves to the Government of
the country, each man was his own representative. The Jews
as a body possessed no recognised medium of communication
with the outer world. When questions arose affecting Jewish
interests, desultory steps were taken — when taken at all — by
isolated individuals, and often failed for want of concerted
action. Sometimes an influential capitalist was applied to in
order to intercede with Government on behalf of his less
fortunate brethren. Sampson Gideon among others rendered
his race many a service by availing himself of the favour his
wealth gained for him in high places, to obtain a hearing for
the Children of Israel. We may add that Jewish financiers
have ever been ready and willing to uphold the cause of their
faith ; and in latter times, we all know how the illustrious
houses of Goldsmid, Montefiore, and Rothschild have warmly
espoused the defence of their oppressed and down-trodden
race in the days of its sore trouble and anguish.

In the year 1745-46 some political events occurred which
taught the Jews the necessity of concentrating their forces,
so as to attain the best results from them. It has been
alleged that the Irish are the only nation who have never
ill-treated the Jews. To this statement it has been replied
that the Irish have seldom possessed the opportunity. For
our part, we have no desire to endorse any such ungene-
rous remark, and we are glad to acknowledge any acts
of friendship and kindliness towards the Jews, without too
minutely investigating all the causes that might have con-
verted present good into potential evil. It may be that a

ii4 ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES.

certain affinity exists between the Irish and the Hebrew
character. At all events, the Irish in 1745, unlike the
English in 1753, did not consider that the naturalisation
of the Jews would either Judaise their country or straight-
way bring it to spiritual and material perdition. On the
18th November 1745, Mr Morgan introduced into the Irish
House of Commons a bill for the Naturalisation of persons
professing the Jewish religion. At the same time was pre-
sented a bill to accept the solemn affirmation of Quakers
instead of an oath. The bills were speedily carried through
their several stages, and passed on the 25th November, but
they were thrown out by the Peers. Mr Morgan, nothing
discouraged, again brought forward the Jewish Naturalisa-
tion Bill on the 18th March 1746; and the Irish Commons,
to show their determination, carried it through in three days
without a dissentient voice. It was in vain. It was thrown
out again by the same power, but only by a small majority.
There were very few resident Jews in Ireland at that time,
and so this result was not of great practical moment. Never-
theless, the congregation at Bevis Marks, considering the
principle at stake, was much annoyed at this disappointment.
It was believed that, had proper measures been adopted, the
votes required to secure success in the Upper House might
have been obtained. As other movements in the same direc-
tion were anticipated, "a Committee of Diligence" was
appointed by that community to represent the interests of
the nation, and to seize every opportunity to establish its
freedom. The duties of this committee were to watch over
the affairs of the Jews, to grasp at every chance for improv-
ing their condition, and to protect them against any danger.
To enable the committee to carry out this somewhat exten-
sive programme, considerable faculties were given to that
body. They were free to act as best seemed in their judg-
ment ; they were empowered to engage the assistance of men
of law and of letters, and they were promised sufficient funds
to satisfy lawyers and writers. They were recommended to
keep a minute-book, but they were politely told that they
need not show it to their constituents. The gentlemen who
were elected by the elders to fulfil these responsible func-
tions were five in number. They were Benjamin Mendes da

ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES. 115

Costa, Daniel J. Kodriguez, Jacob Fernandez Nunes, Jacob
de Moses Franco, Jacob Mendes Pacheco. The noble and
universally-respected Benjamin Mendes da Costa, to whose
virtues we have more than once paid a befitting tribute, was
elected president. Doubtless the committee did bestir them-
selves, though unfortunately success did not crown their
efforts. Another attempt was made by the persevering Mi-
Morgan in favour of the Jews in the Irish House of Com-
mons. In December 1747 the Jewish Naturalisation Bill
was once more agreed to by that branch of the Legislature,
to be rejected, as before, by a stubborn Upper House, not-
withstanding the exertions of the Committee of Diligence.
But we need not wonder at it when we consider that a whole
century of progressive enlightenment has not softened down
the prejudices of caste, and that in England the same
attempts had to be repeated again and again, to meet the
same repulses, until the torrent of public opinion came and
swept off all further resistance.

The proceedings of the committee wTere not regularly
chronicled. That they were not idle is evident from the
fact that the elders of the congregation were called upon to
liquidate the expenditure incurred by their delegates, and
which amounted to some hundreds of pounds. The functions
of this body appear to have expired in due course.

In 1760 another body was created, destined to attain a
far different and more vigorous existence, and from that
period the political representation of the Jews may be said
to date. An institution that has since grown and become
powerful, thus acquired a name if not a local habitation —
an institution that has flourished and increased in import-
ance until it has become a Jewish parliament, reflecting
the views of most of the principal congregations in the
kingdom.

George III. had ascended the throne of England, when
the elders of the Portuguese community appointed seven
delegates to offer their respects to his Majesty. These
gentlemen were authorised to act on behalf of their co-
religionists in other matters too ; but they were instructed
not to seek new privileges or advantages without consulting
with the elders. The persons named as " Deputies of the

n6 ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES.

Portuguese nation " were Jacob de Moses Franco, Benjamin
Mendes da Costa, Jacob Nunes Gonzales, Moses de Joseph
da Costa, Joseph Jesurun Rodrigues, better known as Joseph
Salvador, Isaac Jesurun Alvarez, and Isaac Fernandez Nunes.
Mr Jacob Franco .was elected president ; but on account of
his advanced age, his attendance at meetings was excused.
Mr A.'de Castro, secretary to the congregation, fulfilled the
same duties to the committee.

The first meeting of the Deputados was held on the 19th
November 1760, and the urgent affair on hand, that of the
presentation of an address of congratulation to his Majesty,
was satisfactorily settled. To Mr Salvador were intrusted
the preliminary steps for procuring an audience for the
Jewish deputation, and he was perfectly successful in his
mission. The Duke of Devonshire, Lord Chamberlain of
his Majesty's household, received Joseph Salvador most
affably, and assured him of his great respect for the Jews.
Two days afterwards, a deputation, consisting of Benjamin
Mendes da Costa, Joseph Salvador, and two other members
of the committee, waited upon his Grace of Devonshire with
the address for the King. This kind of composition seldom
contains any novel conception or originality of thought.
The document in question stated that " the Portuguese
Jews most humbly begged leave to condole with his Majesty
on the demise of the late king, whose sacred memory would
ever be revered, and to congratulate his Majesty on his
accession to the throne of these kingdoms ; humbly craving
the continuance of his Majesty's favour and protection, which
they hope to merit by an unalterable zeal for his Majesty's
most sacred person and service, and by promoting to the
utmost of their abilities the benefit of his Majesty's realms."

The Duke of Devonshire, with the sanction of the Duke
of Newcastle, presented the address to his Majesty. When
the deputation returned to pay their respects to the Lord
Chamberlain on the 23d November, his Grace assured them
that his Majesty had been pleased to accept, with great
pleasure, the respectful expressions of the Hebrew com-
munity ; his Majesty felt a regard for the Jews ; he was
aware of their good qualities, and he would always bear them
in his favour and his estimation.

ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES. 117

Meanwhile, the German Jews, who had borne no part in
these festive proceedings, complained that they had had no
opportunity of testifying their loyalty to the Royal Family.
In truth, hitherto the somewhat haughty Sephardic Jews
had looked upon their pushing, thriving, and rising German
brethren with a rather doubtful eye : very much in the same
way, perhaps, as a marquis of ancient descent regards from
his paternal acres the ambitious and self-asserting manu-
facturer, who buys all the land around him, and erects a
mansion as fine as that of the nobleman. Nevertheless, the
application of Aaron Franks, who, as we already know, was
one of the most influential members of the Ashkenazi com-
munity, was treated with due consideration. A meeting of
the Deputados was summoned, and Mr A. Franks and Mr
Levy Salomons were invited to attend. These two gentle-
men were told that the address had been presented in the
name of the Portuguese nation ; that the Dutch (German)
nation might do likewise, or they might join the Portuguese
in offering their condolences and congratulations to the
Dowager Princess of Wales. Mr Franks and Mr L.
Salomons asked that both nationalities among the Jews
should henceforth act in concert in all public matters, to
which proposal it was replied that the Dutch possessed no
public body with whom to communicate. It was then stated
by Franks that his community would also elect a secret
committee.

Joseph Salvador then proceeded with A. Franks to wait
upon Sir Wm. Irby, the Chamberlain to her Royal High-
ness, to inquire when they might present their services to
the Princess. On Thursday, December 11, 1760, Joseph
Salvador, with A. Franks and H. Isaacs, had the honour
of kissing the hands of her Royal Highness, and of the
Duke of York and the Princess Augusta, by all of whom
they were received with the greatest affability and condescen-
sion. The courtiers also treated the Jewish deputation with
considerable kindness and regard. No doubt the Jews were
strangers at Court, and were eyed with some curiosity, such
as might be excited now in fashionable salons by the presence
of a couple of Chinese mandarins or a few secretaries of the
Japanese mission. But the Jewish delegates were lionised

n8 ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES.

and petted, and took their departure with all the gratification
that usually falls to the lot of flattered deputations.

The names of the members of the secret committee of
the Germans were duly communicated to the Portuguese.
The representatives of the Duke's Place Synagogue were
Aaron Franks, Naphtali Hart, Moses Franks, and Michael
Adolphus ; while the congregation in Magpie Alley (Hambro
Synagogue) chose as its agents Henry Isaacs, Levy Salomons,
and Abraham Elias.

The Portuguese Deputies became now a fixed institution.
Ample faculty for action was accorded to them. Leave
was granted them to expend from time to time such sums
as might be needed. They were desired to keep records of
their proceedings, which, as in the case of the Committee
of Diligence, they were not bound to show. Joseph Salvador,
who acted as honorary secretary, entered into correspondence
with the Germans, and a definite understanding was arrived
at between the two sections of British Jews. The Portuguese
Deputies formally passed the following resolution, which was
duly notified to their German brethren : " December 14,
1760. Resolved that whenever any public affair should occur
that may interest the two nations, we will on our parts
communicate to the Committee of the Dutch Jews' Syna-
gogue what we think proper should be done, and we desire
the same gentlemen may do the same, and make a minute
thereof." To this document were appended the signatures
of the Portuguese Committee, and of Aaron Franks and
Henry Isaacs on behalf of the Germans.

Such, then, is a brief sketch of the origin of the body
now known as the London Committee of Deputies of the
British Jews, a body which has been graced by the presence
of most of the greatest and best men that have risen in
Israel for upwards of a century, and which has been for
many years, and was until lately, presided over by one of
the most eminent and noblest philanthropists ever bestowed
by a merciful Providence on a suffering race.

It would be impossible to attempt to give here even the
most succinct account of the proceedings of the Committee
of Deputies. An intelligible record of its transactions would
be in itself sufficient to fill the pages of a volume. Within

ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES. 119

the space allotted to us we can only furnish a general idea
of the kind of work performed by the British Deputies, barely
touching upon the principal events brought before that body,
from the day of its creation until the middle of the present
century,

The immediate cause of the assembling of the Portuguese
Deputies was to present a loyal address to the Crown. To
testify to the fidelity and attachment of the Jews to the
throne of Great Britain, whenever a suitable occasion arose,
became one of the practices of the Deputies. In England,
as in France, the monarch never dies. The records of the
Deputies present a series of addresses of congratulation and
condolence to the reigning sovereigns of Great Britain on
their accession to the throne, and on every auspicious and
inauspicious event that happened in their lives. " The first
gentleman of Europe," the " Sailor King," and the exalted
lady upon whose brow now rests the diadem of the vast
empire where the sun never .sets, all duly received the
humble homage of the Jews.

There is a simple faith in the divine right of kings
apparent in the language with which our ancestors addressed
royalty that is quite refreshing in the present day of cynic-
ism and rationalism.

Assuredly we should not now advert to the reign of
George IV. in the following strain : " The mild and
paternal rule of our late sovereign has indelibly impressed
on the minds ' of his people feelings of veneration and
duteous affection, and placed his cherished memory among
the fond recollections of departed happiness, and to none of
his loving subjects is his name more endeared than to the
members of the Jewish community, who dwell with delight
and gratitude on the protection and favour they have enjoyed
during his glorious reign." This Johnsonian period was
penned as late as 1830, on the demise of the august indi-
vidual of whom it has been written : —

" A noble, nasty course he ran
Superbly filthy and fastidious ;
He was the world's first gentleman,
And made the appellation hideous."

Though the Committee of Portuguese Deputies had ' been

120 ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES.

established to protect English-Jewish interests, that body
sooii became the recipient of requests of assistance from their
less fortunate brethren abroad. From 1760 to 1874, from
the Jews of Jamaica to the Jews of Roumania, the repre-
sentatives of the Portuguese, and subsequently of the British
Jews, under whatever designation they may have been known,
have always been looked up to by distressed Israelites in the
four quarters of the globe for support and help in every
emergency. Oppressed Jews from the tropical clime of the
Antilles ; tortured Jews from the Biblical city of Damascus ;
starved and ill-treated Jews from the gorgeous land of
, Ahasuerus ; vilified and pillaged Jews from the wild plains
of the Danube, — have all in turn piteously lifted up
their voices to London for aid. It must be said that the
Deputies have never hesitated to succour their afflicted co-
religionists so far as lay within their very limited powers.
They have usually laudably exerted themselves on behalf of
the harassed Children of Israel, albeit we cannot conscien-
tiously say that they have invariably attained a conspicuous
success in their undertakings of this nature. We may
assume that all commendable zeal on their parts has been
displayed, and that the failures have been caused by the
limited sphere of action of the Deputies.- In truth, with
reference to foreign affairs, they have confined themselves to
seeking the intervention of the Foreign Office, which has been
granted or declined, according to circumstances. Whether
the Deputies might have found other available means of action
at hand is a question we need not here discuss. The creation
of that institution was for a specific purpose, and the expe-
diency of extending its general scope was a matter for the
consideration of its members.

The Deputies had not been appointed many months when
they were called upon for their good offices by the Jews of
Jamaica, who had been ill-treated on some occasions. The
first intercession of the Portuguese Deputies on behalf of
their brethren was successful, and renewed security was
promised to Jewish life and property in that colony. The
Jewish inhabitants of Port Mahon, in the island of Minorca,
who complained in 1766, among other hardships, that they
•were not permitted to erect a synagogue, were not so fortunate.

ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES. 121

The Deputies, after waiting on the Duke of Richmond, Colonial
Secretary, found themselves constrained to tell their co-
religionists, that sufferance was the badge of their tribe,
and all they could do for the Jews of Minorca was to give
them some excellent advice. It may interest some readers
to learn that the then Duke of Richmond was the brother of
the beautiful Lady Caroline Lennox, who in 1740 escaped
from the window to wed Henry Fox, the father of Charles
James Fox; and of the lovely Lady Sarah Lennox, who
might, had she so chosen, have worn the royal diadem of
England on her brow, as queen to the fascinated George III.

The meetings of the Deputies were held at very uncertain
intervals, and for many years they were, " like angels' visits,"
few and far between. From this period the Deputies do not
appear to have been called together again until the llth
November 1778. When they met at that time the congre-
gation in Magpie Alley nominated as Deputies of their nation
Isaac Isaacs, Aaron Norden, and Joseph Gomperts. These
German representatives did not form part of the body, and
only attended when they were especially invited. The
minutes, too, had hitherto been kept in Portuguese, and
it was now for the first time that they began to be reported
in English.

It is curious to observe that at this period Joseph Salvador
applied to know how he was to act towards Baron d' Aguilar,
who, having been elected Deputy, took no notice of the com-
munications made to him. The Baron, however, did attend
one or two meetings later on, in 1783, but he soon withdrew
from the Deputies, as he did from Israel.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES OF THE BRITISH JEWS.

WHEN the political representatives of the Portuguese com-
munity reassembled in the year 1789 — a year memorable for
the new principles fraught with evil and fraught with good
that were proclaimed before a wonder-stricken world — not
one single member of the original Deputados was left alive.
The last to disappear was Joseph Salvador, who had suffered
great reverses of fortune. Another generation of men had
sprung up, who " knew not Joseph," and for the first time
we perceive the names of E. Baruch Lousada, of David
Samuda, of Daniel de Castro. The meetings of the Deputies
continued to be held at the residence of the president, and
Moses I. Levy was elected to that office. The representatives
of the German synagogues were Eleazer Isaac Keizer and
Lyon de Symons for the Duke's Place Synagogue, and Joseph
Gompertz and Eleazer Philip Salomons for the Fenchurch
Street or Magpie Alley Synagogue, as it was variously
called.

It may be noted that the delegates of the Ashkenazi
Congregation really formed no part as yet of the Sephardic
deliberative body. They attended meetings when it was
thought needful to summon them, which was probably left
to the discretion of the president. On great occasions, too,
Nathan Solomons, the rosh or principal of the New Syna-
gogue in Leadenhall Street, was called in for consultation.
These gentlemen, nevertheless, by their energy and zeal,
soon acquired great influence in Jewish affairs, and there-
after played an important part in them. When the next
address of congratulation was voted to George III., on his
recovery from one of his fitful attacks, Mr Levy, the presi-
dent of the Deputies, and Messrs Gompertz and De Symons,

HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES. 123

were deputed to express the joy of the Jews at his Majesty's
restoration to health. The Hebrew representatives met a
most courteous reception at the hands of the authorities, as
they had done on former occasions.

There is little worth reporting in the transactions of the
Deputies at this period. In the last decade of the eighteenth
century they seemingly came together on only one occasion
— in November 1795. A bill had been introduced in the
House of Commons, entitled the Sedition Bill, and the
Jewish community were doubtful as to the interpretation of
a certain clause. The Deputies bestirred themselves ; they
made respectful representations to Government, and event-
ually the questionable clause was abandoned.

In 1801, Moses I. Levy retired on account of ill-health, and
Naphtali Basevi was named president.

In 1802 a question arose which threatened to create a bad
feeling between the two sections into which the Hebrew com-
munity in London was divided. Happily moderation and
good sense prevailed, and the branches of the family of Israel,
agreeing to differ in certain unimportant details, continued
their harmonious intercourse, which even became closer and
closer. It was proposed by the Germans to merge together
by Act of Parliament all the Jewish charities in London.
This scheme was abandoned in deference to the opposition
manifested thereto by the Portuguese community, through
their representatives, the Deputies. These proceedings —
which throw considerable insight into the respective positions
of Sephardim and Ashkenazim — -will be duly set forth by us
in their proper place, our object in this chapter being limited
to recording the acts of the Deputies.

In 1805 we find a prosecution was ordered against the
printer of the St James1 Chronicle for the publication of
some offensive letters against the Jews, signed " Catharticus."
An apology, though somewhat tardy, was obtained, and thus
the matter terminated.

It was at this time that the Committee of Deputies began
to acquire greater development and importance. The Portu-
guese themselves saw the necessity of placing the institution
on a broader basis, just as the Conservatives were foremost
of late years in granting extended suffrage ; and the follow-

i24 HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES.

ing letter was forwarded to the principal German congrega-
tions in Great Britain : —

" We, the undersigned, appointed by the elders of our
Portuguese Jew nation by the appellation of Deputados, for
the purpose of watching all Acts of Parliament, Acts of
Government, laws, libels, addresses, or whatever else may
affect the body of Jews, are desirous of acting with complete
unison in all public concerns, therefore deem it necessary to
assume the liberty of soliciting that your congregation in
concert with the others will be pleased to appoint such
gentlemen as you may think proper under the same deno-
mination, that we may request their attendance as -occasion
requires, and have the pleasure of joining in all transactions
that may concern us as one body. Should you think proper
to comply with our recommendation, we beg you will transmit
us the names of the gentlemen so appointed. — Signed B.
Brandon, N. Basevi, Moses Lindo, jun., Jacob Osorio, Moses
Mocatta, and Jacob Mocatta."

Thus, at last, the barriers of exclusiveness were thrown
down, and all Jews of the British Empire acquired political
equality, as they had ever been civilly and religiously equal.
We do not know whether the response to this invitation was
as hearty as it deserved to be, for no meetings were held
until 1812. Then for the first time the " German" Jews
took their seats in the national representative body side by
side with their Portuguese brethren, and voted on equal
terms. The first German members of the Board were Moses
Samuel, Samuel Samuel, M. Levy Newton, Joseph Cohen,
N. Hart, Levy Salomons, M. Salomons, Gabriel Cohen, G.
Levien ; and they represented the three German synagogues
in the city.

One of the earliest acts of the renewed and reinvigorated
assembly was the election of a deputation to wait on some
respectable Quaker to ascertain the sentiments of the Society
of Friends on a pending bill in Parliament referring to the
rights of marriage, baptism, and burial. The result of this
mission was not recorded.

In 1820 the name of Rothschild was first brought into
connection with the Deputies. When an address was about
to be presented to the throne, on the accession of George

HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES. 125

IV., on the death of his father, Mr Joseph Cohen enlisted
the influence of his kinsman, Mr N. M. Rothschild, who
introduced to the Right Honourable Nicholas Vansittart,
Chancellor of the Exchequer (afterwards Lord Bexley), two
members of the United Deputies, viz., Mr Moses Lindo,
jun., president, and Mr Joseph Cohen, vice-president and
hon. secretary. The address was eventually presented
through Viscount Sidmouth, Secretary of State for the
Home Department, by Messrs M. Lindo, jun., J. M. da
Costa, sen., Samuel Samuel, Naphtali Hart," M. L. Newton,
and Joseph Cohen, and it was received with every mark of
approbation.

In April 1828 we perceive for the first time the appear-
ance among the Deputies of the great philanthropist Sir
Moses Montefiore. Three gentlemen were elected members
of the Board, and they were Messrs Moses Montefiore, C.
C. Michols, and Myer Salomons. On the 28th April a
meeting was held to consider a bill then under discussion
in Parliament, for repealing so much of several Acts as
imposed the necessity of receiving what is called the sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper as a qualification for certain
offices. Now there was an opportunity for endeavouring to
obtain a removal of the disqualifications pressing upon the
Jews. A petition was ordered to be prepared by the solicitor
to the Board, Mr Pearce, and a sub-committee, consisting
of Messrs M. Lindo, jun., Joshua Van Oven, and Moses
Montefiore, were elected to present it to the House of Lords,
to protect the interests of the Jews.

The next meeting took place on February 5, 1829. Mr
Isaac Lyon G-oldsmid attended, and reported the steps he
had adopted since the introduction of the bill on the previous
April for the relief of Dissenters. He stated that the words
" upon the faith of a Christian," in that bill, placed the
Jews in a much worse position than before. He also
informed the meeting that he had had occasional interviews
with several members of both Houses, and he read various
letters addressed to him by Lords Holland, Lansdowne, and
Suffield, Messrs Gurney, Baring, Martin, and others, con-
taining assurances of their aid and support in any measure
that might be submitted to Parliament for the relief of the

i26 HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES.

Jews. Mr Goldsmid then intimated that he had reason to
calculate on further powerful influence through Mr Moses
Montefiore. It was considered by the meeting that the time
appeared propitious for the advancement of the civil interests
of the Jews of the United Kingdom, and it was determined
to take steps in that direction. The epoch for triumph,
however, had not yet arrived, and years elapsed before the
Jews obtained a recognition of their civil rights.

From this period the history of the United Deputies of
the British Jews becomes intimately connected with the
history of the prolonged struggle for the removal of Jewish
disabilities. Not to tread over the same ground twice, we
will reserve our account of the part borne by the Deputies
in those momentous questions until we relate the details of
the long and arduous fight. The Deputies were not idle.
They appointed sub-committees, drew up petitions, presented
them to various authorities — from the Archbishop of Can-
terbury to the Chancellor of the Exchequer; held many
consultations with Mr I. L. Goldsmid (Baron de Goldsmid),
and his son Mr F. H. Goldsmid (Sir Francis Goldsmid),
with Mr D. Salomons (Sir David Salomons), and many
others. The Deputies exerted themselves with creditable
energy, and had the appearance of doing a great deal. But
as we are the chroniclers and not the panegyrists of
that body, as we desire to treat the subject with all im-
partiality, we are bound to state that we fail to perceive
that the efforts of the Deputies contributed, to any great
extent, to the removal of Jewish disabilities. Probably
their endeavours deserved success ; assuredly they did not
command it. With all the respect inspired by the illus-
trious names that have graced that assembly, we must
confess that it was not the Deputies of the British Jews, in
their corporate capacity, that endowed their brethren with
civil and political life. No ; that series of glorious achieve-
ments was accomplished by a few solitary individuals who
bore the brunt of the battle — and conquered. It is to the
unceasing exertions of a Goldsmid, a Montefiore, a Rothschild,
a Salomons, a Van Oven, that the Jews owe their emancipa-
tion. It is to these and other equally high-minded men, who
made heavy sacrifices in time and in fortune, that Israel is

HIST OR Y OF THE DEPUTIES. 1 2 7

deeply indebted, and not to a number of gentlemen, who in
their corporate capacity displayed much timidity, and acted
as if they were fettered by a dread of responsibility and by a
lack of funds.

In April 1835, on the resignation of Moses Mocatta, the
president,, the Deputies honoured themselves, and conferred
a great benefit on Israel, by electing to the vacant post one
who was destined to play so beneficent and commanding a
part in Jewish affairs, viz., Moses Montefiore. At the same
time, it was considered that the institution needed a thorough
remodelling. A sub-committee was delegated to investigate
the question, and its scheme for an amended system of
Jewish representation was accepted at a full meeting of
the Deputies. The name of Committee of Deputies of the
British Jews was then adopted. The Portuguese Congre-
gation was empowered, according to the new rules, to elect
seven deputies ; the Great Synagogue was to appoint an
equal number, and the Hambro and New Synagogues in
proportion to their standing were to be satisfied each with
four deputies. The expenses were to be defrayed, one-third
by the Portuguese Synagogue, and a similar share by the
Great Synagogue ; while the remainder was to be borne by
the other two German congregations. Provisions were made
for the admission into the new body of such other Jewish
congregations as might desire the privilege ; and the Deputies
were authorised to take such measures as they might deem
proper, in all cases tending to promote the welfare of the
Jews.

Mr Moses Montefiore was elected president, and Mr D.
Brandon was requested to act as honorary secretary. One
of the first acts of the Deputies was to forward circulars to
all the synagogues in the kingdom, inviting them to send
deputies to the Board. The Western Synagogue approved
the constitution, and elected as their representatives Messrs
John Levy and S. Ellis. The response from the country
congregations was by no means as favourable as might have
been anticipated ; want of funds and want of public feeling
combined in causing them to hold back. Another attempt
was made in 1838 to induce those communities to join the
London synagogues, and strengthen the Jewish representa-

i28 HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES.

tive body, but with little success. The answers were far
from encouraging. Edinburgh declined to appoint deputies ;
Birmingham came to no decision ; Sunderland chose a deputy,
but soon after withdrew him on the score of poverty. Liver-
pool took time to consider the subject ; Gloucester merely
acknowledged the circular; Yarmouth was not in circum-
stances to comply with the request ; and Chatham refused
altogether.

On the 31st August 1835, an Act was passed prohibit-
ing marriages of consanguinity, an Act which laid the
foundation for much misery, and which perpetrated as
flagrant an injustice as ever was committed by a legislature.
For Jews especially to be forbidden from performing cer-
tain acts, sanctioned by Jewish law, is an unquestionable
interference with the rights of conscience. It is to be re-
gretted that the Deputies did not display more vigour and
energy at the proper time, when, not impossibly, Jews
might have been exempted from the action of this obnoxious
law. As it was, the Deputies proceeded on the principle of
shutting the stable door after the flight of the steed. A year
after the passing of Lord Lyndhurst's Act, the eyes of the
Deputies were open to its consequences, and a sub-committee
was nominated to move in the matter, but, as might be ex-
pected, without success. At this time, too, the Act for the
Registration of Marriages became law 5 this Act regulates
the marriages of Jews, and it is known as the 6 and 7
William IV. We spoke of it at length in our chapter on
Jewish Marriages.

It may interest some members of the present generation
to learn that the deputation elected to prepare an address of
congratulation to Queen Victoria on her accession to the
throne in 1837, consisted of Messrs Moses Montefiore,
Abraham Mocatta, Solomon Waley, Louis Lucas, Hananel
de Castro, Solomon Cohen, John H. Helbert, and Daniel
Mocatta.

In the year 1838 the transactions of the Board had
increased so much that it was considered desirable to
appoint a salaried secretary. The gentleman selected for
that office was the late Sampson Samuel, who after a very
brief period declined to receive the small salary allotted to

HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES. 129

him, but continued to afford the Deputies for a long time
afterwards his able and zealous services gratuitously. It
must be mentioned, however, that subsequently Mr Samuel
was presented by the Deputies with a testimonial in the
shape of a silver tea service. In the same year Baron L.
de Rothschild was elected deputy for the Great Synagogue,
and Mr David Salomons for the New Synagogue. Mr
Salomons, in the temporary absence of Mr Moses Montefiore,
was named president, but after fulfilling those functions for
one or two meetings, he resigned, whereupon the honour
was conferred upon Mr J. G. Henriques.

Contemporarily with these events some changes were
effected in the constitution and by-laws of the Board. One
of the new regulations was to. the effect that the Committee
of Deputies of British Jews constituted itself the sole medium
of communication between the Jews and. Government This
unfortunate clause gave great offence to Mr I. L. Goklsmid,
who addressed a letter to Mr Ansell, the secretary of the
Great Synagogue, containing a formidable bill of indictment
against the Board. _The sins laid to the charge of the Board
were* rather of omission than of commission.

Mr I. L. Goldsmid had devoted money and time from
night to night to carry through the House of Commons
three different bills for the relief of Jewish disabilities, while
he had found among the most influential members of the
Board of Deputies a certain unwillingness to devote personal
exertions, and a total refusal of pecuniary assistance. Mr
Goldsmid, after enumerating all the privileges enjoyed by
the Jews, and which the Deputies had not obtained, declared
that he could not consent to intrust his political interests
to the Deputies. He would feel the deepest concern in
separating himself from a body with which his father and
family had been connected for so many years, and hoped
the obnoxious regulation would be rescinded, and a declara-
tion made that no persons by becoming or continuing
members of a synagogue were precluded from taking, either
separately or in concert, measures -with respect to the civil
rights of the Jews.

The communication containing these remarks caused great
impression when read before the Deputies. Whether from

I

130 HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES.

alarm or pure good-nature, we are unable to say, the
Deputies hastened to invite Mr I. L. Goldsmid and his son,
Mr F. H. Goldsmid, to a conference. It was then alleged
by the Deputies that the clause in question did not bear the
construction placed upon it by Mr Goldsmid ; but " to
make assurance doubly sure," the obnoxious expressions
were altered to meet Mr Goldsmid's views. Mr I. L.
Goldsmid was at this period elected a deputy for the Great
Synagogue in conjunction with Mr S. I. Waley, but he
declined to accept the office. In 1839, Mr David Salomons,
who had carried on for some years, unassisted, his struggles
on behalf of Jewish civil rights, found it expedient to request
the support of the Committee of Deputies. The Court of
Queen's Bench, he stated, had decided in favour of his con-
struction of the Act with reference to the aldermauic gown.
The Court of Exchequer Chamber had reversed that decision,
four judges having given judgment for, and seven against,
him. The last resource was an appeal to the House of
Lords. Several- Peers, and among them Lord Brougham and
Lord Cottenham, had promised him their countenance. He,
Mr Salomons, had incurred great expense to try that im-
portant question, and he was not willing to go further. He
considered that the Board should now take up the question,
and appeal to the highest jurisdiction in Great Britain. The
Board of Deputies, however, was far from adopting the same
view of the question as Mr Salomons. His proposal was
discussed and declined, on the ground that it would be more
expedient to seek relief by legislative 'amendment.

A memorable epoch now occurred in the annals of the
Committee of Deputies of the British Jews. We use the
expression " memorable," because the Board took a leading
part in a moment of the highest importance, and towards this
assembly the eyes of all Israel were turned with an eager,
beseeching look. A piercing, deep cry of anguish from the
far East had caused a thrill of pity and horror through the
hearts of Western Jews. Some of their innocent brethren
in a semi-civilised country had been barbarously tortured to
force from them a confession of a crime which they had
never perpetrated.

On the 28th .April 1840 a meeting was held at the resi-

HISTORY OF THE DEPUTIES. 131

dence of Sir Moses Montefiore, to which were invited several
gentlemen of eminence, in addition to the members of the
Board. There were gathered Sir Isaac L. Goldsmid, Messrs
Isaac Cohen, David Salomons, A. A. Goldsmid, Dr B. Van
Oven, Dr Loewe, several members of the Portuguese Con-
gregation, and last, and assuredly not least, Monsieur Cre-
mieux, the celebrated French jurisconsult, and vice-president
of the t( Consistoire Central des Israelites Franc. ais." M.
Cremieux was afterwards Minister of Justice in Paris under
the Government of 1848, and in our days was the colleague
of M. Gambetta. The heart-rending account of the per-
secution of the Jews of Damascus for the supposed mur-
der of Father Thomas was communicated to the meeting in
the plain, unvarnished language in which those unhappy
Israelites besought and implored the help of their more
fortunate coreligionists in Europe.

Certain resolutions suited to the urgency of the case in
hand were unanimously and heartily adopted at the meeting.
As, however, the history qf the affair of II Padre Tommaso
appertains to the history of Judaism, and not to that of any
especial institution, we will defer giving a succinct relation
of that tragic occurrence till its proper time and place.

Here we must part company with the fortunes of the Lon-
don Committee of Deputies of the British Jews, heartily
desiring to it prolonged existence and renewed vitality. In
questions of general importance the acts of the Deputies will
be embodied in the records of the acts of the Jewish public ;
while in internal questions the more modern proceedings of
that body will be sufficiently remembered by our Jewish
readers, or might form part of polemics which we have no
wish to revive.

CHAPTER XV.

THE EARLY DAYS OF THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE.

THE spectacle presented by the struggles of the first German
Jewish settlers in this country differs as widely from that
offered by their Portuguese brethren as a Flemish interior
by Cuyp — plain, homely, rough, and yet clearly displaying
in the figures delineated some of the qualities that make up
a nation's greatness — differs from the representation by
Rubens of an imposing municipal gathering at the Hague,
adorned with a crowd of richly - attired personages. Yet
both paintings only bring forth the various virtues of one
race, and describe various phases of the same national life.

The original immigrants into England from Germany and
Poland were undoubtedly placed at a great disadvantage as
regards the Spanish and Portuguese settlers. These latter
were usually men of wealth, of polished manners, of old
lineage, whose ancestors anciently had figured at courts, and
who in modern times had constituted an aristocracy of com-
merce in Holland. The former were persons whose fore-
fathers for ages had been subjected to every kind of degrad-
ing persecution, and had been debarred from pursuing any
ennobling avocations ; persons who themselves had neither
been endowed by their fathers with worldly goods nor with
liberal knowledge. Nevertheless, to their credit 'be it said,
these German Israelites, uncouth, illiterate, narrow-minded
and poor, as the greater part of them must have been ;
friendless, without resources, and ignorant of the English
language, as they unquestionably were ; by dint of strict
frugality, of unceasing activity, of indomitable energy, of
considerable innate if uncultivated abilities, succeeded in
acquiring more or less considerable fortunes, and in raising
themselves to positions of trust and honour.

EAR L Y DA YS OF THE GREA T S YNA GOGUE. 133

For a long time prejudice against them lingered in the
breast of the proud Sephardi, even until after the traits that
had inspired this ungenerous feeling had ceased to exist.
The question became then merely a question of caste. Many
old-fashioned Portuguese Jews at one period held themselves
socially aloof from their Ashkenazi brethren, and would no
more have given to one of the latter their daughter in mar-
riage than a Brahmin would have affianced a dusky child of
his to a Sudrah. As the German community advanced in
enlightenment and grew in wealth and numbers, the barriers
separating them from the older established branch of their
race in England were gradually thrown clown. When the
former section of the English Jews had outstripped the
latter in material advantages and external influence, it would
have been too palpably absurd for the minority to affect a
superiority, which no longer existed, over the majority. All
distinctions gradually disappeared. From the beginning of
the present century concord and amity have reigned among
the Jews of Great Britain, who have united in working to-
gether for the moral and intellectual advancement of their race.
The one blot in the harmony existing in Israel that formed
the solitary, though important exception, to the good feeling
reigning among the Jews, will be duly recorded in its place.

The German and Polish Jews, at the time of "William III.,
as we related in a former chapter, that is to say, as soon as
they were in sufficient number in this country, became desir-
ous of establishing for themselves a place of worship, en-
tirely independent of their Spanish and Portuguese brethren.
So early as the year 1692 they were wont to assemble for
prayers — which they intoned in their own manner — in a
house in Broad Court, Mitre Square, where for a period of
about thirty years they held divine service. These immigrants
from the banks of the Oder and the Vistula were tolerably
numerous, albeit almost destitute of means.

Probably not half-a-dozen men in affluent circumstances
flourished in their midst. The richest among them was
named Moses of Breslau in the Synagogue, while to the
outer world he became known as Moses Hart.

He was a remarkably shrewd and able man, and the Eng-
lish Government of the day learned to appreciate his talents.

134 EARL Y DA YS OF THE GREA T SYNA GOGUE.

Hart was connected by marriage with Benjamin Levy, who
at that period was a great financier, and also a promoter
of the East India Company.

Mr Levy is said to have procured the charter for that great
corporation, and to have his name inscribed second in their
books. Mr Hart increased in wealth, and when Lord Godol-
phin was High Treasurer in the reign of Queen Anne, a place
under Government was conferred upon him, whereby he ob-
tained great honour and affluence. In 1720 he built for
himself a handsome house at Isleworth. In the year 1722,
the community having altogether outgrown their temporary
house of prayer, Moses Hart, actuated by a feeling of reli-
gious zeal, generously contributed a liberal sum which mate-
rially helped to raise a special and permanent edifice dedicated
to divine worship. This was inaugurated on the eve of New
Year in 1722. The lineaments of Moses Hart have been
handed down to us in a picture presented by Mr Joshua Van
Oven to the Great Synagogue. From the left wall of the
vestry-room, near the door, Moses Hart eyes the visitor with
quiet curiosity. A shrewd countenance surmounted by a
flowing periwig, according to the fashion of the day ; yet a
countenance by no means vulgar or commonplace. Moses
Hart moved among people of quality, and no doubt he had
acquired an air of distinction. He appears to have lived to
a great age, for in 1756 he desired to be excused from further
attending Synagogue affairs, on the score of his failing
health ; as well he might indeed, for he must then have been
very aged.

The first wardens elected for the Synagogue were Lazarus
Simon, Isaac Franks, and Abraham Franks ; Myer Polak
was appointed treasurer. The rate of expenditure was by
no means regulated on an extravagant scale, and the salary of
the first reader was fixed at the very moderate sum of £30
per annum; while the services of the second reader were
valued at exactly one-half that amount. The Germans, fol-
lowing the example of the Portuguese congregations, as soon
as they had acquired sufficient importance as a separate body,
proceeded to draw up a code of laws for their internal guid-
ance. These regulations throw not a little light on the
usages and customs of the Ashkenazim of 1722.

EARL Y DA YS OF THE GREA T S YNA GOG UE. 1 3 5

A curious practice obtained in those days of throwing
sweetmeats upon a bridegroom when he was called up to
the law, though we are unable to say whether to inure the
happy man to the sweets of married life, or, on the contrary,
to offer him some compensation for that bitterness of spirit
which is not unfrequently induced by the connubial con-
dition. The practice was found indecorous, and was strictly
prohibited. We believe, however, that even in compara-
tively modern times it was occasionally followed in German
congregations when the bridegroom went to the law on
Simchat Torak — on the rejoicing of the law. The sense of
refinement or propriety on the part of the worshippers does
not appear to have been very great, for they were strictly
enjoined not to chew tobacco in synagogue, nor to attend
divine service wearing slippers or caps. Gentlemen having
frequent occasion to undertake journeys to the Continent
were not to be elected treasurers. Travelling was insecure
in those days, and it was impossible to say what mishap
might occur to an official who exposed himself to such risks.
Marriage was considered to add to the qualifications for
teaching, as no bachelor was allowed to remain an instruc-
tor of youth for more than three years. The authority of
the Rabbi was considerably restricted. He was not per-
mitted to place any one in Herem or excommunication with-
out the sanction of the Parnassim or wardens, nor to perform
marriage or pronounce divorce, nor to interfere in any quarrel.
The civil authorities were evidently desirous of curtailing the
power of the ecclesiastical authorities, and the latter were made
entirely dependent on the former. Though we are by no
means advocates of absolute ecclesiastical power, we question
whether a spiritual guide, who is the humble servant of the
delegates of his flock, can fulfil conscientiously his mission,
and whether he can preserve his own dignity and maintain
a high tone of religious feeling in his congregation. We
believe that the restrictions placed on the actions of the
Chief Rabbis were the cause of much mischief during the
last century, and eventually induced the resignation of one
of them — the learned 'Rabbi Hirsch. The pastor who was at
the head — at least nominally — of the German community
when the Moses Hart Synagogue was opened, was called Rabbi

136 EARL Y DAYS OF THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE.

Uri Pbaibul, and it would appear tbat bis post was by no
means a bed of roses. No fewer tban ninety-seven ordi-
nances and regulations were promulgated at the beginning
by the rulers of the Great Synagogue, and from time to
time these were modified or new laws introduced.

In the year 1735 the sale of the offices of bridegroom of
the Law and of the Sabbath of Genesis (Hatanim) was dis-
continued, and those distinctions were conferred by election
or rotation. It is curious to remark that the then doctor of
the congregation — a gentleman who received £30 per annum
— was accustomed to take his seat among the wardens and
to vote in all matters brought before the Council, as if he
were one of the leaders of the community, and not one of its
most inadequately-salaried officials.

As the German congregation increased in numbers, not
only the house of worship became crowded, but also the
House of Life, as the Jews poetically term the cemetery for
our dead. . In 1748, Moses Hart, Aaron Franks, and H.
Franks were appointed a sub-committee to buy some land
for a cemetery. This object they carried out in due course,
and we find that in the following year the sum of £174 was
paid for the purchase of ground for the purpose. This land
was situated in the Alderney Road, Mile End Road, and it
has long since ceased to receive the dead.

In 1745 the earliest German charitable institution was
called into being. It was entitled Akenosath Berith, and it
furnished a small gratuity to necessitous German women in
childbed, providing at the same time a Mohel to perform
the covenant of Abraham.

In the year 1758 the Chief Rabbi of the German Congre-
gation, Rabbi Hirsch, the father of Dr Solomon Hirschel,
was in receipt of £250 per annum, £150 of which was con-
tributed by the Synagogue in Broad Court, also called the
Synagogue of Moses Hart, and £100 by the Hambro, or, as
it was termed, Wolf Prager's Synagogue. Considering the
value of money in those days, and the limited means at the
disposal of the community, the stipend of the " German"
Chief Rabbi was not to be despised. Indeed many a worthy
and hard-working minister of the Church of England would
gladly even now attain a benefice productive of that amount.

EARLY DAYS OF THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE. 137

The ground on which the Great Synagogue is erected
belongs to the Corporation of the City of London. In 17GO a
perpetual lease was granted by the Court of Common Coun-
cil to the authorities of the Synagogue at a very moderate
annual rental, the lease being renewable every fourteen years
on payment of a fine of £30. It is only at the present
moment that the leasehold is being converted into a free-
hold, by the payment of a final sum to the Corporation,
which we understand to be very reasonable. Thus hence-
forth the chief German Synagogue, like the chief Portuguese
Synagogue, will stand on property belonging to its own
community.

CHAPTER XVI.

PROGRESS OF GERMAN CONGREGATIONS.

THE Jews have not, as a rule, displayed against each other
that fraternal hatred which so frequently breaks out between
members of the same sect or race. But there is a certain
episode in the chronicles of the Great Synagogue which dis-
plays a feeling much resembling hate on the part of the
authorities of that congregation, against some of their
brethren. In the year 1761 the German community in Lon-
don was acquiring a considerable development in number and
resources. The two synagogues then open were becoming
insufficient for the rapidly-increasing worshippers, and pos"-
sibly some of these were not altogether satisfied with their
ruling powers. At all events certain members of the exist-
ing synagogues united with some freshly-arrived immigrants
to establish a new house of prayer. The indignation mani-
fested by the heads of the Duke's Place Synagogue appears
to have been warmer than the circumstances warranted.
A meeting was held on the 19th August 1761, in which the
wardens and elders of the German community arrived at
the following resolution : " Whereas certain persons un-
worthy of our countenance and protection have formed them-
selves into a society calling themselves a congregation at
Buckler's Hall ; we do hereby strictly charge our priest, now
and hereafter, that he does not directly or indirectly, or other
in his name or with his knowledge or permission, officiate
either publicly or privately in the service of marriages,
burials, circumcisions, or other acts of priesthood, for any
person whatever belonging to the said society. And to pre-
vent any persons from unwarily joining with that society,
we order that this resolution be read publicly two Sabbaths
successively in our synagogues, that none may plead igno-

PROGRESS OF GERMAN CONGREGATIONS. 139

ranee thereof. And we further order that a copy of this
resolution be forthwith delivered to the Mahamad (Council
of Wardens) of the Portuguese Synagogue, desiring their
concurrence in supporting and maintaining with us the good
order of our respective communities."

The new congregants were by no means alarmed at the
opposition of the older establishments, and pursued their
plans without heeding the harmless thunderbolt that was
hurled at their heads. In June 1762 the first stone of the
New Synagogue was laid with great ceremony at Buckler's
Hall (since Sussex Hall), facing Cree Church in Leadenhall
Street, and a considerable sum of money was collected on
that occasion. The holy edifice was duly completed and was
consecrated with much pomp. The relations between the
New Synagogue and the parent congregation were then, and
continued for many years to be, on an unsatisfactory footing.
Jealousy, which equally affects the infant in arms and the
experienced man of the world, caused Duke's Place to look
askance on Buckler's Hall, while the latter regarded the
former with unconcealed resentment for its attempts at ex-
tinguishing its existence. During last century, and even
subsequently, the New Synagogue possessed its own inde-
pendent Rabbi. But all rivalries have an end; with the
rise of a new generation all past animosity was mutually
forgiven and forgotten, and when the Great Synagogue in
1792 found itself for a lengthy period without a spiritual
chiefj it did not disdain to engage the services as Dayan of
the Rabbi of the New Synagogue. We will, moreover, do
the Duke's Place Synagogue the justice of recording that
even when the ill-feeling between the ancient and modern
congregations was at its height, no formal Cherem or ex-
communication was pronounced.

The foundation of the New Synagogue withal did not in-
flict any material injury on the old places of worship. On
the contrary, it stirred up a spirit of emulation among the
members of the principal German congregation, who in 1763
resolved to enlarge their house of prayer. An adjoining
piece of ground was at once purchased. At a meeting held
in August of that year many gentlemen came forward with

140 PROGRESS Of GERMAN CONGREGATIONS.

liberal donations, and fifteen generous persons subscribed
among themselves a total of £2000 towards the requisite
fund ; a most liberal sum, considering the relative value of
money and other surrounding circumstances.

It was not uncommon at this period for Christian visitors
to attend Jewish synagogues, and descriptions of Jewish
festivals occasionally found a corner in the periodical litera-
ture of the day. Thus we learn " that on Saturday the 6th
October 1764 the Jews kept their annual day of fasting
and humiliation in order to atone for their sins of last year,
as instituted by Moses in the 16th chapter of Leviticus. It
was observed so strictly that there was not an Israelite to
be seen in the streets from six o'clock in the previous even-
ing until seven on that night. Many of them were in syna-
gogue all that time, and none of them during that interval
did eat, drink, or take a pinch of snuff."

We are not informed in which particular synagogue the
writer witnessed this impressive sight, which evidently struck
him, but we have no donbt that all other Hebrew places of
worship would have presented on that sacred day an equally
solemn spectacle. We are apprised by the same source that
the Feast of Tabernacles was also celebrated with similar
devotion, and that the Jews strictly fulfilled the enjoined
ordinances by taking their meals during the whole period of
that holiday not in their houses, but in "tents or tabernacles"
erected for that purpose in their yards. The Succoths or
tabernacles were then, as at present, decorated with fruits and
flowers, and all friends entering were* hospitably pressed to
take some refreshment.

A profound veneration for the ceremonies commanded by
the precepts of their law is a remarkable feature in the
Jewish character, a feature that has been neither obliterated
by persecution nor by emancipation, by the depth of ignorance
nor by the height of civilisation. It has been said of the
Jews, by one evidently not too well disposed towards them,
that, u however deficient they may be in other respects, they
at least strictly keep up the outward prescribed forms of
their religion, which we wish could be said of numbers that
profess one preferable." However questionable this praise
may be, it pays at least a just tribute" to one undoubted

PROGRESS OF GERMAN CONGREGATIONS. 141

Jewish virtue, which is thus acknowledged by those who
display no special love towards Judaism.

Rabbi Ziwy Hirsch, as we have already stated, was so
hampered and trammelled in his acts by the control exercised
over them by the wardens and elders of his community, and
he found his position so little to his taste, that in 1704 he
resigned his post. Rabbi Ziwy Hirsch proceeded then to
Berlin, and he subsequently became Chief Rabbi of that city.
When this learned man quitted the English shores he had
already an infant son, named Solomon, who was destined
thenceafter to occupy the honourable position of Chief Rubbi
of the German Jews in London, under the title of the Rev.
Dr Hirschel. The latter gentleman therefore could boast of
being an Englishman by birth, of which title we believe he
was very proud.

After the retirement of Rabbi Hirsch, Rabbi David Tabil
Schiif Cohen was called upon to direct the religious affairs of
the Great Synagogue. He was appointed to his functions in
February 1765. His portrait may be seen to the present
day in the vestry of that congregation. A dark and some-
what heavy countenance with a black beard, and a square,
massive jaw, indicating a certain strength of will. Above
this picture we behold another canvas, whence the mild eyes
of a predecessor, Rabbi Uri Phaibul or Phaibush, look down
with benignant repose on the visitor.

One of the early duties devolving upon Rabbi Tabil Schiff
was the dedication of the rebuilt and enlarged synagogue in
Duke's Place. This ceremony was celebrated with much
splendour in August 1767, before a crowded congregation.
Christian friends of the Jews have always expressed admira-
tion for the mode in which Jewish divine service is con-
ducted, and the chanting of Hebrew prayers usually im-
presses them favourably. Mirabeau says in his Letters from
England that the psalmody of the English synagogue sur-
prises one by the sweetness and agreeable simplicity of its
modulation. On the occasion of which we are speaking,
several Christian visitors attended, and described themselves
as having been much edified at the proceedings. The
solemnity was adverted to in a flattering manner in the
periodical press of the day, and it was stated in a contem-

142 PROGRESS OF GERMAN CONGREGATIONS.

porary publication that " the prayer for their Majesties aud
Royal Family, which was always read in their liturgy in
Hebrew, was at this time pronounced by the Chief Rabbi in
English, and was followed by Handel's coronation anthem,
performed by a numerous band of eminent musicians. The
procession and other ceremonies in the synagogue were accom-
panied with several anthems and choruses by the same per-
formers."

CHAPTER XVII.

CONVERSIONS— JE WISH LI TERA TURE— THE GREA T
SYNAGOGUE AGAIN.

To convert a Jew to Christianity has been for ages the
supreme ambition of certain enthusiastic and no doubt sin-
cere, albeit mistaken, Christians. To save a soul from ever-
lasting perdition must clearly be good work for those who
follow the very uncomfortable and uncharitable tenet that
all who differ from them in their theological views, or even
in their definition of such views, are to be condemned to
suffer the perpetual tortures of the fiery city in the sixth
circle of Dante's " Inferno." Among the individuals who have
held these opinions we will mention a certain Edward Gold-
ney, an affluent merchant, who flourished nearly 120 years
ago. This gentleman bestirred himself zealously to save the
Jews from the fate awaiting them in the nether world. He
wrote a friendly epistle addressed to them, and dedicated to
the Archbishop of Canterbury. Therein he recommended the
Primate to show great courtesy and hospitality to the Jews,
and to entertain their principal men to sumptuous banquets,
prepared according to Jewish law, in the expectation perhaps
that good cheer and choice vintages might soften the obdurate
Hebrew heart. It does not appear that his Grace acted upon
the suggestion at the time, nor have we heard that the plan
lias been tried at any more modern period. Mr Goldney, who
was not a Lessing, had more than one interview with Rabbi
Aaron Hart, believed to be related to Moses Hart, the
founder of the Great Synagogue. The aged Rabbi, who is
described as a man of venerable aspect, declined to discuss
the question with Mr Goldney. He merely observed that
his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were Jews,

144 CONVERSIONS.

and that he continued in the religion to which he had been
born, as he would, had his creed been any other. The reply
did not satisfy Mr Goldney, who considered it " a poor, low,
mean answer from a gentleman of his years." The Gentile,
however well-intentioned, evidently did not possess a very
brilliant intellect; and he did not understand that the Jew
desired to avoid a controversy that would lead to dangerous
ground. An Irish prelate, the Bishop of Clogher, also made
some efforts to lead away the Jews from the old faith to
the new dispensation. But it does not seem that these
endeavours were attended with success, even according to
the construction of their authors. That some Jews have
swerved from the religion of their ancestors is an undoubted
fact, and, as we have already said, we shall treat at length
the subject of Jewish conversions in a future chapter.

"While the Jews in England were increasing in numbers
and wealth, rumours reached them from the far East, denot-
ing in one remote spot an exactly reverse condition of affairs.
That there have been Jews for many years in the interior of
India is a well-ascertained fact ; and we have ourselves beheld
native Jews scarcely to be distinguished in form and feature
from pure-blooded Hindoos. A traveller from East India, on
his arrival in London in the year 1764, communicated some
curious information to the periodical press. A republic of
Jews then existed at Patna, capital of the kingdom of Behar.
These Israelites, who formed a state within a state, had once
numbered 60,000 families, and had constituted a powerful
and semi-independent community ; but at the time of which
we are speaking they had dwindled to 4000 families. They
still possessed, near the Nabob's palace, a synagogue, in
which their records were preserved, engraved in copper-plates
in Hebrew characters. These Jews professed to be able to
trace their history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar. They
stated that they appertained to the tribe of Menasseh, a part
of which, by order of that haughty conqueror, had travelled
to the most eastern province of his empire, and thence had
proceeded southward, ultimately reaching the banks of the
Ganges. The journey from Babylon had been performed by
20,000 souls — men, women, and children — and it had taken
three years to accomplish. Their records, which had been

CONVERSIONS. 145

kept in Hebrew, had been translated into the ordinary language
of the 'country. We see no reason to question the accuracy
of this " traveller's tale ; " and we entertain no doubt that
descendants from that community still exist in India, though
we are unable to say whether there be at present a Jewish
congregation at Patna.

At about this epoch the British Jews were becoming better
known, and more respected among their Gentile fellow-coun-
trymen, and they even made some endeavours to introduce
in England an appreciation for the noble and grand literature
of ancient Israel. It was partly in furtherance of such views,
and partly as a recognition of the tolerance of the British
people, that in the year 1760 an individual, named Solomon
da Costa, presented a valuable collection of about 200 Hebrew
MS. volumes to the trustees of the British Museum. Many of
these books bore on their covers the royal arms of England,
aud the Jewish community of Amsterdam had intended to
offer them to Charles II. as a token of their gratitude for his
benevolence toward their race. In consequence of the king's
death, the plan was naturally abandoned. It was destined
for Mr Da Costa, who had become the possessor of the books,
to increase their number, and to tender this acknowledg-
ment to the English nation, at the same time that he fur-
nished additional scope for the student of the sacred language
and literature. The letter of the donor accompanying the gift
is still preserved at the British Museum, and is couched in
the hyperbolical and somewhat inflated style, so much affected
in the East. To afford our readers some idea of the style
of this singular communication, we will quote the opening
paragraph : — " Go, I pray thee, see the presence of those
in whom there is wisdom, understanding, and knowledge ;
behold they are the honourable personages appointed and
made overseers of the great and noted treasury called by the
name of the British Museum. The Lord preserve them !
Amen. Saith the man Solomon, son to my Lord and Father,
the ancient honourable, devout, meek, and excellent Mr
Isaac Da Costa, surnamed Athias, of the city of Amsterdam,
of the people scattered and dispersed among all nations ; of
the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Spain." The collec-
tion was much prized for its literary worth, and also as a

K

i46 CONVERSIONS.

proof of the good feeling of the Jews to \vards the people of
England.

At the same time original composition was not neglected
among the Jews of England during the second half of the
18th century, and various Hebrew works issued from the
several presses at the disposal of both Ashkennzi and
Sephardic congregations. Native writers do not seem to
have compared favourably with foreigners in this respect.
The two principal works of those days were the production
of foreigners, published in England. In 1766 was brought
out a volume of poems by Ephrairn Luzzatto, an Italian,
•which are stated to breathe the spirit of pure poetry, and to
be penned in a correct and classical diction. Then a few
years later on, in 1771, a learned German, named Levysohn,
•who was then studying surgery under the celebrated John
Hunter, wrote a philosophical treatise, entitled Maahinar
Hatorah Vehachochma : an essay on the Law and on Science.
Levysohn's book, albeit displaying considerable ability and
erudition, was not well received by some of his brethren,
who regarded him in the light of a dangerous innovator.
Levysohn returned to his native city, Hamburg, where he
became an eminent physician, and it is said that he dis-
covered the use of chocolate, and acquired considerable
affluence. In his later days he expended much money in
collecting books, and was known as the possessor of a valu-
able library of Hebrew works, which he bequeathed to the
Beth Hamedrash in Hamburg. Levysohn, we will remark
in conclusion, lived and died a zealous Jew.

Among the productions of English Jews of that period
the most valuable seem to have been the Keliilath Yahacob,
a vocabulary of the Hebrew language, by Jacob Rodrigues
Moreira. The author was an accomplished Hebraist, and
the work has been pronounced one of the best of the kind
ever published in England.

The great Synagogue was far from being a wealthy body
a hundred years since, and it had to carry on a continual
struggle to support itself and its institutions. Legacies must
have been very acceptable, and the amount of £3500 left in
1769 to the Duke's Place Synagogue by Lazarus Simon, one
of its oldest members, no doubt proved a great boon. Of

CONVERSIONS, 1 4 7

that sum, the interest of £1000 was directed to be applied
to clothe and afford a small gratuity to six destitute ineu
and as many destitute women ; while the interest of another
£1000 was to be handed half-yearly to the overseers of the
poor, fourteen days before the holydays. A question arose
many years afterwards, in 1808, as to whether needy candi-
dates for habiliments to the extent of £5 yearly, might be
strangers. It was then decided by a committee appointed
for the purpose, that only decayed members and their
widows were entitled to enjoy Lazarus Simon's bounty.
Notwithstanding this and other resources, the financial
position of the congregation remained in an unsatisfac-
tory condition. In 1772, a committee of four gentlemen —
viz., Aaron Franks, Naphtali Franks, Moses Franks, and
Aaron Goldsmid — were empowered to grant a mortgage on
the Synagogue and buildings to Edward Holms, a builder,
for a balance of £1300 due to him, probably for work
executed, and further to borrow from him a sum of £400 on
the same security at £4 per cent. Again, in 1789, it was
found necessary to raise £2000 to construct a new ark, a
new reading desk, and new seats in the Synagogue. And
this, too, happened only two years after the generous dona-
tion of Mrs Judith Levy, who had presented to the Syna-
gogue the munificent sum of £4000. This lady, as our
readers will recollect, was the charitable and wealthy
daughter of Moses Hart, and her object was to bestow
the amount required for the enlargement and repair of
the Synagogue. It is said, that when the lady heard that
a loan had been raised, she expressed considerable annoyance
that application for further funds had not been made to her
to enable her to complete the good work. Through these
arid through other loans, all honourably discharged, the
earliest Grerman Jewish congregation in London strove to
reach, and eventually attained, through the energy and zeal
of its members, to the eminent position it has so long
deservedly occupied.

In the year 1770, the Great Synagogue possessed a singer
so sweet voiced, that strangers went to hear him as a musical
feast. His name was Myer Lyon, and he was engaged in
1667 as chorister at the modest salary of £40 per annum.

143 CONVERSIONS.

Myer Lyon's services were valued so little that in 1772, the
congregation being in debt, his salary, like that of all other
Synagogue officials, was reduced, and his pittance fell to
£32 per annum. In 1770, the Rev. Charles Wesley, the
hymn writer, and brother to John Wesley, paid a visit to
the Duke's Place Synagogue, which is thus recorded in his
journal — " I was desirous to hear Mr Leoni sing at the
Jewish Synagogue. ... I never before saw a Jewish con-
gregation behave so decently. Indeed, the place itself is so
solemn, that it might strike an awe upon those who have
any thought of God."

Myer Lyon, the humble chorister, rose to be Leoni the
opera singer. He possessed a tuneful head, and he com-
posed light songs and sacred melodies. He adapted some
Synagogue airs to church hymns ; but he preserved strictly
his religion, declining to appear on the stage on Friday
nights and Festivals. Leoni did not remain very long
behind the footlights, and in his latter days he returned to
the Synagogue choir. The German congregation of Kingston,
Jamaica, having applied to the Great Synagogue for a reader,
Leoni offered himself in that capacity. He occupied for some
time the vacant post at Kingston, and we hear no more of
him in England.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE PORTUGUESE JEWS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

IT is a necessity imposed upon us by the nature of our
undertaking to imitate occasionally the romancist, who,
after having guided one set of characters through a series
of perilous adventures, halts and takes up the thread of
the story at some preceding period, to follow the fortunes
of another set of characters. We have traced the foundation
of the Great Synagogue from its humble beginning as a
Minyau Room, to its development into an important and
numerous congregation, in many respects inferior to no
other Jewish community in Great Britain. Let us now
turn back and inquire how the ancient body of Spanish and
Portuguese Jews progressed during the 18th century. It
has been said that happy is the nation that has no history.
This proposition is scarcely accurate in every instance ; and
in the case of the Jews, if understood literally, would argue
a stagnation and want of vitality by no means to be desired.
Yet with respect to the Sephardim during the first half of
last century, the axiom is not far from the truth, for their
records glide along with a flow of smooth and uninterrupted
prosperity. No perils, no persecutions for conscience's sake,
no struggles against insufficient means or poverty. The
budget of the Synagogue usually displayed a surplus. The
impost or tax on the commercial operations of its members
frequently brought in as much as £2000 a year, and some
members contributed singly £100 or even £200 a year, as a
small per centage on their transactions. They were rich
men, and with some limited exceptions, the principal Jewish
merchants belonged to this congregation. Yea, there were
persons of enterprise and financial genius among the Portu-
guese Jews, men whose names commanded almost unlimited

1 5o THE PORTUG UESE JE WS.

credit on 'Change, and whose descendants have acquired
fame in the world of finance, in the forum, in the senate.
But if the annals of the Portuguese congregation register
few very striking events, they nevertheless hold forth a mass
of matter equally interesting to both Jew and Gentile. We
glean therefrom many facts throwing a light on congrega-
tional history, and we gather much curious information
illustrating the manners of the time or the character of the
ancestors of families, occupying in the present day important
positions among the aristocracy of wealth, or title, or intellect
in the United Kingdom.

The most exciting occurrence that had happened for some
years among the Portuguese, was a fire in the Synagogue.
On one Friday evening in the year 1738, the buildings
surrounding the house of prayer were discovered to be
ablaze. The alarm was soon given, and notwithstanding
the imperfection of the appliances of the period for extin-
guishing fires, the lambent flames were soon subdued into
imouldering cinders by the united exertions of firemen,
soldiers, and watchmen. The roof of the Synagogue itself
was injured, and a portion of the buildings attached to it,
and many of the surrounding houses were reduced to utter
ruin. Upwards of forty poor families were left totally
destitute. A subscription was at once set on foot to furnish
food and clothing to the unhappy creatures whom the calamity
had deprived of their little all, and also to reward the firemen,
soldiers, and others who had saved the main body of the
Synagogue itself from being devoured by the flames. The
damages caused by the fire were not repaired immediately,
and it was not until the year 1749 that the Synagogue
buildings were entirely reconstructed, at a cost of £1700.
Hitherto the Bevis Marks Synagogue had been tenanted by
the Sephardi congregation on a lease entered into with Sir
Thomas and Lady Pointz in 1698, and which had not yet
expired. It was left to one who was ever foremost in
initiating good work, to secure the property to his com-
munity. Whenever any undertaking of a noble, generous,
or philanthropic nature was to be established, his name
would assuredly be found at its head. Benjamin Mendes
da Costa in the year 5507 (1747), announced to the Elders

•

THE PORTUG UESE JE WS. 151

that he had purchased the remainder of the lease of the
Synagogue and its appurtenances, which h6 desired to
transfer to the Wardens for the benefit of the holy con-
gregation of the Gates of Heaven. The elders gratefully
accepted the offer, but resolved that a subscription should
be opened, so that any zealous Israelite who so wished
might have an opportunity of participating in the pious
work. The lease was obtained at 28£ years' purchase
calculated on the rental of £135, and it was vested in a
committee consisting of Gabriel Lopez de Britto, David
Aboab Ozorio, Moses Gomes Serra, David Franco, Joseph
Jessurun Rodriguez, and Moses Mendes da Costa. It was
not until many years afterwards that the leasehold was
converted into a freehold tenure.

We have before remarked that the only fault that might
be laid to the charge of the government of the Portuguese
congregation, wise and temperate as it usually appeared, was
the too paternal discipline with which it ruled its members,
and the too stringent regulations with which it sought to
bind their action. The prohibition from performing many
things which to us appear very harmless, though no doubt
caused by reasons which had their weight at the time, often
savours of despotism and intolerance. Once a certain Moses
Netto humbly begged permission to publish a translation of
the prayer-book in English, which permission was at once
refused. Nevertheless, some version of the Hebrew prayers
found its way into an English guise, though we are unable
to say whether it was through Netto or some one else.
Thereupon it was thundered forth from the Tebak (pulpit)
that all Yehidim (members) were strictly enjoined not to
have so dangerous a book in their possession, and that any
one perusing, buying, or selling it, would be condemned to
a penalty of £5. Catholics, it is well known, are discouraged
from reading the Bible in a modern language, the reason for
which is obvious to the thinker. But why Jews, who have
nothing to fear and nothing to conceal from the knowledge
of Jew or Christian, should have placed under a ban that
which should have been their pride to proclaim before the
world, it is not easy to explain in our more enlightened
days. The punishments for disobedience would seem to

iS2 THE PORTUGUESE JEWS.

have been occasionally harsher than the nature of the offence
demanded, and sometimes they verged on the absurd. On
one occasion, a refractory individual was condemned not to
shave for six weeks, — whatever infliction that may have
been. He had not obeyed some order of the Mahamad
(Council of "Wardens), and he had six weeks allowed him
to submit : failing to do which he would not be allowed
to occupy his seat in the Synagogue, or take any part in
the service, or pay his poll tax, and in case of death he
would be buried " behind the board," which means in
uuconsecrated ground. We are not to be understood to
censure the efforts made to maintain proper discipline by
the rulers of the Portuguese congregation. Such a volun-
tary body, like a public school, could only have been kept
in order by a wholesome discipline. But care should have
been taken not to pull the cords too tightly lest they
snapped. What we desire to state is, that paternal govern-
ments, however well-intentioned, often commit grievous
mistakes, and that the petty restrictions and vexations and
arbitrary regulations formerly enforced by the authorities
of the various London Jewish congregations, have contri-
buted to the withdrawal from the community of many whose
secession has proved a serious loss to Judaism.

The questions of labour, of the poor, and of emigration,
appear to have vexed the minds of the chiefs of the Sephardi
community during last century, just as they bewilder at
present other important bodies. Notwithstanding the pre-
sence of many persons in affluent circumstances among the
Jews, the poor unfortunately have always been in greater
numbers than the totality of the Hebrew population war-
ranted. A hundred years ago the Jews possessed no middle
class. There were perhaps 150 to 200 families that might
be considered rich, about two-thirds of which belonged to
the Spanish and Portuguese congregation. Then we should
£nd at most as many families engaged in small retail trade,
and finally we should see a floating mass, at least five times
as numerous as the other two classes together, consisting of
hucksters, hawkers, journeymen, and others, either verging
on pauperism or steeped hopelessly in its abyss. To en-
deavour to diminish the strain of pauperism by emigration,

THE PORTUG UESE JE WS. 153

the Sephardi congregation in 1734 appointed a committee
to apply for grants of land in Georgia, which the British
Government was freely distributing to intending emigrants
under certain conditions. This committee remained stand-
ing for some years, but we do not gather that it led to any
practical results. Three years afterwards the committee
reported that some lands in Carolina had been offered to
them, and that they were negotiating on the subject. In
1745 this committee was still in existence, and obtained an
extension of powers t and an allowance to cover expenditure.
After this time we hear no more of it, and it is fair to
assume that had it achieved anything worth recording, it
would have been recorded. Then again, the plan was
mooted of emigration to Nova Scotia, and in 1749, poor
families were exhorted to proceed thither. But even a bribe
of three years' zedaka (relief to the poor) failed to induce
an}r of them to exile themselves to those distant climes.
Finally, in the same year a proposal was made to raise a
fund of not less than £150, to assist deserving young men
of the congregation in earning their livelihood. This scheme
also went the way of other good intentions, and pauperism
showed no sign of abatement.

The Jews during their numerous, emigrations since their
dispersion from the Holy Land have usually carried with
them two languages, the Hebrew and the language of their
last adopted country. Thus it happens that Spanish con-
tinued for several generations to be the mother tongue of
the Jews scattered in the Ports of Italy and the Levant,
while German has long been the vernacular of the
Israelites dwelling in Poland, in Russia, and in Hungary.
In England, too, the Jews in the last century, when they
were still living apart from their fellow-citizens, conversed
for generations in the idiom of their ancestors. The Portu-
guese Jews not only kept all their Synagogue books and
records in the language of Camoens, but also their private
correspondence was carried on in a similar manner. Some
knowledge of English they must naturally have possessed,
but probably it was not very perfect. It was not until the
year 5495 or 1735 that it was judged expedient to teach
English to the children at the public schools. For this

1 5 4 THE POR TUG UESE JE WS.

purpose was opened what was termed " a Writing-School,"
wherein the language of Shakspeare was to be taught to the
sons of the poor. A grant of £20 per annum was given
from the Synagogue funds, and the amount was sub-
sequently increased to £30, and it was continued until
Moses Lamego made the generous gift that bears his name.
This beneficent individual, to commemorate the death of his
only son, presented to the Synagogue in the year 5517
(1757) the sum of £5000 in Bank reduced annuities, the
interest of which was to be distributed as follows. The
interest of £4000 was to be paid yearly to the .treasurer of
the Orphan Society, called Shaare Ora Veaby Yetomim, and
that of £1000 was to be applied to the salary of an English
master of the Hes-Haim Schools. The name of Hes-Haim,
we will explain, was formerly the generic term applied to
the schools of primary instruction. When these ceased to
exist in their ancient form, and the society of Shaare Tickwa
(Gates of Hope), for the support of a Spanish and Portu-
guese Jews' Charity School, was established in its place, the
interest of that £1000 was handed over yearly to the
governors of the new institution.

Before the foundation of the " Writing School," the
primary instruction imparted to the children of the poor
of this congregation was of a purely religious, or of an
attempted religious,, character. Hebrew was the Alpha and
Omega of their studies. The institution of Hes-Haim was
divided into three divisions, the lowest of which was in-
tended for the youngest children, and was styled the Aleph
Beth School. In the other two sections the boys were
gradually taught Hebrew prayers, the rudiments of grammar,
translations from the Bible, and finally Rashi, to enable
them to enter the Medrash (College). The progress of the
pupils even in these limited studies does not appear to
have been very profound, for we frequently perceive pro-
posals for reform in the management of these schools. In
the year 1770 new and more stringent regulations were
framed for the schools. The daily working hours were
increased, and one evening a week was to be devoted to
additional instruction. To provide for the higher branches
of Hebrew studies, Benjamin Mendes da Costa, with his

THE PORTUGUESE JE MS. 1 5 5

usual noble generosity, had since the year 5494 (1734)
founded a Yesiba, or college, entitled Makand Rephael,
which he liberally endowed. He handed over to trustees
a sum of £3900 in South Sea Stock, which was afterwards
changed into long annuities. The produce of this invest-
ment was to furnish £5 a month to be distributed among
the students of the Yesiba, this allowance commencing at
two shillings and sixpence each a month, and increasing
according to their merit and other circumstances. A certain
amount was to be expended in rolls to be given to the
younger children of the public schools. Finally, the re-
mainder of the income, to the extent of £6 per annum, was
to be laid out in purchasing books for the Yesiba and the
public schools. The Haham, or Rabbi, of the congregation
was to preside, and receive one guinea a month for his
attendances. The Yesiba of Mahane Rephael is now in-
corporated with the Medrash, and the students of this
institution enjoy the fruit of the noble gift of the pious
founder. The beneficence of Benjamin Mendes da Costa
seems to have been never ending, and in the year 1762 he
endowed another Yesiba, in conjunction with a pious indi-
vidual named Isaac de David Levy. A sum of £30 a year
in long annuities was given by the liberal donors to be dis-
tributed among the students of the Yesiba or College of
Assifat Haberim, who were to attend two evenings a week,
to read Arambam (Maimonides) and his Commentators. In
the days of which we are writing, neither wealth nor muni- ^
licence were wanting ; and when any member of the Spanish
and Portuguese congregation accumulated riches, one of his
first thoughts was to show his gratitude to Providence by
apportioning some of his gains to the service' of religion or
education, and to the relief of the sufferings of his less
fortunate brethren.

Benjamin Mendes da Costa was one of those rare philan-
thropists whose every thought was directed to the welfare of
others. So long as he lived, he distributed £3000 a year
iu charity to the poor of all creeds.

In 1764 he was summoned to receive his reward in another
state of existence.

By a codicil of his will he desired his benefactions to be

1 5 6 THE FOR TUG UESE JE WS.

continued, during the lives of the indigent families who
received his bounty. Moreover, he directed that all private
bills and bonds in the hands of his executors at his decease
should be destroyed, and the debtors released from any
obligation towards his estate. His generous principle was,
that all who borrowed must be in need. Mere words must
necessarily fail in rendering justice to the goodness of such
a man.

CHAPTER XIX.

AGAIN WITH THE PORTUGUESE JEWS.

JACOB ISRAEL BERNAL was a well-to-do West India merchant,
coining from a good and honourable stock, though not rank-
ing in the first line of Hebrew capitalists. In 1744 he was
elected to the Synagogue office of Gabay (Treasurer), but to
the surprise of his colleagues, he resigned his functions in
the following year. When the reason of this act became
apparent, the astonishment of the Elders considerably in-
creased. Jacob Israel Bernal had applied for leave to marry
a German Jewess. For a member of the Portuguese con-
gregation, and especially a gentleman occupying the honour-
able post of treasurer, to desire to wed a " Tudesco " woman
(German female), was an unexampled occurrence, upon which
the Mahamad or Council of Wardens could not venture to
pronounce an opinion ! The important question was referred
to the consideration of the elders. This body, after mature
deliberation, granted to the petitioner permission to wed
Jochebeth Baruh, as the lady who captivated him was
styled. But the Elders, to mark the sense of their dis-
approbation of so unequal a union, and to discourage for the
future such ill-advised connections, imposed upon Mr Bernal
some rather humiliating conditions. Neither the members
of the Beth Din, nor the Hazanim (ministers) were to be
present at the solemnisation of the marriage : the bridegroom
was not to be called up to the Law in that capacity, no
offerings or " mesheberach " were to be made for his health,
and no celebration of any kind was to take place in Syna-
gogue. Nous awns change tout cela. Happily, at present,
prejudices of this nature have long ceased to exist, and the
chief distinction between the German and Portuguese Jews
is that they pronounce Hebrew differently. Mr Bernal from

1 5 8 WITH THE FOR TUG UESE JE WS,

that time forth mixed little in congregational affairs, and he
must naturally have experienced some feelings of displeasure.
Years afterwards his eldest son was admitted as a yahid or
member, and the Bernal family long continued to be strictly
observing Jews. We shall have occasion to refer again to
them. Meanwhile we will observe that by the espousal of
Miss Grace Osborne, daughter of Mr Bernal Osborne,
to the Duke of St Albans, the ancient blood of Judah has
become allied with the blue blood of the Stuarts — through
the descendants of Mistress Eleanor Gwynne, the sauciest of
orange girls — whatever honour that may reflect on the old
lineage of the former West India merchants !

The Portuguese congregation, in its desire to serve the
interests of members of limited means, consented for many
years to grant life annuities on payment of adequate sums.
When we employ the term adequate, we use it only as a
figure of speech, for in point of fact the principals paid to
the Synagogue were quite inadequate to cover the risks in-
curred. The laws of life insurance were imperfectly under-
stood in the middle of last century, and, moreover, the Syna-
gogue only undertook tlfese operations to benefit the parties
with whom it dealt. But in the long run the granting of
life annuities proved a too obviously losing concern, and they
were gradually discontinued. The applicants for this kind
of indirect assistance were usually the widows of deceased
officials, or members in somewhat straightened circumstances,
or their surviving relatives, mostly females, to whom it was
wished to secure a modest income.

The s'ubject of butchers' meat is neither very lofty nor
very inspiring, but as we must daily consume ^iis commodity
in more or less quantity, the subject acquires considerable
importance. The history of both German and Portuguese
congregations records a continual series of laments against
the representatives of the Jewish slaughter-house. Here we
have accusations of unlawful practices on the part of the
killers ; there we have complaints of irregularities in the
sale of meat. At other times fault is found with the quality
of the article vended, or with the price charged. Some of
the evils seem to be of an incurable nature, for the Jews
hear of them now as their ancestors heard of them a century

WJTH THE FOR TUG UESE JE WS. 1 5 9

since. The Portuguese authorities incurred a vast deal of
pains to have the Mosaic laws enforced on the one hand,
and to avoid harsh or unjust measures against killers and
inspectors on the other. Committees were appointed and
inquiries set on foot at different periods, entailing consider-
able expense on the congregation, without attaining results
of a lasting nature. In 17.56 a committee was elected to
investigate the abuses alleged to have been introduced into
the slaughter-house. It was formally stated that the flesh
of improperly killed animals (Terefa) was commonly disposed
of to Jews. Haham Netto, Joseph Salvador, and other
members of the congregation, actively bestirred themselves
on the subject, and assisted materially in bringing the truth
to light. A number of persons connected with the trade,
Jewish officials appertaining to the various London con-
gregations, and even Christians, were duly examined. Some
of the allegations were unfortunately found to be true, and
the ecclesiastical authorities pronounced their opinion. Even-
tually the shochet or killer was dismissed, and several reforms
were introduced in the establishment ; but, from the subse-
quent renewal of similar complaints, it does not appear that
the evil was uprooted.

The Portuguese congregation was wont to receive frequent
applications for assistance from its less fortunate brethren in
all parts of the world. Like the rich man, who is often sur-
prised by the discovery of hitherto unsuspected relationship
with affable and shabbily-attired strangers, the Bevis Marks
Synagogue found itself the object of considerable solicitude
from various quarters. The holy cities of Palestine, New-
port in Rhode Island, Bohemia and Moravia, Persia, Venice,
and Various other places, advanced claims to the benevolent
support of Bevis Marks. Funds were regularly remitted to
Jerusalem, Saphet, and Tebariah, and, moreover, a duly
accredited Shaliah (emissary) from the Holy Land was
never dismissed empty-handed. Upwards of £800 was
collected to relieve the distress of the Jews of Bohemia
and Moravia, and arrangements were made with the two
German congregations for the proper application of the
fund. A smaller amount was sent to the Israelites of
Persia. The Jews of Newport were courteously informed

1 60 WITH THE PORTUG UESE JE WS.

that a multiplicity of other calls for help prevented their
request being acceded to. The Jews of Venice were very
fortunate. We do not know exactly what was the nature
of their needs, but they seemed to find favour in the eyes of
the Elders, who, while declining to disburse any of the Syna-
gogue funds, opened a private subscription on their behalf.
Considerable sums of money, amounting to some thousands,
were remitted to that city in the year 1737, and they were
to be repaid in ten instalments, spread over a number of
years. At first the interest on the loan was forwarded
regularly, but the punctuality was short-lived. Letters from
Venice were received, pleading total inability to pay. That
congregation was in embarrassed circumstances, and in fact
was going from bad to worse. A correspondence between
the t\vo congregations was long kept up; and the Jewish
community of Venice not only did not cover the advances
already made, but even applied for further advances, which
we need not say were courteously but firmly refused. An
arrangement was eventually entered into between debtor and
creditor, and for many years certain instalments were paid
more or less regularly by Venice. Gradually the matter
was forgotten ; the original lenders died and the borrowers
too. The glories had departed from the Queen of the
Adriatic, and the Jewish community had suffered with the
rest of the inhabitants. So the claim has never been com-
pletely settled, and exists to the present day, though it
would be impossible to ascertain what amounts are owing,
or to whose representatives.

CHAPTER XX.

JOSEPH SALVADOR— HONORARY OFFICES AMONG THE
PORTUGUESE JEWS.

A VISIT to the vestry-room of the Spanish and Portuguese
Synagogue, Bevis Marks, must cause to the reflecting mind
a sensation of awe and solemnity not unlike that experienced
in wandering over a cemeteiy. The Avails of the Council
Chamber and of the neighbouring lobby are covered with
inscriptions of the names of the pious individuals who
in past generations bestowed their benefactions on the con-
gregation. The men whose names figure in golden letters
in those panels, once graced the room with their presence,
and therein discussed the affairs of the nation. Many of
them were personages famed for their wealth, their phil-
anthropy, their public spirit. And where are they all
now ? Not only have they passed away, which is
merely saying that they followed the ordinary laws of
nature, but their very names and their very existence are
only dimly recollected in our day. Few of the leaders of
the Sephardi community of a century and a half, or even a
century ago have left descendants in the congregation.
Some of the most ancient families have wandered from
the pale of Judaism, and now rank among the untitled
nobility of Great Britain. Others have become victims to
the inexorable decrees of fate, which seem to have pressed
on the Portuguese Jews with more than usual severity, and
have disappeared from the face of the earth.

Among the most distinguished families of that con-
gregation during the eighteenth century we must men-
tion the family bearing the name of Jessunm Eodrigues.
They had originally come over from Holland, bringing with
them considerable sums of money, which they invested

L

1 6 2 JOSEPH SAL VAD OR.

principally in commerce, and they ranked as merchant
princes among the Jews. The most noted scion of that
lineage was Joseph Jessunin Rodrigues, to whom we have
already adverted by the appellation of Joseph Salvador,
under which guise the world knew him. He took a
leading part in the affairs of his Synagogue, and he was
ever to the fore when the sufferings of poor humanity
were to be relieved. He was president of the congregation,
and one of the most efficient members of the original Com-
mittee of Portuguese Deputies. Notwithstanding the exten-
sive financial and mercantile transactions in which he was
engaged, he devoted a portion of his time to the improve-
ment of the condition of the needy. He not only gave
largely to all existing institutions ; he was ever seeking new
plans for conquering the hydra-headed evil of pauperism.
Now he would help to establish a new society, like that in-
tended to assist Jewish young men in earning their liveli-
hood by hard work, and which, unfortunately, was unsuccess-
ful. At another time he would be found asking permission
of the Wardens to enter into a speculation on behalf of
some deserving families in humble circumstances. He was
always a liberal donor to the necessitous. Joseph Jessurun
Rodrigues was a partner in the well-known house of Francis
and Joseph Salvador, which, after the death of Sampson
Gideon, repeatedly negotiated loans for the British Govern-
ment. "We cannot tell at precisely what period the name of
Salvador was first adopted, but certainly it must be in the
early part of last century, though it does not occur in the
synagogue registers until about 1760.

Personally, Joseph Salvador, to style him by the most
familiar designation, was popular, and enjoyed considerable
repute among Jew and Gentile ; albeit, when he appeared in
a theatre on one occasion, after the passing of the Naturali-
sation Bill in 1753, he and his party were hooted, and were
constrained to withdraw, to the utter disgrace of the civilised
and Christian audience. The principal part of his career
was accompanied by unbounded prosperity. He had vastly
increased the wealth he had inherited, and he was the first
Jew who had been appointed Director of the East India Com-
pany. He constructed a handsome house in White Hart

JOSEPH SAL VADOR. 1 63

Court, Bishopsgate-street, which bore until recent times, if
it does not still bear, his name ; and in the N.E. corner of
one of the cellars may yet be seen the foundation-stone, with
an inscription laid upon it by his daughter, Judith Salvador.
He also was the owner of a country residence, with an
extensive park, at Tooting. Joseph Salvador was less for-
tunate in his latter days. Misfortunes began to befall him.
He lost heavily in consequence of the earthquake at Lisbon,
he holding much property in various shapes in that city,
though this did not appear to affect him much. It was the
failure of the Dutch East India Company that brought rain
on him, and that proved almost a calamity to many of the
rich Portuguese Jews of England and of Holland. This disaster
was a great blow to those communities, from which they
found it difficult to recover. As for Joseph Salvador, he
never raised his head again. All his available property in
Europe little by little disappeared ; and his last days were
spent in obscurity. The family were still possessed of some
tracts of land in America, which were in charge of a steward.
A nephew of Joseph Salvador, Francis, determined to under-
take a voyage to the new continent. It is said that Mrs
Joshua Mendes da Costa, a daughter of Joseph Salvador,
gave up a part of her marriage-settlement to furnish funds
for the expedition. Francis started to retrieve the family
fortunes. In due course letters came, advising his safe
arrival to the new continent, and announcing his intention
of seeking his property. He never wrote again. A long
silence ensued, and then it was reported that the unhappy
Salvador had been murdered and scalped by Indians !

It is related that in 1802 an American arrived in Amster-
dam and waited upon Mrs Texeira de l^attos, Salvador's
eldest daughter, and offered her 10,000 dollars to sign a deed
giving up all claim on the American property. The lady de-
clined the transaction. In 1812 the stranger once more re-
turned and repeated his offer. He alleged that he was the
grandson of Salvador's former steward ; that the land in
Mr Salvador's time had been a tract of barren forests and
utterly valueless ; that now it was cqvered with villages and
towns, and that he had himself a gooi holding title thereto.
Finally he added that, during the War of Independence,

1 64 JOSEPH SAL VAD OR.

British subjects had forfeited all their rights to property in
the United States, and that she could advance no claim what-
ever to the land. Under these circumstances Mrs Texeira
de Mattos, who was eighty years of age at that time, and
who had not the slightest idea as to the State or part of the
Union in which the demesne was situated, accepted the sum
tendered, and signed the required assignment, which thus
conferred a valid selling title on the descendant of the
steward. The last male representative of the family of Sal-
vador or Jessurun Rodrigues was a member of Lloyd's, and
is believed to have died about 1830. In this manner termi-
nated that ancient and honourable lineage.

The correspondence that passed between the London Con-
gregation of Spanish and Portuguese Jews and their foreign
brethren scattered over the Old and the New World, enables
us to form a fair idea of the general position of that denomi-
nation of Jews during the eighteenth century. The principal
congregations of that Minhag were those of London, Amster-
dam and Leghorn. These were the most independent, the
wealthiest, and probably the most numerous. All the others,
or the greater part of them, were more or less struggling
against a number of adverse circumstances. The London
congregation, though the youngest of the three above-named,
enjoyed a considerable reputation for liberality, affluence and
devotion to Jewish interests ; so that Jews in distress ad-
dressed themselves to this body on the appearance of every
difficulty. We are not speaking now of solicitations for
financial help, which point we have already touched in our
last chapter. We are referring at present to the applications
for moral help, which were constantly arriving in London.
We know the kind of letters that fame for charity brings
to a private individual. The Bevis Marks Synagogue was
regarded as the protector of the Jewish weak, and the
redresser of Jewish wrongs in the four quarters of the globe.
The Jews of Jamaica were constantly writing to request the
intervention of the Jews of Bevis Marks on their behalf.
For instance, in 1736 the former were groaning under severe
and special taxation, when the latter prepared a petition in
favour of their brethren, filled it with a number of signatures
of Jewish and Christian merchants, presented it to the King,

JOSEPH SAL VADOR. 1 65

and succeeded in obtaining a removal of the grievances com-
plained of. Then in 1753 the Jews of Barbadoes submitted
their internecine quarrels to the authorities of the London
Portuguese Synagogue, who paid very little attention to that
storm in a teapot. The Jews of Barbadoes were very plainly
told that in those days when the passing of the Naturalisa-
tion Bill had created an hostile feeling against the Jews, it
was very unbecoming and ill-advised for them to dispute
among themselves about trifles, and they were recommended
to settle their differences quietly at home. Afterwards the
Jews of New York appertaining to the congregation of
Skeerit Israel sought in London a Reader or Kazan, and
eventually received a minister at the hands of their English
brethren. It would take us too long to repeat even a quarter
of the demands of this nature made upon the chiefs of the
Bevis Marks Synagogue, who appeared always ready in every
emergency to lend countenance and support to their brethren
abroad. •„-,. 1

As will easily be understood, the Jews of last century
dedicated all their attention to Jewish affairs. There was
no other scope for their ambition. The Jew could not
figure in the Municipal Council, in the forum, in the Senate.
The only office to which he could aspire was office in the
synagogue, and consequently this honour was greatly coveted.
Among the Portuguese Jews the "Wardens, or Paruassim,
inspired considerable awe. When these officials were in-
ducted into their charge they would take a solemn oath
before the Ark to administer justly and without favour the
laws of the congregation, and to respect all its customs.
Gentlemen elected to these posts had to deposit £100 to
contribute towards Synagogue expenditure, as the com-
munal taxes and offerings were discharged by members twice
a-year — at Passover and at New Year — and sometimes the
payments were in arrear. The treasurer, or Gabay, was
required to advance £600 for the same reason; but all these
amounts were duly returned at the expiration of the period
of office. As at one time there was some little difficulty in
finding suitable Hatanim (bridegrooms of the law), a society
of pious individuals was formed to offer themselves for the
office whenever required. The fine for non-acceptance of

1 66 JOSEPH SAL VADOR.

the post of Wardens, or Hatanim, was £40, which sum in
the latter case was divided between the ministers aud the
teachers. One of the duties of the Mahamad, or Council of
Wardens, was to adjudge in matters at issue between the
congregants of the synagogue. Multifarious were the ques-
tions submitted to the decision of that body, and they
ranged from the price of a warming pan to cases of breach
of promise. Usually the Wardens satisfactorily adjusted
such small claims as now would be brought before a County
Court ; but when it was found impossible to settle any
question, or the defendant declined to put in an appearance,
written leave was granted to the plaintiff to sue in the civil
courts of the country.

There was and there is still in the Portuguese Synagogue
a special office called that ofParnass of the Cautiws (Warden
of the Captives). At present this is merely an honorary
title, and means only the first step in synagogal dignities.
Formerly there was real earnest labour attached to the post.
The synagogue was constantly receiving applications for the
redemption from captivity of Jewish prisoners. Now it was
to rescue some Jews that had been taken prisoners by Moorish
Corsairs, and confined in chains at Tetuan. Now it was to
save other Jews imprisoned at Malta ; at one time to ransom
Israelites undergoing duress at Tripoli ; on another occasion
it was to liberate Hebrews who had been taken prisoners by
the Turks in their wars against the Persians. There was an
especial fund set apart for this purpose, and it was regularly
drawn upon. • Usually the sums required were remitted to
Leghorn, whence there was a considerable trade in the hands
of Jewish houses with Levantine and North African ports.
Jewish prisoners, we must add, were not considered worth a
kiug''s ransom, for we percieve that £80 were forwarded in
1768 to Leghorn to buy off fourteen prisoners at Malta.
Probably the Jews of Leghorn contributed something to-
wards this benevolent object ; but it appears clearly that a
Jew's head was not so valuable in those days as a Jew's eye
was popularly represented to be.

CHAPTER XXI.

SWEDEN AND THE JEWS— PORTUGUESE RELIGIOUS AND
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS— DR KENNICOTT.

IT is probably not generally known that Sweden, a country
that not long since indulged in special legislation against
the Jews, a century and a quarter ago invited Jews to settle
in and to enrich the State with their capital, their labour,
and their industry. After the signature of the treaty of
Nystad with Russia in 1721, Sweden, by the cession of
several important provinces to the former power, lost much
of its political influence, and sank into a second-rate nation.
During the reign of Frederick of Hesse Cassel, the Court of
Stockholm was the scene of continuous intrigues between
the French and the Russian party. Great attention was
bestowed upon the arts of peace; agriculture and commerce
were encouraged; and the great Linnaeus gave a new im-
pulse to science. Various schemes for the promotion of
trade were proposed. The legislature sanctioned, among
other projects, one for the establishment of a fishing com-
pany on an extensive scale, and at the same time gave per-
mission to wealthy Portuguese Jews to take up their abode
in Sweden and all its dependencies. This last concession
had been granted unasked and unsought ; and the event was
duly communicated to the authorities of the Portuguese
community in London. This congregation, through its pre-
sident, Joseph Jessurun Rodrigues (Salvador), wrote a most
becoming reply to their correspondents in Stockholm, who
were a mercantile firm of eminence. This document states,
under date of the -2nd May 1746 "that the gentlemen of
the States and the very venerable gentlemen of the Senate
were sincerely thanked for their condescension in favour of
the Jews, but that the continued kindness of the king and

1 68 SWEDEN AND THE JE WS.

parliament (of England) did not allow them (the Jews) to
leave the United Kingdom. They thought that unless
some unforeseen accident occurred, few Israelites from Eng-
land and Holland would proceed to Sweden, but more
might go from Italy and France ; and they suggested that
the Swedish Government should take measures to inform the
•Jews of those countries of his Majesty's good will towards
them. No great result, however, could be expected until his
Majesty ceased to make a distinction between the rich and
the poor, between financiers and hawkers." English Jews
of Portuguese extraction were not tempted to leave the com-
paratively hospitable shore of Great Britain to visit the cold
climes of the Scandinavian Peninsula, for a very moderate
degree of benevolence is enough to attach the Jews to the
soil in which they dwell. Moreover, it does not appear that
they formed any permanent settlement in Sweden during last
century. Subsequently to this period, less liberal monarchs
and less enlightened legislatures placed renewed restrictions
on the presence of Israelites. After the fall of Napoleon,
and when the reaction came against the wide principles
advocated by the French, the Jews were regarded with un-
qualified aversion. It was only in recent times that they
first obtained toleration, and eventually gained their civil
rights.

We have already adverted to the existence of Jews in
Ireland in the middle of last century, and to the purchase
by the Portuguese congregation of a piece of ground at
Dublin to serve for the purposes of a cemetery. This pur-
chase was effected in the year 1748, through a Mr Jacob
Phillips.

After much correspondence, the Wardens of the Portu-
guese Synagogue authorised Mr Phillips to draw upon them
for the required funds, which he accordingly did when all
the conditions had been arranged, and transmitted to them
the title deeds. There does not appear any reason why the
Portuguese should have desired to acquire the ground be-
yond a general wish to benefit their race, for the Hebrew
residents in Dublin were of German extraction, and the
German communities in London would have been, strictly
speaking, bound to assist members of their nationality in the

S WEDEN AND THE JE WS. 1 6 9

Irisli capital. On this occasion the Portuguese Jews of
London looked to no such distinction. They possessed the
means, and they performed a pious action. The only
acknowledgment they required was a mention that the burial
ground had been bought with the money of the Sephardic
Congregation of London. We gather also that about this
epoch there were Jews dwelling in other parts of Ireland ;
for it was stated that in several cities of that island there
were men who professed to be licensed to kill Jewish meat, but
that the only Shochet or slaughterer legally qualified was to
be found at Cork. Whence it seems that there were more
Jews in Ireland in those days than we imagine.

Let us now take a glance at the religious condition of the
Bevis Marks Community. After the death of the illustrious
Haham David Netto, which occurred about 1728, the guid-
ance of the spiritual affairs of the congregation -was entrusted
to his son, Haham Isaac Netto. This learned rabbi came to
London in the year 1747, probably from a residence at Leg-
horn, his father's birthplace ; and he was much esteemed for
his urbanity and scholarship. For some years he seemed to
give satisfaction to his flock ; and under him there were two
Dayanim or minor rabbis named Isaac del Valle and Jacob
Coronel. Haham Isaac Netto appears to have been a man
of amiable disposition, rather than of commanding intellect.
He preferred the retirement of private life to the turmoil of
public affairs, and in 1755 he found it advisable to resign his
sacred functions. The reason he assigned for this act was
that his own personal affairs necessitated his whole time and
attention. But his conduct has been attributed to the fact
that an opinion he once had emitted, having been considered
as not sufficiently orthodox by some of the authorities of the
congregation, these persons were induced to consult the heads
of the older congregation at Amsterdam. The answer was
in the main in conformity with the decision of Haham Netto.
But doubts on the one side caused dissatisfaction on the
other, and the Haham thought it best to regain his inde-
pendence. At all events the parting took place in a most
friendly manner. The Rabbi continued to dwell in London
till his death ; he felt much interest in educational affairs,
and was frequently consulted on congregational and religious

i7o SWEDEN AND THE JEWS.

matters. The two members of the then acting Betli Din
were his pupils, who followed in his footsteps and appealed
to him in any difficulty. For some years no other Haham
was elected. It was not until 1765 that his successor was
appointed in the person of Rabbi Moses Cohen de Azevedo,
one of the disciples of Rabbi Netto, and who was Rabbi of
the Beth Din and Hebrew teacher in one of the schools.
The ruling powers of those days accustomed to the dictates
of Spanish and Portuguese etiquette, were vastly particular
in laying down the law in small matters as in great matters.
The more easy-going gentlemen of the present generation
will hardly be able to repress a smile on learning, that on
Haham Azevedo's election to his post, the elders of the
Synagogue solemnly debated as to whether the rev. gentle-
man should wear his beard ! For the sake of the ladies who
may like to know how the question was settled, we will add
that the meeting decided the point in the negative by a
majority of several votes. When Rabbi Netto was called to
his fathers in 1773, his funeral was attended by great solem-
nities, and he seems to have been sincerely lamented.

Though instruction in English was evidently deficient
among the Portuguese boys, instruction in Hebrew super-
abounded. Hebrew masters were remarkably plentiful.
When a vacancy for a teacher occurred on a certain occasion,
no fewer than sixteen candidates presented themselves, a
state of things which singularly contrasts with that which
now obtains. On the other hand, if the Hebrew instruction
were to be measured by quality rather than by quantity, the
result arrived at would leave small cause for boasting. In
Haham Netto's visits he found much more ground for censure
than for Commendation. The boys, to use his own forcible
expression, were "steeped in crass ignorance." The pupils
stopped away, and the masters did not attend ; and no
attempt was made at preserving a semblance of order and
discipline. The same condition of affairs remained until long
after the death of the worthy Haham. In 1779 a committee
was nominated to inquire into the subject. In the report
delivered to the elders the committee dolefully complained
that of the total number of sixty-four pupils scarcely one-
eighth could even read Hebrew, after an instruction of seven or

SWEDEN AND THE JEWS.

171

eight years, and nearly all were unacquainted with the daily
prayers. After lamenting the utter inutility of an establish-
ment maintained at an annual cost of £600, the committee
proposed various reforms. The principal of these were the
division of the school into four different classes, each to
receive instruction from a distinct teacher in a distinct class-
room, and the yearly appointment of masters who, considering
their posts as sinecures for life, had hitherto greatly neglected
their duties. It is curious to remark that food for mind and
food for body proved both sources of incessant trouble and
vexation to the authorities of the synagogue. The school,
like the slaughter-house, was constantly being reconstituted,
to remain as faulty as before. The highest institution for
learning Hebrew was the college, or Medrash, and it was
reorganised in 1758. In the absence of a Haham, three
students, all of whom were rabbis, were deputed to preside
therein alternately ; and the eighteen learners were divided
into three classes. • Formerly scholastic disputatious were
carried on at random, without plan or aim. Now, when a
thesis was given forth, and after all the reasons had been
alleged pro and con any particular opinion, the President
and his two coadjutors were to decide the question, which,
when once thus settled, was not to be renewed unless new
authorities were adduced. Rabbi Cohen de Azevedo, before
his election to the functions of Haham, had acted as one of
the presidents. This institution undoubtedly furnished the
means of acquiring a knowledge of the sayings and opinions
of the Talmudists, and enabled the students to form a cor-
rect judgment on any given point, according to the principles
of the Jewish oral law.

In 1768 a useful innovation was introduced in this con-
gregation. It was found inconvenient not to know the exact
ages of men and women of the congregation, and a register
was established wherein were to be entered the births of all
legitimate children. The date was to be inscribed both in
Hebrew and in English. Each father was to pay on that
auspicious occasion the moderate fee of one shilling. It was
not until many years later that a similar system was adopted
by the German Jews. In the year 1816 a certificate of the
marriage of Moses Franks and of the birth of his children

172 SWEDEN AND THE JEWS.

was applied for to the authorities of the Great Synagogue.
It was then stated that previous to 1791 no register of births,
marriages, or deaths had been kept, and that even since that
date they had not been regularly preserved, only those who
thought proper so to do having registered the births of their
children. It was resolved on that occasion that for the future
such registration should become regular and compulsory, and
a committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs Hymau
Cohen, Nathaniel Nathan, and Solomon Cohen, to give effect
to this resolution.

Seekers after truth have existed in all ages, though not
always has truth been properly understood when discovered.
Among those who were desirous of ascertaining the actual
facts with reference to the text of the Scriptures we,.smay
name the Rev. B. Kennicott. This gentleman, who was a
clergyman of the Church of England, applied in the year
1763 to the authorities of the Portuguese Synagogue for per-
mission to have their oldest Hebrew MS. Bible inspected by
his nominee, M. Bruns. The Rev. B. Kennicott stated that
he had sent M. Paul J. Bruus, of Lubeck, to Frankfort,
Worms, Strasburg, Venice, Prague, Amsterdam, and other
cities to visit Jewish Synagogues. His mission was to exa-
mine the most ancient MSS. of the Bible or of part of the
Bible, and to see how far the passages of importance agreed
with the Hebrew text as ordinarily printed. The inquiry
had been carried on for three years, under patronage of the
King of Great Britain and of several eminent Jews. The
reverend gentleman thought that there must be some primi-
tive MSS. in public synagogues, as well as in private hands,
and he desired to have letters of recommendation from emi-
nent Jews to their brethren abroad to assist in their researches,
his object being to establish truth and do honour to the
genuine words of Moses and the prophets. As may be ima-
gined, the Portuguese elders hastened to comply with so
praiseworthy a wish ; and they placed at Mr Kennicott's
disposal the two ministers of the congregation, the Rev. Mr
de Crasto and the Rev. Mr Salom. The results of the
labours of Dr Kennicott are curious. He discovered in the
British Islands no fewer than 129 MSS. of the Bible or
portions of the Bible, in Hebrew, and 336 on the Continent.

SWEDEN AND THE JEWS. 173

He collated, with the assistance of a qualified staff, nearly
all these MSS. with the best printed editions of the Hebrew
Bible. He examined, among other valuable MSS. the Sama-
ritan Pentateuch, given by Archbishop Usher to Sir 11.
Cotton, and which was very old. Dr Kennicott's undertak-
ing inspired general interest. Cardinal Passionei, librarian
at the Vatican, placed the whole of the Hebrew MSS. in that
great library at his disposal. Dr Kennicott's work was
completed at the end of 17G9, and had lasted ten years, as
he had calculated.

The inquiry cost over £9000, and the funds were raised
by a subscription, which was headed by the King-. In 1770
Dr Kennicott published the first volume of his great Hebrew
Bib^fc, with its various readings ; and this was followed in
1780 by the second and final volume. Dr Kennicott, who
was regarded as a profound Hebrew scholar, discovered
numerous inaccuracies in the Hebrew text. The Hebrew
MSS. differed greatly from each other, and from the printed
text. The oldest printed copies varied considerably from the
latest, and agreed more with the oldest and best MSS. The
conclusion Dr Kennicott drew from this was that the original
text had with time become vitiated.

In the month of August during the same year, a Jewish
dignitary of consequence arrived from abroad. For the first
time, we believe, a foreign power despatched an avowedly
Jewish representative to London, on a diplomatic mission.
On the 19th of August, Jacob, son of Abraham Benider, was
introduced to King George III., and delivered his creden-
tials as minister of the Emperor of Morocco. His Maroqueen
Majesty spoke most graciously of his envoy, and referred to
him thus, in the missive he had forwarded to the King of
England : " The bearer of this imperial letter is Jacob, the
son of Abraham Benider, a person equally beloved of his
sovereign and country, and who has your Majesty's interest
to heart. I have entrusted him with full powers to treat,
and from his knowledge of public affairs and his attention to
our mutual affairs, I doubt not that he will conduct to a suc-
cessful issue the negotiations I have empowered him to carry
on with your Majesty's Government." We trust the Jewish
envoy may have realised the expectations raised by his abilities

174 SWEDEN AND THE JEWS.

and integrity. Certain it is that the Emperors of Morocco
felt themselves justified in again confiding the representa-
tion of their empire, at the Court of St James's, to Hebrew
ministers, which they did on two subsequent occasions. In
1794 the Jew Sumbal came to London, charged with a
special mission to the King; and subsequently in 1827 Meir
Cohen Macnin visited the same capital as the envoy of the
Emperor Muley Abdelrrahman.

CHAPTEE XXII.

CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES— THE JEWS OF PORTUGAL-
JEWISH OFFENDERS— THE JEWS AND THE LORD
MA YOR.

A SIMILAR fate is shared by families, by communities, by
empires. When the highest pinnacle of prosperity is attained,
and after a longer or shorter interval, a period of decay
begins more or less visibly, and continues steadily if slowly.
There are few instances on record of families retaining great
wealth for a whole century, unless such wealth be invested
in land. That is why all those who wish to found a family
eagerly purchase landed estates, and probably that is why so
little of the riches held by Jews during last century has
been preserved by their successors of the present day. The
Jews, as is well known, being debarred from owning broad
acres, invested their capital in mercantile or financial opera-
tions. The exciting speculations of Change Alley offered a
great temptation to the quick-witted Israelites who flocked
thither from all parts of Europe. Jonathan's was thronged
with Jewish jobbers, and the neighbouring alleys were
crowded with Jewish beggars who sped thither to solicit
alms from their richer brethren. Many Jews realised large
fortunes ; few retained them beyond one or two generations.
When any commercial disaster happened, the Jews became
considerable sufferers, as in the case of the failure of the
Dutch East India Company. That the Spanish and Portu-
guese Jews of London sustained heavy loss on the occasion
is apparent from various reasons. Not the least important
of these is that at this period — between 1770 and 1780 — the
finances of the Synagogue were not in so flourishing a condi-
tion as was their wont. For the first time for many years
we hear of a deficit in the annual estimates, and retrench-

176 CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES.

ment became the cry of the day. The allowances made to
various charities were diminished; the distribution of medi-
cine and other relief to the poor, which had led to many
abuses, was subjected to stringent regulations ; other expenses
were cut down ; and the legacy fund being completed to
£16,000, all further legacies were merged in the Zedaka or
poor fund. Numerous members were in arrears to the Syna-
gogue, which clearly points out a general cause affecting
many congregants. The evil, however, was far from being
irreparable, and a few years subsequently the congregation
was once more in a position to make generous grants to their
necessitous brethren abroad. But the palmiest days of the
Portuguese commmuuity were certainly over ; and their co-
religionists of German extraction were fast approaching them
in the race in which they subsequently so completely out-
stripped them. It is a remarkable and curious fact that in
the year 1873, the Bevis Marks Synagogue could boast of no
more members than it counted in 1773 ; and that the quantity
of Passover cakes distributed to the poor at both periods was
precisely identical. Statistics it is said may be made to
prove anything; but we question whether in this instance
they can be made to prove that the Sephardi congregation is
more numerous or wealthier at present than it was a hundred
years ago. It would require much time and space to endeavour
to trace why one of the two communities of Jews existing in
London a century since, should have remained stationary or
nearly so, whilst the other should have increased tenfold.
We must of course allow for the natural difference in growth
between the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, the fresh supply
of whom from abroad was, if not exhausted, at all events
very restricted, owing to the original source being nearly
dry ; and the German congregations which could draw a
practically inexhaustible supply of fresh blood, from the
millions of their co-religionists vegetating in poverty and
ignorance in the crowded Ghettos of German cities, or in the
wild plains of Poland. But one source of the stagnation is
so obvious and palpable, that we cannot refrain from record-
ing it. It is the numerous desertions that have occurred
from the ranks of the Sephardi community, that are at the
root of the diminished importance of their ancient congrega-

CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES. 177

tion. It is to those who lapsed from the old path of Israel,
and who forsook the old faith for the new dispensation ; to
those who sold their spiritual privileges for a mess of pot-
tage ; to those who deserted the Bevis Marks Synagogue
and set up a new code of laws, substituting the ordinances
of their wise men to the ordinances of the wise men of Israel ;
to those who were neither Jews nor Christians, and whose
religion was their convenience, and whose God was mammon ;
it is to all these that the Portuguese Jews of London owe
their decline from their former greatness. Neither on the
other hand can we acquit from blame those who, embued
with a narrow mind and an unyielding intolerant spirit,
refused to make the slightest concession, and who deter-
mined, by harsh and ill-judged measures, the departure of
some of their brethren from the House of Israel.

The Portuguese Jews once enjoyed decided advantages
over their co-religionists of German extraction in other
places in addition to London. Nevertheless the latter, over-
weighted as they were in the race, by their superior industry,
energy, and enterprise, everywhere reached to the front. It
may not be generally known that during last century
Israelites of Spanish and Portuguese origin enjoyed in Paris
the especial privilege of being admitted to that city without
a passport, a privilege denied to German Jews, who, on the
contrary, were subject to very strict police supervision.
Henry II. had granted letters patent in the year 1550 in
favour of the Portuguese Jews ; and these letters had been
renewed from king to king. For some years this immunity
had not been claimed by the Sephardi Jews, possibly through
their ignorance of it. But in December 1777, M. Jacob
Eodriguez Pereire of Paris wrote to the authorities of Bevis
Marks to remind them of the charter granted by his mo^t
Christian Majesty to their nationality, and to hand them a
copy of the regulations referring thereto. Jacob Eodriguez
Pereire, we may add, was the well-known teacher of the deaf
and dumb, and the grandfather of M. Emile and M. Isaac
Pereire. At the same time M. Pereire informed them that
a certificate signed by seven of the Elders of the congrega-
tion would entitle the bearer to enter the capital of France
and to dwell therein without any other papers, and without

M

178 CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES.

any fear of molestation by the police. What a blessing such
a boon would have proved even within the recollection of the
present generation !

Even so late as this period the banks of the Tagus were
not free from the presence of the " Judeo," who still dwelt
in disguise on the soil of Lusitania. It is an ascertained
fact that a number of families — how many it is impossible
to tell — under the guise of devout Catholics, secretly wor-
shipped in Portugal the God of Israel. From time to time
one of these families succeeded in making their safe escape
to a land, where the fact of their being members of a race
which produced the founder of Christianity, was not deemed
sufficient cause to ensure their being broken on the rack or
their being roasted at the stake. A curious case is related,
in which the timely intervention of the Wardens of the Bevis
Marks Synagogue prevented the discovery of a family of
hidden Jews in Portugal, and the almost inevitable fate
that would have been their doom. A certain Israelite
who had himself escaped from Portugal, and who adopted
the name of James de Lemos, had a claim against a co-
religionist described as Antonio Suarez de Mendoza, of
Lisbon. Antonio Suarez, it appears, demurred in satisfying
the demands of James de Lemos, if he did not altogether
decline to acquit them. Whereupon the latter wrote to
the former threatening that were he driven to • despair by
the continued non-payment of the sum owing to him, he
would denounce the true faith of the latter to the Inquisi-
tion. The Wardens by some means heard of the menace
held forth against a co-religionist, and ordered De Lemos to
hand over to the Mahamad all the papers in his possession
incriminating Antonio Suarez de Mendoza — that is, advert-
ing in any manner to his religion. At first De Lemos
refused to obey ; then fourteen days were allowed to him
wherein to comply. At the last moment he reluctantly gave
up to one of the religious officials of the congregation the
dangerous writings that might have consigned to ruin a
Jewish family. These documents were retained by the
Synagogue authorities for some months, and then they were
returned to the owner under promise that he would never
commit the rash act that once had been in his thoughts.

CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES. 179

Poor De Lemos, who probably bad never seriously contem-
plated betraying a co-religionist, does not seem to have
recovered the sum he claimed, and eventually he fell into
want, and had to be assisted by the Synagogue. Among
wonderful escapes from the Iberian Peninsula, we must not
fail to mention that of a boy only seven years old who fled
from Gibraltar in the year 1777 because his liberty of con-
science was endangered! The boy, or child rather, hid
himself on board a ship about to sail for the Thames, and
succeeded in finding his way to Bevis Marks. The story of
Moses de Paz — for so the young fugitive was called — was
very extraordinary. His family, to save their lives, had
embraced Christianity, but he, child as he was, rather than
forsake the creed of his fathers, had found strength and
courage enough in his little heart to flee from those he
loved and to face unknown perils. Of course the youthful
hero was taken by the hand by the Wardens of the Syna-
gogue, and for several years he was maintained and educated
at the public expense. Whether he showed subsequently
any gratitude for the benefits he received from the con-
gregation we are unable to say ; but it was not at all un-
common for individuals who had received help from the poor
fund, to restore in after years to the community the sums
that had been allotted to them from that source. At one
time a certain person remitted more than £80 to cover charity
distributed to his late father; another returned £50 which
he reckoned had been expended on his mother ; and a third
personage forwarded back upward of £150 which he calculated
his parents had cost the congregation. This gentleman rose
to be a Warden of the Synagogue, and his name was, until
recently, borne by his descendants in the community. These
restitutions, which were necessarily effected by men who had
risen from a lowly condition, were always offered in a thank-
ful manner, and always accepted in a kindly spirit.

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the
general position of the Jews in the country showed no signs
of improvement. They were still debarred from political
and civil rights ; still the objects of social prejudices ; still
fettered by commercial restrictions. The privilege of being
one of the twelve Jewish brokers, which was the only number

i8o CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES.

allowed, was eagerly sought for, and it was always purchased
by a liberal gratuity to the Lord Mayor. The sums paid on
these occasions usually varied according to the elasticity of
conscience, or to the wants of the " King of the City," and
£2000 was frequently given by an aspiring Hebrew to be
enrolled among the fortunate twelve. It is related that in
the year 1774, when John Wilkes was Lord Mayor, one of
the Jewish brokers happened to be lingering for some time
on the point of death. That greediest and most extravagant
of patriots began to speculate on the advantages to be
derived from the occurrence. A rumour that Wilkes had
expressed a wish for the speedy death of the Jew soon
spread, and quickly reached 'Change Alley. The indignant
son of the broker rushed to the presence of his Lordship to
upbraid him for his unfeeling conduct. " My dear fellow,"
replied Wilkes, " you are mistaken ; I would rather witness
the death of all the other Jew brokers than that of your
father." It must be admitted that if there was little in-
dulgence displayed toward the Jews, they were nearly
always treated with strict justice. A curious instance of
this will be perceived in the fact that in 1776, a woman who
kept a public-house was charged at the Westminster police
office with assaulting a Jew and greasing his chin with pork,
for which offence the defendant was condemned to pay a fine
of £10 for damages.

The Jews, though occasionally accused of petty offences,
seldom rendered themselves amenable to the laws of their
country for serious crimes. Jews have rarely been guilty of
deeds of violence. One of the very few instances in which'
they are known to have spilled [human blood occurred in
1771, when four Polish or German Jews were convicted of
robbing the house of Mrs Hutchins at Chelsea and killing a
man-servant, and were sentenced to death. A journal of
the day relates that " The Kecorder prefaced the sentence
with a just and judicious compliment to the principal Jews,
for their very laudable conduct in the course of this prosecu-
tion, and trusted no person would ignorantly stigmatise a
whole nation for the villanies of a few, to bring whom to
justice they had done everything they consistently could."
It is to be hoped that the audience profited by the liberality

CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES. 181

of the words of the judge, who displayed at the same time
charity and knowledge of human nature. The Jews were
ordinarily very well behaved and orderly, but it was not sur-
prising that among the arrivals from foreign Ghettos, some
black sheep — such as exist in every community — should be
found. On the Sabbath prior to the execution, an anathema
(Herem) was pronounced at the Synagogue in Duke's Place
against the criminals. The sentence was carried out at
Tyburn on the 9th December 1771.

The Synagogue authorities of the Portuguese'Congregation
usually carefully avoided any conflict with the constituted
authorities of the country. But of course there were excep-
tions. Hence, in the year 1772, a warrant was issued by
the Lord Mayor to constrain the Portuguese community to
maintain an' individual named Uzily. This fellow, who was
an incorrigible vagabond, had been refused relief by his own
people, and he rendered at the Mansion House an exaggerated
account of the privations he was enduring through the hard-
heartedness of the Jews. The Mahamad declined to obey the
mandate of the Lord Mayor, and at once submitted a case to
leading counsel. The important points on which legal opinion
was solicited were the following: — 1st. Whether the Jews were
compelled to maintain their poor? 2d. Whether the Lord
Mayor had any jurisdiction in the matter? 3d. Whether the
parish could constrain the Jews to pay for the support of their
paupers ? All these points were answered in a manner abso-
lutely favourable to the Synagogue authorities, and so high an
authority as Mr Attorney- General Thurlow, who afterwards be-
came the celebrated Lord Chancellor Thurlow, expressed him-
self thus on the question. " I am of opinion that the poor
of whatever nation or religion must be maintained by the
officers of the parish, where they are found, and that no other
person is compellable to relieve them, except under especial
circumstances, which make no part of this case." This view
was also supported by another eminent authority, Mr Dunning
the late Solicitor General, who stated " That the people of
the Jewish nation have time out of mind had a Synagogue
in the Parish of St Botolph, and paid a poor rate of £30 per
annum, and that the Wardens or Elders of the Synagogue
were by no means whatsoever compelled to maintain their

1 82 CONGREGATIONAL CHANGES.

poor." These opinions, however important they may have
proved to the Jews at large, did not satisfy Uzily, for that
enterprising individual once more summoned the Wardens
before the Lord Mayor. That magistrate at once dismissed
the case, but he recommended to the attorney representing
the defendants to assist the plaintiff, if his clients could con-
scientiously do so. Eventually Uzily became penitent and
submissive, and having publicly entreated to be pardoned
by the Mohamad, he was placed on the roll of the Zedaka or
poor fund.

Then again in 1777, the vestry clerk of Cree Church
summoned the Wardens of the Synagogue for the payment
of church rates. The claim was resisted. The Wardens
appeared before the Vestry, accompanied by Mr Constable,
their " man of letters " or attorney, and pleaded exemption.
The Wardens exhibited strong opinions in their favour from
several leading counsel, and at the request of the Vestry the
former undertook to forward to the Vestry copies thereof for
their consideration. The case of the Synagogue appeared to
be good as against the Church, for no more seems to have
been heard of the matter. The Jews had occasion not un-
frequently to -attend the Lord Mayor's Court; and as an
acknowledgment of the patient hearing bestowed on their
cases, and perhaps as a sense of gratitude for favours to come,
the Portuguese Congregation w"ere wont to present to the
first magistrate of the city an annual gift of fifty guineas.
This practice was continued till 1780, when, owing to the
unfavourable condition of the finances of the Synagogue, the
last deputation that waited upon his Lordship for that pur-
pose, politely intimated to him the inability of their con-
stituents to keep up the time-honoured custom after that
year.

CHAPTER XXIII.
A NOBLE PROSELYTE.

ON the 6th and 7th of June 1780, London was at the
mercy of a mob roused by religious fanaticism and maddened
by fiery liquors. Calamitous scenes of conflagration, plunder
and slaughter were being enacted, accompanied by frantic
cries of " No Popery," " Eepeal the Bill," " Lord George
Gordon." The prisons of Newgate and Clerkenwell were
broken open, and all the prisoners therein confined let loose
upon society. To pillage, to burn, to drink, to ravage, ap-
peared to be the aims of the drunken representatives of
the Protestant interest. Many houses were destroyed, among
which were the residences of Sir John Fielding, the magistrate,
and Lord Mansfield, with all their valuable furniture, paintings
and papers. Catholic chapels were razed to the ground, and
persons of that faith were in fears for their lives. Mr Lang-
dale, a Papist and distiller, saw his premises set on fire
whilst his stock was running in the gutters, and many of the
rioters literally drowned themselves in gin. Members of both
houses of parliament were personally ill-used, their carriages
were stopped, they were constrained to alight amid the jeers
and gibes of the mob, and they had to seek safety in flight.
The loss of property was enormous, and at one period there
were no fewer than thirty-seven conflagrations casting lam-
bent flames towards the lurid sky. At last the government
resolved to take energetic measures to restore peace and
order in the capital. Troops had been summoned from the
country, and magistrates were found to perform their duty.
The night of Wednesday, the 7th June, presented a terrific
sight. Crowds of ruffians, armed with sledge hammers and
bludgeons and infuriated by gin, threw themselves on the

1 84 A NOBLE PROSELYTE.

gates of the Bank of England, to be shot down by the mus-
kets of the soldiery. The gleam of distant fires, the cries
of the countless rabble, the groans of the wounded and
dying, the roar of the volleys of musketry, rendered the scene
dreadful and never to be forgotten. The mob was every-
where defeated, with considerable slaughter. On the follow-
ing morning London presented the appearance of a city
stormed and sacked. Several partial riots again occurred on
that day, but the rioters were easily dispersed by the military.
On the same day the cause of all this evil, the ill-advised
author of all this mischief, Lord George Gordon, was ar-
rested in his house in "Welbeck Street; and after being
conducted to the Horse Guards, he was taken in the evening
to the Tower, under the strongest escorj; then ever known to
attend political prisoners.

A detailed account of the origin of the " No Popery Riots"
would here be out of place, and doubtless our readers need
no repetition of their history. Suffice it to say that Lord
George Gordon had been elected President of the Protestant
Association, a society established in Edinburgh with ramifi-
cations in all parts of England, and having for its object
the protection of Protestant interests which were supposed
to be in jeopardy ; that Lord George Gordon determined to
present a petition to the legislature for the repeal of an act
passed in 1778 for relieving the Roman Catholics from some
of the heavier penalties inflicted upon them formerly ; that
he headed a threatening procession of 60,000 petitioners to im-
pose the will of the mob on parliament ; that his inflammatory
discourses aroused the passions of the multitude; that gradu-
ally many of the real Protestants who had the interests of
the Church at heart, drew back, whilst the elements of dis-
order came forward : and finally, that notwithstanding the
disavowal of the riots, printed, published, and circulated by
Lord George Gordon, the thirst for plunder and bloodshed
having been fairly excited in King Mob, the negligence or
mistaken leniency of the government had led to the disas-
trous spectacles we have already adverted to. Lord George
Gordon was brought up for trial by writ of Habeas Corpus
on the 24th January 1781. He was charged before Lord
Mansfield with levying war against the King in his realms.

A NOBLE PROSELYTE. 185

The trial lasted several days and did not conclude until the
6th of February. The prisoner's counsel pleaded insanity,
which plea was not exactly admitted by the jury, who never-
theless acquitted him on the score that his offence did not
amount to high treason.

Much has been written on the question of Lord George
Gordon's mental condition. As a member of the House of
Commons, his extraordinary interruptions and unaccountable
manner had afforded scope for comment ; albeit his singu-
larities in dress and appearance had furnished subjects rather
for pleasantry than for serious apprehension.

Hume gravely asserts in his History of England, that this
nobleman gave afterwards undoubted proofs of insanity by
turning Jew. Now /or a Christian to become a Jew con-
stitutes per se no greater proof of madness than for a Jew
to become a Christian. The border laud between sanity and
insanity is easily crossed over, and few can say where the
exact limit lies that separates the two conditions of mind.
Lord George Gordon was a religious enthusiast whose brain
had been attuned to a dangerously high key. To take refuge
from the doubts of one religion, divided within itself and full
of uncertainties, to the bosom of another religion which is
simple and homogeneous, might be considered by reflective
minds rather a proof of wisdom than of folly. Conversions
from the faith of the land to another faith, whose principal
merit consists, or rather consisted, in its uniformity, have
been justified on similar grounds, and as we think with less
reason.

Lord George Gordon rigorously underwent all the rites
imposed upon proselytes before he was admitted within the
pale of Judaism. He was received into the Covenant of
Abraham in the city of Birmingham, under the agency of
Rabbi Jacob of Birmingham. Subsequently he returned to
London ; and having meanwhile acquired some knowledge of
the Hebrew language and of Jewish ceremonies, he attended
the Hambro Synagogue. He was there called to the Law
and honoured with a Meshabarach (benediction) when he
offered £100 to the Synagogue. Lord George with the rest-
lessness that characterised him, proceeded after this to Paris,
where he recklessly cast serious accusations against person-

1 86 A NOBLE PROSELYTE.

ages in high positions. Subsequently new proceedings were
taken against him, first at the instance of Mons. Barthelemy,
the French Charge d' Affaires, for a libellous publication
against the Queen of France in connection with Count Cag-
liostro ; and secondly, at the suit of the Attorney-General,
for a libel entitled the " Prisoner's Petition," reflecting on
the administration of justice in this country. He was tried
in the Court of Queen's Bench before Justice Buller, and
found guilty on both counts. Judgment was reserved, and
the prisoner being allowed to remain at large, he proceeded
to Holland. Thence he went to Birmingham, where he lived
as a Jew until he was apprehended in December 1787, at
the house of an Israelite. When Justice Ashurst pronounced
judgment, he passed severe strictures on the prisoner whom
the judge " wished had made a better use of his reading the
Bible, and had not used the Scripture style for the wicked
purpose of promoting mutiny and sedition, and of under-
mining the laws of his country." The sentence of the court
was very heavy. The prisoner was condemned to three years'
imprisonment in Newgate for the " Prisoner's Petition," and
to two years imprisonment and a fine of £500 for the libel
on the Queen of France ; and further at the expiration of
his time, he was ordered to enter into a bond for £10,000
to keep the peace, and to find two sureties for £2500 each.

Notwithstanding the weight of the condemnation, Lord
George Gordon did not appear to modify his religious views.
He remained as irrepressible as ever ; from his prison he sent
forth handbills full of Scriptural quotations to be distributed;
and he applied texts from Scripture to the state of the King.
This greatly exasperated the prison authorities, and the
Governor threatened him with removal to a worse cell if he
did not alter his conduct ; so the circulation of the hand-
bills had to be stopped.

This singular proselyte was very regular in his Jewish
observances in prison. Every morning he was seen with
phylacteries between his eyes and opposite to his heart ;
every Saturday he held public service in his room with the
aid of ten Polish Jews. His Saturday's bread was baked
more Judaico ; he ate Jewish meat ; he drank Jewish wine.
On his prison wall were inscribed the ten commandments ;

A NOBLE PR OSEL YTE. 1 8 7

by their side hung a bag containing his Talith and his phy-
lacteries. How the gloomy years of imprisonment passed,
Heaven knows ! It must have been a long and dreary time
for the prisoner, and only the belief that he was suffering a
political and religious martyrdom could have given him the
strength of living through it.

At last, on the 18th January 1793, the prisoner's sen-
tence had expired ; but before he could obtain his freedom
he had to satisfy the court as to his future good behaviour.
He entered the court, accompanied by his keeper and by
several foreign Jews, two of whom were to be bail for him.
Lord George Gordon wore a huge patriarchal beard, and
carried a large slouched hat on his head. He was ordered
to uncover his head, which he declined to do. The crier took
off the large slouched hat, whereupon the prisoner desired
the court to observe that his hat had been removed by
violence. He then deliberately drew from his pocket a
white cap, which he placed upon his head, tying a handker-
chief around it. After this he produced a document which
he laid before the court, which he said was his petition. At
the same time he apologised for appearing with his head
covered agreeably to the custom of the Jews. He meant no
disrespect to the court, but his conduct arose from tender-
ness of conscience, since he had entered into the " holy
covenant of circumcision." The petition was read by the
officers of the court, and a great portion of it consisted of
arguments drawn from Jewish sources in favour of appear-
ing covered before all men.' Lord George Gordon then
entered into some details with respect to his fortune, from
which it results that he possessed an annuity of £500 a year,
and that his brother, the Duke of Gordon, had advanced
him £500 to pay his fine. In conclusion he furnished the
names of two Polish Jews who had agreed to become bail
for him. Unfortunately for the petitioner these men were
penniless, and could not be held responsible for any one.
The Attorney-General objected to them, and an affidavit was
read of their incompetence. So Lord George Gordon had to
return to his prison cell. He did not long survive this
disappointment. No doubt his position preyed upon his
mind ; he was attacked by fever, and died in November 1793,

1 88 A NOBLE PROSELYTE.

at the age of forty-three. He had studied literature in his early
days, and in his varied political writings his arguments were
usually sound ; his language was animated, his diction cor-
rect and classical, and occasionally he showed flashes of
genuine humour. Personally he is said to have been ex-
ceedingly amiable, notwithstanding the libellous publications
he issued; and his conduct to his fellow-prisoners was very
humane and even beneficent. A contemporary periodical
says that " his last moments were embittered by the know-
ledge that he could not be buried among the Jews, to whose
religion he was warmly attached." Lord George Gordon,
we must add, does not lie in a Jewish " House of Life," as
a Jewish cemetery is called ; he was interred in St James'
burial-ground in the Hampstead Road.

The Christian writer, whose words we quote above, pro-
bably thought with many others, how little the Jews had
done for one who had become a zealous convert to their
faith. But it was not callousness that caused the Jews with
all their wealth to allow Lord George Gordon to perish in
prison for want of two miserable bail. We have already
observed the unwillingness of Jews to receive proselytes.
This to a great extent arose from some real or fancied en-
gagement contracted by the early Jewish immigrants at the
time of Cromwell or of Charles II., when they settled in
this country. The Jews invariably discouraged proselytes,
in proof of which we will cite one instance of many we
could record. We will premise that the Portuguese Jews
then formed the leading congregation in this country, and
that the Germans usually followed the example of the senior
Synagogue. A certain Luis da Costa, a native of Portugal,
appeared in 1789 before the Wardens of the Bevis Marks
Synagogue, stating that he was desirous of being admitted
to the Covenant of Abraham ; that he had sailed in a ship from
Bordeaux to Amsterdam for that purpose; that the vessel had
been wrecked off Dover, and he begged to be dispatched to
Amsterdam to fulfil the longings of his heart. The Wardens
of the Portuguese Congregation did not deem fit to comply
with this request, on the ground that they were not sure
his ancestors had belonged to Israel. How much stronger
would the same reasons have militated against the reception

A NOBLE PROSELYTE. 189

into Judaism of Lord George Gordon ! We also must take
into consideration motives of worldly prudence, for the con-
version to Judaism of an English nobleman, the brother of
an English duke, if openly abetted and avowed by the Jews,
might have aroused popular vengeance against that race, and
cries of " No Judaism " might have proved as disastrous
to those against whom they were directed as cries of " Xo
Popery " had been to the Catholics.

CHAPTER XXIV.

A NEW IMMIGRATION— ECCLESIASTICAL LOSSES AND OFFICIAL
CHANGES— CEMETERIES AND BODY-SNATCHING.

THOUGH the position of the Jews in England was not in itself
especially brilliant or enviable, Great Britain was to the
Jewish race a very Garden of Eden as compared with many
other countries. What if they possessed neither civil nor
political rights ; if they were usually regarded by the mass
of the population with a mixture of contempt, suspicion and
aversion; if they had to endure slights and rebuffs with
smiling lip and cringing step ! At least they enjoyed under
the British flag a certain amount of material prosperity.
Their lives and limbs and property were safe ; and above all
they were permitted openly to follow the practices of their
religion and to worship the Lord of their forefathers.

Painful evidence of the perils incurred by the Jews abroad
•was given in June 1781. One day the Portuguese Congrega-
tion received news from the Jews of Portsmouth of the
arrival of a number of destitute families. The siege of Gib-
raltar was raging at that period, and though one of the Royal
Princes of France was exchanging polite notes with Gen.
Elliott, the English commander, and the besieger had chival-
rously forwarded to the chief of the besieged, presents of game
and fruits, the ill-starred Jews had suffered severely. Hap-
pily many families succeeded in effecting their escape, and
reaching some neutral ships. Of the hair-breadth escapes
and romantic adventures encountered by the fugitive Jews
much has been said, and it is difficult in these traditional
tales to separate actual facts from legendary amplifications.
It is traditionally recorded that a ship containing some
Hebrew families was captured by an armed privateer, that
the Jews found themselves cast on the shores of Ireland
utterly wanting the common necessaries of life; that the

A NE W IMMIGRA TION. 1 9 1

Irish gave the Jews a warm and hospitable reception, and
provided them with all they needed ; that some Roman
Catholic priests most strenuously helped the hapless Israelites
by word and deed, contributing by their influence and example
to the generous treatment of the scarcely welcome strangers ;
and that the Jews, after being liberally supplied with food
and raiment, were assisted on to London by different routes.
The Jews of Portsmouth were under some obligation to the
Bevis Marks Synagogue, which had granted them shortly
before £50 to aid them in building a new house of prayer.
The Jews of Portsmouth, perhaps inspired by gratitude,
treated the immigrants from Gibraltar with great kindness,
and furnished them with sufficient funds to enable them to
reach London. The Scrolls of the Law had been saved from
the two Synagogues of the beleaguered fortress, to the great
personal risk of the devout Jews, who had to cross some open
spaces exposed to the fiery globes hurled against the impreg-
nable rock, in the midst of a severe bombardment.

Among the names of the refugees we find those of Ben
Oliel, Ben Susan, Almosnino, and others, since well and
honourably known in the Portuguese Community. Haham
Almosnino was the Chief Eabbi of Gibraltar. In London he
was regarded with great consideration for his learning and
piety ; and his descendants became zealous, efficient, and
respected officers of the congregation.

As time elapses, the laws and regulations of every com-
munity need remodelling, or at least modifying, according to
the requirements of the period. In 1783 a committee was
appointed to consider what alterations might be advisable in
the Askamoth or Lams of the Portuguese Congregation, and
a report, suggesting a number of amendments, was presented
to the Elders in the spring of 1784. The proposed amend-
ments were discussed seriatim, and many slight modifications
were introduced in the regulations governing the Congrega-
tion. But the fundamental laws remained untouched. The
unity of the Synagogue was strongly insisted upon, and only
a majority of two-thirds of the Yehidim, or members, were
allowed to order the erection of another Portuguese house of
prayer. Stringent provisions again were made for raising
the necessary funds, the former system of jftnta, or tax, and

192 A NEW IMMIGRATION.

an impost or per centage on business carried out on commis-
sion, being retained. The powers of the Elders were some-
what enlarged, and when each member of the congregation
attained to the dignity of elder, he was required to take a
solemn oath before the doors of the Ark, where are deposited
the Scrolls of the Pentateuch, to administer the laws of the
congregation fairly and impartially, without fear and without
favour, and to respect the usages of the community. We
have more than once adverted to the objects of these laws,
which were promulgated at a time when the fortunes of Israel
were in a precarious state, and when stringent enactments
became necessarily conservative measures. We are bound to
state that these ordinances were not always kept in consonance
with the spirit of the times, and that altered circumstances
and the march of events were taken too little into account
in the re-constitution of such laws.

It will be seen that the constitution of the Portuguese
Jews, like that of the German Jews, was a pure oligarchy,
the real power resting in the Elders, while the Wardens were
little more than an administrative body. Of late years,
however, with the spread of popular ideas, the Elders have of
their own accord resigned some of their functions to the
members of the congregation. The principle of popular
election has been recognised in most institutions in this
country, and it has been admitted in the Synagogue. The
Spanish and Portuguese Jews, one of the most conservative
bodies in England, have vested the appointment of their
Wardens and treasurer in the hands of the members, and as
these officials become ipso facto Elders of the Synagogue, it
necessarily follows that the ratepayers practically become the
constituents of the Elders. Among the German Jews, also,
the members choose their own honorary officials ; and at
present the majority of contributors to a Synagogue may
exercise a fair share of influence directly or indirectly in its
government.

At one period the Portuguese Synagogue was deprived by
death of several of its religious officials, who died within a
few months of each other. The first to depart was Haham
Moses Cohen de Azevedo, much respected for his piety and
esteemed for his humility and modesty ; qualities not always

A NEW IMMIGRATION. 193

to be perceived in ecclesiastical authorities. His death
occurred in September 1784. Haham de Azevedo had desired
to be interred at the cost of his family, who were prepared to
incur the outlay, albeit the very moderate stipend which the
deceased had received had prevented him from making any
provision for his wife and children. But the Elders decided
that the funeral of their late spiritual chief should be per-
formed at the public expense, and that all customary honours
should be paid to his memory. The last earthly remains of
the Haham were carried into the Synagogue, followed by the
Wardens, Elders, and members of the Beth Din, attired in
deep mourning. The Synagogue was lighted up by numerous
wax tapers, and solemn hymns were chaunted. The bier was
carried from the Synagogue to the hearse by the Wardens,
whilst the loud tones of the Skopkar or ram's horn resounded
far and wide. In the cemetery, again, mournful dirges were
intoned, with a prayer recited on the Day of Atonement
(Vayabor}, and the coffin was carried from the mortuary hall
to its last resting place by the Wardens, accompanied by
ringing strains from the ram's horn or cornet. Then a sermon
was delivered in affecting accents, and during the Escaba or
prayer for the dead, the late Rabbi received the glowing and
hyperbolical titles customary on such occasions. The cere-
mony was most impressive and solemn, and the multitude
must have been greatly affected. On the 27th of the follow-
ing October died Haham I. Almosnino, of whom we have
already spoken. Though this gentleman held no recognised
place in the congregation, he appears to have been much
esteemed ; his opinion was frequently sought on religious
questions, and he was treated with as much respect as if he
had been Haham, or ecclesiastical head, of the community. He
was followed on the 3rd of January 1785, by Israel David
de Crasto, who was a Minister and Dayan — member of the
ecclesiastical tribunal — and on the 26th January, by Rabbi
Benjamin Dias Lorenzo, another Dayan and a teacheri n the
schools. Public honours were paid to all these Hahamim,
who had been of unblemished lives, and suitable pensions
were granted to their widows.

In the year 1786 Eliau Lopes Pereira, who had for some
years creditably filled the position of Secretary or " Chancel-

N

1 94 A NE W IMM1GRA TION.

lor"to the Congregation, resigned his functions. Eliau Lopes
Pereira was descended from an ancient family, a member of
which had received the title of Baron d'Aguilar. Mr Lopes
Pereira, on his inheriting a considerable property from a
relative, wrote a graceful letter to the Wardens saying that
he no longer considered himself justified in accepting from
the Congregation emoluments that might be of more service
to another member. The " ex-Chancellor" became then an
honorary officer in his Synagogue, in due course serving the
offices of treasurer and Warden. It may be noted that Mr
Lopes Pereira was in 1788 a colleague in the Mali am ad of
Mr Abraham Israel Ricardo, the father of David Ricardo,
the financier and political economist, and grandfather of Mr
Ricardo, the Member for Stoke-upon-Trent. At his death,
Mr Lopes Pereira bequeathed a legacy of £200 to the Syna-
gogue, the interest of which was to be distributed on certain
occasions. This gentleman was succeeded as " Chancellor "
by Daniel da Castro, who faithfully discharged his trust in
the Congregation for many years.

Towards the end of last century, the Jews of London were
exposed to one source of anxiety, which happily their de-
scendants at this period do not experience. Body-snatching
was then practised to an alarming extent ; the grave was
nightly made to give up its dead, and no sect and no place
w.ere secure from the operations of miscreants who dragged
from their long rest the last remains of humanity, to convert
them into so many gold pieces. The Jews, who feel a great
veneration for the dead, took various measures against this
desecration. The Portuguese Jews, when they opened their
new burial ground, proposed a variety of schemes to ensure
safety to all that was left on earth of those they had loved.
First, it was designed to heighten the walls of the cemetery
and to protect the tombs by a kind of chevaux de frise.
These plans were dismissed as expensive and impracticable ;
and heavy stones weighing a ton each were placed over the
graves. At one time it was resolved to fill up the spaces
between the graves by blocks of stone equally heavy, and
lying close together, so that there should be no room to in-
troduce any power of leverage. Eventually the sacred con-
tents of the " House of Life " were entrusted to watchmen.

A NEW 2MMIGRA TION. 1 9 5

Several persons, both Jews arid Christians, were engaged for
this duty. A wooden house moving on wheels and resem-
bling a watch-tower was constructed, and thence a Jew and a
Christian were conjointly to perform- night duties. The watch-
men were to be provided with a fireplace to warm themselves in
the long, dreary, winter nights, with a blunderbuss to frighten
away graveyard robbers, and bells to summon assistance.
Subsequently, in 1804, the watchman was ordered to call out
the time every half-hour. In the new cemetery, inaugurated
in 1786, no trees were to be planted near the walls, no
strangers were to be permitted to enter within the precincts
under any pretence whatsoever, and every morning each tomb
was to be examined separately to ascertain whether any
attempts had been made to tamper with it. It is said that
before these measures had been adopted, some coffins appeared
to have been disturbed in their places, and some bodies dis-
played marks of violence. When the practice of hasty burial
is taken into account, and the fact is considered that in 1779
the Portuguese authorities ordered that " to conform with the
customs of the country, no interment should take place until
twenty-four hours after death, unless on special grounds," a
horrid cause for these appearances will at once suggest itself
to the mind of the reflecting reader. To speak more plainly,
the fearful consequences of premature burials, far more to be
dreaded than the acts of body-snatchers, seem to have been
wilfully ignored by the Jews of the 18th century. Who can
tell now how many victims were sacrificed at the shrine of an
antiquated, superstitious usage I And how many wretched
beings may have perished in the agonies of suffocation, in
the injuries suffered in their desperate though vain attempts
to release themselves from their narrow and dreadful prison !
Among the German congregations a strict watch was
established for the same purpose. A law was passed in
Duke's Place Congregation to the effect that all members
between eighteen and seventy years of age should in rotation
perform the pious duty of protecting the dead, three members
acting together. They might, however, provide substitutes ;
and it is not unreasonable to suppose that, judging from the
ordinary standard of human nature, substitutes must have
been in great demand.

CHAPTEK XXY.

CONVERSIONS.

THAT in former times a certain number of Jews of intelli-
gence and note left the Synagogue for the Church, is a fact
which, however painful it may be to Jewish ears, must be
held to be historically true. No amount of ostrich-like
holding of heads in the sand, and closing of eyes to what is
palpable to the rest of the world, can alter stern reality.
Instead of evading a difficulty or endeavouring to pass it
over in silence, it is preferable to grasp it manfully, and to
discuss it calmly and impartially, employing reason instead
of prejudice, and logic instead of abuse.

The apparent process through which one form of religious
belief is gradually changed for another form of religious
belief, has perhaps never been more vividly described than
by an eminent Christian ecclesiastic in his " Apologia,"
which forms a substantial defence for his leaving the Estab-
lished Church in favour of the Church of Rome. We will
venture to say that when once the element of mystery is
admitted as forming part of a creed, and indeed its very
essence, reason ceases to exercise its functions, and the
human mind becomes ready to accept any dogma that would
not bear the process of ratiocination. Into the sincerity of
the converts from the Law of Moses to the dispensation of
Jesus of Nazareth, we will not undertake to inquire. A
man is only bound to answer to his Maker for his religious
creed, and no other man, be he rabbi or bishop, has a right
to call him to account on matters of faith. While we
decline, therefore, to examine this question from a theo-
logical point of view, we will lay before our readers a variety
of motives and circumstances of a purely temporal nature
that may account for these conversions from Judaism, and

CONVERSIONS. 197

which motives must in any case have exercised a powerful
influence in causing such results.

By far the greatest number of these changes of creed, or
at all events of outward form of worship, were effected during
the last quarter of the eighteenth century, and the first
quarter of the present century. This is explicable from the
general position of the Jews in Great Britain during the
periods of transition. With the principal features of that
position we have already made our readers familiar. What
the authorities of the oldest Synagogue in London thought
on the subject we can ascertain from the document we shall
now bring forward. The Jews of Rome had addressed a
communication to their brethren of Bevis Marks as to the
status of the latter in this country ; and the following is a
translation of the reply forwarded to Messieurs Tranquillo
del Monte and Salomone Ambron of Rome, under date of
the 14th August 1787. " The privileges of the Jews in this
country must not serve as a rule for their privileges in other
countries, as the government is very different. Where sove-
reigns are absolute, the Jews may enjoy advantages to a
greater or lesser extent ; but in this kingdom, even if his
Majesty wished to favour them, he could not do so without
the consent of Parliament, consisting of more than 500 or
600 Nobles and Commons. This makes it very difficult to
obtain the privileges we need, and which would be very
useful to us. The only privileges enjoyed by our nation are
equal to all those enjoyed abroad, and these consist of the
free exercise of our religion, and the security of our property,
•which any one may possess without fear of king or govern-
ment."

The Jews of this period knew their position, and, we
believe, were not altogether discontented with it. Probably
the bulk of them thought little on the matter, or considered
it was the lot of Israel to suffer, and bore their fate with
resignation ; or they contrasted their situation with that of
many of their brethren abroad, and were thankful. But in
all communities there are men of keen feelings, of restless
energy, of ambitious minds, and withal, of weak convictions.
To these individuals, the condition of a Jew entailed con-
tinual humiliations, disappointments, and miseries. To re-

198 CONVERSIONS.

main on a dead level with those around them, hopeless of
ever soaring higher in the social sphere, must have proved
gall and wormwood to many Israelites in olden days. The
mart, the exchange, the Synagogue, the domestic circle, did
not suffice for their aspirations. Gold, always the pursuit
of gold ! And what availed their wealth when their sordid
occupations were crowned with success ? Their race, their
religion, were insurmountable barriers frowning down against
all hope of worldly advancement. The wealthy Jew was
unable to serve his country, for the Senate was to him a
dreamland altogether beyond his reach ; the magistracy
would not be contaminated by his presence; all political,
civil, and municipal offices were strictly closed against him,
and even society looked at him askance, and with some
occasional exceptions, kept him at arm's length. Then
what could he do with his sons ? A university education
was as unattainable as if they had been Hottentots ; the
army would disdain to admit Israelites within its ranks ;
the bar carefully excluded them; and a father could not
even with safety settle upon his children landed estates.
The only liberal profession they were permitted to follow was
that of medicine. When a proficiency in that art had been
acquired at great disadvantage, the usual difficulty stared
the Jewish physician in the face. The hospitals would not
open their wards to him ; Christian patients would not con-
sult him ; public offices were out of the question ; and
Jewish young men were driven to tender their services
gratuitously, or at a paltry pittance, to the authorities of
their own community, merely to practise their profession.

All these difficulties and restrictions arose from one cause,
one solitary cause, and one so easily removable ! A
tempting voice whispered a word into the ear of the Jew,
a word that contained a sovereign remedy against all his
vexations, all his heart-burnings. Baptism was the cure of
all his moral ailments. Baptism promised to the rich the
realisation of his ambitious dreams ; place, honour, power,
social consideration ; to the poor it promised loaves and
fishes for the present, and sufficient provision for the future.
To both rich and poor it offered — precious boon — eternal
salvation ! Prosperity in this world ; heaven in the next

CONVERSIONS, 1 9 9

world. Assuredly a tempting bait. True, the gentlemen
who embraced this opportunity of satisfying their desires, or
their needs, most probably placed greater reliance on the
material than on the spiritual advantages to be gained by
their conversions ; still it was desirable to be able to throw
a sop to their conscience if it happened to cry out occa-
sionally. After all, what had they to renounce to win
these brilliant benefits ? It was easy to cast off the forms
of a religion that hung loosely enough around them ; and
a long time had elapsed since they had prayed with heartfelt
fervour to the Lord of Israel. To break oif early associa-
tions and memories, and feelings imbued with their mothers'
milk, may have caused some pangs in the minds of the
Neophytes ; and the word apostate has an ugly sound.
Sophistry may have offered a variety of excuses for their
conduct, and gratified desires go far towards allaying
scruples of conscience ; but me do not envy their death-beds.
Many a convert during his lifetime has rested his aching
head on an uneasy couch of luxury. Some men are cast in
a delicate mould ; and when the strong passions that led
them away had calmed down, and the earthly prospects that
dazzled them had eeased to appear in so brilliant a light,
these men must have been painfully aroused by the still
small voice which rose reproachfully within their hearts.
Many a deserter from Judaism in his last moments would
have given all he possessed to have recalled that one step ;
alas ! it was too late.

Conversions from the Synagogue to the Church, as our
readers have perceived, occurred more frequently among the
higher class of the Sephardi Jews than among a similar
class of the Ashkenazim. The reason can be easily explained
by a reference to the characteristics marking these two
sections of English Jews, and to which we have already
adverted. It were needless and invidious to say more ou
the subject. We will only say that the Germans, retaining
some of the traits distinguishing the natives of their ancient
fatherland, were more plodding, more steady, more earnest
of purpose, and less ambitious than their Portuguese co-
religionists of those days. The warehouse, the domestic
fireside, the Synagogue, were enough to fill their minds :

200 CONVERSIONS.

accustomed to trade and to pray, their lives were absorbed
by these two pursuits. And as long as they were able to
advance their material interests and to worship the Lord of
their forefathers, they cared for little else. Gradually the
German Jews rose to higher aspirations, and they equalled
in time, if they did not surpass, the mental achievements of
the Portuguese. Meanwhile the former escaped the tempta-
tions to which some of the latter had succumbed. When
the Jews of Teutonic descent had awakened to a new life,
and had attained to the amount of culture necessary for
them to shine in the Senate, the forum, or the magistracy,
the barriers of intolerance that had so long excluded their
race from occupying in the world the position due to their
brain power, had crumbled to pieces before the light of
advancing civilisation, and the Jews were enabled to follow
a multitude of new paths without forsaking their religion.

Worldly considerations were not the only temptations to
which Jews were exposed, speaking from a religious point
of view. Another influence, sometimes even more powerful,
would occasionally exercise an almost irresistible effect !
The Jews of England lived apart from their fellow-subjects :
nevertheless they had eyes and ears, and they were not
insensible to the blandishments of beauty. The Jews have
ever enjoyed the reputation of being admirers of the fair
sex. Many a Samson became an easy prey to many a
Delilah. The golden tresses, the sapphire eyes, the soft
voices of the fair daughters of Albion did more to draw
followers from the Synagogue to the Church than is usually
imagined. Nor did lovely English girls disdain the con-
siderable fortunes and dark complexions of the Jews, more
especially of those of Sephardic origin. Christian children
by Christian mothers were too common in the Portuguese
community ; the offspring adopted their mothers' faith and
surname, and thus many an ancient family and " great
accumulated wealth have been lost to Judaism. Occa-
sionally these descendants of Jews know perfectly well their
origin, and live in friendly intercourse with professing Jews ;
and -at other times the former disappear in the masses of
population in this country, and it becomes impossible to
trace their future course.

CONVERSIONS. 2 o i

Another source of losses to the Jewish community, though
to a minor degree, may be traced to the practice of sending
Jewish children to Christian schools, especially to public
schools. The eifect of surrounding influences on children is
well known. The continual allusions to Christianity, the
religious observances of that faith, and sometimes the active
conversionist zeal of some teacher or fellow-pupil, implant
seeds that bring their fruition some day, if they do not win
at once a stray sheep into the fold. We might point to
several cases of secession from Judaism from this cause ;
and among others we might mention the instance of the
family of an eminent member of the leading German Syna-
gogue, who were lost to their ancient race from his boys
being sent to Charterhouse School. Much unhappiness had
been entailed on parents by such occurrences. The atten-
tion of Jewish fathers has often. been called to the necessity
of providing for their children Jewish training in Jewish
schools. Happily this is now easily attainable, and per-
fectly compatible with complete secular and even scientific
instruction.

So far we have only spoken of the external influences that
drew members of the Synagogue into the pale of the Church.
Strong as were these influences, there were others within the
community itself that acted as their allies. Attractive force
towards the one side, repulsive force from the other, formed
a dangerous combination. The latter arose from the very
nature of Jewish institutions. There is a double and constant
peril in voluntary associations. If their members are not
bound together by a fixed and rigid code of rules, a lack of
cohesion will arise that may end in dissolution. If the rules
are too fixed and too rigid, many members will not accept
the trammels they impose, and disruption is threatened.
Among the Jews in general, and the Sephardic Congregation
in particular, to avoid the Scylla of laxity, wreck was made
against the Charybdis of over-strictness. The Elders of that
congregation were usually benevolent men leaning to the
side of mercy. But they strictly exacted full and uncom-
promising obedience. Every offence of a member would be
condoned, provided he made humble submission. Kebellion
was an unpardonable sin. The strict letter of a conventional

2 o 2 CON VERSIONS.

law was injudiciously enforced on occasions when very mode-
rate relaxation would have prevented the loss of valuable
members. Certain laws or rules not of a religious character,
but of congregational polity, probably necessary and wise
when they had been enacted, might advantageously have
been modified when from change of circumstances they had
ceased to be prudent or beneficial. Yet blind resistance
was the practice to all demands for slight emendations or
personal concessions. Non possumus was the only reply to
such applications. And thus it happened that members of
that congregation, whose descendants now might be gracing
the councils of their race, have either seceded entirely from
Judaism, or cast their tents independently elsewhere.

We have it also from undoubted contemporary authorities,
from men well affected towards their brethren, that the
services in the principal Synagogues were ordinarily con-
ducted in a manner not at all likely to inspire feelings of
devotion. Some of the congregants were addicted to chat-
tering and laughing, to the annoyance of those more earnestly
disposed ; the readers said the prayers in a listless and in-
different manner ; no choirs existed, and charity boys
screamed — we cannot say sang — the sacred melodies in dis-
cordant strains, entailing acute sufferings on those who
unfortunately possessed musical ears. Moreover, a long
time was spent in the tedious repetition of the Meshaberack
and mutual compliments, which practice tended to render
the service tedious and wearisome. It may be observed that
these are trivial matters. We do not think so. Whatever
impairs the solemnity of a religious service does considerable
harm, for it discourages the attendance of members whose
religious ties become weakened, their interest in communal
affairs is slackened, and their withdrawal from the congre-
gation is more easily effected. We must not omit to
take into account the private prejudices and crotchets of
members of various congregations, which could not easily be
satisfied. In all communities there are obstinate, impractic-
able, and narrow-minded men, who conceive mortal offence
if their every desire is not instantly gratified. In voluntary
associations, in such cases, refusal on the one side is followed
by secession on the other; albeit such men are no loss to

CONVERSIONS. 203

any religious community. These individuals are ready to
change their belief as they would their coats ; they usually
are destitute of real faith, and they are guided in their out-
ward form of worship by pure expediency and convenience.
We have present before our eyes instances of this nature to
which we will recur more fully in another paper ; we will
merely observe that about a century ago a member of one
of the first families in the Portuguese Synagogue resigned
his seat in the Synagogue only because he could not obtain
a particular mitzvah or honour on the day of the Fast of
Expiation.

We have above endeavoured to place before our readers
the principal causes that have conduced to the loss from the
Jewish community of a certain number of persons of that
race. Though it is impossible to trace the particular motives
that prevailed in each instance, we have striven to show
that in the great majority of cases, these conversions were
not the result of researches after religious truths, nor were
they likely to shake the belief of those who have followed
faithfully the dispensation of Moses.

In our days, when happily some of the causes we have
enumerated are no longer at work, conversions of another
and coarser type have become more frequent in this country.
Powerfully organised associations, with extensive pecuniary
resources at their command, send out paid officials to chase
Jewish souls, and to bring them within the pale of imaginary
salvation. Their instruments, chiefly apostates themselves,
interpose between parents and children, and by ingenious
devices, destroy the peace of families, in order to produce
triumphantly at head-quarters some poor simpleton or child
said to have been converted. These organisations, which
all right-minded Christians condemn, have their field of
operations principally among the uneducated children of the
indigent and among destitute foreigners. Their salaried
agents do not disdain the use of bribery and misrepresenta-
tions, and with keen mockery call their victims " Inquirers
after truth." After truth indeed ! Empty stomachs and
half-clad bodies know better the objects of their inquiries.
Ignorance and poverty brought face to face with plenty, and
Vith a picture of comparatively brilliant prospects held

204 CONVERSIONS.

before their eyes appear so easily persuaded, so thoroughly
convinced, as to render it almost a pity to destroy their
delusion. Yet frequently some of these dupes have con-
science enough, or feeling enough left, to reconsider their
position, and then often they slip away from the grasp of
their would-be saviours. Thus the gains of societies' con-
version are reduced to only a small figure, and their opera-
tions are supported by grossly exaggerated reports and
misrepresentations. Sometimes the results are somewhat
amusing. It is related that once a poor Polish Jew, who
had been induced to " inquire after truth," and whose
conviction had been facilitated by advances during " the
inquiry " amounting to a hundred crowns, was eventually
baptized. Subsequently an old acquaintance whom he met
asked him whether he had discovered the truth. He had
discovered an important truth, said the neophyte : he had
ascertained that the old religion was just worth one hundred
crowns more than the new religion, since on his making the
exchange, he had received that balance. With that sum the
convert soon after disappeared. "We need not say that such
black sheep are no loss to any flock.

In conclusion, with all deference to that very large majority
of her Majesty's subjects who profess the creed of Jesus of
Nazareth, we make bold to assert that had the position of
affairs been reversed — had Christians dwelt in a Jewish
country, subject to similar external temptations and internal
influences — the Church would have yielded to the Synagogue
a goodly number indeed of proselytes. That the Jews, not-
withstanding all the defections suffered by the community,
are still increasing in numbers, is a proof of the vitality of
their race, and of the staunch adherence of the bulk of this
people to their ancient form of worship.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE PURIM RIOTS— THE BERNAL FAMILY.

IN our preceding chapter we dealt generally with the subject
of conversions, pointing out the principal causes that for-
merly powerfully influenced the Jews in forsaking the law of
Moses for the dispensation of Jesus. We shall now, and
again hereafter in the course of our narrative, place before our
readers such particular cases of conversion as are remarkable
either for their accompanying circumstances or because they
form landmarks in the annals of families of note, ranking with
the aristocracy of wealth or intellect of the United Kingdom.
It was once the custom among the Jews, during the feast
of Purim, for unruly boys and silly men to show their repro-
bation of Haman's conduct by loudly knocking against the
Synagogue benches during the celebration of the service.
This absurd and irreverent usage had ever been opposed by
the congregational authorities; and in March 1783, im-
mediately before Purim, they issued strict orders forbidding
such puerile manifestations. Nevertheless certain members
of the congregation, either from mere spirit of mischief or
from love of opposition, insisted on Purim eve on following
a custom more honoured in the breach than in the observ-
ance. Whereupon on the morrow the ruling powers secured
the attendance of a couple of constables, who, on the at-
tempted repetition of such discreditable behaviour, very
quickly removed the offenders. The Mahamad summoned
before them the delinquents, who all, with a solitary excep-
tion, either appeared or sent complete apologies. A few of
the parties were condemned to pay slight fines for their dis-
obedience, others were altogether forgiven, and thus the matter
ended so far as the public was concerned, albeit the Purim riots
formed for some time a favourite topic of conversation with

206 THE PURIM RIOTS.

communal gossips. Isaac Mendes Furtado was the only in-
dividual who had rebelled against the Synagogue authorities.
Furtado was a man who had acquired some wealth, which,
according to his views, conferred upon him the right of treating
disrespectfully the Elders of the congregation. On more than
one occasion he had .behaved with marked rudenesss towards
them. In the present instance, though he occupied an honorary
office in the Synagogue, he was one of the most prominent
among the disturbers of the peace, apparently from sheer wan-
tonness. Isaac Mendes Furtado not only declined to appear be-
fore the Mahamad, but wrote an offensive and scurrilous letter,
evidently the production of an arrogant, unruly spirit. He had
been disturbed in his devotions by the entrance of constables
in Synagogue. It was not the rioters who had outraged his
feelings ; it was the constables. He would separate himself
from so irreligious a society. He would renounce Judaism
and the promised laud. After a tirade of malicious accusa-
tions against the Synagogue authorities, Furtado concluded
this precious document, which was signed by himself and
his wife, by the expression of his firm determination not to
hold any further intercourse with members of the community.

Furtado subsequently caused the open baptism of his
children ; and he erected certain houses at Mile End to
commemorate the glorious event, designating them Purini
Place. Mrs Sarah Furtado, his wife, was however interred
in the Portuguese cemetery. Furtado himself was buried in
Newington Churchyard, albeit it signifies little where are
laid the bones of one who, never a strict adherent to his
creed, eagerly seized the first absurd and worthless excuse to
quit it. An indifferent jlew is hardly likely to make a good
Christian. Here we behold the spirit animating at least
some of the converts from Judaism. The moving springs
are too apparent : laxity of principle, exaggerated notions
of self-importance, unbounded pride, and expectations of
worldly advancement! But a sense of religious feeling, a
sincere and profoun4 belief in the truths of Christian dog-
mas, a preference of the new dispensation to the old faith
from pure conviction, — in vain shall we seek for them in
these neophytes !

The case of Elias Curry had a very different issue, and it

THE PURIM RIOTS. 207

came to a pitiful end. The person who had adopted this
pseudonym was a native of Portugal. He had arrived into
this country in extreme youth, and had received much sub-
stantial kindness from the congregation. In his after-life
ugly rumours reached the authorities of the Sephardi Jews,
concerning the conduct of this individual. He was a toler-
ably regular attendant at Synagogue ; nevertheless it was
asserted that he had entered the Church. A member of the
congregation took considerable pains to ascertain the truth
of the reports ; he searched the baptismal register of various
churches ; and eventually he had an interview with the Rev.
Mr Green, the rector or curate of West Ham parish church.
Elias Curry who, contrary to Jewish habits, had been known
to indulge in fiery liquors, had been heard to boast in his
cups of his new faith. Mr Green admitted readily having
baptized Curry ; but before the latter could be recognised as
a Christian, he considered it was necessary to perform again.
the ceremony which had not been attended with due solem-
nity. The clergyman moreover regretted having given any
annoyance to the Jews, and did not appear especially eager
to admit this black sheep into his flock. The truth was that
Elias Curry had been converted to Christianity over a bowl
of punch, and the rum which it contained no doubt exercised
a lively influence in changing his theological opinions. The
"Wardens of the Portuguese Congregation did not desire to
encourage a new sect of baptized Jews, who professed to be
both Jews and Christians, and who were neither ; so they
resolved to dismiss Elias Curry from the community. This
occurred early in 1785 ; and in the April of that year Elias
Curry wrote an insolent letter to the Mahamad, in which
with affected contempt for that body, whom he designated
by the novel designation of " little court, or tribunal of great
injustice wherein Prince Satan presides as First Lord," he
took leave of those to whom he was beholden for many benefits.
For once ingratitude and want of principle met with con-
dign punishment. Elias Curry did not prosper in his new
creed. He became poor ; he became unhappy ; he became
conscience-stricken. In 1791 the burden of remorse be-
came more than he could bear, and his heart longed to
return to his old faith and early associations. He wrote a
most penitent letter to the authorities of his community en-

2o8 THE PURIM RIOTS.

treating their forgiveness, and craving to be received back
into the Synagogue. He was not satisfied with the refusal
he received ; he prayed again to be admitted as a proselyte,
which he thought would be facilitated by his being a
foreigner, and he offered in vain to make any atonement, to
undergo any penance. A year after this, the Elders, who
would not open their arms to Elias Curry in life, granted
him six feet of ground in death. At first, indeed, they
refused ; but the entreaties of a relative, the tears of his
mother, had their effect. Three witnesses declared that the
sinner had made a solemn recantation on his death-bed, and
that he departed this life a sincere Jew. The Wardens con-
sulted the Beth Din, or ecclesiastical authorities ; and
eventually the wretched man was interred in a corner of
the cemetery. Let us hope that this example may have
served as a salutary lesson, at least for a time, among men
of his class, whose eyes must have been opened to the fact
that apostasy does not necessarily lead to prosperity, wealth
and success.

The most important loss that occurred among the Jews at
this period was the secession of some members of the Bernal
family, which appears to have been induced by a variety of
causes. Isaac and Jacob Israel Bernal were the sons of
that Jacob Bernal who had many years before asked permis-
sion to marry a German lady, which, as may be remembered,
had been somewhat reluctantly granted. These gentlemen
were persons of means and character, and had realised mod-
erate fortunes in the West India trade ; albeit they did not
rank among the foremost men in their congregation. Mr
Isaac I. Bernal became dissatisfied at his non-election to
some honorary office in the institutions of his community,
and on the 5th June 1786, he wrote in strong terms to the
Synagogue authorities. He had been proposed twice, he
said, as a Governor of the Hebra (Burial Society), and of
Heshaim (Charity School), and twice he had been rejected.
He had contributed annually £40 to £50 to the Synagogue
funds, and yet he had been treated with great disrespect.
He felt himself called upon to resent the affront. He re-
tired from a society where he had been so ill-treated. But,
he concluded, he was born a Jew, and would continue a Jew
until his death. Mr Bernal's resignation not being at once

THE PURIM RIOTS. 209

accepted, he wrote subsequently another and more peremp-
tory letter, and finally a third letter a year afterwards. In
November 1787, his resignation was admitted, though the
reasons were considered insufficient. At about the same
period Mr Jacob I. Bernal, too, thought it fit to address the
rulers of the Synagogue in a most unseemly and overbearing
manner. He compared the latter to the Portuguese Inquisi-
tion for their proficiency " in the art of torturing the
sensibility of religious men." He accused them " of feeling
causeless hatreds like their ancestors." He said that a
similar groundless vindictive spirit existed among some of
them with malignant ardour. He ended by observing that
" it was a serious consolation to be liberated from wanton
and unmerited insults which were aggravations of their com-
mon, miserable, abject state, and he renounced any further
connection with the Jewish body." The elders naturally
considered certain expressions in this document as unworthy
and offensive, and erased ' his name from the list of the
members of the Synagogue.

Thus terminated the relations between the leading members
of the Bernal family and the Synagogue. The cause of their
withdrawal was apparently pique ; but there were other and
more important reasons in the background which we abstain
from laying before our readers from prudential considerations.
The term employed by Mr Jacob Bernal of " our miserable,
abject state," affords a key to his state of mind, and we can
easily understand his desire to retire from the society of those
who were placed in that unfortunate condition.

We shall now give a few details of the history of the
Bernal family from the time when Isaac and Jacob Bernal
left the Synagogue. Isaac Bernal, albeit his anger against
the Synagogue authorities was not appeased, continued to
observe strictly all Mosaic precepts. He had wedded a
Christian lady who seems to have accepted the Jewish re-
ligion, and his son and his several daughters followed the
creed of their forefathers. Isaac Bernal having retired from
general business was induced to advance a large amount
(£40,000) to an Irish nobleman, at a fair rate of interest.
This nobleman soon failed to pay the interest due on his
debt, which in time seriously inconvenienced Bernal, and

o

210 THE PUR1M RIOTS.

constrained the latter to fall into arrears with tradesmen and
others with whom he had dealings. He dwelt at this period
in a handsome residence in Great Prescott Street, Goodman's
Fields, then a desirable situation and much affected by
opulent Jews. The Tenterground was a well laid out public
garden, with trees, flowers, and shrubberies, and was a great
place of resort for the dark-eyed daughters of Judah. Isaac
Bernal's creditors became first importunate and then would
wait no longer. One day the bailiffs penetrated into the
precincts supposed to be an Englishman's castle, and seized
all their contents, from his wife's jewels to his favourite pea-
cocks. Bernal this time narrowly escaped personal arrest ;
but two or three years afterwards he was less fortunate. His
friends had purchased part of his property and returned it to
him. For a long period he defied the bailiffs, in his barri-
caded stronghold, until a traitor in the camp brought him to
the Fleet. The once opulent merchant still possessed friends.
He was enabled to give substantial bail, and, instead of oc-
cupying a cell in the prison, he was permitted to live within
the rules of the Fleet, and took up his quarters above a shop
at the corner of the Old Bailey. Years elapsed; his son
went abroad endeavouring to retrieve the fortunes of the
family, whilst a lawsuit against his lordly debtor, and then
against his executors, for the recovery of his debt, was drag-
ging its weary length. His brother Jacob, whose animosity
against his race seems to have acquired a special bitterness,
endeavoured to induce him to abandon Judaism, but in vain.
Isaac Bernal and his family remained attached to their faith.
Probably Jacob Bernal, who had increased his fortune, as-
sisted his brother, and his son Ralph occasionally visited his
uncle. At last Isaac Bernal obtained a verdict for a very
large amount for capital, interest, and costs. But he did not
live long to enjoy his restored fortunes. His son came home
in an almost dying state, in time to confess to his father
that he had married a Christian woman; and then father and
son descended to the grave within a few days of each other.
In October 1820, application was made to the Synagogue
authorities, by the representatives of Isaac Bernal, for the
interment of the body of the deceased in the Portuguese burial-
ground. For thirty-four years he had lived apart from the

THE PURIM RIOTS. 2 1 1

Synagogue ; nevertheless the request was granted : and on
payment of an unimportant sum by his relatives, Isaac
Bernal was permitted to sleep by the side of his forefathers.
Two of his daughters became contributing members of the
Portuguese Congregation until they and most of their sisters
followed the destiny of their sex, and some espoused Jews
and others espoused Christians.

The future -of Jacob Bernal's descendants was more bril-
liant, and their lives were cast into pleasant places. Jacob
Bernal educated his children to Christianity, though we
believe his son Ralph married a Miss Da Silva, a lady ap-
pertaining to a Portuguese Jewish family. Mr Ralph Bernal
became a magistrate, a land owner, and a member of Parlia-
ment. His son, Captain Bernal, married in 1844 the heiress
of Sir Thomas Osborne of Newtown Anner, Tipperary, when
he assumed the surname of Osborne in addition to his own,
and he is now known as Mr Bernal- Osborne.

CHAPTER XXVII.

SAMUEL MENDOZA.—THE SHECHITA.— SYNAGOGUE
DIFFERENCES.

THE prize-ring is not a very noble arena of contest, and
pugilistic encounters do not present a refined and elevated
aspect of human nature. We do not propose, however, to
depict in these pictures only the highest side of Judaism.
It is, on the contrary, our desire to endeavour to delineate
faithfully and impartially the various phases of Anglo-Jewish
life, as well as to record the most interesting or curious
events in which Jews participated. We will then for a
short time leave the Synagogue, the council chamber, and
family annals, and descend into the prize-ring. Boxing
matches were formerly exhibitions much affected by people
of quality, and as much patronised' by the " upper ten " as
now is pigeon shooting. The average Briton of the eighteenth
century was not a being endowed with exquisite sensibility,
and he loved to imitate his superiors. When he saw some
of the oldest names among the aristocracy, with the princely
George himself, the " finest gentleman in Europe," at their
head, associate on terms of intimacy with professional prize-
fighters, and crowd to witness the. feats of their prowess, it
is not surprising that plain John Bull should look upon the
champions of the noble art of self-defence as heroes to be
regarded with awe and admiration.

The Jews have usually excelled more in mental than in
physical pursuits, and have habitually displayed more
power of brain than of sinews. But Samuel Mendoza, the
pugilist, proved an exception to the rule, and he became a
man of mark in his day. He had already acquired some
reputation, when a match was arranged for considerable
stakes between him and another hero named Humphreys.
On the 18th February 1788, many thousands of people

SAMUEL MENDOZA, 213

flocked to Odiham, to see the encounter, notwithstanding the
inclemency of the weather; and hundreds of eager spectators
paid their half guineas to gain admission within the pad-
dock. Humphreys was seconded by Johnson, and Meudoza
by Jacobs. The fight commenced at one o'clock, when
betting was two to one in favour of Humphreys, who was
the more experienced champion. Mendoza began with great
spirit, and gradually the odds changed to his side. The
superior skill of Humphreys prevailed in the end, and he
planted on his adversary's jaw a heavy blow that nearly
disabled him. Mendoza struggled on manfully, but blinded
and exhausted, he became helpless, and yielded after half
an hour's struggle. £20,000 was lost in this contest, the
greater portion of which was the money of Jews. Mendoza,
however, would not own himself defeated. Like Bruce when
he was watching the spider, he determined to try again.
With the perseverance and energy of his race he worked
until he obtained greater proficiency in his art, when he
challenged his old opponent. The second encounter took
place at Stilton, on the 6th March 1789. A spacious
amphitheatre had been erected in Mr Thornton's park,
capable of accommodating 3000 spectators, and all the seats
were occupied. Again Humphreys' second was Johnson,
while Mendoza was supported by Captain Brown, and Sir
Thomas Appryce was his umpire. After a severe struggle
of an hour and a quarter the Jewish champion was declared
conqueror. Times truly have changed, and manners with
them ! Can we imagine a country gentleman now placing
his park at the disposal of a mob to revel in the spectacle
of a prize fight, and an officer in the army and a baronet
escorting and abetting one of the pugilists ! Mendoza, we
will add, flourished for a long time as a successful champion,
and nearly twenty years after this period we find him, during
an undecided contest, again making a fierce onslaught against
his antagonist, and triumphing.

Let us now return to matters more strictly concerning the
Jews. The Israelites of England must confess, that they
have usually found the judges of the land perfectly ready to
uphold the spiritual jurisdiction of the Jewish rabbins, and
to maintain the authority of the latter among their own

2i4 SAMUEL MENDOZA.

flock. A curious action at law was tried in 1788, which
indeed differed but little from another action brought on
similar grounds of late years against the Chief Rabbi of the
German Congregations. In the former case, a butcher,
named Rodriguez, had been repeatedly discovered selling
to Jews terefa, or unlawfully killed meat, thus perpetrating
a fraud on the conscience of his customers ; a much greater
offence than perpetrating a fraud on their purses. A zealous
Jew named Levy summoned Rodriguez before the Sephardi
Beth Din (ecclesiastical tribunal), when the offence was clearly
proved, and the butcher deprived of his licence. His name
was denounced in the Synagogue from the pulpit, according
to the custom of the day, and Jews were forbidden from
purchasing any more meat from him. Rodriguez at once
took legal proceedings against Levy, asking for heavy
damages; and after much litigation, Levy obtained a ver-
dict in the Court of Common Pleas. Lord Chief Justice
Loughborough, afterwards Lord Chancellor, justified com-
pletely the action of the " High Priest " (Beth Din, or
ecclesiastical tribunal) ; which view was also confirmed by
all the judges of the Common Pleas, when a motion for a
new trial was moved before them. It must therefore be
understood that the rabbinical heads have full control in
religious questions, and that the law of England will
support their authority in all matters within their com-
petence.

We have repeatedly observed that the irregularities of the
Jewish butchers entailed much trouble and vexation on the
heads of the various Synagogues, and each congregation was
left to struggle individually with the slaughterers and
butchers. An organised institution to deal with the subject
was first proposed on the 19th April 1792, when two repre-
sentatives from each of the three German Synagogues met
to discuss this important question. We advisedly say im-
portant question, however prosaic it may seem, for matter
feeds mind ; and the loveliest maiden, the noblest hero, and
the greatest poet would soon be reduced to inanity if deprived
of the fibrous juicy flesh, that quickly becomes part of their
own fibre and muscle. At that meeting Mr L. de Symons
proposed to draw up a plan for the foundation of a joint

SAMUEL MENDOZA. 215

board, in which all London congregations should be repre-
sented, and for the construction of a Central Hall for the
sale of meat. This scheme was prepared and was submitted
to the Sephardi community by Mr Bing, Secretary to the
Great Synagogue. It was alleged in this document that the
Portuguese Synagogue would not only save £100 which they
annually expended in providing kosher meat for their con-
gregation, but would even realise an assured yearly profit.
The Hall to be erected was to contain twenty shops to be let
to the butchers, and Christian butchers were to pay a small
amount for each head of cattle they killed. Plans and
estimates for the proposed market were also forwarded to
the Portuguese authorities for their consideration. The
scheme was found impracticable by the latter. It was
alleged in reply that the building contemplated would be
utterly useless if constructed; that butchers would 'not
remove thither; that it would be highly inconvenient for
families who dwelt at a distance ; that on Sundays it would
prove a scandal to surrounding Christians ; and that Chris-
tian butchers would refuse to pay the tax to be levied upon
them. The Portuguese would willingly join in the forma-
tion of a general body for the management of the Shechita
(arrangements for slaughtering and preparing cattle for food
more Judaico), but declined altogether to accept the scheme
for the market. The subject did not drop at once, and
Duke's Place and Bevis Marks again exchanged letters.
The Germans stated that they could not separate what they
regarded as two portions of one integral plan, that the three
City Synagogues had resolved to construct a Hall, and that
the Portuguese could join them whenever they deemed it
proper. The latter replied that the necessary orders had
been given to the Beth Din to consolidate the Shechita ;
but that there was no reason to alter the decision arrived at
on the subject of the Hall. Thus the correspondence ended,
not without numerous expressions of good will on both
sides; and Mr de Castro, the Portuguese Secretary, stated
in conclusion that " we shall be happy to cultivate that
harmony and good understanding that subsist between our
congregations, and which are so essential to our welfare."
A subscription was set on foot among the German Con-

216 SAMUEL MENDOZA.

gregations to obtain funds for the construction of the Hall,
but with little success. About a twelvemonth afterwards
another spasmodic effort was made to carry out this object.
Nobody, however, believed in a Hall, and the Jewish Butchers'
Hall never existed except on paper. The plan for a general
Shechita Board remained in abeyance for more than a decade,
and it was not until 1805 that Askenazim and Sephardim
finally united to establish the body known by that name at
the present day.

It will be perceived that the three City German Syna-
gogues were acting in unison on that occasion; unfortunately
such was not always the case. All Jews are not necessarily
endowed with lofty patriotism, neither are their actions in-
variably guided by pure philanthropy. Human nature is
alike everywhere ; Caesar strongly resembles Pompey, and
Synagogue committees do not at all times soar above the
level of parish boards. The influx of foreign poor, especially
of Germans and Poles, at the end of last century, was in-
creasing to an alarming extent. The Astenazi Jews, though
augmenting in numbers and wealth, found it no easy task to
cope with an evil that was yearly assuming more gigantic
proportions. Each Synagogue was expected to contribute
towards the relief of those wretched immigrants in life, and
to their interment in death. Those nearest and dearest often
quarrel with each other over some paltry pecuniary question.
The principal source of wrangling among the sister con-
gregations, was as to which should spare six feet of ground
for the bones of some miserable foreigner. On some occa-
sions these unseemly disputes led to unpleasant conse-
quences. One evening in September 1790, a coffin was
lying in the middle of Duke's Place. The parochial spirit
was strong at that moment, and not one of the Synagogues
would give decent sepulture to the remains of the pauper.
Duke's Place considered it was the turn of Leadenhall
Street, and Leadenhall Street was certain the duty devolved
on Duke's Place. Meanwhile a Portuguese Jew, to save the
body from being buried in a neighbouring church, gave the
coffin temporary shelter in his own house. He then went
to the Portuguese authorities to inform them of the occur-
rence. The wardens were summoned to meet at once, albeit

SAMUEL MENDOZA. 217

•

it was nine o'clock at night. A message1 .was despatched to
the Leadenhall Street Synagogue, which was "stated to be the
delinquent on this occasion. Eventually one of the wardens
from that Congregation and the secretary came to Bevis
Marks and promised to bury the dead man, on account of
the intercession of the Portuguese Mahamad, though in
reality it was no concern of their Synagogue.

In June 1794, a similar case occurred, when a German
child remained unburied owing to the dissensions between
the Duke's Place and the Hambro Synagogues. Mr Alex-
ander Phillips, presiding warden of the former Synagogue,
came to explain matters to the Portuguese Mahamad
(vestry), and said that owing to a resolution of the
members of his Congregation he did not dare to inter the
child; but desiring that it should be buried as a Jew, he
begged the Portuguese to interpose and effect a reconcilia-
tion between the two Synagogues. A meeting was held at
ten o'clock on the following morning, at the Portuguese
vestry. It was attended by Mr Alexander Phillips, of Duke's
Place Synagogue ; Mr E. P. Solomons, presiding warden of
the Hambro Synagogue ; Mr Asher Goldsmid and Mr
Solomon Solomons, on the part of the Germans; while the
Portuguese were represented by their wardens — Messrs
Emanuel Lousada, Gabriel I. Brandon, Raphael Rodriguez
Brandon, A. Lopes Pereira, and Isaac Gomes Serra. It was
proposed that the Hambro Synagogue should pay £50 for
six months, from Nisan to Tisri, to the Duke's Place Syna-
gogue, in consideration of which payment the latter under-
took to provide for the poor. It was left, to the Portuguese
wardens to decide in future whether that sum should be
increased. The two Synagogues were to complete an
arrangement on this basis; but it was agreed that should
they fail in doing so, another meeting should be held on the
following Monday. The two Synagogues did not im-
mediately arrive at an understanding, and the intended
meeting was not convened, owing to the absence of Mr
Joseph Gompertz, whose opinion it was desired to consult.
Then the Hambro Synagogue , declined to accept arbitration,
like those capricious ladies who, after soliciting intervention
in their domestic quarrels, are ready to repudiate such

2i8 SAMUEL MENDOZA.

intervention if likely to end in a decision against them.
This conduct so displeased Mr E. P. Solomons, that he
addressed an apologetic letter to the Portuguese authorities,
explaining that in consequence of such decision he had re-
signed his office in the Synagogue. However, an agreement
on the above terms was eventually entered into by the Great
and the Hambro Synagogues; and information to this effect
was conveyed in a letter written in very handsome terms by
the wardens of Duke's Place to those of Bevis Marks. We
extract the following paragraph from that document: — " Our
vestry are fully convinced that your laudable interference at
the commencement, and indefatigable perseverance in offer-
ing your assistance, are some of the principal causes to which
they must attribute the happy conclusion."

This letter, which contained a profusion of thanks and
expressions of gratitude, was signed by Messrs Levy Barent
Cohen, and Moses Samuel, the wardens.

Unfortunately such agreements as the one above adverted
to were made periodically, only to be periodically disre-
garded.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE RICARDO FAMILY.— THE ALIEN BILL.— SYNAGOGUE
FINANCE.

THE Hebrew mind has usually displayed an extraordinary
aptitude for Stock Exchange operations. The keen wit, the
far-seeing vision, and the unceasing activity of the Jew, ren-
dered him especially fit to grasp with stock -jobbing ; while
the boldness of his conceptions, his power of combination,
and the means at his disposal of obtaining accurate informa-
tion, enabled him to amass great wealth. Many Jewish
capitalists came over from Holland with William III. From
Menasseh Lopez to Abraham Goldsmid and Nathan Meyer
Rothschild, a series of Hebrew speculators held commanding
positions in Change Alley or the Stock Exchange. They
followed their avocation with eager zest ; and their expresses
from every court in Europe outstripped Government mes-
sengers with the latest news. Stock-jobbing flourished
greatly, and increased in extent in the middle of last century,
notwithstanding various attempts made by the legislature to
check this form of gambling. Sir John Barnard's Act — provid-
ing that no loss suffered through time bargains should be re-
coverable at law, and which remained in force until late years
— at first proved a serious hindrance to speculation. Time
bargains had originated from the period of six weeks in each
quarter in which the bank books were closed, and for obvious
reasons they greatly encouraged gambling. Sir John Barnard,
we will observe, was for many years Member for the City of
London, and he was an honest, conscientious man ; albeit he
bitterly opposed the Jewish Naturalisation Bill in 1753.
Speculators, soon accepted this Act; brokers were made
responsible for the contract they entered into, and the rush to
Change Alley in pursuit of Mammon became greater than ever.

220 THE RICARDO FAMILY.

Abraham Israel Ricardo was a prominent member of the
Stock Exchange during the latter part of the eighteenth cen-
tury. He was a devout Jew, and for many years acted as
broker for the Bevis Marks Synagogue, of which he was mem-
ber. His family had come over from Holland long before,
and they had always strictly adhered to the tenets of Judaism.
The Portuguese Congregation in those days, instead of in-
vesting all their funds in permanent securities, as at present,
were wont to leave a large sum in the hands of their agent
to be advanced in properly covered loans in the Stock Ex-
change. Abraham Israel Ricardo carried out many transac-
tions of this nature to the great satisfaction of his brethren,
and nearly every year a vote of thanks was awarded to him
by the electors, for the care and zeal which enabled him to
hand over to them by no means contemptible profits. Mr
Ricardo's business on behalf of the Synagogue seems to have
been extensive, and carried on with Jew and Christian. On
one occasion we find that he lent £22,000 in consols, at a
small backwardation, and £9500 bank stock at a continua-
tion, to Mr E. P. Solomons, to whom we adverted in our
previous chapter as resigning the Presidentship of the
Hamburg Synagogue, when its wardens declined to accept
the arbitration of the Portuguese Mahamad. Mr Ricardo
had a numerous family of sons ; and great was his sorrow
when his child David, a bright, intelligent boy, whom
he had initiated at the age of fourteen into the mysteries
of the Stock Exchange, began to waver from the ancient
faith of his forefathers. David Ricardo was induced in ex-
treme youth to secede from Judaism, when his father aban-
doned him altogether. David's own means were narrow, but,
as will easily be imagined under the circumstances, a number
of influential members of the Stock Exchange readily came
forward to assist him. They discovered his extraordinary
powers, and they foresaw that he would prove an important
acquisition to Christianity. At twenty-five years of age David
Ricardo began the study of mathematics, and explored the
secrets of nature through chemistry and mineralogy. Then
he grew acquainted with Adam Smith's ""Wealth of Nations,"
and the bent of his genius becoming apparent, he devoted
himself to political economy, in which field he won distinc-

THE RICARDO FAMIL Y. 221

tion. He realised a fortune in the Stock Exchange, while
his opinions on the last-named science acquired great weight.
The Bank Charter was to a great extent founded on his
principles, and to him the country was indebted for the
original plan by which the resumption of cash payments by
the Bank was effected without danger. His writings on
political economy almost formed as marked an era as the
work of Adam Smith. His principal production was pub-
lished in 1817, and attracted considerable attention. David
Ricardo in time reached the Senate, where his reputation
had already preceded him, and he died in 1823, at about
fifty-two years of age. At the time of his death he represented
in Parliament the borough of Portarlington. His fortune
was estimated at £700,000, and comprised several consider-
able landed estates, which were equitably distributed between
his three sons ; his four daughters being also adequately
apportioned. David Ricardo's withdrawal was an undoubted
loss to Judaism. He was an acute, patient, and comprehen-
sive thinker on scientific subjects, though we are not aware
that he had specially studied theological questions, neither do
we offer any opinion to explain his change of religious views.
His example was followed by most of his own brothers ; and
Abraham Ricardo, who lived to beyond the threescore and
ten years allotted to man, had the grief of seeing son after
son deserting the creed in which they had all been nurtured,
and to which he himself remained faithful to the last.

During the last decade of the eighteenth century, the poli-
tical position of the Jews in England appears to have been at
times very far from agreeable. The French Revolution had
raised its sanguinary flag. New and subversive doctrines
were preached on the other side of that narrow strip of sea
which divides Great Britain from the Continent; general
uneasiness reigned in England ; a fear of Jacobinism per-
vaded nearly all classes ; strangers were eyed with suspicion,
foreigners were often regarded as spies in disguise, and Jews,
from their correspondence and relations with other states,
inspired more or less open distrust. To obviate unpleasant
consequences from the condition of public feeling, on Sabbath
Hanucah, or during the Feast of Dedication in 1792, the
Wardens of the Portuguese Synagogue instructed their Day an,

222 THE RICARDO FAMILY.

Rabin Hasday Almosnino, to preach a sermon, inculcating
upon his audience the duty of Jews to show a firm attachment
to their king and constitution. Doubtless this was intended
rather to satisfy Gentile feeling than to teach Jews senti-
ments of loyalty, which they had always prided themselves
upon possessing. At the same time the Portuguese Secretary,
Daniel de Castro, communicated this resolution to Messrs
George Goldsmid, Alexander Phillips, and Joseph Lazarus,
the Wardens of the Great Synagogue, in conformity with a
previous understanding. What steps were taken on the
question we are unable to say : for Rabbi Tabil Schiif had
died in 1791, no successor had been appointed, and the neces-
sity for pulpit instruction had not yet been recognised by
the authorities of the Great Synagogue. Then also, on the
19th December 1792, Lord Grenville brought forward the Alien
Bill in the Lords, which gave Government control over the
movements of foreigners in this country, and notwithstand-
ing the eloquent opposition of Fox and his party in the Com-
mons the Alien Bill became law. This measure was rigorously
enforced. Occasionally King George himself did not disdain
to sign an order for the expulsion of some poor Dutch or
Polish Jew, whose misfortune it was not to be following some
profitable calling. Such occurrences were by no means rare,
and pressed heavily on the Jewish community, which had to
find funds for the departure from England of these aliens,
mostly men of little or no available means. Nevertheless the
Jews again displayed their attachment to the throne by
celebrating a special service on the 13th April 1793, the day
ordered by his Majesty to be kept as a fast. King George III.
and his advisers did not believe, like Napoleon, that Providence
was on the side of big battalions, and they desired to propitiate
Providence by prayers and humiliations.

Towards the end of the last century the German Congrega-
tions were rising in wealth, in numbers, and importance, and
were rivalling in some respects the older Portuguese Congre-
gation. The Sephardim, whatever may have been their private
views, had the wisdom of accepting the inevitable, and entered
into closer ties public and private with the Ashkenazim.
Since 1785 the Portuguese had elected Dr Joseph Hart Myers,
as doctor of their poor, a position which Dr Myers filled with

THE RICARDO FAMILY. 223

much credit for many years, until constrained to resign by ill
health. In 1790 that community resolved to permit the ad-
mission into their hospital of the poor of any other Jewish
Congregation, on proper arrangements to cover the extra
expense being effected. Then in December 1794 the wardens
of the four city Synagogues decided conjointly to reduce the
cost of the flour to be used for Passover Cakes on the ensuing
festival, by having all their wheat ground at the same mill.
It was war time, it must be recollected ; flour was worth 65s.
to 70s. the sack, and economy was well worth practising.
The poor were not allowed to suffer on that account; the best
quality of flour was employed, only, owing to its scarcity, the
poor received two-thirds of their customary allowance in
Matzoth or Passover Cakes, and one-third in potatoes. The
tendency was clearly towards a closer connection between
English Jews of German and of Portuguese stock; a tem-
porary check to this good feeling occurring in 1802, through
a circumstance which we shall in due course fully narrate, but
which fortunately made no lasting impression.

When Eabbi Tabil Schiff, the German Chief Rabbi, died
in 1791, his funeral was conducted with great decorum, and
all the honours sanctioned by Jewish usage were paid to his
remains. All the London Synagogues deputed their wardens
to do homage to the virtues of the deceased Eabbi, and the
Bevis Marks Synagogue was represented by their five wardens,
and by the four members of their Beth Din. We have already
in a former paper spoken of this pious doctor of Jewish Law,
so we need not further dilate on the subject. The office of
Chief Eabbi in his community remained unfilled for many
years ; the Eabbi of the New Synagogue being provisionally
appointed Dayan of the Duke's Place Synagogue at a nominal
salary. The election of a new Rabbi was mooted, but no
active steps were taken until 1794, when the requirements of
the Congregation were made known. Four or five applications
for the office came from abroad, one of them being from Dr
Hirschel, who was eventually elected. But no resolution was
arrived at, at that time, lack of funds being pleaded as a reason
for procrastination ; and the first year of the present century
still saw the Duke's Place Synagogue without a spiritual
chief. In truth the finances of that Synagogue were not in

224 THE RICARDO FAMILY.

an over flourishing condition. Mrs Levy's generous gift in
1787, and the subsequent loan of £2000 raised in 1789, had
not sufficed to place the Synagogue in the state desired by
zealous worshippers. And in November 1791, it was found
necessary to borrow a further sum of £3500 to liquidate the
debts incurred for repairs of the holy building. On this
occasion the ingenious expedient was hit upon, in order to
facilitate the operation, of taking members' notes of hand at
twelvemonths' date for the amount of their subscription ;
such notes being renewable on payment of interest for the
term of three years, when the loan itself was to be repaid.
Thus some members contributed to the good work by merely
lending their signatures. However, in most cases the amount
subscribed was advanced in cash, and nearly £3000 were col-
lected. The brothers Goldsmid, of whom we shall speak fully
hereafter, were then rising men ; and among the subscribers
to that fund we find the names of Abraham Goldsmid, Asher
Goldsmid, and George Goldsmid, each of whom gave £200.

At this period, too, the exchequer of the Bevis Marks
Synagogue, formerly full to overflowing, did not present by
any means a brilliant aspect. The offerings had fallen off,
the deficits of several .years had accumulated, and it was
deemed desirable also to open a subscription for the amount
of £2500. Neither public spirit nor wealth had become ex-
tinct in the Congregation, and the sum required was readily
forthcoming.

In the year 1794, a singular compact was made by the
members of the Great Synagogue to maintain the unity of
their sacred institution. Whether a falling off of members
was feared, or whether it had actually occurred we cannot say;
but certain it is that a number of gentlemen signed an under-
taking not to withdraw from the Synagogue under penalty of
forfeiting £100 each. An excellent plan this to prevent
desertions. An appeal to a man's purse is occasionally more
effective than an appeal to his religious principles ; and pique
and convenience may perhaps be found not to weigh down
the scale when balanced on the other side against the sum of
one hundred pounds.

CHAPTER XXIX.

SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS.— TWO JEWISH WORTHIES.

ONE of the first thoughts of Jews when they congregate in suf-
ficient numbers, is to erect a place of worship; and the beauty
and size of their Synagogues may serve to give a fair idea of
their numbers, means, and zeal. As we have already ex-
plained, their increase during the eighteenth century was
mainly confined to the Jews of German and Polish descent ;
and that section of Jews from being a minority, gradually rose
into being a large majority. Synagogue after Synagogue was
by them raised in London and in provincial towns. One of
the few places where their establishment does not appear
to have been always successful was Dublin. From some
unexplained cause, the Jews, who are beholden to the Irish
for more than one act of true kindness, did not uniformly
prosper on the banks of the Liffey. At one time, indeed —
in the year 1791 — the congregation had so dwindled in ex-
tent, that the Synagogue had been closed and the Scrolls of
the Law had been returned to the London Portuguese
Jews to whom they belonged. This temporary check
must have been owing to some purely fortuitous circum-
stances, for Dublin has since beheld a flourishing Jewish
Congregation. » The Jews of Dublin, let us say, always felt a
sense of friendship and gratitude towards the Jews of Bevis
Marks; and even so late as 1842, the former expressed a
desire to affiliate their Synagogue to the Portuguese Syna-
gogue of London. But everywhere else, at the period of
which we are speaking, the Jews with characteristic energy
and activity were extending their religious, educational, and
charitable institutions. Usually, as soon as the Synagogue
reared its head, the school-room quietly rose at its side.
The three German Synagogues in Duke's Place, Fenchurch

p

226 SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS.

Street, and Leadenhall Street, had become insufficient for
the crowds of worshippers who assembled thither on the
days of solemn gathering to invoke the Lord of Israel.
Permission was granted by the authorities of the Great
Synagogue to small Congregations of foreigners to meet for
prayers in suitable localities ; and among others a small
Polish Synagogue was built near Cutler Street, Houndsditch.
The Great Synagogue itself had been enlarged and rebuilt ;
and its members had so multiplied that a new resting-place
where they could sleep their last sleep undisturbed had to be
purchased. Towards this pious object Mr Abraham Golds-
mid and his brother Mr Asher Goldsmid did not fail to con-
tribute with their customary liberality. The ground for the
new " House of Life " was purchased in 1795 ; and a portion
of the land was sublet to a Christian, with the curious pro-
viso that a certain space should be devoted to the cultivation
of willow-trees, for the use of the Congregation in their ritual
observances during the Feast of Tabernacles. Then the
Portuguese Congregation had ordered the reconstruction of
some of the buildings adjoining their House of Prayer, at a
cost of about £4000. The New Synagogue in Leadenhall
Street was not behind its sister Congregations, and in 1798
the edifice was repaired and decorated in a very elegant and
chaste style. The ceremony of the consecration was attended
with great solemnity, and is thus described by a Christian
eye-witness. " The High Priest with the subordinate rabbis,
the chorus and attendants with a great number of fathers of
families in the proper vestments, were at the ceremony which
was affecting, grand, and awful. The music and the voices
performed in the eastern manner of strophe, antistrophe, and
chorus. The anthems were performed in a very superior
style of modulation and harmony. A crowd of people
attended, and they all conducted themselves decorously. A
subscription was opened, and in about twenty minutes up-
wards of £200 was subscribed."

We have thus seen that the City Synagogues were flour-
ishing, and their Congregations growing larger and richer ;
now we must record the foundation of a new Synagogue in
another quarter of the town. It was found advisable for
many Jews in trade to dwell beyond the boundaries of the

SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS. 227

city ; principally in those districts where the rich, the idle,
and the fashionable, meet and lounge and flirt together.
These Jews lived at a distance from the City Synagogues ;
and not being able to walk thither, and not wishing to be
excluded from the religious services to which they had been
accustomed, they naturally resolved to establish a place of
worship in their own locality. In the year 1797, a small
Synagogue was fitted up in Denmark Court, Strand. This
was the beginning of the Congregation of the Westminster
Jews, now in St Alban's Place. In the above-mentioned
year, the founders of the Westminster Synagogue consulted
the authorities of the Hambro Synagogue on the subject, and
all the three existing German Congregations resolved to act
together in this question. The old communities raised no ob-
jection to the formation of another Congregation; no feelings
of narrow-minded jealousy were awakened : and no laws of
the Medes and the Persians enacted that Jews should assemble
to pray in certain fixed spots and nowhere else. In 1798, the
City Congregations entered into a temporary arrangement
with the new Westminster Synagogue on a very reasonable
basis. It was not until the beginning of the present cen-
tury that a regular agreement was effected between the
Great Synagogue — on behalf of the City Congregations — and
the Westminster Synagogue.

During the same period, too, Jewish intellect was far from
being idle in London. Several Hebrew works principally by
German writers were published, which reflected great credit on
authors, editors, and printers. Among these we must enume-
rate two important works by Eliakim ben Abraham, which saw
the light in the year 1 794. One of these was called Milchamoth
Adonai, " The battles of the Lord," and consisted of essays
on several philosophical subjects ; and the other, Maamar
Beenah Laetim, was a commentary on the most difficult pas-
sages of Daniel. The diction of these treatises has been pro-
nounced to be chaste and elegant, and their contents to dis-
play much knowledge in science, natural philosophy, and
theology. The same writer also edited other works in the
holy tongue, consisting mainly of philosophy and metaphysics.
But Hebrew was not the only language in which Jews wrote ;
and one man at least wielded the vernacular with vigour if

228 SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS.

not with elegance. "\\re must not forget the services that
David Levi rendered to Judaism ; and let us pay a just tri-
bute to the memory of a man who taught Jews to appreciate
the beautiful prayers they too often addressed parrot-like to
the Deity, without understanding them ; and who broke many
a lance on behalf of his co-religionists. Let us say a few
words concerning David Levi. Born in 1742, his youth was
passed like the old masters in the Talmud in the pursuit of
a handicraft. Whilst struggling to earn a living as a shoe-
maker and a hat dresser, and surrounded with domestic cares,
he found time to devote to those studies he loved so wel],
He first produced a volume on the rites and ceremonies of
the Jews. He next published his " Lingua Sacra " in three
volumes, consisting of a Hebrew grammar with points, and a
complete Hebrew and English dictionary. These works are
far from being the most perfect of the kind, but they form a
remarkable instance of industry and perseverance in a person
constrained to follow a mechanical pursuit to supply the
necessities of life. He then defended his faith against the
attacks of ardent sectarian, albeit modified, Christianity on
the one side, and against the attacks of pure atheism on the
other. Dr Priestley, the well-known natural philosopher and
dissenting minister; the extraordinary man who dived into
the mysteries of nature ; who followed by turns the doctrines
of Arius and Socinius ; and who discovered new gases, desired
to convert the Jews to a religion the divine nature of which
he entirely repudiated. Dr Priestley, F.R.S., invited the Jews
to a friendly discussion on the evidences of Christianity.
Thus replied David Levi in the first of two series of letters :
" I am not ashamed to tell you that I am a Jew by choice
and not because I was born a Jew. Far from it, for I am
clearly of opinion that every person endowed with ratiocina-
tion ought to have a clear idea of the truths of revelation,
and a just ground for his faith so far as human evidence can
go." In 1789, David Levi administered another rebuke to Dr
Priestley, and then he broke a lance in defence of the Old
Testament against Thomas Paine's " Age of Reason/' David
Levi was a hard worker ; he gave the Portuguese Jews a
translation of their prayers, and subsequently he rendered
the same service to his own community. He addressed

SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS. 229

several controversial letters to Christian writers ; and he
published a Pentateuch in Hebrew and English with notes.
He was poet in ordinary to the Synagogues, and he furnished
odes as occasions required on public celebrations. The work
which appears to have lain nearest to his heart was his
" Dissertation on Prophecies," of which a part only had come
before the world when he was stricken with paralysis. In
1801, David Levi was summoned before his Maker, whom
he had humbly and zealously glorified for nearly sixty
years. David Levi, though not a polished or cultured writer,
was an earnest thinker, and he strove hard to benefit his
community. He was the first Jew who had vindicated his
faith in English ; and though he was no match for Joseph
Priestley as a controversialist, by the help of books he made
a respectable figure in print. A curious elegy in his honour
appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine. We quote two
stanzas : —

" Though science reared not in his anxious breast,
Confessions, creeds, nor formularies vext,
On prophecy's sure grounds he built his rest,
Nor with their mystic meanings was perplext.
He took the part benevolent and sincere
To argue and explain from falsehood clear.

" For to Priestley's philosophic views,

He cautious answered in his people's name.
The sceptic turned, nor more among the Jews
Sought for another argument or claim,
Nor did the arch demagogue's disloyal train
From Levi's pen a better chance obtain."

This poetry, as will be seen, is not of a very high class.
The author, Lemoine, was neither a Gray, a Cowper, nor a
Southey, but he was sincere ; and he seems to have really
admired David Levi in particular, though he did not expe-
rience the same reelings towards the Jews in general. The
long intimacy that had existed between the Jewish mechanic
and the Christian bookseller, doubtless predisposed the latter
to judge the former with a favourable eye. "VVe shall here-
after meet again with Henry Lemoiue as a writer on Jewish
affairs, who, evidently well intentioned, fell into serious
blunders, and who apparently possessing some knowledge
concerning the Jews, really frequently misunderstood them.

23o SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS.

Among the Jews deserving some notice during the period
of which, we are writing, that is, the end of last century,
we must not omit to mention the name of David Alves
Rebello, an eminent member of the Portuguese Congregation.
David Alves Rebello was not only a valued member of his
own community, where he had filled several offices of honour,
but he was an ornament to society of any faith. He was a
patron of the fine arts and a benefactor of the poor. He had
applied himself to the study of natural history, on which
science he left several writings. He was a great admirer of
works of art, particularly of coins ; and he gathered an
elegant, judicious collection of them, as well as of numerous
objects of mineralogy, botany, and every other branch of
natural history. David Alves Rebello is described by cotem-
porary writers as having possessed a vigorous and expanded
mind, fully equal to grasping successfully with the problems
of science. He died in May 1796, at Hackney, where many
Portuguese Jews then dwelt ; and he bequeathed to his
Synagogue a curious legacy of £500, the interest of which
was to be devoted to the purchase of certain under-garments
to be annually distributed to twelve poor persons of each
sex.

Let us now return to the Askenazi Community, and glance
once more to the men of note who sprang during the last por-
tion of the eighteenth century from that section of the Jews of
London. "We shall in due course furnish an account of the
Goldsmid family. Of David Levi, the humble and zealous
scholar and earnest worker, we have spoken. We will now take
a brief glance at two individuals of a very different stamp.
The one a clever journalist ; the other a famous songster ;
both Jews, yet neither of whom contributed to the advance-
ment of Judaism.

Lewis Goldsmith was an afnbitious young notary wJio, to
acquire some sort of celebrity, published a work entitled
" Crimes of Cabinets." In those days it was not safe to
write even the truth concerning ministers, for then the
greater the truth, was often literally the greater the libel.
So Goldsmith the Jew was indicted for libel and sedition, a
most unusual occurrence in respect of one of his race, and he
sought safety in France.

SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS. 231

It was during the time of the first empire, when every man
had his price ; and the French authorities were not slow in
detecting the literary talents of the exile. Soon Goldsmith
began to hurl his thunder against the British Cabinet through
the columns of the Argus, an English journal established in
Paris for that purpose.

After a while the French, with the fickleness, proverbially
if not always correctly, attributed to their nation, became
tired of their protege, and negotiated with the English Govern-
ment for the exchange of Goldsmith for some Frenchmen in
that Government's hands. Fortunately Goldsmith received
timely advice of the negotiations of which he was the object
and likely to be the victim, and he forestalled their result by
placing himself at once in communication with the English
authorities. His offences were not found to be of a very deep
dye ; he obtained permission to return ; duly submitted to a
pro forma trial for high treason, and was discharged.

The underhand attempts of his late friends greatly enraged
Lewis Goldsmith, who started in England the well-known
paper called the Anti-Gallican Monitor. Then the pliant and
versatile journalist turned his keen satire and powers of in-
vective against Napoleon and his court, drawing real or im-
aginary descriptions of the abuses and excesses perpetrated
in those precincts. His inflated periods on this occasion
served him to so good a purpose, that Louis XVIII. , on his
Restoration, at once rewarded the reviler of his enemies by
conferring on Lewis Goldsmith a pension for life. We may
also mention that a daughter of Lewis Goldsmith became the
second Lady Lyndhurst.

In the year 1801, a new singer made his debut at Covent
Garden Theatre in the opera of " Chains of the Heart," by
Mazzinghi and Riviere. This artist possessed one of the most
magnificent and yet one of the sweetest voices ever heard on
the stage. He was a short dark man, with restless and in-
telligent eyes. He was said to be a Jew, and he was called
John Braham. John Abrahams, or Braham, was truly born
of Jewish parents in the year 1774, and he became an orphan
at a tender age. He became early the pupil of Myer Lion,
otherwise Leoni, the Synagogue chorister and operatic singer
to whom we have already adverted, and who is stated to have

232 SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS.

been related to young Braham. The future tenor himself as
a boy sang in the choir of the Great Synagogue. Subse-
quently he experienced much kindness from Ephraim Polack,
father of Maria Polack, an authoress, and grandfather of
Elizabeth Polack, also a writer. Moreover, young Braham
enjoyed the protection of Mr Eliason, the eminent merchant
and son-in-law of Mr Aaron Goldsmid. At ten years of age
the youthful student began singing on the stage, and he suc-
cessfully delivered the bravura pieces composed for the cele-
brated Mad. Mara. He played subsequently at Drury Lane,
and he resolved to make a continental tour to finish his musical
education. In 1798 he visited Paris, and notwithstanding the
turmoil of the Revolution, he gave there a number of concerts
which attracted considerable crowds. In Italy he studied
composition under Isola, and he visited nearly all the principal
cities of the Land of Song ; in most of which he displayed in
public his fine talents. Oil his return to England he at once
became the first operatic performer of the day, and for years
he was rivalled on the British stage only by Charles Incledon.
This singer had fled to sea in boyhood, and on his return he
was taken in hand by Rauzzini, a well-known Italian maestro,
who instructed him in music. Incledon was endowed with a
splendid voice, but possessed little musical or other culture,
and he lacked genius. Nevertheless, the beauty and "wonder-
ful compass of his voice made him a dangerous competitor for
Braham. The latter represented the romantic or operatic
school, while the former shone principally in pure ballad
singing. The suffrages of London were divided between the
two stars, and their respective merits were canvassed as
warmly as in the well-known instance of the differences be-
tween Tweedle-de-dum and Tweedle-de-dee. John Braham
greatly surpassed Incledon in talents ; he became known as a
composer, and the musical world is indebted to him for several
light operas and songs. Among the latter, the best remem-
bered production is the patriotic air called the " Death of
Nelson," which long maintained its popularity. Of Braham
it was said in questionable praise that he sang like an angel
and spoke like a Jew. It is not believed that he ever formally
adopted any kind of Christianity, but there was nothing visible
of Judaism with him in his latter days except the ineffaceable

SYNAGOGUE PROGRESS. 233

stamp imprinted by nature on his countenance. John Brahain
married, and left several children, one of whom is Frances
Countess Waldegrave, now the consort of Lord Carlingford.
This greatest of modern English singers, after retiring from
the stage, lived in obscurity for many years, and died at an
advanced age, we believe in 1856.

We have spoken of the journalist and of the songster,
because it is a necessary part of our work to notice eminent or
notorious men born within the pale of Judaism, though neither
Goldsmith nor Braham in any manner advanced the cause of
their race. They were Jews from accident of birth, and fiot
from conviction ; and at least in one instance when the forms
of the ancient creed became inconvenient and were considered
as opposed to worldly advancement, they were, as in other
cases, cast off without compunction.

CHAPTER XXX.

FRIENDS AND VINDICATORS OF THE JEWS.

WE must yet linger awhile on the latest )rears of the eighteenth
century, for during that period, and during the early years
of the present century, many events occurred of direct interest
to Judaism. Indeed, we consider that epoch to be one of
great moment in Anglo-Jewish history. Judaism seemed
to acquire a new life, notwithstanding the desertions from
its pale which it has been our duty to chronicle, and which
still continued from time to time ; and a considerable com-
munal development, as we have already perceived, was un-
folding itself in various directions. On future occasions we
shall speak of new institutions founded, and of schemes for
the amelioration of the Jewish masses proposed or carried
out. We will first proceed to treat of the awakened interest
and sympathy which were beginning to be felt by thoughtful
Englishmen and English women for a long persecuted race.

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Napoleon
raised his then all-powerful hand to uplift the Jews from the
effects of the ill-treatment of ages, and to place them as
civilised human beings on terms of equality with the rest of
mankind, the inquiring eyes of Europe and of England were
turned towards the children of Israel. But even in the pre-
ceding decade, between 1790 and 1800, we find signs of
freshly stirred-up curiosity concerning Jewish manners and
customs, and newly-inspired friendship towards Jews.
Jewish Synagogues and cemeteries became the objects of
visits from Christians ; Jewish merits and demerits were
discussed in magazine articles ; and Jewish virtues — strange
to relate — formed the chords upon which the dramatist
played to stir up the hearts of the audience.

In the year 1795, a Christian lady visited the Portuguese

FRIENDS OF THE JEWS. 235

Cemetery at Mile End, with which she appeared to be much
gratified. We shall give an extract from her account which
is really worthy of note, for it furnishes some curious in-
formation. The lady was struck with the sentence from
Ecclesiastics, chosen by the Jews, " Then shall the dust
return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it," which she considered formed a
happy contrast with the French atheistic motto, " La mort
est un eternel sommeil." After quoting St Paul, and de-
scribing the ceremonies attending a Jewish funeral, our fair
writer thus continues : " The dead are interred in rows,
without any respect to difference of rank. He who is buried
to-day lies next to him that was buried yesterday, whether
poor or rich, except a few instances when a husband, wife,
or some dear relative purchases the next place to be reserved
for himself or herself; nor is there any difference in the
coffins. One plain hearse carries all ; the more respected
they are the more numerous are the train that follow.
Those who have been notoriously bad are put into the
ground without any ceremony, and I believe put apart from
the rest, else the only distinction is the richer having grave-
stones with Hebrew, Portuguese (or Spanish), and English
inscriptions. Some have only one of these languages, many
with emblems and devices, such as a hand coming out of
the clouds with an axe in the act of hewing down a tree,
shedding the water out of a pitcher, or plucking a rose if it
is a donzella that lies beneath. On a Mrs Ximenes who
died in childbed at the age of sixteen, the emblem is
strikingly pathetic. A rose just cropt, a bud remaining
over it. ' Oh, spare the bud !' But I could not comprehend
that on Sir Sampson Gideon's grave arose a building which
appeared to me like a temple divided into compartments, in
one of which a man in long robes seems walking in a
melancholy manner ; in another, a group of figures and a
dog ; this surprises me as I thought they were not per-
mitted to carve any figures of animals. ... I must not
forget a kind of fountain in which they wash their hands on
their return from the ground as a purification : and I am
told that the friends and the relatives of the deceased make
it a point of tender attention to fill up the grave, which, as

236 FRIENDS OF THE JEWS.

such numbers generally attend, is soon performed. Besides
the keeper of the place, who lives in a house adjoining, two
men constantly sit up every night in a movable watch-box,
which wheels over the last grave ; this has been done for
four or five years, in consequence of their ground being
robbed by resurrectionists." Our fair writer's description
seems correct in the main, and gives an accurate and pleasing
account of the cemetery of the Portuguese Jews. The lady
does full justice to the perfect equality that reigns in death
among Jews, with whom poor and rich lie side by side with-
out distinction. She falls, however, in error when she alludes
to the grave of Sir Sampson Gideon. He never was interred
among the Jews. The Sampson Gideon whose tomb she
beheld died untitled. It was his son who was first created a
baronet, and then raised to the peerage of Ireland under the
style of Lord Eardley, as we have formerly stated. As for
the figures she saw over the building which she depicts, they
are certainly contrary to Jewish custom. That temple, how-
ever, is no longer in existence, for the monument having
fallen into a state of decay, the family asked permission of
the Synagogue authorities, little more than thirty years ago,
to place a new tombstone over the grave of the once great
financier. This permission was naturally granted, and the
tombstone that had originally covered Sampson Gideon's
bones, passed into the possession of his descendants.

Among the friends and advocates of the Jews we must
rank a writer who, under the initials of " J. D. I.," espoused
in warm and eloquent accents the cause of the Jews, during
the same year, viz., 1795. Another writer had addressed a
communication to a magazine, in which he repeated a story,
found in Matthew Paris, who gravely accused the Jews of
killing a Christian child in 1255, for the sake of his blood.
Whereupon our author, whose full name we regret we cannot
give, answered with an able and glowing defence of the Jews.
Want of space and other obvious causes must prevent us
from reproducing it in extenso, but we shall extract two
paragraphs, from which our readers will be able to judge of
the whole. " J. D. I.," after lamenting that Dr Tovey,
that humane and learned antiquary, should have placed some
credence in this legend, founded on such slender basis ; and,

FRIENDS OF THE JEWS. 237

after rebutting the exceedingly slight evidence adduced in
support, thus proceeds : —

" The calumnies which have been spread concerning the
descendants of Jews have been numerous, but they have all
been like the present one, accompanied with circumstances
which in this age destroy their possibility. I shall consume
little time in mentioning a few I recollect. Because a king
of France happened to be more insane than some of his pre-
decessors, all Jews were expelled from their native country ;
for the royal lunatic was declared by an archbishop to be so,
in consequence of Jewish witchcraft. Because a vagrant, not
less insane than this French monarch, proposed exterminat-
ing the Turks, the crusaders to begin auspiciously first
fleshed their swords among the European Jews ; and because
these Quixotic expeditions were, as they naturally should be,
more destructive to the Jews than to the Turks, half the re-
maining Jews were massacred on their return. Was there a
plague ? The waters were poisoned by the Jews ! Was
there a famine ? The harvests were bewitched by the Syna-
gogue ! They burnt ; they massacred ; they tortured, till at
length the plague ceased, and the famine was no more : and
the consequence was, that murdering Jews was therefore
considered as a desirable national expiation. Was a king
crowned? the royal ceremony was attended with the splendid
destruction of his unhappy subjects, the Jews. . . . It is
a great misfortune that the Jewish nation cannot produce
one writer to vindicate, with elegance and with truth, their
forlorn, their indigent state. The Jews have only found
advocates in enlightened Christians, but it is more frequently
their misfortune also to receive in silence and resignation the
' insult of Christians."

Happily, we can truly say now, nous awns chang6 tout
cela. The persecution of Jews in civilised states, or at all
events in England, is purely a matter of history ; and since
the days of David Levi, scores of champions from the ranks
of Judaism have risen " to 'vindicate with grace and with
truth," the wrongs and sufferings of their brethren.

There is another name which should now be remembered
by Jews with that gratitude which unfortunately was not
manifested towards its bearer during his life. Richard

238 FRIENDS OF THE JEWS.

Cumberland was the first dramatist who had the courage to
make a Jew appeal to the sympathies of the audience.
Hitherto in the words of a character in Cumberland's play,
whenever playwrights wanted a butt, or a buffoon, or a
knave to make sport of, out came a Jew to be baited and
buffeted through five long acts for the amusement of all
good Christians. Much ingenuity has been exercised in
endeavouring to prove that William Shakespeare, in drawing
the character of Shylock, desired secretly to justify the Jews.
We confess we cannot concur in this opinion. On the con-
trary, we are heretics enough to believe that Shakespeare
represented Shylock not according to nature, but only accord-
ing to that which nature was popularly believed to be. In
other words, he depicted a Jew in conformity with the small
knowledge or prejudices of his audience, and he reversed
the original story, if he ever had heard of the true version,
because he considered, and justly considered, that a cruel,
avaricious, and vindictive Jew would impress more and at-
tract an audience better than a philanthropic or benevolent
Jew. Richard Cumberland, inferior as he was to William
Shakespeare in genius and power, sought to raise and defend
an unjustly vilified race ; and he ran counter to popular
notions to uphold what he believed to be the truth. Instead
of depicting the potential villainies of the Jews, he delineated
their actual virtues. The ll Jew " was first performed in
1794, and was supported by some of the best artists of the
day. Sheva the Jew was played by Bannister, " handsome
Jack Bannister; " while Jubal, his man, was represented by
Suett, an irresistibly droll low comedian. Palmer, one of the
greatest " villains " that ever strode on the stage, appeared as
Frederick ; and the beautiful and celebrated Miss Farren —
who subsequently became Countess of Derby — graced the part
of Louisa Ratcliff. Sheva the Jew, under the guise of an
old hunks of a curmudgeon, conceals the noble heart of a
generous philanthropist, who does good by stealth and blushes
to find it fame. Under a sordid exterior, Sheva casts his
benefactions on the deserving with unsparing hand. A very
Harpagon in appearance and manners, he is in reality a
Cheeryble in feeling. He starves himself, he pinches his
servants, and feeds abundantly the necessitous poor. Ho

FRIENDS OF THE JEWS. 239

succours the son of a Christian merchant unjustly discarded
by his father; he saves from want a meritorious youth, and
he bestows an ample fortune anonymously on a worthy damsel
whose father had helped his escape from Spain ; thus enabling
the young lady to be honourably recognised as a wife by her
father-in-law, the self-righteous Christian merchant. The
play was successful enough at the time of its appearance.
But the plot is slender, and the language prosy and mono-
tonous. Above all, it lacks the stamp of genius : and thus
it happens that whilst audiences flock to hiss at the cruelty
and avarice of Shylock, the existence of the beneficent Sheva
is scarcely known to the present generation. Still doubtless
some good was effected by Cumberland's "Jew" at the period ot
its production. It produced a temporary sympathy for Sheva ;
tears must have been shed by sensitive ladies at the recital of
his sorrows, and probably his co-religionists may have inspired
kinder thoughts. The " Jew " was not without its imitations,
and among these we may mention a piece called the " Jew of
Mogador," which is conceived in the same kindly spirit as
Cumberland's play. Richard Cumberland, in addition to his
drama, again illustrated the sufferings of the Jews, in his
description of the wrongs of Abraham Abrahams.

It is much to be regretted that the Jewish nation did not
deem it proper to express their gratitude to Cumberland ;
which is all the more surprising, as the Jews have habitually
been most ready to demonstrate their thankfulness towards
those who befriended them. The author of the " Jew " felt
keenly this neglect. In the memoirs of his own life thus does
he express himself on this, to him, sore subject : " The public
prints gave the Jews credit for their sensibility in acknow-
ledging my well-intended services : my friends gave me joy
of honorary presents, and some even accused me of ingratitude
for not making my thanks for their munificence. I will speak
plainly on this point. I do most heartily wish they had flat-
tered me with some token, however small, of which I could
have said, this is a tribute to my philanthropy, and delivered
it to my children as my benevolent father did to me his badge
of favour from the citizens of Dublin ; but not a word from
the lips, not a line did I ever receive from the pen of any Jew,
though I have found myself in company with many of their

24o FRIENDS OF THE JE WS.

nation ; and in this perhaps the gentlemen are quite right,
whilst I had formed expectations that were quite wrong ; for
if I have said of them only what they deserve, why should I
be thanked ; and if more, much more, than they deserve, can
they do a wiser thing than hold their tongue ? "

Eichard Cumberland speaks with all the courtesy and
dignity of a true gentleman ; which increases our chagrin at
his being constrained to give vent to such utterances.

CHAPTER XXXI.

CONVERSIONIST ATTEMPTS— PRIVILEGE OF PRISONERS
— THE JEWS' HOSPITAL— A BAAL SHEM.

THE increasing interest felt on behalf of the Jews mani-
fested itself among certain Christians, by an increasing care
for the welfare of Jewish souls. According to these persons
of peculiar minds, salvation could only be achieved by belief
in their own creed ; beyond which nothing could be expected
except irredeemable perdition. ^In conformity with these
convictions, attempts were made towards the end of last cen-
tury to convert the Jews on a large scale. No regular society
for that purpose had yet been formed, but organised efforts
were made to open the eyes of Jews, and to save that stubborn
race from the doom of unbelievers. A meeting-house of dis-
senters in Bury Street opened its portals to the Jews, and
efforts were made to attract them within its precincts. A
committee of dissenting ministers was appointed to prepare
a series of lectures, and a young preacher named Cooper is
said to have felt an especial calling for such a mission, and
to have gathered crowds to listen to his eloquent accents.
The Rev. John Lowe, a Scotch minister, and one of the secre-
taries of the Missionary Society, drew up a syllabus of subjects
for lectures, which were successively delivered by various
English and Scotch clergymen. According to the account
rendered by one of these preachers, the hall in Bury Street,
though large enough to contain 800 to 900 persons, was
scantily attended, and not fifty Jews were ever found there at
one time. It is represented that some of the principal Jewish
merchants were occasionally present at these lectures, but
that they seemed incredulous on religious subjects. Cooper,
who preached in the fields, is stated to have drawn many Jews
who, far from their homes and lost among thousands, were

Q

242 CON VERSIONIST A TTEMPTS.

less exposed to observation. But these efforts did not appear
to produce any effect — Jews possibly heard these lectures ;
assuredly they were not converted. We have spoken at length
on the subject of Jewish conversions, and we need not revert
to the question ; we will only observe that conversion societies
have seldom, if ever, gained over to Christianity one single
Jew of note or position in his own nation. After some years
these efforts were relinquished. One of the dissenting mini-
sters, Dr Hunter, who appeared to be more sensible than the
rest, declared the undertaking to be fruitless, and he said in
his last lecture, " Prophecy did not encourage us as yet to
expect the conversion of 1000 Jews in London, and success
would have falsified prediction." Dr Hunter also alleged,
and the first part of his proposition is correct — " That Jews
had not always had before them the amiable and attractive
side of Christianity ; that they had met with hatred, contempt,
and persecution from Christians, and in return hated them
and their religion." His concluding remarks deserve repro-
duction : " Whenever the salvation of Israel is wrought out,
you may rest assured it will be at a time and by means of
instruments far beyond the power of human sagacity to de-
termine. I have contributed my mite towards the attempt,
but under a complete conviction of its total inutility. But so
little am I wedded to my own prejudice or opinion, that to
live to see the event giving them a flat contradiction, I should
consider that as the most blessed event of my life." Oh,
that the over-zealous speakers of Exeter Hall could learn a
little of the wisdom, moderation, and sincerity of Dr Hunter !
and that the pious old ladies and tender-hearted country
gentlemen, who are so anxious for the salvation of the Jews,
could be prevailed upon to turn their philanthropic, attention
to the rescue of the numerous heathens who walk in the streets
of London, and who know not their right hands from the left!
A certain foreign convert, who adopted the name of Frey,
exerted himself zealously to induce his former brethren to
follow his example, like the fox which had lost its tail. Frey
became a Christian clergyman, and to inspire faith in his
sincerity, he adopted such extreme views, as to check rather
than encourage neophytes ; and his own fellow-labourers were
constrained to admit that he effected little good in their cause.

. CONVERSIONIST A TTEMPTS. 243

Frey was a man of some knowledge in Hebrew, and lie wrote
a Hebrew lexicon. He addressed a letter to the Jews of
which they took no public notice. But a certain Solomon
Bennett, a Pole, wrote a reply thereto which was neither a
learned nor a well- written production. It was not until some
years after the beginning of the present century, that rank
and wealth commenced their efforts to win over, not to say
purchase, Jews to Christianity ; and of these attempts we
shall speak in the proper place.

Notwithstanding the improved tone of feeling towards the
Jews which was beginning to prevail among the educated
part of the population, the general position of that commu-
nity was by no means more secure, more honourable, or more
brilliant than it had been during the preceding half century.
They enjoyed neither civil nor political rights. The Alien
Act had already pressed somewhat hardly upon them. Again ,
in July 1798, the Lord Mayor summoned the Wardens of the
City Synagogues, to say that the Duke of Portland, one of
her Majesty's Secretaries of State, had ordered him to pro-
cure a return of all aliens within three weeks, and all Jews
not conforming were liable to imprisonment and transporta-
tion. The Sephardi authorities took stringent measures to
induce all foreign Jews, except those who had become free
denizens, to attend in the vestry-room for the purposes of
registration. At the same time a meeting of the Honorary
Officials of the Ashkenazi Congregations was held at the
Anti-Gallican Coffee-house, under the presidency of Mr
Abraham Goldsmid, at which it was resolved to register all
members, seatholders, past seatholders, and their servants, so
as to avoid incurring the penalties of the law.

We are glad, however, to be able to record an example of
liberality and good feeling displayed towards the Jews, a few
brief years after this occurrence. Mr Abraham Goldsmid
and Mr Gabriel I. Brandon, as Presidents of their respective
Synagogues, in Duke's Place and Bevis Marks, applied in
1801 to Mr Mainwaring, Chairman of the Commission of
Magistrates for the preservation of the peace in the County
of Middlesex, praying that Jewish prisoners in Bridewell
might be dispensed from work on Sabbaths and festivals.
Whereupon Mr Mainwaring desired to be informed of the date

244 CONVERSION1ST ATTEMPTS.

of such festivals and the hour of their beginning according to the
Jewish ritual. These particulars having been duly furnished,
Mr Mainwaring wrote the following courteous communication
to Mr de Castro, Secretary to the Portuguese community :

" Sir, — I have received the list of the solemn holidays,
transmitted to me by order of the Rulers of the principal
Jewish Synagogues, and beg you will present my respectful
compliments to these gentlemen, and inform them that I
will, as soon as possible, obtain the indulgences requested for
such Jews, as may be so unfortunate as to become prisoners
in the gaols under the direction of the magistrates of this
county. — I am, &c., W. MAINWARING."

The kind act of this gentleman deserves mention as estab-
lishing an official precedent for such exemptions. The same
privilege has since been frequently, though not invariably,
accorded to Jews in English prisons ; where fortunately the
numbe^r of Jewish prisoners has ordinarily been small, even
considering the proportion the Jews bear to the rest of the
population.

We have already said that the German Jews were beginning
to acquire wealth and position during the last years of the
eighteenth century. Men of fortune and public spirit arose
among them, and the Goldsmid family shone pre-eminently for
their wealth and their munificent generosity.

The want of an asylum for the poor of the German com-
munity was beginning to be felt; and in 1795, Messrs Ben-
jamin and Abraham Goldsmid opened for the purpose a list of
subscriptions, to which they liberally themselves contributed.
In the year 1797, the sum collected amounted to £'^0,000,
which was invested in 3 per cent, stock. The scheme remained
in abeyance until 1806, when a meeting of the Jewish sub-
scribers was summoned. We advisedly say of the Jewish
subscribers, for a considerable part of this £20,000 had been
liberally given by Christians, — by large-hearted men, whose
object was purely philanthropic, and who had no desire to
meddle in internal Jewish affairs. At that meeting it was
resolved to establish an hospital for the reception and support
of the aged poor, and for the education and industrious em-
ployment of the youth of both sexes. A portion of the funds

CONVERSIONIST A TTEMPTS. 2 4 5

which served for the foundation of the institution, came from
an abortive scheme to establish an hospital for the Jewish
sick.

With the funds on hand, which had considerably increased,
and which formed a total capital of £30,000 stock, an income
of £900 a year was secured. A spacious and convenient
building, especially constructed, was opened on the 28th June
1807. It was called the Neveh Tzedek — Abode of Righteous-
ness— and it provided for the reception of five aged men, five
aged women, ten boys, and eight girls. The new institution
proved a success. It was most favourably described in the
press of the day; and it has been since steadily extending its
scope and its sphere of usefulness. The boys, after a course
pf proper instruction, were taught a trade in the house, and
at the age of twelve or thirteen were bound apprentices to
suitable masters. The girls learnt reading, writing, needlework,
cooking, and other domestic arts, and were kept in the asylum
until fifteen years of age. The aged of both sexes found a
refuge under the hospitable roof of the Neveh Tzedek in which
to spend their declining years, and they remained there until
summoned to join the greater number. Among the founders
we must not omit to make honourable mention of Mr Joshua
Van Oven, who, by his abilities, energies, and activity, con-
tributed to the successful execution of an idea, to the origin
of which he was not himself a stranger.

The possession of supernatural powers has been usually
attributed to those Jewish doctors who have mastered the
secrets of the Kabbala, and the character of a Thaumaturgos
is by no means- new in Jewish history. A gentleman, popu-
larly invested with those miraculous gifts, made his appear-
ance in London during the latter part of the eighteenth century.
This Baal Shem, this master of the mode of uttering the In-
effable name ; this holder of an extraordinary faculty, which
was said to have proved highly valuable to him, was known
in everyday life as Dr or Rabbi de Falk. He came from
Fiirth, where his mother had died in straitened circumstances,
and had been buried at the expense of the Congregation : De
Falk himself was without means when he reached this country.
Whether he owned among his other secrets the grand one of
the transmutation of metals, or whether he followed privately

246 CONVERSIONIST ATTEMPTS.

some lucrative occupation, like a common mortal, we are un-
able to state. But by all accounts, soon after his arrival in
London, De Falk was seen to be in possession of considerable
funds, and one of his first cares was to remit to the Congre-
gation of Fiirth the amount of the expenses incurred for his
mother's funeral. Usually De Falk was well provided with
cash; but occasionally he found himself in absolute need,
when he did not disdain to seek advances on his plate from
a pawnbroker in Houndsditch. The bolts and bars of the
pawnbroker's strong room were insufficient to confine there
De Falk's valuables, when he summoned them back to his
own closet: but he always honourably acquitted his debt.
One day, shortly after having deposited some gold and silver
vessels with the pawnbroker, the Kabbalist went to the shop
in question, and laying down the duplicate with the sum ad-
vanced and exact interest, he told the shopman not to trouble
himself for the plate, as it was already 'in his possession.
The incredulity with which this statement was received,
changed into absolute dismay, when it was ascertained that
De Falk's property had really disappeared, without displacing
any of the articles that had surrounded it !

Rabbi de Falk lived in Wellclose Square, where he kept a
comfortable establishment. He had there his private Syna-
gogue : and he exercised great benevolence towards the de-
serving. He is described as a man of universal knowledge,
of singular manners, and of wonderful talent, which seemed
to command the supernatural agencies of spiritual life. In-
stances are given of his extraordinary faculties, by respectable
witnesses of his day, who evidently placed implicit faith in
the stories they related. Dr de Falk was a frequent guest
at Aaron Goldsmid's table. One day, it is said, the Baal
Shem was invited to call on one of Mr Goldsmid's visitors, a
gentleman dwelling in the Chapter-house in St Paul's Church-
yard, to hold some conversation with him in a friendly manner
on philosophical subjects: " When will you come?" asked
the gentleman. De Falk took from his pocket a small piece
of wax candle, and handing it to his new acquaintance, re-
plied : " Light this, sir, when you get home, and I shall be
with you as soon as it goes out." Next morning, the gentle-
man in question lighted the piece of candle. He watched it

CONVERSIONIST A TTEMPTS. 2 4 7

closely, expecting it to be consumed soon, and then to see
De Talk. In vain. The taper, like the sepulchral lamps of
old, burned all day and all night, without the least diminution
in its flame. He removed the magic candle into a closet,
when he inspected it several times daily, for the space of
three weeks. One evening, at last, Dr de Falk arrived in a
hackney coach. The host had almost given up all expectation
of seeing De Falk, as the taper, shortly before his advent,
was still burning as brightly as ever. As soon as mutual
civilities were over, the master of the house hastened to look
at the candle in the closet. It had disappeared. When lie
returned, he asked De Falk whether the agent that had re-
moved the candle would bring back the candlestick. " Oh
yes," was the reply ; " it is now in your kitchen below,"
which actually proved to be the fact. Once a fire was raging
in Duke's Place, and the Synagogue was considered in im-
minent danger of being destroyed. The advice and assistance
of De Falk were solicited : he wrote only four Hebrew letters
on the pillars of the door, when the wind immediately changed
its quarter, and the fire subsided without committing further
damage.

When Dr de Falk made his will, for not all his knowledge
could save him from the fate of ordinary mortality, he ap-
pointed as his executors Mr Aaron Goldsmid, Mr George
Goldsmid, and Mr de Symons. He bequeathed to the Great
Synagogue a small legacy of £68, 16s. 4d., and an annual
sum of £4, 12s. to whoever fulfilled the functions of Chief
Rabbi. To Aaron Goldsmid, De Falk, in token of his friend-
ship, left a sealed packet or box, with strict injunctions that
it should be carefully preserved, but not opened. Prosperity
to the GoMsmid family would attend obedience to De Falk's
behests ; while fatal consequences would follow their disre-
gard. Some time after the Kabbalist's death, Aaron Gold-
smid, unable to overcome his curiosity, broke the seal of the
mysterious packet. On the same day, he was found dead.
Near him was the fatal paper, which was covered with hiero-
glyphics and cabalistic figures.

We need not multiply instances of De Falk's alleged super-
natural powers. We must, however, express a regret that his
miracles did not assume a higher form. It seems hardly

248 CONVERS10NIST ATTEMPTS.

worth while to summon the assistance of the world of spirits,
merely to conjure away from a pawnbroker's office some coffee
pots and silver dishes. To make a candle burn for weeks is
a very purposeless prodigy, unless applicable to the objects of
domestic economy. We will not undertake to say whether
there is more in heaven or earth than we dream of in our
philosophy ; whether, as is more likely, De Falk's miracles
partook of the nature of the feats performed by Robert Houdin,
Professor Anderson, and Dr Lynn ; or whether, as is most
probable of all, they were ordinary occurrences magnified into
wonders by the love of the marvellous and of the supernatural
obtaining in the mind of the vulgar. All we have to add
with reference to De Falk is, that the poor considered him
as a benefactor, and consulted him on every emergency during
his life, while they blessed his memory after death for the
liberal donations he left, which were dispensed by Mr de
Symons, the surviving executor.

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE GOLDS MID FAMILY.

AARON GOLDSMID was a Dutch merchant of means and of
good connections, who established himself in this country
with his family in 1765. He was the father of eight children,
four of whom were sons and four were daughters. The sons
grew up and prospered, and wedded wealthy wives from their
own community. The eldest son, George Goldsmid, became
a partner in his father's firm of Aaron Goldsmid & Son.
Asher, the second son, joined Mr Mocatta of Mansell Street,
and founded the eminent firm of Mocatta & Goldsmid, who
became bullion-brokers to the Bank of England. Originally
Mr Goldsmid intended to admit his third son, Benjamin, to
a share in the aifairs of his house. A serious blow sustained
by his firm caused him to alter his plans. He determined
that his younger sons, Benjamin and Abraham, should begin
an independent business as brokers. The limited capital with
which they started, was afterwards increased by a legacy of
£15,000, bequeathed to them by an uncle at Amsterdam. For
family reasons it was deemed desirable that Benjamin should
travel for a few months ; and he took this opportunity of
visiting some of the principal cities of Europe in company with
Mr Joachim, his brother-in-law. In brilliant Paris, in solemn
Berlin, in artistic Rome, Benjamin Goldsmid visited his
brethren, made himself acquainted with their political con-
dition, with their educational status, and with their material
and moral wants. Being of a generous disposition he liberally
contributed to the assistance of the Jews abroad, and on his
return to England his attention became more easily fixed on
the needs of the Jews at home. To all his co-religionists,
English and foreign, he always proved open-handed. The
death of Aaron Goldsmid occurred suddenly, as we related in

250 THE GOLDSMID FAMILY.

the previous chapter. Not many months after he had wel-
comed back his son Benjamin, the head of the house of Gold-
smid divided his fortune equally among his children.

Benjamin Goldsmid was lucky enough to secure the hand
of Miss Jessie Solomons, the daughter of Mr Israel L. Solo-
mons of Clapton, an opulent East India merchant, of Dutch
extraction. The young lady was a highly-coveted prize, not
only for the beauty of her person and the charm of her manner,
but because she was reported to be the richest maiden in Israel.
The marriage of Benjamin Goldsmid took place as soon after
the death of his father as circumstances permitted. The
£100,000, brought to Benjamin by his young bride, materially
added to the credit of the house; and the increasing opera-
tions of the firm of Goldsmid in time attracted the attention
of government. Large sums passed through their hands in
the purchase and sale of bullion, stocks, navy and exchequer
bills, and in negotiating foreign bills of exchange. Their
transactions amounted annually to millions, until the extent
of their speculations and of their credit, and the liberality of
their dispositions, raised them without opposition to the very
first place in the Stock Exchange. They were the earliest
members of the Stock Exchange, who competed with bankers
for national loans. Hitherto, these had been allotted by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to the banking interest, who
were wont to form a confederation to keep down the prices.
The brothers Goldsmid broke down the monopoly, and the
country profited by obtaining more favourable terms. At the
same time fortune seemed to follow their every act, and the
smiles of the capricious goddess were lavished upon them.
Their charity and their beneficence were equal to their wealth,
and their liberality was not confined to the poor of their own
faith, but was freely afforded to Christians of every denomina-
tion. They possessed financial genius of the highest order ;
they knew a bad name to a bill of exchange as if by instinct.
In 1793 when a commercial crisis occurred, as severe as the
crisis of 1847, when some of the oldest and most substantial
commercial houses in England fell to pieces like houses of
cards, Benjamin and Abraham Goldsmid lost only £50 !
The press of the period faithfully reported their movements,
and one day we find recorded a banquet to royalty, the next

THE G OLD SMI D FAMILY. 2 si

day an errand of mercy to a prisoner's cell. Their hospitality
was unbounded. Their entertainments were on the grandest
scale, and were said to have rivalled the fairy glories of the
Arabian Nights.

Benjamin Goldsmid, immediately after his marriage, took
a tasteful and elegant residence at Stamford Hill ; and subse-
quently he purchased an estate at Roehainpton, where he
ordered the erection of a princely mansion. Nothing was
omitted that could add splendour to this abode of luxury and
boundless wealth. Magnificent and costly staircases, vesti-
bules with beautiful and expensive marble pavements, a
rich library, a noble dining-room, a choice gallery of paint-
ings, gorgeous drawing-rooms, unique stables, grounds laid
out with admirable taste and judgment, and a terrace and
lawn, where art and nature seemed to vie with each other to
gratify and bewitch the beholder. Such were some of the
features of a residence that was compared with Windsor Castle !
Brilliant illuminations on public occasions rendered it a fairy
palace ; and the fete given after the battle of the Nile, is
stated to have surpassed in splendour all that had been at-
tempted before in England ! Benjamin was a great personal
favourite with Pitt, England's celebrated minister. His name,
and that of his brother Abraham, were found in all lists of
subscriptions for charitable objects. Benjamin Goldsmid was
the founder of the Naval Asylum, and for a time the institu-
tion was under his management, until the Government adopted
it, enlarged it, and rendered it worthy to shelter the children
of the sailors of the greatest naval nation in the world. At
the anniversary dinner, the Duke of Kent (father of her
present Majesty) presided, with Admiral Sir Sydney Smith
on his right hand, and Benjamin Goldsmid on his left. Jews
and Christians alike freely gave on the occasion, and Benjamin
Goldsmid collected £2000 among his friends. Neither did
he forget his race and faith. He was a generous donor to the
Synagogue funds ; and he had an apartment fitted up in his
mansion where his household assembled for divine worship,
and where was carefully kept a Scroll of the Law. He ap-
propriated a piece of ground to the Chief Kabbi, and he
annually presented to him its produce, fine wheat, with which
to make Passover cakes. Knowing the low state of education

i
252 THE GOLDSMID FAMILY.

among German Jews in his time, he liberally promoted all
schemes likely to raise the mental condition of his co-re-
ligionists. He supported all educational movements, and in
conjunction with Dr Myers (father of the late Baroness N. M.
de Rothschild), he formed a society to assist David Levi in
the publication of his works, and he treated Levi in the most
generous manner. Unhappily, Benjamin G-oldsmid in his
later years became afflicted with fits of despondency, for
which there was no possible cause. His family do not appear
to have felt any serious apprehension. Mischief was brewing
nevertheless, and on the 15th April 1808, during an attack
of gout, Benjamin Goldsmid took his own life. His mind
had evidently become affected, and so certified the jury im-
pannelled for the inquest. Thus perished, at the premature
age of fifty-five, the senior partner of one of the wealthiest
houses in Europe, a man whose life had presented an un-
broken series of successes and triumphs, and who had tasted
all the happiness that may fall to the lot of mortals.

Abraham Goldsmid was, if possible, even more popular
than his brother Benjamin. His friendly demeanour, his
mild, unassuming mariner, his extended philanthropy, his
ready munificence, were the themes of general conversation.
The anecdotes related of his unostentatious charity would
almost fill a volume. Now we hear of him saving the humble
home of a waiter from the clutches of the bailiffs. Now we
see him delicately assisting a single-minded and worthy curate
— whose poverty he considered a disgrace to the Church of
England — by allotting him a share of a new loan ; the letter
of allotment being considered a hoax, and thrown aside by
the curate, until another post brought a cheque for a large
amount realised on the allotment. Another time we find
Abraham Goldsmid obtaining the reprieve of a forger; or
taking charge of some destitute orphans ; or relieving from
ruin a distressed officer. He had been united to a Dutch
young lady of wealth, and he possessed an establishment at
Morden, little inferior in munificence to his brother's residence
at Roeharnpton. It is related that one day King George III.,
during a drive with Queen Charlotte, alighted from his car-
riage for a stroll, and stopped to admire some fine trees, en-
closed within a gentleman's park. In answer to an inquiry,

THE GOLDSMID FAMILY. 253

his Majesty was told that the estate belonged to Abraham
Goldsmid the Jew. " What, what, my friend Abraham ! " said
the King; " I must see it. Go and tell Mr Goldsmid to get
some luncheon ready for us, and we shall go to him at once."
King George's commands were obeyed, and the vast resources
of the household of the great loan-contractor were called into
requisition. A sumptuous repast was laid before their Majes-
ties of England. " Farmer George," after having inspected
the highly ornamented and beautifully laid-out grounds, was
ushered into a handsome and well-proportioned dining hall.
Royalty sat down before the well-spread board, while Abraham
Goldsmid with his family remained standing like dutiful
subjects. " Come, Goldsmid," exclaimed Farmer George,
observing this, " if you do not sit down to luncheon I shall
stand up too." The King was not a Lucullus, but he loved
good cheer, and he seldom enjoyed a repast more than the
refection in which, side by side with the financier, he tasted
the delicacies of the season.

The death of Benjamin Goldsmid proved a serious blow to
Abraham, for the two brothers were tenderly attached to each
other. Nevertheless, the latter continued his operations with-
out interruption. In 1810 the houses of Baring and Gold-
smid were contractors for the ministerial loan of £14,000,000.
Sir Thomas Baring died at this juncture, leaving, it is said,
a fortune of £5,000,000. The care of supporting the market
fell on the shoulders of Abraham Goldsmid, and the task
proved most arduous. A powerful organisation had been
formed, which would have required the combined resources of
the two houses to overcome. Day by day the price of scrip
dropped, and with it dropped the fortunes of Abraham Gold-
smid. He held £8,000,000 of stock ; he gradually lost all
fortitude, and became a prey to despondency.

When the reduction in the price of omnium had reached
£65 per thousand, his singularly clear mind became confused,
and he appeared restless and disordered. Another circum-
stance added to his embarrassment. The East India Company
had placed Exchequer Bills to the extent of £500,000 in his
hands to negotiate. That corporation became alarmed for
the safety of their property and claimed its value. The pay-
ment was fixed for Friday the 28th September 1810. Abra-

254 ' THE G OLD SMI D FAMILY.

ham Goldsmid was unprepared, and his sensitive and honour-
able nature made him shrink from facing a disgrace which
he exaggerated a thousand times. It has been said, we know
not on what authority, that one of his kinsmen hastened to
Morden (his residence) on that Friday morning, with the
good news that the funds for the East India Company were
ready. At all events, it was too late. Abraham Goldsmid
was dead !

The news of the calamity produced an unparalleled sensa-
tion. The loss of the great loan-contractor was regarded as
an event of national importance. Expresses were dispatched
to the King and to the Prince of Wales. Consols fell in a
few minutes from 66^ to 61^, and omnium from 6| to 10|
discount. Jobbers met with anxious faces in Capel Court,
and merchants attended before their time in the Exchange.
Business was suspended ; the news of peace or war scarcely
caused equal excitement. The public journals teemed with
eulogies on a man whose name had been synonymous with
charity, with beneficence, with philanthropy. His remains
were followed to the grave by weeping and mourning thou-
sands, who, having experienced his generosity and liberality
in life, now crowded to honour him in death.

Then for a time the star of the Goldsmid family paled.
In later years some members of the family, who had seceded
from Judaism, acquired rank and distinction in the service of
the East India Company, and one Goldsmid (afterwards a
general) fought at Waterloo. It was left to Sir Isaac Lyon
Goldsmid, son of Mr Asher Goldsmid, and nephew of Ben-
jamin and Abraham Goldsmid, to revive the glories of his
house.

Isaac L. Goldsmid was born in 1778, and received a good
education at an English school in Finsbury Square. He be-
came a fluent Latin scholar, and a fair mathematician, while
he cultivated at the same time Jewish theology, the higher
branches of philosophy, and political science. In due course
he was admitted a partner in the firm of Mocatta & Goldsmid,
brokers to the Bank of England and the East India Company.
This was one of the twelve houses of Jewish brokers then
allowed in the city of London. Mr I. L. Goldsmid, as bullion-
broker, was by right also a member of the Stock Exchange.

THE G OLD SMI D FAMILY. 255

His first speculations were not successful, but subsequently
he was more fortunate, and began to amass a vast fortune.

Mr Goldsmid initiated various public undertakings, such
as the Croydon and Merstham Railway, which was one of the
earliest attempts at railways in England ; and he assisted in
the establishment of the London Institution and the London
Docks.

It was not only towards industrial schemes that his energies
were directed. The causes of philanthropy and education
enlisted his warmest sympathies. He co-operated with Joseph
Lancaster in spreading enlightenment among the masses, and
with Mrs Fry in improving the condition of prisoners. The
share Mr Goldsmid had in the foundation of the London
University and University College are well known. Mr
Goldsmid married, in 1804, his cousin Isabel, by whom he
became the father of several children. He was much attached
to his kindred, and on the downfall of his uncles, he exerted
himself strenuously to save the relics of their fortune for
their widows and offspring.

As the subject of this sketch grew in wealth, he participated
in numerous financial operations, which were mostly con-
nected with Portugal, Brazil, and Turkey. The loans he car-
ried out for these countries were highly successful. He was
visited by many foreign political exiles, amongwhomwas Prince
Louis Napoleon, albeit the future Emperor of the French did
not succeed in enlisting his support. Sir I. L. Goldsmid, after
receiving an English baronetcy, was created a Knight of the
Tower and Sword of Portugal. Subsequently, the king of
that country bes-towed upon him the title of Baron da Palmeira,
to which a small estate was attached. It is said that Sir
I. L. Goldsmid was induced to accept these honours, rather
by a desire to vindicate the Jewish name — his race having
endured prolonged persecution in Portugal — than by motives
of personal ambition.

Sir I. L. Goldsmid, having satisfactorily negotiated two
loans for Brazil, was appointed to the financial agency of
that empire, which he shared with his friends, Alderman
Thompson, M.P., and Messrs T. and W. King. At sixty
years of age he retired from business, and was succeeded by
his younger son. Sir I. L. Goldsmid then visited France,

256 THE GOLDSMID FAMILY.

Italy, and Germany, for the benefit of his health ; and on his
return to England he was again drawn into a variety of
transactions. He lived until an advanced age, though in
his last years he had become childish, and he eventually died
in 1859. He was, during his whole life, a strict observing
Jew, and the services he rendered to the Jewish cause were
of the highest importance. He contributed, to as great a
degree as any other individual, to the removal of Jewish
disabilities, and his efforts in this direction will receive full
justice in due course.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

A SCHEME FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE
POOR.

How best to relieve the suffering and distress that seem
to be the doom of human nature in the present condition
of society, without inducing on the part of the poor too
great a reliance on the support of the beneficent, is one of
those problems, the satisfactory solution of which has bafHed
human ingenuity. How to cope with pauperism ; how to
rouse the poor from the slough of despond ; how to infuse
into them the spirit of hope and the spirit of self-exertion,
have been tasks that have taxed to the uttermost the energies
and' ingenuity of many a philanthropist. If .the plague-
spots of pauperism, of ignorance, of crime, still eat into the
heart of society in our days, after so many noble efforts have
been made to grapple with the evils that form hideous blots
on our much-vaunted civilisation, the condition will easily
be imagined of the lower classes three-quarters of a century
since. A vivid picture of that condition is presented by a
work on the police of London, emanating from the pen of
Patrick Colquhoun, LL.D., an able and philanthropic magis-
trate, who for many years presided at the Westminster Police
Office. The nature of our undertaking prescribes to us the
treatment of matters of essentially Jewish interest. We
will, therefore, resist the temptation of laying before our
readers some remarkable details concerning the poor of
London in general, and we will limit ourselves to speaking
of the Jewish poor in particular.

We will at once say, that the state of the Jewish indigent
at the close of last century was most lamentable — an appal-
ling degree of misery, ignorance, and demoralisation obtained.
Even among the Sephardic Jews, with their superior wealth,

R

258 A SCHEME FOR IMPROVING THE

education, and opportunities, the condition of the poor was
highly unsatisfactory. We have it from the pen of an
enlightened member of that community, Jacob Abenatar
Pimentel, who addressed some letters on this vital question to
the authorities of his congregation, that there was a mani-
fest increase of the poor in that period, and that the increase
was to be attributed to their own want of industry and sheer
idleness. The same gentleman informs us that the poor of
his community were averse to hard work; that they only
supplied cane strings, barley-sugar, and sweet cakes ; that
scarcely any mechanics and few domestic servants were found
in their ranks ; that charities were multiplied ad infinitum,
and that ruinous establishments were maintained at a heavy
expense indiscriminately for the idle, the worthless, and the
profligate ; that the certainty of being relieved, when suffer-
ing the combined miseries of age and poverty, tended to
relax the efforts of the humbler classes in early life ; that it
was better to place them in a position to purchase their own
bread rather than to have their bread purchased for them ;
and, finally, that the poor were little inclined to work, and
the authorities, out of mistaken kindness, contributed to
pauperise them. These letters of Mr Pimentel seem to have
led to nothing beyond an empty vote of thanks to him for
his communications I And yet they dealt with most import-
ant topics ! A wonderful amelioration in the condition of
the Jewish poor has doubtless occurred since then ; neverthe-
less, we question whether, even at the present day, the evils
complained of by Jacob Abenatar Pimentel, with reference
to the mistaken treatment of the poor, have been wholly
removed.

The state of the poor among the Sephardim, unsatisfactory
as it may have been, was absolute excellence, was supreme
goodness, as compared with the vastly inferior general condi-
tion of the Askenazi poor. Here we have to deal not only
with poverty and idleness ; we have to face the lowest depth
of destitution, profound ignorance, great demoralisation.
The shoals of indigent Jews flocking over from German
Ghettos and from Polish villages, without resources, without
any other knowledge than that of the exterior forms of their
own religion — generally unacquainted with any trade and

CONDITION OF THE POOR. 259

with the language of this country, found themselves utterly
adrift in London, and frequently had to choose between
hunger and dishonesty, starvation and petty crime. In
a new edition of his work, Mr Colquhoun drew so severe
a picture of the malpractices habitually committed by some
of the foreign Jewish poor, and painted their sufferings and
their general conduct in such gloomy colours, as to attract
the attention of some of the most enlightened members of
the Askenazim. Mr J. Van Oven, a gentleman who distin-
guished himself for the eminent services he rendered to the
Jewish cause, and for _the zeal and ability with which he
was always ready to promote the interests of the Jewish race,
took up the pen in reply to the strictures of Mr Colquhoun.
Under date of the 24th March 1801, Mr Van Oven pub-
lished a letter addressed to that gentleman, in which he
eloquently defended his poorer co-religionists, and pro-
pounded the general feature of a scheme for their moral and
material improvement. From this source we gather some
valuable details on the Jewish poor. Mr Van Oven is able
to explain and palliate, though not altogether to deny, the
allegations of Mr Colquhoun. " The Jews," says Mr Van
Oven, " are refused the privilege of exercising any trade or
calling, and they are necessarily driven to the shift of money
transactions, which leads to the idea that Jew and usurer
are convertible terms. The poor Jews practise petty knavery
absolutely for bread. The constrained and deplorable state
of these poor gives ground for the continuance of the pre-
judice against them." He proposed to erect houses of
industry and education, with hospitals for the sick, subject
to their own ceremonial laws, and to maintain such houses
by annual contributions from the sum paid to the general
poor-rates by Jewish housekeepers. The whole was to be
vested under the management of a properly-elected board.
Mr Van Oven thought it an especially favourable moment to
moot the question, owing to the presence among the Jews
of a man — " who was an honour to his species in general and
his nation in particular (Abraham Groldsmid), who united in
himself the rare qualities of integrity, generosity, and active
benevolence, whose liberality was unbounded, and who had
deservedly acquired the love and admiration of all who knew

260 A SCHEME FOR IMPROVING THE

him." As for the general condition of the German Congrega-
tions, We gather from Mr Van Oven, through other documents,
that the German Jews at that period still possessed the fewest
number of rich and the largest number of poor ; that the
Synagogue in Fenchurch Street comprised a small number
of opulent members with very few poor ; that the Synagogue
in Leadenhall Street, with a sprinkling of rich men, consisted
mainly of persons of the middle-class and of poor people ;
that the Great Synagogue in Duke's Place had the greatest
number of all classes, but its poor were altogether unlimited
as all strangers were customarily considered as attached to
this congregation. The income of the Synagogues was mostly
uncertain and fluctuating. The members did not pay, as
in the Portuguese Congregation, a fixed rate (finta) and a
tax on commercial operations (imposta). They only contri-
buted a rental for their seats, and the offerings made on
festivals and on especial occasions, the payment of which
there was no means of enforcing. The relief of the poor
depended solely on the amount in hand, and was conducted
by the overseer at his discretion. No wonder, therefore, that
it was totally ineffective.

Mr Colquhoun was a large-minded man, desirous of pro-
moting the welfare of Jew as well as of Christian. A private
correspondence ensued between him and J. Van Oven, and
these two philanthropic men, of different creeds, learned to
respect and esteem each other. Mr Colquhoun drew up the
draft of a comprehensive scheme, from the notes furnished
him by J. Van Oven. The scheme was discussed by these
two gentlemen; it was submitted to and approved by
Abraham Goldsmid : it was slightly amended, and eventually
Mr Goldsmid placed it in the hands of Mr Addington, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, supported by a petition in its
favour. It was proposed, according to this plan, to form a
board, consisting of twelve representatives of the German
Jews, four representatives of the Portuguese Jews, two alder-
men of the City of London, two magistrates for Middlesex,
Kent, Essex, and Surrey, and the four presidents of the four
City Synagogues, all of whom were to be appointed by the
Act of Parliament applied for. This board was to be em-
powered to purchase land, not to exceed 100 acres, and to

CONDITION OF THE POOR. 261

erect thereupon the following buildings : 1. An asylum fur
aged and infirm persons. 2. An hospital for the sick, the
maimed, and the diseased. 3. A school for the education of
children, and their instruction in mechanical and other useful
arts. 4. A workhouse, or institution of industry fur vagrant
poor, and such as were able but not willing to work for their
living.

The Jews were to relieve the parishes they inhabited of all
expense for their poor, and the parish was to hand to the
Board one-half of the assessment for the relief of the poor
contributed by Jews. The Board was to be empowered to
levy an assessment from each Synagogue ; and if the re-
venue of the Synagogue should prove insufficient, an indi-
vidual assessment was to be levied from each member. It
was also to possess the power of borrowing up to £10,000.
The Board was to inquire into the circumstances of foreign
Jews who came over without any evident means of main-
tenance ; and to receive from the several Synagogues all the
incomes appropriated to the poor, in order to distribute
them.

Tli is scheme, of which we have given the barest outline,
would have effected an incalculable amount of good, had it
been duly carried out at the time it was proposed. But its
very completeness and extended bearing militated against
its success, and raised against it strenuous opposition from
various quarters. The Great Synagogue certainly regarded
it with favour, and appointed a committee, to which was
added Mr Van Oven himself, who was one of the medical
officers of the Synagogue, to discuss the plan with the com-
mittees of the other Synagogues, and forwarded through its
secretary to the other congregations copies of the plan and
of the resolutions already arrived at on the subject. But De
Castro, the secretary to the Portuguese Congregation, has-
tened to disclaim, on the part of his constituents, any desire to
participate in the scheme. The Portuguese Community, he
said, already possessed an hospital, an asylum, and a school ;
and they did not consider themselves justified in altering
their political or economical system, which, for upwards of
a century, had answered every purpose for which it had been
created. The fact is, that the Portuguese Jews, who had

262 • A SCHEME FOR IMPROVING THE

already most of the establishments intended to be formed,
and who possessed a much larger number of rich men in
their body, and a much smaller number of poor in proportion,
than any other congregation, would have been considerable
losers by the proposed amalgamation. They alleged at the
meetings convened in their own vestry to oppose the plan in
question, that their charitable institutions had been founded
to save their brethren who fled from Spain and Portugal, or
who were reduced by misfortunes, and not for the purpose
of encouraging German, Dutch, or Polish adventurers ; —
that they differed greatly from the Germans in ceremonies,
customs, and pronunciation, so that they could not read
prayers together, and that each community formed a distinct
political (not religious) body ; — that during the previous fifty
years the German Jews, especially the poorer classes, had
increased so prodigiously in numbers, that their poor bore
no proportion to the Portuguese poor, who were already pro-
vided for.

For these and other reasons the Sephardim instructed
their attorney to prepare a petition to Parliament in opposi-
tion to the petition of the Askenazim, in which the motives
were explained at length, why the two sections of the British
Jews could not make common cause in the support of their
poor. The Portuguese, moreover, dwelt forcibly on their
desire to retain their complete autonomy in all respects. Mr
Isaac Aguilar and two other representatives of this community
waited upon Mr Hobhouse, M.P., who had charge of the
Bill, to express the views of their constituents on the intro-
duction into the Bill of a clause excluding altogether the
Portuguese Community from the operation of the projected
plan.

Thus a union with the Portuguese had to be given up ;
and the withdrawal of the oldest and still wealthiest congre-
gation in England from the proposed amalgamation scheme
proved a serious blow to it. Then the clause asking for half
the amount paid by Jews for poor-rates met with disappro-
bation from high quarters, owing to parochial influence, and
had to be abandoned. Finally, the idea of vesting on any
body of men the right of coercively taxing the Jewish
public, raised a host of enemies to the Bill among the German

CONDITION OF THE POOR. 263

Jews themselves. Several pamphlets were written showing
the impracticability of the scheme, and Mr Abraham Gold-
smid found himself constrained to withdraw the application to
Parliament. Mr Van Oven greatly deplored this lame and
impotent conclusion : and Mr Colquhoun, who was equally
disappointed, thus addressed him in a letter : " You have
done your utmost to obtain one of the greatest blessings,
moral and political, that could have been conferred on this
people. The time must come when the measure must be
adopted under perhaps less favourable auspices." The dis-
cussion on this scheme, if it did not lead to an immediate
practical result, at least aroused the German Jewish Com-
munity to a sense of their needs, which have all since been
provided for, though at different times, under different forms,
and in a manner scarcely verifying Mr Colquhoun's predic-
tion. Mr Van Oven did not altogether renounce his philan-
thropic designs ; and in the Jews' Hospital — to the consti-
tution of which he had materially contributed — he saw the
realisation of a small portion, at least, of the extended scheme
which he had so ably advocated.

The German Jewish Community of London may indeed
look back with pride on the results it has achieved since the
beginning of this century. Not only has it provided for the
material wants of its poor with a care, with a liberality, with
a completeness of detail unapproached by any other race ; it
has also elevated their spiritual condition until the Jewish
poor of all sections of the Jewish Community in London
have become equal, if not actually superior, in thrift, in
honesty, in sobriety, and in moral and religious condition,
to the poor of any other faith or nationality.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

THE history of the principal German Jewish Congregation in
London presents few, if any, stirring events since the begin-
ning of the present century. We behold a uniform record of
progress in every direction; of progress in wealth, in numbers,
in public institutions, in education, in general welfare. The
most serious trouble was an occasional difference with the
New or with the Hambro' Synagogue. The most startling
occurrence was a state visit from Royalty to the Synagogue.
The most puzzling dilemma was the election of a Chief
Rabbi, or a minister, or a deputy. Legacies were bequeathed
by the pious, and the funds of the community were rapidly
increasing. As we have often said, the real rock, ahead of
the Askenazim was the treatment of the poor, especially of
the foreign poor. When the narrow parochial spirit pre-
dominated, as was too often the case, each Synagogue desired
to contribute as little as possible to the relief of the poor.
We have seen what the condition of that class was, and
in common justice we are bound to observe that to relieve them
effectively was indeed a colossal task. In 1804 a conference
took place between the delegates of each of the three German
City Synagogues, with the view of accomplishing a union
between them. The representatives of the Hambro' Syna-
gogue proposed, in addition, the appointment of a committee
of seven members from each congregation, to consider the
state of the poor. These conferences and committees led
to no tangible result, for the inevitable law of self-interest
which guides communities, as it does individuals, conduced
to a clashing of the apparent interests of the different con-
gregations.

It was only in 1802 that a coolness of long standing

THE GREA T S YNA GOGUE. 265

between the .New Synagogue and the Great Synagogue
had ceased to exist on the auspicious event of the nuptials
of Nathan Solomons, the Rosch or Principal Member
of the New Synagogue, with a daughter of Asher
Goldsmid. Mr Solomons was then admitted a member
of the Great Synagogue, and eternal amity was de-
clared between the members of the two congregations.
This happy concord lasted not quite two years ; when the
apple of dissension appeared under the shape of a member,
who was alleged to have been enticed away from one
Synagogue into the other. Mr L. de Symons at this
period (1804) suggested an amalgamation of the three
Askenazi Synagogues, or at least a fusion of their receipts
and expenditures. This proposal was declined by the
Hainbro' Synagogue, and rejected by the New Synagogue.
Happily peace was restored by the (then) new Chief Rabbi
of Duke's Place, the Rev. Sol. Hirschel, who attended a
meeting of the Synagogue delegates, and desired each con-
gregation to elect representatives empowered to adjust all
differences without any further reference to their constituents.
A meeting of the representatives so deputed was held under
the presidency of the Rev. Sol. Hirschel himself, and it
was agreed to continue the statu quo, each Synagogue bear-
ing the same share as before of the common burden — that is,
the Great Synagogue relieving all the foreign poor in life,
and the New Synagogue and the Hambro' Synagogue each
affording a small annual contribution to that object ; while
after death the Great Synagogue was to provide sepulture to
two paupers, and the other two Synagogues to one pauper
each. This arrangement was the basis of all compacts
between the Askenazim congregations; differences of opinion
arising only as to the proper sum to be disbursed by each of
the smaller Synagogues. It was distinctly stipulated, too,
that no Synagogue should accept as member any individual
who was member of another. This was considered a point of
honour among all Jewish Synagogues in London. So strongly
did each congregation resent any infringement of its rights
on the part of the others, that once, years after this time, a
Yakid or member of the Portuguese Congregation, who, on
espousing the daughter of a member of the Duke's Place

266 THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE IN

Synagogue, had permitted the ceremony to be» performed by
the Rev. Sol. Hirschel, was dismissed summarily from his
community, and a serious remonstrance was sent to the
German Chief Rabbi.

The treaties between the three German Synagogues were
usually made for five or six years, with six months' notice of
discontinuation. On the 12th September 1811, the Hambro'
Synagogue gave notice of discontinuing the articles of agree-
ment entered into on the 9th March 1805; and the next
treaty between the Hambro' and the Great Synagogue was not
entered into. until March 1815. Then the Hambro' Syna-
gogue covenanted to hand over to the Great Synagogue
£125 per annum, and to give interment to six adult foreign
poor. Peace being restored between these two congregations,
a coolness ensued between Duke's Place and Leadenhall
Street. Negotiations between the last two congregations
were initiated in 1818 ; committees met, the most friendly
intentions were expressed on both sides, but as neither side
would accede to the demands of the other, even in small
matters, the negotiations necessarily broke down.

It was not until later times that a complete understand-
ing and perfect union took place between the various German
congregations in London. This happy result was partly
owing to the exertions of Nathan Meyer Rothschild, as will
be seen in its place. In 1808, a contract was entered into
between the Westminster Synagogue, in Denmark Court,
Strand, and the three German Congregations in the City.
According to this treaty, the Westminster Synagogue was
allowed to have its separate existence and administration ,
and as an adequate return for the benefits of the protection
of the Great Synagogue, each member was to be considered
as member of the Great Synagogue, and to pay annually a
small poll tax to the parent congregation.

From statistics of the day we perceive that in April 1804,
there were said to be in London 346 places of worship. In
six of these establishments the Jews assembled to sing the
praise of the Lord of their forefathers ; while in six more,
the Society of Friends met to wait until they were moved by
the Spirit. There were five Synagogues, one Sephardim and
three Askenazim in the city, and one of the latter denomina-

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 267

tion in the Strand. The remaining sixth Jewish House of
Worship was a Polish society, gathering in the district which
was then the extreme East of London. It should be borne
in mind that the German Jews did not lay so much stress on
unity as their Portuguese brethren ; and they did not think
the safety of the community imperilled if a few humble
individuals met quietly in some convenient place to perform
their devotions.

In the year 1808 several improvements were introduced in
the details of internal management in the Great Synagogue.
Among others all the salaries of the officials were consolidated
and perquisites were abolished; an innovation that was not
adopted by the Portuguese until long afterwards. At the same
time the property of the Synagogue was augmented in extent
by the purchase of an adjoining piece of ground for the sum
of £1200, which was raised by an especial loan repayable in
six annual instalments. In the same year, Levy Barent
Cohen bequeathed £500 to the Synagogue, to be invested in
government securities, and to be allowed to accumulate until
the 1st January 1823; and then to become available for
general congregational purposes. This was the beginning of
the Legacy Fund, which received large additions from time
to time by similar contributions from the pious. Among
other sums willed to this congregation during the first
quarter of the nineteenth century, we may mention, £4490,
8s. Id., from Judah Phillips, of Jamaica, left to trustees
for the benefit of his brother and sister to revert after their
death to the Synagogue ; £3900 from Asher Goldsmid,
bequeathed in 1823, for the benefit of the poor ; and smaller
legacies from B. A. Goldschmidt, of Great St Helen's,
and from other benevolent individuals.

The loyalty of the Askenazim was as deep as that of the
Sephardim, and they seized every opportunity for its mani-
festation. In April 1809 the Synagogue in Duke's Place
experienced the unusual honour of receiving a state visit
from several princes of the blood. Abraham Goldsmid
attended personally at a meeting of the Synagogue on the 3d
of April, to give notice that the Duke of Cumberland, the
Duke of Sussex, and the Duke of Cambridge, intended to
assist at a Friday evening service. The Duke of Sussex, it

268 THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE JN

is well known, always displayed much friendship and
sympathy for the Jews. On this occasion pompous prepara-
tions were made for the reception of these distinguished
guests. The Wardens of the day were Messrs Asher Golds-
mid, Joseph Cohen, and Moses Samuel. The notice was
short, for the visit occurred on Friday evening, the 14th April.
The path of the Royal Dukes from their carriages to the
entrance of the Synagogue was strewn with flowers ; and
their advent was hailed with the usual Prayer for the Royal
Family — " He who giveth salvation unto kings " — intoned
by a well-drilled choir. Some verses, written, we believe, by
the late Michael Josephs, were sung ; and a few copies
printed on silk were distributed to a favoured number.
Altogether the celebration is said to have met in the highest
degree the approbation of the princely sons of George III. ;
and the visit of the Royal Dukes still forms a tradition of
glory among the older members of the Great Synagogue.

The 25th October 1809 was kept as a jubilee, for George
III. had reigned fifty years over these realms. The festival
was celebrated according to Jewish customs. The command-
ments enjoining the remission of debts in the year of
jubilee were not forgotten, and the various Jewish Congrega-
tions subscribed as far as their means permitted towards the
relief and discharge of persons confined for small debts, In
the Duke's Place Synagogue, a special service was held at
one o'clock in the day. A Hebrew prayer was composed by
Dr Hirschel, and translated into English by Joshua Van
Oven. An ode, composed for the occasion, was sung by a
trained choir ; and the ceremony was attended with great
solemnity. The Jews participated no less in the sorrows of
the Royal family; and on the sad occasion of the death of
the Princess Charlotte, special services were performed in all
the Synagogues, appropriate sermons were delivered, and the
congregations appeared in full mourning.

As the prosperity of this congregation increased, so we find
its generosity grow larger and more catholic. The funds of
the members of the community were available to meet the
calls of public and private charity. Now we find a subscrip-
tion m.ide to relieve a famine in Sweden ; now a collection
to diminish the sufferings of English prisoners in France ;

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 269

at another time contributions are sought in aid of the
Waterloo Fund. Irish distress is not forgotten, and on more
than one occasion, after the failure of the potato crops,
appeals were made by the authorities of the Great Synagogue,
on behalf of the hunger-stricken children of Ireland.

The city of London seems to have generally borne a
favourable character for liberality, and we hear in 1800, some
years after the lease of the ground of the Great Synagogue
and buildings expired, that the President of the Congregation,
Mr Joseph Cohen, had met with generous treatment from the
City Lands' Committee. The lease had really come to an
end iii 1801, but the congregation experienced great courtesy.
The lease was renewed on payment of a fine of £45, and
arrears of interest and costs, and it was covenanted that the
lease should be renewed every fourteen years from 1815 at a
rental of £32 per annum, and on payment of the same fine.
It is only at the present time that the tenure of the Great
Synagogue has been converted into a freehold.

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY.

THE condition of the oldest Jewish Congregation in London
was by no means satisfactory at the beginning of the present
century. There was a falling off in the number of members
and a proportionate diminution in the congregational income.
Its house of prayer was frequented by a scanty number of
worshippers. The service was conducted in a slovenly,
unimpressive manner ; decorum was little regarded ; choral
music was not known ; and a general indifferentism seemed
to reign in the community. The aspect of affairs appeared
so grave in the year 1802 that an inquiry into the ecclesias-
tical state of the community was instituted. The Council of
Wardens had strenuously recommended this step, otherwise
said they, " In this Kahal (congregation), which had shone
brilliantly for more than a century as one of the principal in
Europe, the study of the law will be entirely lost, and the
Kahal will become an object of contempt and ridicule." The
gentlemen to whom this delicate investigation was entrusted
were Messrs Jacob Samuda, Joseph Sasportas, Gabriel Israel
Brandon, Jacob Aboab Osorio, and Jacob Mocatta. Their
report was presented in January 1803. It recommended that
a Haham (Doctor of Divinity) or Rabbi should be appointed
as the spiritual guide of the congregation ; that the Com-
mittee of the Heshaim (charity schools) should revise their
laws and take measures to effectively promote the education
of the children; and that the Medrash (Religious College)
should be better regulated, so that members of the congrega-
tion might be induced to send their children for religious
instruction to a Yeshiba or school to be established in con-
nection therewith.

THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE. 271

Since the death of Haham D'Azevedo the Portuguese
Community had been without a pastor, and the loss of Rabbi
Hasdai Almosnino, the Chief of the Beth Din, had left the
congregation destitute of able expounders of the Jewish law.
It was resolved to appoint a Haham without further delay.
The requirements of the congregation having been made
known, two applications for the vacant office were presented,
and the selection fell on Rabbi Raphael Meldola of Leghorn.
Of the qualifications of this gentleman we shall speak more
fully hereafter. For the present we will merely say that he
was nominated on the 7th October 1804 ; that ample pro-
vision was made to enable him to fulfil his functions
worthily ; that a residence was chosen for him and appropri-
ately furnished ; and that all honour was paid to him on his
arrival in this country.

The Board of Shechita, a body of gentlemen deputed by
the various London Synagogues to superintend arrangements
for slaughtering animals and inspecting the carcases for
sanitary purposes, according to the Mosaic law, was consti-
tuted, as we have already stated, in the year 1805. This
was a great improvement on the former faulty and incomplete
mode of supplying meat suitable for Jews ; and not only
much inconvenience and annoyance to the public and to the
Synagogues were thus saved, but an absolute profit accrued
after payment of all expenses. At the end of the first year
a surplus of £397, 7s. 9d. was on hand, and each Synagogue
was credited w.ith the fourth part of that sum, which was
invested in consols. The net produce increased in subsequent
years, and to the present day it continues to be equally
distributed between the Portuguese Congregation and the
three German Synagogues in the city.

In 1807 the Bevis Marks Synagogue furnished a minister
to the Portuguese Congregation of Charlestown, South Caro-
lina, in the person of Benjamin Cohen D'Azevedo, son of
their former rabbi. The South Carolinians, who had trumpeted
forth their wants in high sounding language, and had dwelt
on their potential liberality and generosity in terms which
at all events had not the merit of modesty, showed scant
courtesy to the nominee of the parent Synagogue in London,
or to that Synagogue itself. They sent back Benjamin C.

272 THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE IN

D'Azevedo without assigning any plausible cause. This line
of conduct stung to the quick the Portuguese pride of the
rulers of Bevis Marks, who resented it in no measured words,
and took the returned minister into their service as teacher.

'The new Haham was a man of active temperament, and
he repeatedly declared that he had accepted the post he
occupied, to act and not merely to speak. He addressed a
communication to the Mahamad, urging that body to take
stringent measures to prevent the children of the poor from
attending certain schools opened in the neighbourhood for
conversionist purposes, and wherein tracts were distributed.
In July 1802 he joined Dr Hirschel in a declaration refer-
ring to the maintenance of the sanctity of the Sabbath.

At the end of 1808, the Sephardic Synagogue found itself
short of funds. There was a narrower number of mem-
bers to offer, and the offerings themselves were smaller;
moreover the imposta (tax on commercial transactions on
commission) was falling into desuetude. It was resolved to
summon a meeting of members. The meeting was convened
for the 18th January 1809, and was carried out with great
solemnity. It was held in the Synagogue itself; and only
the members who were not indebted to the Zedakd (poor fund)
were admitted. At 11 o'clock the doors of the Synagogue
were closed, no one was allowed to enter or to leave, and the
keys of the doors were deposited with the president, who,
stood before the reading-desk. Before the affairs of the con-
gregation were discussed, some psalms were chanted and a
prayer was recited. In our present matter-of-fact days, when
reason often holds the place of faith, when doubt is substi-
tuted for reverence, and when speed rather than dignity
characterises the actions of our lives, our readers may well feel
surprised at so many formalities accompanying, and so much
importance being attached to, a mere Synagogue meeting.
It is certain that on the occasion in question, the members
present were deeply impressed with the momentous character
of the proceedings. The president made an opening speech ;
and it was resolved to grant power to the elders to increase the
Jinta from £900 to £1400 per annum. No Yahid (or mem-
ber) was to be called upon to contribute more than 4 per cent,
of the total amount of the jfata, nor less than 10s. per annum.

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, 273

The impost was reduced to 6d. per £100. Other provisions
of minor consequence were made in addition ; and a small
sum was ordered to be sold out of the funds to provide for
immediate urgencies. At the same time, it was resolved that
no Minyan (congregation for prayer) should be permitted to
assemble within six miles of the Synagogue, instead of within
four miles, as was formerly the case.

The finances of the Synagogue, under skilful management,
soon recovered their balance ; gentle pressure was laid on
members who were in arrears in their accounts. Some of the
defaulters settled ; others undertook to settle them as soon as
circumstances permitted, and only a few allowed their names
to be posted up on the doors of the Synagogue. It was not
found necessary to call for more than £1200 of the £1400
voted for Jinta; and a year or two afterwards we find that
the deficit had disappeared.

In 1809, Joseph Barrow died, and bequeathed to the
wardens of the Portuguese Synagogue and their successors
a sum of £2000, to build almshouses for the residence of
respectable indigent families. The suna was invested in
consols ; and it was not until 1815 that a suitable piece of
ground was found and purchased, and the beneficent inten-
tions of the donor were begun to be carried out. In 1813
the funds of the Synagogue were considerably increased by
the death of Abraham Lopes Pereira, of Hackney. This
gentleman left £500 to the Synagogue wardens for the benefit
of the poor ; £100 to the congregational hospital ; and several
other legacies to charitable institutions. He bore in mind
that cold chills the limbs of Christians as well as of Jews,
and he gave to the churchwardens of his parish in Hackney
£200, the interest of which was to be annually expended
in furnishing coals to the needy. Finally, he willed the
residue of his estate to the wardens of the Portuguese Syna-
gogue for the benefit of the poor. Such residue amounted to
between twelve and fourteen thousand pounds, and formed a
noble addition to the capital of the community.

In the beginning of the century, the house of Alexander
Lindo, engaged in the West India trade, enjoyed great repute
for wealth and integrity. It had embarked in extensive
transactions in connection with the French Government ; and

s

274 THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE.

trusting to the faith of the First Consul, it was induced to
enter into large contracts, and to effect immense shipments
to the French West India islands. General Leclerc (the
beloved of Hortense Beauharnais, stepdaughter of Napoleon,
and afterwards Queen of Holland) then commanded the
French forces at that time. He gave in payment to the
representative of Alexander Lindo, a bill for the sum of
£260,000 on his Government. This draft, for an amount
that must in those days have been considered a vast sum,
was dishonoured on the frivolous pretext that the bill had
been issued at a discount, and that full value had not been
given for it. This unexpected check seriously affected the
house of Alexander Lindo, who had every reason to con-
sider himself very ill treated by the French Government.
The celebrated General Rochambeau, who succeeded Leclerc,
protested in the strongest language against the conduct of
the Government. He gave the lie direct to the statements
made by the Minister of Marine to the First Consul, and
declared that the bills given in payment by General Leclerc
and himself had been perfectly correct and against proper
value. "VVe are unable to state whether the representations
of the General had any effect, and whether Lindo came to
his own again. Certain it is, that his firm never regained its
former position, and that the unjust and arbitrary act of
the consular Government brought one of the most respected
members of the Sephardim Congregation to the verge of
ruin. Alexander Lindo was one of the few remaining repre-
sentatives of that series of merchant princes who once had
flourished among the Portuguese Jews. The Eicardos, the
Ximenes, the Rodrigues Lopes, the Jessurun Alvares, the
Levys, were verging towards another church, and now a
calamity fell on the head of one of the numbered faithful.
Alexander Lindo was a zealous Jew ; he took great interest
in the affairs of the congregation ; he had passed through its
various dignities until he became president ; and he was one
of the largest contributors to its funds. For many years his
affairs remained unsettled. He died in 1818, and left a
legacy to the Synagogue, but his executors were unable to pay
it at the time, for his estates had been placed under the con-
trol of the Court of Chancerv.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

JEWISH VOLUNTEERS— WRITERS ON THE JEWS.

MARTIAL ardour is not a quality usually ascribed to Jews.
Nay, sneers have not been wanting on the assumed want of
bravery on the part of Jews. It is possible, and even pro-
bable, that the oppression of ages may have somewhat broken
the spirit of the descendants of one of the most belligerent
of ancient races. But as soon as they are, we will not say
placed on an equality with their fellow-citizens, but even
treated with some toleration, and allowed to hold a stake in
their fatherland, they come forward and are ready to live and
die for their country. Witness in our day the remarkable
spectacle of sons of Israel reciting their prayers on the Day
of Atonement in the ranks of the German Army, to the ac-
companiment of the roar of the guns of the maiden fortress
of Metz. Witness the sight of Frenchmen of the Jewish
religion falling sword in hand pour la belle France in the
plains of Champagne, or within sight of the forts of be-
leaguered Paris. Witness the numerous Jews of Italy who
many times shed their blood in the cause of Italian unity.
Witness in the beginning of the present century the Jews
who, serving under the banners of the greatest conqueror of
modern times, left their bones to char beneath the torrid sun
of Spain, or to bleach on the snow-clad steppes of Russia.

Happily, England, since the return of the Jews to its
.hospitable shores under the Commonwealth and Restora-
tion, has never been under the necessity of defending itself
against a foreign invader on its own soil. But whenever a
danger real or supposed arose, the Jew came forward ready
to bear his full share of hardship and danger. In the autumn
of the year 1803 England was in a commotion. The Treaty
of Amiens had not stopped the career of the " Corsican

276 JE WIStf^VOL UNTEERS.

Usurper," and war with France had been again declared.
Regular troops were being raised, militiamen were being
drilled, and volunteers freely flocked to the standard. Bel-
lona sounded her shrill trumpet from Land's End to John
o'Groats. On the 19th October, London wore the appear-
ance of a Sunday. A fast was strictly observed, and the shops
were closed. A number of volunteer corps paraded the city,
and ten regiments attended divine service, filling every prin-
cipal church. The corps who had not already taken the oath
did so on that day. Three hundred of the most respect-
able individuals of the Jewish persuasion took the oaths to
Government on that occasion. A contemporary publication
states that "By an order from their High Priest they were
prohibited from attending in our churches during the time
of Divine Service. The High Priest, however, expressed
his highest concurrence to their taking the oaths of fidelity
and allegiance to our king and country. Those gentlemen
accordingly took the oaths, either upon the drilling grounds
of their respective corps, or in the vestry-room of the churches,
as circumstances required. They were sworn upon the Book
of Leviticus instead of the New Testament.

On the 26th October a great burst of loyalty was displayed
by the armed citizens of London, who were desirous of show-
ing their sovereign that they were ready to shed their blood
in defence of their country.. A general review of volunteers
was witnessed in Hyde Park, by an enthusiastic assemblage
of upwards of 200,000 spectators. The King, accompanied
by the French princes, Monsieur, the Prince of Conde, the
Duke of Bourbon and the Duke of Berry, attended by the
celebrated General Dumouriez, rode before the ranks amid
repeated cheers. Several hundred Jews were present among
the volunteers. His Majesty on subsequent occasions re-
viewed the different corps separately. Once when the King
was inspecting an East-end regiment in which the Jewish
element predominated, he is said to have expressed some
amused surprise on hearing from the roll-call some of the
volunteers designated by names usually borne by familiar
quadrupeds, such as Fox, "Wolf, Bear, and Lyon.

"We have repeatedly noticed the loyalty of the Jews,
and the attachment and devotion they have invariably dis-

JEWISH VOLUNTEERS. 277

played towards the governments of all countries, — without re-
gard to their form — where they have met with common tolera-
tion and ordinary justice. In England they have ever been
ready, as circumstances occurred, to pray for the recovery of
a sick monarch, to offer thanks for his escape from the bullet
or the knife of the assassin, to rejoice at his marriage, or
mourn at his death. At different times during the reign of
George III., the Jews returned thanks in the Synagogues
for the King's recovery, even before the church prayers were
ordered by the Government; though in this they were kept
in countenance by the Dissenters. During the severe illness
of the present Prince of Walea, prayers were daily offered in
several of the London Synagogues for his recovery,, to Him
who sends salvation unto kings. Indeedr the first prayer
raised for his restoration to health was in a Jewish Syna-
gogue ; and when the Angel of Death, which had so long
hovered over his threshold, sheathed his sword and passed
away, the Jews were the first to sing a Song of Thanksgiving
to God.

At the period of which we are speaking, a simple and yet
most important action was performed by a Jew, which does not
appear to have been sufficiently known ^ or to have met with
public recognition. On the 15th of May 1800, George III.
had two narrow escapes from being killed. On the morning
of that day, when reviewing the Grenadier Guards, a bullet
struck and wounded a gentleman who. was standing not
twenty yards from the King. At first it was considered
that this was the result of an attempt on the King's life,
though subsequently the event was attributed to accident.
In the evening " Farmer George " went to Drury Lane
Theatre to see a comedy by Colley Gibber, and crowds flocked
thither to cheer the popular monarch. While the King was
bowing his thanks from the royal box, a man named Had-
field rose from the front row of the pit and fired a horse-pistol
point blank at the King. Two slugs passed over George III.'s
head and effected a lodgment in the wainscot of the box. The
King never lost hia self-possession, and instead of retiring as
he was entreated to do by the Earl of Salisbury, his Lord
Chamberlain, and others of his retinue, he with great, com-
posure looked round the house and ordered the performance

2 ?8 JEWISH VOLUNTEERS.

to commence. These are facts with which all readers of
history are acquainted. But probably they are not aware
that Hadfield, the ex-soldier and lunatic who fired at the
King, missed his aim because some man near him struck his
arm while in the act of pulling the trigger. This individual
was a Jew named Dyte, and to him in all likelihood the
country owed the King's life. Dyte was the father of the
late Henry Dyte, formerly Honorary Secretary to the Blind
Society, and the grandfather of D. H. Dyte, Surgeon to the
Jewish Board of Guardians. It is stated that Dyte asked as
his sole reward the " patent " of selling opera tickets, then a
monopoly at the Royal disposal ; and we presume he obtained
from King George's generosity this very modest recompense.
The Jews in those days seldom entertained. very ambitious
feelings, and their desires and hopes were not permitted by
circumstances to assume a very high flight.

In the beginning of the nineteenth century we find con-
siderable attention devoted to the Jews by the press. The
history, creed, habits, and language of the children of Israel
formed the theme of many an essay or article in English
periodical literature. In a single number of a monthly
magazine published in 1810, we find no fewer than seven
papers on the subject of the Jews. Some of these lucubra-
tions treated of the spiritual condition of the Jews, princi-
pally lamenting their misguided obstinacy in questions of
faith. Others spoke of mere temporal matters. From these
writings we glean much curious information on the state of
the Jews in England at that period. Among the persons
who displayed great interest in Jewish affairs, we may name
Henry Lemoine, whom we have already mentioned as the
author of an elegy on David Levi. Henry Lemoine had been
a bookseller in Bishopsgate Churchyard, until his business
failing, he gained a precarious subsistence by composing
verse and prose for the magazines. Shortly before his death
Henry Lemoine obtained hospitable shelter under the roof
of a benevolent Jew, who, finding him in sore distress,
generously secured him from want in his last days. Henry
Lemoine had become intimate with David Levi, to whom he
furnished books ; and he wrote a short biography of Abraham
Goldsmid. Thus he ought to have been well conversant with

JEWISH VOLUNTEERS. 279

Jewish affairs, which, however, he did not prove himself to be.
He conceived an opinion far from favourable on the attain-
ments of the Jews and on their general condition in the
country. According to him, they were too much under the
control of their ecclesiastical authorities and Synagogue war-
dens. The Synagogue laws were too stringent, and the
Synagogue elders too high-handed. As the Jews agreed to
submit their differences to their authorities, many arbitrary
decisions were arrived at, which were not always found legal
by courts of law. The Jews were generally ignorant on
most subjects ; even those connected with their own form of
worship. What they knew of the Pentateuch, or of their
prayers, was derived from collateral English translations
printed with the original Hebrew ; with the Talmud and
rabbinical writings they were utterly unacquainted. They
were born and bred to commercial transactions ; their know-
ledge was confined to such topics, and all their leisure was
spent in the amusements of the town, visiting or walking,
.but always with an eye to business. Learned English Jews
were rare, albeit there were a few such living, who were an
ornament to society. The foreign Jews, German, Dutch, or
Portuguese, were more cultivated. No absolute agreement
had been made between the Jewish Synagogues to main-
tain their poor ; but as the rich were always at hand, the
poor did not perish of want. From the few trades the Jews
followed, their industry and sobriety must have been great
indeed to enable them to live. As their diet and ceremonies
precluded them in a great measure from learning trades,
they became dealers. Their capitals were small. He
(Lemoine) did not think there were thirty members of the
Great Synagogue, twenty members of the Fenchurch Street
Synagogue, and six of the New Synagogue, who possessed
above £5000 to £6000. He excepted the Portuguese Jews,
some of whom had brought large fortunes into this country.
He considered the Jews, as a rule, a poor race of people, whose
religious and ceremonial laws had always placed an in-
superable obstacle to their rising beyond a certain sphere in
this state of existence.

We are unable to state how much truth there was in this
picture of the Jews of the day ; certain it is that it was

280 JEWISH VOLUNTEERS.

emphatically contradicted by both Jews and Christians. A
writer named Atkins, who had composed a History of the
Modern Jews in a very kindly spirit, and dedicated it to
Abraham Goldsmid, altogether demurred to the opinions and
statements of Henry Lemoine. He took up the cudgels on
behalf of the Jews, and expressed a very different view on their
state from that entertained by Lemoine. He said there were
numerous respectable artisans of every description among
them, but chiefly in the jewellery and gold and silver trinket
department. He believed that the word "jewel" had been
derived from Jew, as they were probably the first people who
introduced such ornaments into use, and who were then con-
siderable dealers in jewels in the rough, and manufactured
states. With all deference to Mr Atkins, we do not agree
with his derivation of the term jewel, which we think is
probably derived from the Italian giojello. The Florentine
and Venetian artificers of the Middle Ages were celebrated
far and wide for their cunning in the manipulation of the
precious metals, and were perhaps the founders of modern
jewellery. With reference to the Jews, Atkins considered
that, notwithstanding the strictness with which most of them
kept their Sabbath, they were, by unremitting diligence and
constant attention, at least as successful as their Christian
neighbours who worked another day in the week. Altogether,
Atkins entertained a much higher opinion than Lemoine con-
cerning the wealth, as well as the intellectual attainments,
of the Jews.

Among the writers who displayed a warm sympathy for
the Israelites, at the period of which we are speaking, we must
mention Thomas Witherby and William Hamilton Reid.

The former was a retired bookseller, and had always mani-
fested a sincere friendship for the Jews. His opinion
concerning the Jewish religion may be gathered from the
following extract from a letter addressed by him to Mr Joshua
Van Oven, with whom he occasionally corresponded : " The
Roman religion has tended to persecute both your nation and
those Christians who are more friendly to you, because we
read your Scriptures as well as our own. The Mohammedan
religion, instead of tending to this object, compels a uniformity
of creed by the sword. The Jewish is the foundation of all

JEWISH VOLUNTEERS. 281

true religion, and we can conceive that the Christian is the
same being founded thereon." Whatever may be thought
of Witherby's theology, there can be no question as to his
kindness towards the children of Israel. In 1810, and the
following year, he repeatedly took up the pen in defence of
the Jews, in the public press, against the attacks of intolerant
fanaticism on the one hand, and against the wiles of the
conversionists on the other. According to the theory of
some men, their own religious belief is faith ; the religious
belief of their neighbours is superstition. Witherby was
not of that class of men; he was liberal towards all — even
the conversionists against whom, as a class, he entertained
special aversion. Speaking of the manners of the Jews, he
mildly says that in some respects they differ from those of
Christians. He did not think the Jewish mode of worship
so solemn as that of Christians ; and in mentioning to a Jew
what he deemed a deviation from seriousness in the middle
of prayers, he received the following reply : " Ours is not a
melancholy religion."

William Hamilton Reid was a gentleman of some literary
attainments, and he had produced several historical works
which had met with fair success. Among others he had
published a book called " The New Sanhedrin and the causes
and consequences of the French Emperor's conduct towards
the Jews." The work was written in a most fair and impar-
tial spirit, but he had been a considerable loser by its issue.
We will quote his own words with reference to his relations
with the Jews : " Nevertheless, the attention I have since
received from a few enlightened individuals of the Jewish
persuasion in this metropolis, with whom I have had the
happiness of being acquainted, I look upon as a source of the
purest gratification, particularly in being a witness of their
integrity as men, their industry and ingenuity as mechanics
and artists, and of their gratitude in general to Christians
who do not persecute them with their ill-timed importunities
about conversion and repentance, while so many there are
of our own people who stand more in need of these changes
themselves." On another occasion William Hamilton Eeid
says, that the antipathies of Jews to Christians were fast
wearing away, that the former condemned no one for their

282 JEWISH VOLUNTEERS.

faith, and did not wish to make any converts, and only re-
quired of their fellow-subjects to be suifered to enjoy in peace
that liberty of conscience which Government and the Church
of England -liberally allowed them. We are also told,
by the same authority, that the sermons of Dr Hirschel
frequently dwelt on the duties of universal toleration ; that
many of the wealthy Jews were found among the sub-
scribers to the Christian charitable foundations, and that
in return many Christian names appeared among the list of
donors to the new Jewish Hospital in Mile-End. These
Christians, we are assured, did not require the least interfer-
ence in the management or education of the Jewish children
there, and had no connection whatever with the London
Society, or with the missionaries who preached in the Jews'
Chapel, near Spitalfields.

Among all these discussions on Jewish affairs only one
Jewish writer makes his appearance in print. He adopted
the signature of " An Unconverted Jew and Englishman."
According to his statement, William Hamilton Reid was the
most accurate exponent of facts referring to the Jews, and
Henry Lemoine the least correct. Indeed, the assertions of
the latter are said to be full of errors. The Jews pos-
sessed five Synagogues in London, each with its own code of
regulations, which interfered no more with the laws of the
country than the rules of an Oddfellows' club interfere with
the penal code. Each Synagogue had its independent code.
Jews in country cities governed themselves without any
orders from the London vestries. The poor were amply pro-
vided for, and upward of thirty societies existed for the
relief of their wants. All those Jews whose circumstances
permitted it subscribed liberally to Christian institutions,
and at the same time they acknowledged in return with
heartfelt gratitude the liberal donations of many worthy
Christians to the new Hospital.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

RISE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY— THE DUKE OF SUSSEX- A
WEDDING AND A MURDER— A NOBLE-HEARTED JEW.

WE have seen in our previous chapter that the press, that
mighty engine, had eagerly canvassed the affairs, status, and
aspirations of the Jews in this country, and that many
Englishmen of eminence and learning had turned their eyes
towards the Jews with curiosity, if not with interest. But
it was not merely the worldly position of the Jews that
called for consideration from the would-be benevolent. The
spiritual condition of the children of Israel, even more than
their material welfare, seemed to engross their attention and
trouble them sorely. Indeed, some Christians, possibly well-
meaning and assuredly ill-judging, insisted on saving the
souls of the Jews from everlasting perdition, under cover of
an attempt to relieve their bodily wants. These efforts,
which formerly had been of a desultory nature, now became
regularly organised and controlled by a paid staff. In 1808
a committee of gentlemen who professed great interest in the
Jews, founded a society for the ostensible purpose of " visit-
ing and relieving the sick and distressed, and instructing
the ignorant, especially such as are of the Jewish nation."
At first, indeed, the association, which had been formed on
dissenting principles, did not prosper. Frey, a convert of
whom we have already spoken, was one of its most zealous
instruments, though his ill-directed, fiery enthusiasm, did
little good to the cause he advocated. The society was
subsequently reconstituted on Church of England principles,
and was termed the " London Society for promoting Christi-
anity among the Jews." Wealth and rank were gathered
within its fold, and men of title acted as its honorary
managers. Still the corporation was heavily in debt — it is

284 RISE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY.

said to the extent of £14,000 — when Louis Way, a gentle-
man of large means, and a mistaken philanthropist, endowed
it with a considerable fortune. On the 7th April 1813, the
Duke of Kent, father to the Queen, laid the foundation-stone
of what was called the Episcopal Jews Chapel in Cambridge
Heath, Bethnal Green. We must, however, render the Duke
the justice of saying, that he expressed at the time his high
sense of respect for the Jews, naming especially Benjamin
Goldsmid in tones of warm eulogy ; that he strenuously
disclaimed any intention of proselytising among the Jews ;
and that when he discovered the line of conduct followed by
the London Society, he declined to hold any further con-
nection with that corporation.

The assistance of Mr Louis Way enabled the London
Society to satisfy its liabilities, and left it ample funds with
which to pursue its glorious chase after souls. The proceed-
ings of this society have been, as a rule, of the most unscru-
pulous nature in carrying out its objects, and they have
met with merited censure at the hands of many right-
thinking members of the Church of England. Thomas
Witherby strongly animadverted against the ill-advised and
unprincipled schemes of the conversionists ; and in a letter
he addressed to the Rev. Christopher Wordsworth, D.D., we
gather that this truly Christian clergyman denounced these
practices with as much severity as Witherby himself. In-
deed, the London Society was not a popular institution ; and
its modus operandi was held up to public obloquy on
frequent occasions in the public press, from the time of its
establishment until about 1830. Soon after its formation
an attempt was made to raise a fund to advance loans to
Jews, who might be induced to intermarry with Christians.
Subsequently to punish the Jews for their obduracy, it was
proposed to translate a book called Toledoth 'Jesu, the
11 Generations of Jesus," a work possessing no authoritative
character among the Jews, but which is said to contain some
passages inimical to Christianity; thus stimulating popular
prejudice against the Jews. The first of these schemes was
held up to public ridicule ; the second to public execration.
Neither was carried out ; for however prejudiced and in-
tolerant an Englishman may be, there is usually in his com-

RISE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY. 285

position a sense of honour and justice, that prevents him
from having recourse to unfair, not to say nefarious, practices
even to accomplish a favourite object. Strong indignation
was expressed from many quarters against such and similar
measures ; and honest Thomas Witherby emphatically stated
" his hope that the insiduous policy of the London Society
will expose them to that contempt to which the meanness of
their measures so justly devotes them." Nevertheless, such
were the blindness and credulity of the public, that the
income of the London Society steadily increased, and in
1828 reached the sura of £14,000. In that year the number
of converts secured consisted of two adults and eighteen to
twenty children,, rendering the cost of persuading a human
being to embrace Christianity at between £500 to £600. At
this period the London Society solicited further subscriptions
to enable them to award an annuity to every neophyte ; which
modest demand called forth expressions of unqualified anger
from the press. Journalists complained of the gross injustice,
when the country was over-burdened with debt and eaten up
by pauperism, of taking away charitable donations from
worthy Christians to bestow them upon unworthy apostates.
Such, however, is the maxim to the present day of those
gentlemen who parade, on the platform of Exeter Hall,
their benevolence and their lack of discrimination, their love
for the Jews, and their aversion to Judaism.

The Jews may .esteem themselves fortunate in having
succeeded in securing the friendship and protection of several
members of the reigning family. The Duke of Kent, as we
have already seen, after passing a high eulogy on the Goldsmid
family in particular, and on the Jews in general, ceased to
countenance the London Society when he discovered its true
colours. The kindliness evinced by his royal brother, the
Duke of Sussex, is well known to many living members of
the Jewish community. The Duke of Sussex displayed in
many ways his sympathy and good feeling for the Jews. He
became the patron of the Jews' Hospital in 1813, at the
prayer of that zealous worker, Joshua Van Oven, and he
regularly presided at the anniversary banquets of that insti-
tution. His Royal Highness studied Hebrew under the Rev.
Solomon Lyon of Cambridge, and a Mr Levy of London,

286 RISE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY.

and opened his doors to Jews with great affability. It is even
said that the Duke was an honoured visitant to Jewish
households. He read daily portions of the Bible in the grand
old language in which it was originally written ; and
manifested the greatest interest in the progress of Jewish
education and subsequently of Jewish emancipation.

A Jewish wedding at the present day is an event which,
however interesting to the parties immediately concerned, is
not likely to draw the attention of the British public. Such
was not the case in 1810, when Jewish ceremonies were an
object of especial curiosity. Indeed, one of the magazines of
the period thought it worth its while to favour its readers
with a circumstantial account of the nuptials of Mr Jonas
Lazarus with the beautiful and accomplished Miss Rosceia
Nathan, daughter of Mr M. I. Nathan of Godmanchester,
Huntingdonshire. The details of the happy event are fully
related, and we learn, among other things, that the ceremony
was performed under a canopy in the garden of the residence
of the bride's father ; that the bridegroom was preceded to
the presence of the bride by a band of music playing a grand
martial air ; and that four green tapers were kept burning
during the celebration. In our days martial strains and
green tapers are no longer considered as necessary adjuncts
to the solemnity of the scene, or indispensable to the
happiness of the newly-married couple, but otherwise the
ceremonies followed on those auspicious occasions have
undergone no change.

From a marriage to a murder, from the shedding of wine
to the shedding of blood, there seems to be a long distance.
Yet deeds of violence and festive gatherings, joy and sorrow,
intermingle with each other during every period of our exist-
ence. A clergyman from a wedding proceeds to a funeral,
and the same column of a newspaper chronicles a birth and
a death. In 1812 a man named Wyatt of Fowey was tried
at Launceston assizes for the murder of a Jew called Isaiah
Falk Vallentine. Wyatt, who kept a public-house at Fowey,
had been intimate with his victim, whom he invited to
Fowey, on the plea of having some buttons or guineas to
sell. Wyatt, under the plea of leading Vallentine to meet
the sellers of the coins,, conducted him along a quay whence

K1SE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY. 287

he threw him into the water, suffocated him, and then robbed
him of £260, which the dead man had on his person. Wyatt
was found guilty on circumstantial evidence, and condemned
to death. A curious point of law was raised on this trial.
In those days the law required capital punishment to be
inflicted within forty-eight hours of the judge's sentence.
Murderers were usually tried on Friday and their execution
— if convicted — was fixed for Monday, to give them the
benefit of Sunday, which is a dies non. On this occasion
the murderer was brought up on Thursday, instead of Friday,
to receive sentence. On the justice presiding in court dis-
covering his error, he sentenced the prisoner again on the
Friday. But a doubt arose as to the legality of the sentence ;
the prisoner was respited ; the opinions of the judges in
banco were taken, and the law was not carried into effect for
some time.

The following story is related by a Christian, an officer in
the navy, who probably entertained the prejudices of the day
against a Jew, or at all events who regarded the latter with
no especial favour. An Israelite, named Jacob von Helbert,
engaged a passage for himself and Moses Levy, his servant,
011 board the good ship Pelham, Captain Wells, bound
for Bombay. Von Helbert, being strict in his religious
observances, engaged the captain in a bond to supply him
with meat killed according to Jewish usages, or in default
thereof to furnish him with a fowl daily for his (Von Hel-
bert's) subsistence. It seems that Moses Levy slaughtered
the sheep for the captain's table ; but after a time the meat
would turn out with provoking frequency unfit for Jewish
food. It came to be a common, if not choice joke ou the
part of the captain to say, " Well, Moses, is it a New Testa-
ment or an Old Testament sheep to-day ? " The reply very
frequently was : " That cannot do for my master, sir."
"Your master is very unfortunate in a servant, ".would be
the captain's rejoinder j " had you not come on board the
Pelham, Moses, Jacob Von Helbert would have adopted
a Christian's opinion about meats long ago." Then the
servant would bow and the master remain silent. The
voyage was long and tedious, but like all other things it
came to an end. And now came the explanation of the

288 RISE OF THE LONDON SOCIETY.

mystery. Among the passengers there was a lady, young,
fair, and alone. The captain, taking advantage of her
unprotected condition, addressed to her words of, we will
not desecrate the term love, but say of coarse passion. Miss
Black declined his overtures with contempt, and refused
to sit at table with him. The captain tried to starve her
into compliance, and ordered that no food should be supplied
to Miss Black. Jacob Von Hdbert sent the lady half every
fowl he received, and the meat had been said to turn out
terefa, or unfit for Jewish food, so that the lady might
not perish of want. Such an act of kindness exalted the
Jewish character. Hunger was nobly borne to save an
exposed, insulted woman from the machinations of a sensual
despot. A degree of self-abnegation was practised, not often
displayed on behalf of a total stranger.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHARITY— THE LAWS OF THE GREAT
SYNAGOGUE— UNION OF THE CITY ASKENAZIM CON-
GREGATIONS—IRREGULAR MARRIAGES.

A CURIOUS case occurred in 1817, illustrating the manner in
which the Jews on some occasions were regarded by the law.
A certain bequest for purposes of charity had been devised
by an inhabitant of Bedford, named Harper, to the parish-
ioners of that town. Hitherto the Jews had participated in
the division of the fund in question, when suddenly it was
discovered that a Jew was not a "parishioner." The Jews
of Bedford resolved to lay the case before the Lord Chan-
cellor, and they addressed themselves in the first instance
to the authorities of the Great Synagogue. The vestry of
that congregation at once appointed a committee to inves-
tigate the subject, and sought the co-operation of the other
Synagogues in London. The Hambro' Synagogue and the
Sephardi Synagogue declined to entertain the matter, refer-
ring it to the Board of Deputies, while the New Synagogue
heartily took it up, and voted a sum of money for legal
expenses. The opinions of several eminent counsel were
asked, and they seemed to have been favourable to the Jews.
Mr Samuel Samuel, the chairman of the committee, bestirred
himself with much zeal ; consultations were held with Sir
Samuel Romilly, and the case was laid before the Lord
Chancellor. It was not until the year 1820 that the highest
legal functionary in the country decided that a Jew was not
a parishioner ; and all that the two Synagogues could do was
to pay cheerfully the heavy law costs incurred. In after
years the efforts of Mr Lissack of Bedford culminated in
obtaining a recognition of the rights of Jewish townspeople
to the advantages of Harper's foundation.

290 THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHAXITY.

The absence of decorum in public worship, which formerly
too often marked Jewish devotions, did not fail to attract at
various periods the attention of pious and enlightened Jews.
In May 1821 a petition, signed by several of the principal
members of the Great Synagogue, among whom we find the
name of Goldsmid, set forth forcibly the evils of the pro-
longed Meshabirach. The petitioners, in entreating the
committee to shorten the Meshabirach (complimentary
money offerings), alleged that "it is pitiful to behold how
indecently our solemn prayers are hurried on, particularly
during the sacred holidays, in order to allow time for a
system of finance, which, however beneficial in its operation,
is certainly inconsistent with decorum and public order."
The interruption to public worship, caused by a serious and
growing evil, was clearly pointed out to the ruling powers,
who nevertheless deferred the consideration of the memorial.
After several adjournments it was eventually decided " that,
from the manifold distresses of the poor and the consequent
claims, it was inexpedient to hazard any experiment by
which the revenue was likely to be diminished." One great
step in advance towards the abolition of these sources of
indecorum was taken by the Hambro' Synagogue in 1832,
when that congregation, on the proposal of Mr Abraham
Henry, its treasurer and one of its most intelligent members,
abolished the sale of the Mitzvoth (honorary offices during
services). The example was sooner or later followed by all
other London Synagogues ; but the abrogation of the Me-
shabirach has not yet been entirely effected in any Jewish
place of worship except the West London Synagogue of
British Jews. The evil has doubtless been much reduced
since the accession to office of the present Chief Rabbi;
but money offerings still continue to be publicly proclaimed
during the service in all London Synagogues, except in the
one last mentioned, to the grave disturbance of the solemnity
of prayer. The exigencies of financial wants doubtless form
a barrier to the suppression of this indecorous and irreligious
practice. "We entertain, nevertheless, the Utopian belief that
at a future period, more or less distant, a substitute will be
discovered for this objectionable means of raising Synagogue
revenue.

THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHARITY. 291

In November 1819, a committee was appointed by tlie
vestry of the Great Synagogue to consolidate, revise, and
reform the laws of that congregation, and to record them in
Hebrew and English. This committee, of which Mr Joshua
Van Oven and Mr Hyman Cohen were members, performed
its delicate task carefully and conscientiously. The Syna-
gogue laws were then written in that mongrel dialect called
Jewish German, which was neither Hebrew nor German ;
which was read by few and understood by fewer still. The
labours of the committee occupied some years, and their
report was not delivered to the constituent body until the
28th February 1825. The laws then had been framed and
classified ; they had been translated into English and sub-
sequently rendered into pure Hebrew. They were adopted
after due discussion by the vestry of the Great Synagogue ;
they were printed and circulated, and they remained in force
for the lifetime of a generation. In November 1854 it was
considered that a modification and revision of the then exist-
ing code was needed, and a sub-committee was elected for
that purpose. It may be noted that Dr Barnard Yan Oven,
the able and zealous sou of an able and zealous father,
Joshua Van Oven, was appointed chairman of the sub-com-
mittee. The report of the sub-committee with the amended
code of laws was presented on the 16th March 1858, and the
sub-committee, before closing their report, recorded their
grateful appreciation of the services of their chairman. The
revised code was submitted to the consideration of the vestry,
and underwent the most careful and minute consideration of
that body, during a period of nearly three years. Before it
was finally adopted it was laid before a conjoint body, con-
sisting of the vestry and of forty-two members of the con-
gregation, and finally the parts relating to religious matters
were submitted to the Chief Rabbi, the Rev. Dr Adler. This
code of laws, which- is the one now in operation, was framed
to meet the requirements of the epoch, maintaining intact at
the same time those principles which had always governed
the community.

The good understanding between the Askenazi Syna-
gogues was subject to frequent interruptions, usually on the
old score of the relief of the foreign poor, and occasionally on

2Q2 THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHARITY.

the ground of a member being surreptitiously taken by one
Synagogue from another. Treaties were made between the
Great Synagogue and the two sister Synagogues, which iu
due course were infringed or lapsed ; and, as a rule, no one
was ever to blame whenever any irregularity happened. It
would be useless and uninteresting to our readers to render a
detailed account of these differences ; to state the number of
meetings in which the representatives of one Synagogue met
the representatives of the others; or to give extracts from
the • voluminous correspondence that passed between the
secretary of the Duke's Place Synagogue and the secretaries
of the New and the Hambro' Synagogues. The first germs
of a complete union between the three German congregations
were due to the good offices of Mr N. M. Rothschild, whose
mediation was accepted in September 1824, in a discussion
between the Great Synagogue and the New Synagogue. A
meeting of the representatives of these two Synagogues, and
of those of the Hambro' Synagogue, was held at Mr Roths-
child's residence in May 1825. Though no final arrangement
was concluded then between the three Synagogues, the pro-
posals made at that conference served afterwards as a basis
for negotiations, which ultimately resulted in a permanent
and complete union of the three German city congregations
under one ecclesiastical head. The Great Synagogue still
continued to be, as it always remained, the leading Askenazi
community in the United Kingdom, to which proud position
it is justly entitled, by the superior numbers, wealth, and
influence of its members. The funds of this Synagogue had
rapidly increased since the commencement of the present
century ; and in July of the year 1828, its invested capital
amounted to upwards of £28,000. Mr Rothschild again
placed his mansion and his good services at the disposal of
the representatives of the three German Synagogues at this
period (July 1828) ; but for various causes, though an
understanding was established between the Synagogues,
no definite treaty was signed at the time. In April
1834, when differences threatened to arise between the
Duke's Place Synagogue and the New Synagogue on the
question of burials, it was considered advisable to end this
state of uncertainty. Delegates were appointed by these

THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHAR I TV. 293

Synagogues and by the Hambro' Synagogue, and in July
1835, a convention was signed by the delegates, subject to
the ratification of their constituents. This was fortunately
given in due course, and then Mr Rothschild's good work
was crowned. The convention between the Synagogues was
based on fair and equitable terms. It provided that the
foreign poor should be interred — one-half of their number
by the Great Synagogue, and one-quarter by each of the
other two Synagogues ; that the cost of relieving the
stranger poor should be defrayed in the same proportion ;
that the amount received from the Polish Synagogue in Gun
Yard should be divided in the same ratio, as well as the
profit that might accrue from the receipts for the burial of
strangers. It was also agreed that all flour for Passover
should be purchased conjointly ; that a committee of arbi-
tration should be annually appointed, consisting of three
members from the Great Synagogue and two members from
each of the other two Synagogues, to adjust any diversities
of opinion that might arise between the Synagogues ; that
monthly statements should be exchanged by the Synagogues ;
that each overseer of the poor should be appointed at a
common charge. In our days various services to the poor
are rendered expeditiously, efficiently, and completely by the
Board of Guardians, which affords the greatest obtainable
amount of good to the indigent at apparently the lowest
practicable cost.

In the year 1825 the attention of Dr Hirschel, the Chief
Rabbi of the German Jews, was directed towards a marriage
performed by a Pole, named Solomon Bennett, which
Dr Hirschel and the Haham of the Portuguese Jews con-
sidered irregular according to Jewish custom, and they
united in reprimanding the officiator. Unfortunately,
marriages of this nature, styled kedushim by the Sephardim
and mekedisch by the Askenazim, had been frequent among
the members of both congregations. Some of these indeed
perpetrated the worst evils of Fleet marriages. Any design-
ing man might entrap an artless girl into forfeiting
her freedom. These unions were as simple and easy as
Scotch marriages, and the reader will easy imagine what
incalculable evils they might originate. We have already

294 THE CASE OF HARPER'S CHARITY.

spoken at length on Jewish marriages, and we will only
revert briefly to the subject. Not unfrequently it happened
that a scheming, unprincipled man, having given to some
girl of reputable parentage the title of wife, allowed her to
return home to her father. The matter would soon be
brought to the knowledge of the wardens, who would take
the opinion of the Beth Din, on the validity of the marriage.
If pronounced valid, the speculating husband coolly ^sked a
good round sum of the father, to agree to the formalities
requisite to release the maiden wife. Of course it often
occurred that the husband was truly attached to his bride ;
and that this form of marriage was adopted through a dis-
parity of condition, or other similar cause, and then other
evils would ensue. To render such unions more difficult, if
not impossible, the committee of the Great Synagogue
ordered that seven or eight days before the solemnisation of
a marriage, the names of the parties intending to marry
should be notified in Hebrew and English on a tablet placed
in a conspicuous spot in the Synagogue. This rule, however,
does not appear to have been strictly adhered to. Among
the Portuguese, the Mahamad (vestry) had always constituted
a court of marriage and divorce ; and, subject to the religious
opinion of the Beth Din, they made and unmade wives with
a speed and ease that Sir Cress well Cresswell never equalled,
and Sir James Wyld would have regarded with astonishment.
The five gentlemen composing the Mahamad decided the fate
of the couples brought before them. We recollect one in-
stance in which a husband, having prayed for a divorce against
his wife, apparently on valid grounds, the matter was put to
the vote, and the question was decided against the husband
by the hesitating vote of the President. It seems rather hard
for any one to be inflicted for life with an uncongenial or
offending partner, purely on account of a president's casting
vote.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

ISAAC H ISRAELI AND HIS FAMILY.

IN the beginning of the present century, several families of
note among the Jews of Portuguese descent abandoned the
faith taught by Moses, to follow the precepts of Jesus of
Nazareth, or to speak with strict accuracy, to obey the dic-
tates of St Paul. In most of these instances the change was
evidently a matter of pure personal convenience.

The greatest loss to Judaism, at least from an intellectual
point of view, was unquestionably the secession of Isaac
D'Israeli. How his ancestors had abandoned the Spanish
Peninsula, sought refuge in Venice, and assumed the name of
D'Israeli — an appellation never before borne by Jews — is a
" twice-told tale," well known to most of our readers.
Under the shelter of the Lion of St Mark, the family of
D'Israeli followed commercial pursuits and prospered. For
two centuries they flourished as merchants, protected by the
11 Queen of the Adriatic." In the year 1747 the then repre-
sentative of the lineage despatched his younger Eon, Benja-
min, to a country where a settled dynasty reigned, and
where public opinion was presumed to be in favour of
freedom of conscience. Benjamin D'Israeli fixed his resi-
dence in England, and in time became the father of Isaac
D'Israeli. Benjamin D'Israeli appears to have acquired
affluence by trade. He did not take great interest in Syna-
gogal matters, and indeed, like some of the Italian Jews
who, tempted by the comparative liberality of English insti-
tions, had quitted the azure skies of Italy for the dusky
yellow of London fogs, he was somewhat lax in his obser-
vances. But he contributed liberally to the support of the
Synagogue, and his donations increased according to his
means. His finta (Synagogue tax), which was assessed at

296 ISAAC & ISRAELI AND HIS FA MIL Y.

first at 10s. per annum, gradually was augmented until it
reached in 1813, £22, 13s. 4d. Benjamin D'Israeli only
served once a minor office in the Synagogue, that of In-
spector of Hes-Haim, or the charity school. That was in
1782, and from the fact of his not being appointed to any
other honorary post, it seems that he did not display much
zeal in his superintendence orer the unruly charity boys.
Isaac D' Israeli, his son, was a student and a writer, and
mixed little with the world. He was born in 1766, and
married Maria Basevi, the sister of Joshua or George Basevi.
He was the father of four children, one daughter and three
sons, who were in their childhood brought up, at least
nominally, as Jews. Indeed, the boys were all initiated in
the covenant of Abraham. Isaac D'Israeli was not a fre-
quenter of the Synagogue; and, albeit he paid regularly his
finta of £10 per annum, and a few guineas more for chari-
table subscriptions, he entirely abstained from any close
connection with his community. On October 3, 1813, he
was elected Parnass or warden of the Bevis Marks Syna-
gogue. This office he declined, and he wrote to that effect
to the Mahamad (Wardens), dating his letter from King's
Road, Bedford Row. Isaac D'Israeli expressed surprise that
at so late a period of life he should have been so elected ; he
thought that had their choice been worth a moment's con-
sideration, they must have been aware of its singular impro-
priety, and he concluded by saying : " I am willing to contri-
bute, so far as my limited means permit, to your annual
subscriptions, but assuredly without interference in your
interior concerns." No notice was taken of this communi-
cation, and the author of " Curiosities of Literature" was
fined £40. The secretary of the Synagogue sent Mr D'Israeli
a summons to a meeting, which the latter returned under
date of the 26th October, attributing the occurrence to a
mistake, and concluded by saying, " I mentioned the terms
on which alone I could allow myself to be considered in any
way connected with your society." The reply to this re-
monstrance was a letter from the secretary, J. de Castro,
enclosing copy of a resolution in Portuguese, passed by the
elders, to the effect that Mr D'Israeli's election was in
accordance with the Ascamoth or laws of the congregation.

ISAAC D' ISRAELI AND HIS FAMILY. 297

The observations of Mr D'Israeli made no impression on the
Elders, and the only reply vouchsafed to him was non pos-
sumus.

Isaac D'Israeli addressed a highly interesting letter to the
authorities of the Synagogue, which, as expressing the views
on modern Jewish worship of so eminent a man, deserves to
be laid before our readers.

This letter, which, we believe, has never before seen the
light, was couched in the following terms: —

" You are pleased to inform me that my election of Parnass is in
strict conformity with your laws. "Were I to agree to this it would not
alter the utter impropriety of the choice. Whatever may be the laws,
the spirit of the laws must depend on their wise administration.

" A person who has lived out of the sphere of your observation, of
retired habits of life, who can never unite in your public worship, be-
cause as now conducted it disturbs instead of exciting religious emo-
tions, a circumstance of general acknowledgment, who has only tolerated
some part of your ritual, willing to concede all he can in those matters
which he holds to be indifferent ; such a man, with but a moderate
portion of honour and understanding, never can accept the solemn
functions of an elder of your congregation, and involve his life and
distract his business pursuits not in temporary but permanent duties
always repulsive to his feelings.

" I lament the occasion which drives me, with so many others, out
of the pale of your jurisdiction. The larger portion of your society
bears a close resemblance to the tribe of Ephraim, whom Hosea curi-
ously describes, chap. vii. 8, ' Ephraim hath mixed himself among the
people ! Ephraim is a cake not turned ! ' That is a cake upon the
hearth, baked on one side, and raw on the other, partly Jew, and
partly Gentile ! Why have you so many Ephraimites ? The cause of
this defection is worthy of your inquiry. Gentlemen, allow me to add,
that whenever the governed are unruly, some defect will be discovered
in the governors. Even the government of a small sect can only be
safely conducted by enlightened principles, and must accommodate
itself with practical wisdom to existing circumstances, but above all
with a tender regard to the injured feelings of its scattered members.
Something like the domestic affections should knit us all together — a
society existing on the voluntary aid of its members is naturally in a
feeble state, and if it invests itself with arbitrary power, a blind pre-
cipitation in a weak body can only tend to self-destruction. Many of
your members are already lost ; many you are losing ! Even those

293 ISAAC D' ISRAELI AND HIS FAMILY.

whose tempers and feelings would still cling to you, are gradually
seceding.

" But against all this you are perpetually pleading your existing
laws, which you would enforce on all the brethren alike !

" It is of these obsolete laws so many complain. They were adapted
by fugitives to their peculiar situation, quite distinct from our own, and
as foreign to us as the language in which they are written. Some of
you boast that your laws are much as they were a century ago ! You
have laws to regulate what has ceased to exist ; you have laws which,
through the change of human events, prove to be new impediments to
the very purposes of the institution, and for the new circumstances
which have arisen, you are without laws.

" Such, gentlemen, is my case ; invincible obstacles exist against my
becoming one of your elders, motives of honour and conscience ! If
you will not retain a zealous friend, and one who has long had you
in his thoughts, my last resource is to desire my name to be withdrawn
from your society.

" It remains for you, gentlemen, to set a noble example of dignity
and political wisdom. Let the award of the Mahamad be revised
because they have erred in the choice of a fitting person to become
a Parnass.

" At all events you have my warm wishes for happier days. Do not
shut out the general improvement of the age. Make your schools
flourish, and remember that you have had universities ere now ; a
society has only to make itself respectable in these times to draw to itself
the public esteem. Believe me I have not come like Sanballat the
Horonite, who with bitter derision impeded Nehemiah in his zealous
labour of rebuilding the walls of the Holy City, scoffing at him for re-
ceiving the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish (Neb. iv. 2). — I am,
gentlemen, with due respect, yours, ISAAC D'IsHAELr.

" 6 KING'S ROAD, BEDFORD Row,
Dec. 3, 1813."

Mr D'Israeli, it will be perceived, did not write as if he
were a strict orthodox Jew ; but he showed a -strong feeling
for his race and a desire to remain connected with 'the Jewish
body, provided such connection could be continued in a
manner in accordance with his views. The author of the
" Curiosities of Literature " had been brought up from child-
hood aloof from his own co-religionists, and his course of
reading aud literary studies had not tended to impress him
with sufficient reverence for the ceremonial laws of the Jews.

ISAAC D> ISRAELI AND HIS FAMILY. 299

He had no desire to quit Judaism for Christianity ; but he
wished to follow only that portion of Judaism which coincided
with certain facile opinions he entertained.

It must at the same time be admitted that the authorities
of the ancient Portuguese Congregation, and for that matter
the authorities of other Jewish Congregations too, did nothing
to keep those of their brethren who had any tendency to
waver from their old creed. As we have before asserted, the
rigidity with which Certain congregational laws or regulations
that might advantageously have been modified were enforced ,•
the unwillingness to grant any concession to the desires or
views of individual members ; and the indecorous, slovenly,
and unattractive manner in which Synagogue services were
too often conducted, caused, or at all events hastened, the
secession of many an old family from the faith of Israel.

The elders did not show any disposition to yield to
D'Israeli's requests. They merely instructed their secretary,
through the Mahamad, to write to Mr D'Israeli " that in
accordance with the present laws, it is not possible to grant
him the exemptions he desires."

In the month of March following (1814), Isaac D'Israeli
received his Synagogue account, in which he was debited
with the usual fine for non-acceptance of office. This he
repudiated, but he expressed his willingness to discharge his
regular finta. The question appears to have remained thus
pending until March 1817, when the author of " The Ameni-
ties of Literature " received new accounts and summonses to
attend meetings. These proceedings irritated him, and he
wrote to the Mahamad (Wardens), regretting that he had not
been " suffered to remain in quiet as a useful contributing
member, although otherwise unfitted to deliberate in their
councils." He concluded by saying : " I have patiently
sought for protection against the absurd choice of two or
three injudicious individuals, but I find that you as a body
sanction what your own laws will not allow. I am not a fit
member of your 'society, and I certainly am an aggrieved one.
I must now close all future correspondence, and I am under
the painful necessity of insisting that my name be erased
from the list of your members as yehidim (acknowledged
members) of the Synagogue. — lam. &c., I.

3oo ISAAC & ISRAELI AND HIS FAMILY.

His resignation was followed by that of his brother-in-law,
Joshua or George Basevi, the well-known architect.

In May, in the same year, Sarah, widow of Benjamin
D' Israeli, obtained the permission of the Mahamad to place
a new tombstone on her husband's grave. In 1821 Isaac
D'Israeli applied to the secretary of the Portuguese Con-
gregation for the certificates of birth of himself and famiry.
There was some hesitation in complying with this request,
owing to the indebtedness to the Synagogue of Mr D'Israeli.
But an arrangement was arrived at, through the interven-
tion of Ephraim Lindo, by which the Mahamad agreed to
receive as full payment, the amount of the finta and offer-
ings due by D'Israeli up to 1817, waiving the remainder
of their claim for fines. On Ephraim Lindo handing
over to the secretary the sum of £40, 17s, on account of
D'Israeli, the resignation of the latter was accepted, and the
required certificates were furnished him. Mrs Isaac D'Israeli,
who was born in December 1755, gave birth to her only
daughter, Sarah D'Israeli, in December 1802, while her
eldest son, the Right Hon. Benjamin D'Israeli, saw the light
on the 21st December 1804. The present Premier of Eng-
land thus proves older than he is usually said to be. His
two younger brothers were respectively born, Ralph D'Israeli
in 1809, and James D'Israeli in 1813, and they were all
initiated into the covenant of Abraham.*

At this period ended the connection between the D'Israeli
family and the Synagogue ; a connection that might never
have been severed, had the authorities of the Sephardi Con-
gregation displayed more judgment and tact in their dealings
with Isaac D'Israeli.

We have spoken of this gifted family when they belonged
to the Jewish communion. Of the literary career of Isaac
D'Israeli, the talented father, and of the literary and poli-
tical career of Benjamin D'Israeli, the still more highly
endowed son, it is not our province to speak. Isaac D'Israeli

* It may be interesting to our Jewish readers to learn that the gentleman who
performed the initiatory rite on the present Premier of England was a relative of
his mother, the late David Abarbanel Lindo, an influential member of the
Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, and a merchant of high commercial
stand ing.

ISAAC D 'ISRAELI AND HIS FAMIL Y. 101

U

in his " Curiosities of Literature," suggests some work re-
cording " a history of events which have not happened."
He speculates on what might have occurred if Charles II.
had not been defeated at Worcester ; if Charles Martel had
not routed the Saracens at Tours, and the Mohammedan rule
had been established in Europe ; if Martin Luther had not
been too much terrified at the threats of Cardinal San Sisto
to renounce his errors, which at one time he was disposed to
do, had he received some preferment. As the author himself
says, it is often that the fortunes of men and of nations re-
volve on a single event. A fair ground for speculation may
be formed as to the potential history of Benjamin D'Israeli,
had the few gentlemen who ruled over the Portuguese Com-
munity in 1814 resolved to conciliate the good will of Isaac
D'Israeli. It was only a question of two or three votes.
Benjamin D'Israeli might in that case have been a brilliant
man of letters, a successful lawyer, a rising member of Par-
liament. In all human probability he would not, whilst we
write, be guidinsr the destinies of England.

CHAPTER XL.

J. KIXG AND JEWISH WORSHIP— SIR MAURICE X1MENES—
MORDECAI RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ.

THE sincere love we bear for a dear friend or relative, the
deep devotion we feel for the faith in which we have been
born and in the traditions of which we have been nurtured,
do not prevent us from acknowledging the faults of the one,
or from observing the blemishes that may have crept into
the forms of the other. Without going so far as to admit
the entire justice of I. D'Israeli's strictures on the autho-
rities of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, we find much in his
remarks on the religious condition of that community, that
should have been received with far greater attention and
consideration than were vouchsafed to his words.

The Jews must acknowledge it, however harshly the ad-
mission may grate on their ears. The mode of worship as
conducted in Jewish Synagogues in the early part of the
nineteenth century, did not satisfy either the minds or the
hearts of many sincere and conscientious Jews. Aged living
witnesses confirm verbally, what men now dead had written.
Thoughtful and earnest Jews keenly felt the abuses that
shocked their sense of religious decorum, and vainly endea-
voured to remedy the crying eviU that throve almost un-
checked before their e}res. In 1812 J. King, a member
of the Portuguese Congregation, addressed several communi-
cations to the wardens of that community, wherein he re-
peatedly stated that his absence from Synagogue for many
years was because "it was not a. place of devotion, and
prayers could be better said in the closet." He observed
" with grief and astonishment how little the Synagogue was
attended, how indecent was the conduct of those that did at-
tend, and how extremely uneducated and disorderly were the

/. KING AND JEWISH WORSHIP. 503

charity boys." He offered to contribute to the Letter in-
struction of these children, so that they should no longer
distress people's ears by discordant noises. He complained
that the house of prayer was converted into an exchange or
mart for the discussion of news or carrying out of commer-
cial transactions. He strongly recommended reform in these
respects, and concluded «by placing his purse and his person
at the service of the congregation. His allegations unfor-
tunately only confirm pictures drawn by higher hands, as to
the truth of which we can entertain no reasonable doubt.
Mr King's proposals were coldly received ; they were de-
ferred consideration until he wrote again and again urging
the Mahamad to make some alterations to avoid a schism.
Eventually, King's services not being accepted and his ad-
vice not being followed, he returned to his retirement from
his own community. Nevertheless King lived and died a
Jew. Belonging to a middle-class family in his congrega-
tion, Rev, for such was his original name, was fortunate
enough to win the affections of an Irish Catholic lady of
rank and fortune, whom he married. King, who had angli-
cised his pseudonym, being thus possessed of a wealthy and
influential wife, might, had he consented to embrace Chris-
tianity, have aspired to some high post. But he strenuously
resisted his wife's solicitations and the temptations to which
he was exposed. He did not deviate from the old faith. On
the contrary, he proved himself attached to its tenets. He
was deaf to the pleas of conjugal love, and to the calls of
ambition -, and he even edited and published at his own ex-
pense David Levi's Dissertation on the Prophets. He died
in 1824, bequeathing a small legacy to the Synagogue.

Among the defections of note from Judaism, which occurred
during the first quarter of the century, in addition to the
withdrawal of Isaac D'Israeli, we will mention the cases of
the families of Ximenes, Rodriguez Lopez, and Uzzielli.
Moses Ximenes was an ambitious and rich man, indifferent
in religious matters, eager for worldly honours. In 1802 he
had been elected to office in the Synagogue, which he declined
to accept. Having been fined for non-attendance, according
to custom, he desired to retire from the community, deput-
ing his friend, Mr Uzzielli, to pay what was due to the

3o4 / KING AND JEWISH WORSHIP.

Synagogue. Uzzielli adopted Christianity, and became the
founder of the family of that name, several members of whom
have since become well-known financiers. Moses, otherwise
Captain, Ximenes did not leave his community in real or
affected anger like some other neophytes. On the contrary,
he embraced his new faith while expressing the most friendly
feelings towards the professors of the old faith ; and in his
parting communication, he thus wrote to the Mahamad of
the Portuguese Synagogue : — " I shall always be ready to
cheerfully contribute to any of those charities that do so
much honour to your heads and hearts, and in which no
body of people are so praiseworthy as yourself." We have
here at least the not common spectacle of an apostate, who
does not revile and vilify his former co-religionists or their
institutions. Ximenes was knighted ; and Sir Maurice
Ximenes became high sheriff and magistrate of his county,
and died apparently a prosperous man.

Mordecai Kodriguez Lopez was descended from an ancient
Sephardi stock, whose name we have met already, who
flourished in the world of finance, and who realised fortunes
in foreign trade. Mordecai Rodriguez Lopez dwelt in Clap-
ham, and had wedded Eebecca, daughter of Menasseh Pereira
of Jamaica, by whom he had a son, Menasseh Lopez, who
was born in that island in 1755. The elder Lopez, after a
residence in the West Indies, returned to En,gland an
opulent man. He conformed outwardly to the rites of
Judaism for many years, and served the usual Synagogue
offices. Towards the end of the 18th century his attendance
and that of his son at the house of prayer, slackened ;
rumours as to his orthodoxy arose, and a letter to the follow-
ing effect, dated llth July 1802, did not cause much surprise
to the Mahamad, to whom it was addressed : — " A recent
circumstance in regard to my future situation, which will
very soon appear, makes it incompatible to my remaining
any longer a yah id or member of the congregation, and I
have desired my friend, Mr Moses Lindo, junr., to apprise
you of my intention and to pay my account with the Syna-
gogue." In concluding his communication, Mordecai Rodri-
guez Lopez, like Moses Ximenes, expressed the best wishes
for the welfare of his late brethren, and, moreover, he stated

/. KING AND JEWISH WORSHIP. 305

that he had instructed Moses Lindo, junr., to present the
Synagogue with £150 for the zedaka or charity fund. The
" recent circumstance " adverted to by Lopez was evidently
his conversion and that of his son to the recognised religion
of the State. The change in the theological opinions of
Mordecai and of Menasseh Lopez happened by a singular
coincidence to manifest itself at the time of a general election,
and the fact was immediately followed by the return of
Menasseh as member for New Romney. Menasseh Lopez
was created a baronet in 1805, with remainder to his nephew,
Ralph Franco. In the next election, Sir Menasseh secured
a seat 'for Barpstaple, for which borough he was again re-
elected in 1818. Curious to say, we find that an attorney,
named Dance, who had insulted Sir Menasseh Lopez, incor-
rectly described as " a Jew baronet," was condemned to
twelve months imprisonment, and to be struck off the rolls.
On the 18th March 1819, the "Jew baronet" was found
guilty at the Exeter Assize of having bribed the electors of
the borough of Grampound to secure his election, and
sentence was deferred. On the 13th November he was again
prosecuted for a similar offence, and convicted, and he
received sentence in the Court of Queen's Bench. He was
condemned for the first offence to be imprisoned for twenty-
one months in Exeter Jail, and to pay to the King a fine of
£10,000, and for the second infraction of the law, which had
been committed in Devonshire, he was sentenced to a further
confinement of three months and another fine of £2000.
Notwithstanding these untoward circumstances, Sir Menasseh
Massey Lopez was once more returned to Parliament, and
this time he was chosen as a fit representative for the imma-
culate borough of Westbury. In 1826 he resigned to make
room for Sir Robert Peel, who had been ejected from the
Protestant University of Oxford, on account of his public
conduct on the question of Catholic emancipation. Sir Men-
asseh married the daughter of Mr John Yeates of Monmouth,
and his only child, Esther, died in 1819, when twenty-four
years old. Sir Menasseh Massey Lopez, Bart., died at an
advanced age in 1831, at Maristow House. He was then
fulfilling the functions of Recorder of Westbury, in addition
to being a magistrate for two counties. He was succeeded

u

306 / KING AND JEWISH WORSHIP.

by his nephew, Ralph Franco, who hecarne Sir Ralph Lopes,
Bart., the last letter in the name being softened into S.
The landed and personal property bequeathed by the first
baronet was estimated at upwards of £800,000. Sir Massey
Lopes, one of the present Lords of the Admiralty, is the son
of Sir Ralph Lopes, Bart., otherwise Ralph Franco. It is
worthy of remark that Sir Massey Lopes, the son of a Jew,
holds a place in the present Conservative administration,
which is headed by the son of another Jew, himself born
within the pale of Judaism.

It may be observed that few of those gentlemen who so
easily renounced their old creed had been & frequent or
regular attendant at Synagogue. Nobody suddenly becomes
very wicked, says the old Latin adage, or, we may add, very
good either. Few men who are zealous and sincere followers
of one religion readily embrace another religion, without even
going through the form of an inquiry. The Jews who aban-
doned Judaism in the early part of this century, had long
been lax in their observances. Indifference to form leads to
indifference to principle, and convenience points to a change
which can do no worldly harm, and may conduce to a great
many very material advantages.

Judaism has shown itself to be possessed of far greater
vitality than it got credit for from Isaac D'Israeli. Some
families of eminence did doubtless lapse from Judaism in his
time ; and we have at different periods thoroughly inquired
into the subject of conversions to Christianity. But the
enjoyment by Jews of civil and political freedom, the intro-
duction of wholesome improvements in the performance of
Jewish religious services, the spread of enlightenment and
education among the Jews, and various other causes have
long obviated any temptation for Jews to forsake their old
religion.

To abandon one's faith is no longer regarded as a pass-
port to good society, or as a preliminary to entrance into
public life. Apostasy is not considered by right-minded
Christians as a title to their confidence, and a conscientious
Jew may aspire to serve his country and to rise to high
dignity, and still remain an open and zealous believer in the
Lord of Israel.

CHAPTER XLI.

A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAH AM.

A SPIRITUAL pastor must always exercise great influence over
his flock, and gthe Rev. Solomon Hirschel undoubtedly
possessed great authority over the Askenazim of London.
The Rev. Solomon Hirschel, as our readers may recollect,
was born in England, and was the son of a former rabbi of
the Dukj's Place Synagogue, Rabbi Hirsch. The future
head of the German Community of London was educated in
Germany and in Poland, where the public schools being
closed against him, he devoted himself to the study of Jewish
theology. Solomon Hirschel possessed a clear understanding,
keen humour, and sound judgment, and he acquired a correct
and pure style of Hebrew composition. Mathematics formed
a favourite pursuit of his. This science, by its ingenuity
and by the facility with which it can be acquired in solitary
research, had always been a favourite study of the rabbis.

According to the custom obtaining in his day among the
Jews of Poland, Solomon Hirschel married at the early age
of seventeen. For nine years he occupied the Rabbinical
Chair of Prenzlau, in Prussia. In 1802, when forty years
• old, he was called to preside over the Synagogue in Duke's
Place ; but gradually his jurisdiction was extended over all
the Jews of Askenazi Minhag or rite in London, and indeed
in England.

With this appointment began a new and important phase
of the life of the Rev. Solomon Hirschel. The period of his
administration deserves a conspicuous place in the annals of
the English Jews. It was during this period that the
scattered elements formed by the English Jews were gathered
into one compact mass, and that the Spanish and Portuguese
Jews and the German Jews, who were formerly spoken of as

3o8 A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAHAM.

two distinct " nations," became closely connected together
as members of the same ancient race and followers of the
same ancient creed. It was during this time that monuments
were established, demonstrating to' posterity the munificent
charity of the English Jews towards their poorer brethren.
It was at this epoch that the Jews' Hospital, the Jews'
Free School, and several useful institutions were founded.
During this period the ever memorable mission to the East
was performed by Sir Moses Montefiore ; and, we must add,
it was at this period that the unfortunate schism took place,
which separated some of the best members of the old congre-
gations from their early associations and ftrmer brethren.
The Rev. Solomon Hirschel had seen the communities which
he guided increase in number, in wealth, and in enlighten-
ment. Nevertheless his life was not without its bitterness.
In his earlier days he is said to have been disturbed by
family troubles, while in old age the dissensions prevailing
in his congregations sorely vexed his spirit.

Considerable dissatisfaction had manifested itself princi-
pally with liturgical forms. Though the Rev. Solomon
Hirschel represented the spirit of a bygone age, he is said by
those who knew him best to have possessed a tolerant and
equitable disposition. Had the secession movement occurred
a few years earlier, it is believed that the pious rabbi by his
prudence and energy might have averted the unhappy con-
sequences which followed, and that by counselling opportune
and moderate reforms, only two communities of Jews might
yet exist in Great Britain. But it happened otherwise.
The Rev. Solomon Hirschel, broken in mind and body and
weighed with years, was unequal to the emergency. Fasting
and other privations had told on his powerful frame. At
one period he never ate meat except on Sabbaths ; at an-
other period he fasted altogether during the whole of every
Monday and Thursday, and only medical prohibition pre-
vented him from fasting on such days to the last moment of
his life. Two severe accidents confined him to his chamber
for some months before his death. He died on the 31st
October 1842, when he had reached the advanced age of
eighty-one.

The Rev. S. Hirschel was an uncompromising foe to con-

A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAH AM. 309

versionists ; but he was mild in manner and desirous of
avoiding religious controversies with non-Jews ; and espe-
cially careful not to give offence to Christians. Once
indeed he strongly remonstrated against some unseemly and
ill-judged expressions on the part of some members of a
debating club which styled itself the Philo-Judeean Society,
and which consisted mainly of Jewish young men. Above
all, the learned rabbi loved peace and hated public polemics,
invariably checking intemperance of expression. He left
a family of four sons and four daughters, to whom he
bequeathed his savings, said to amount to £13,000 or
£14,000. His, property was sold at public auction by the
well-known George Robins, who treated the objects of Jewish
worship, the use of which was unknown to him, with great
respect and good feeling. The excellent library which the
Rev. S. Hirschel had gathered was purchased for the Beth
Hamedrash, and some of his flock eagerly bought as keep-
sakes the articles he familiarly employed in domestic wor-
ship.

The late rabbi was a man of commanding presence and
tall stature. He had a lofty forehead and a keen eye, and
his countenance is described as having a benignant and in-
tellectual expression. His appearance abroad inspired rever-
ence, and most persons in the streets touched their hats and
made way for the High Priest of the Jews, as they styled
him. Two or three portraits of him are extant, the best
being that seen in the vestry of Duke's Place. The Rev. S.
Hirschel was wont to rise at early dawn, rarely retiring
until midnight, and occupying every available moment in his
engrossing theological studies. He was endowed with a
remarkably quick perception of character ; and to him was
attributed a ready wit. The manuscripts he left behind are
said to be richly garnished with humorous sayings.

The funeral of the late Chief Rabbi, which was celebrated
on 2d November 1842, presented an imposing spectacle. His
body was brought from his residence in Bury Street to
the Duke's Place Synagogue by twenty-four bearers, one of
whom was Sir Moses Montefiore. The bier was placed before
the ark, which was covered with black cloth. The numerous
windows were darkened, the Synagogue was illuminated with

310 A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAH AM.

wax tapers, and the whole arrangements had a sombre and
impressive effect. The service was read by the Kev. S.
Ascher, and then a procession was formed to accompany the
mortal remains of the Chief Rabbi to the Germaoi Jews'
Cemetery in North Street, Mile End. The procession com-
prised upwards of a hundred plain carriages, for mourning
coaches had been eschewed by the directions of the deceased.
Deputations from all the Synagogues and all the Jewish schools
in London attended the funeral, and the scene at the burial-
ground was most solemn and striking. Several brown paper
packets, sealed with wax and containing papers and docu-
ments, were thrown into the grave by order of the deceased.
The shops of Jewish tradesmen remained closed until after
the conclusion of the funeral ceremony, which lasted from
ten until three o'clock. A medal was struck in commemora-
tion of the late Chief Rabbi, displaying an emblematic device
with inscriptions in Hebrew.

Shortly after the Duke's Place Synagogue, which had been
for many years without a spiritual guide, had resolved to
elect a chief rabbi, the Portuguese Community, who had
found themselves in precisely the same position, determined
to supply a similar want. Our readers are already aware
that the Rev. Raphael Meldola was appointed in 1805
Haham of the Sephardi Congregation, and that he fulfilled
his functions with zeal, if not always with the tact and
discretion desirable in a man occupying his responsible post.
The learned Haham was born at Leghorn in 1754. He was
the son of Haham Moses Meldola, formerly Professor of
Oriental Languages at the University of Paris, and whose
literary writings are to be found in the works " Tosaphot
Rekem," " Mahamar Mordecai," &c. His ancestors had been
great rabbis and men of erudition for many generations ; his
grandfather had been Haham at Pisa, and then had been
called to France, while his uncle became Rabbi of the ancient
and important Congregation of Amsterdam. Haham Raphael
Meldola himself became an accomplished theologian and
philosopher. After a regular course of studies, he was
admitted member of the first rabbinical university at the
age of fifteen ; and in 1803 he received the title of Rab, and
was appointed a judge to try causes among his own people,

A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAH AM. 311

as was customary in Italy. At an early age he published a
work called " Korban Minha," a literary comment on and
explanation of the service of the High Priest read in Syna-
gogue on Kipur day. In 1796 he brought out a rabbinical
work entitled " Hupat Hatanim," which is said to display
great mathematical as well as talmudical knowledge. He
moreover left ten MS. works, one of which was published by
his son, the Rev. David Meldola, and was entitled " Hezek
Hemunah, Faith Strengthened." This forms a complete
exposition of the Jewish doctrines, rites, and belief, in the
form of dialogues in pure Hebrew with aii English version.

Haham Meldola was humble in manner and unpretending
in deportment, i&nne infirmity of temper, however, brought
him into occasional collisions with the Synagogue authorities
or officials, to the detriment of the dignity of his office. He
was a kind-hearted man, ever ready to lend a willing ear
to tales of distress and to do his uttermost to procure assist-
ance for those who really deserved it. Haham Meldola died
in June 1828, at the age of seventy-four, and was interred in
the old burial-ground by the side of Rabbi Nieto at his
especial desire. Truly there was this resemblance between
those two learned rabbis, that both were natives of Italy,
both had prosecuted their studies at Leghorn, both had
been appointed chiefs of the same college, had been called
to London, had acquired considerable fame for learning, and
both died at about the same age.

The Rev. Solomon Hirschel and Haham Meldola laboured
under the disadvantage of being called upon to direct spiritu-
ally congregations with the language of which they were more
or less unacquainted. The Rev. Solomon Hirschel, though an
Englishman by birth, had been brought up abroad, and like
Haham Meldola, he never succeeded in mastering the tongue
in which Shakespeare and Milton wrote. Pulpit instruction
did not form a recognised part of the service in those days,
and the exhortations which those reverend gentlemen, at rare
intervals like angel's visits, addressed to their flocks, .fell on
unprepared soil. The strange German speech of the Rev.
Solomon Hirschel, and the very questionable Spanish in
which Haham Meldola gave his religious instruction to his
congregants, were necessarily only understood by a small

3i2 A CHIEF RABBI AND A HAH AM.

minority of them. The Jews of German and Spanish or
Portuguese origin have ordinarily adopted the language of this
country as their own, at all events in the second generation ;
and thus it happened that the reverend preachers directed
their homilies to nearly empty benches.

The Jews have now changed all this. Religious sermons
form in nearly all Synagogues an acknowledged portion of
the services ; and the Jews of all sections of the community
may consider themselves as extremely fortunate in having
secured the benefit of the presence of lecturers eloquent and
learned, who impart to their respective congregations the
fruit of their studies and meditations in pure English.

CHAPTER XLII.

JEWISH WORTHIES— THE REV. SOLOMON LYON—EMMA
LYON— MICHAEL JOSEPHS— ARTHUR LUMLEY DAVIDS.

THOUGH the Jews of England have not been so prolific in pro-
ducing great names in literature as their Continental brethren,
they can show, nevertheless, a fair number of scholars, lin-
guists, and men of letters, of such extended knowledge and
varied talents as would reflect credit on any community. It
must be owned that English Jews have never displayed any
especial predilection for literature. They have not risen to
high rank in journalism, and they do not influence or guide
the opinion of an important section of the community. Their
literary reviews do not decide the fate of a new book ; they
do not draw the tears or raise the smiles of crowded audiences
before the curtain, by the invention of heart-stirring plots, or
by the creation of original types of character ; and with, per-
haps, one single exception, they do not enchain the attention
of thousands of readers of fiction to the fortunes of the
puppets of their imagination, through the customary three
volumes. The few names at the head of this chapter, and the
far greater number who have distinguished themselves since,
clearly prove that it is not the lack of any natural gift which
prevents the Jew from achieving success in the pursuit of
literature. The prospect of speedy wealth in the Stock
Exchange, or the ambition of vying with the merchant
princes of England, undoubtedly exercises an alluring in-
fluence in this century, when the sovereign sway of gold
becomes daily more and more apparent and irresistible. More-
over, the bar, music, and painting, have attracted the greater
part of such Jewish talent and energies as have not been
monopolised by commercial or financial occupations. Few
Jews have devoted themselves heart and soul to the pursuit
of literature.

3i4 JEWISH WORTHIES.

Among the learned Jews at the beginning of this century,
we must not omit to mention the Rev. Solomon Lyon of
Cambridge. This gentleman was a scholar of considerable
attainments. He was educated at the University of Prague,
and he settled in this country in the latter part of last cen-
tury. He established the first Jewish boarding-school in
England, and became a registered tutor at the University of
Cambridge. He taught Hebrew to several persons of social
distinction, among whom may be named the Duke of Sussex,
the present Duke of Wellington, Charles Poulett Thompson,
Colonel Thompson, the Corn Law reformer, Dr Mansell,
Bishop of Gloucester, and many others. He wrote a Hebrew
Grammar and several erudite treatises. He was himself an
able man, and he associated with men of ability. From him
descended a gifted family. His daughter, Miss Emma Lyon,
was an accomplished poetess, and those who had the privilege
of knowing her personally, are aware that she was as estim-
able and kind-hearted as she was intellectual and well edu-
cated. This lady was the first Jewish Englishwoman who
was an authoress. She received an unusually good education
for her days ; her father's position and connections at the
University of Cambridge affording her exceptional advantages
of this nature. Miss Emma Lyon published a volume of
poems in 1812, which proved highly successful, and met with
a very favourable reception from the reviewers of the period.
After her marriage with Mr Abraham Henry, this lady con-
tinued to write occasional poems, which were recited at public
institutions, such as the Jews' Hospital, Jews' Free School,
Society of Friends for Foreigners in Distress, &c. Among
Mrs Henry's children, we may name the late able and accom-
plished editor of the Jewish Chronicle ', a gentleman who was
as much esteemed in his community for his talents as for his
largeness of heart and modesty of disposition.

Many of our readers will doubtless recollect the venerable
figure of the late Michael Josephs. He rendered great ser-
vice to Anglo-Jewish literature, and no Anglo-Jewish history
would be complete without a glance at his life and at his
works. Michael, or as sometimes he styled himself Myer,
Josephs, was born in Konigsberg in 1763, and he came to
London when a youth of sixteen. The great intellectual

JEWISH WORTHIES. 315

movement led by Mendelssohn in Germany had begun at that
time, and he came to England inspired by it. The move-
ment would have spread to England had a favourable field
for literary culture and a love for Hebrew literature existed
here. Michael Josephs brought with him great knowledge of
the Holy Scriptures, and much aptitude for Hebrew writing.
He had the gift of making happy epigrams ; and ingenious
turns in prose and in verse characterised all his literary works.
Many of his epigrams and poems are scattered in different
journals ; and many are dispersed in manuscript partly among
his own papers, and partly in the letters he addressed to his
friends. He composed for many years the Hebrew ode re-
cited at the anniversary banquet of the Free School. The
fugitive pieces he wrote may be numbered by the score,
and these will always be read with pleasure by all who un-
derstand and appreciate Hebrew literature. Probably his
fame as a Hebrew scholar rests more solidly on his Hebrew
and English Lexicon, a work of great utility, and which dis-
plays real scholarship and mastery over the sacred tongue.

Michael Josephs took an active part in all the movements
tending to the advancement of progress and enlightenment
among his co-religionists. He participated in 1830 in the
foundation of the Hebrew Literary Society for the cultivation
of the sacred language, a society which came to an untimely
end in less than two years. It is said that he was frequently
consulted by the Chief Rabbi, the Rev. Dr Hirschel, on
questions connected with Hebrew composition ; an art of
which Michael Josephs was complete master. He also was
the first to suggest the necessity of replying to " M< Caul's
Old Paths; " a work which has been since answered, though
perhaps not so completely as might be desired. Michael
Josephs was a merchant by profession ; and he graced his
leisure hours by the pursuit of those studies for which his
education and tastes had so well fitted him. In his religious
views he belonged to that happy medium, which it is to be
lamented is not found oftener among men of intelligence.
He was not one of those who consider the slightest infraction
of the minutest observance as a mortal sin ; nor did he hold
with those who completely disregard the ceremonial law ot
Moses. He was a wise and prudent man, and he would

3i6 JEWISH WORTHIES.

often familiarly say, like Socrates, " Let us sacrifice a cock
to .^Esculapius."

Mr Josephs had a true love for his fellow-creatures.
Charitable himself, he was the cause of charity in others.
From the esteem he enjoyed in his community, it was easy
for him to gather important sums for deserving objects.
In his literary labours he was indefatigable ; and to literary
aspirants from Germany he proved little less than a pro-
vidence. His purse and his advice were at their service,
and he never abandoned them until their object, so far as it
was attainable, was accomplished. In his last years Michael
Josephs lived in retirement, surrounded by three of his sons
who cheered his last days. He died in 1849, having reached
the patriarchal age of eighty-six. He was deeply regretted
by the rich and by the poor ; and especially by men of letters.
The void his death left in the community was not easily
filled. Zealous workers among the Jews in the cause of
charity have always been plentiful; zealous workers in the
cause of Jewish literature have been found, though not so
numerous. Men who have worked, at the same time, to
elevate the Jews spiritually and to ameliorate their physical
condition, have not been numerous, and Michael Josephs
may justly claim to rank among them.

The dispensations of Providence are at times strangely
incomprehensible. A thunderbolt falls. The old worn-out
decayed trunk, leafless, branchless, with scarcely any vitality,
is spared, and a young vigorous sapling, hardly finished
growing, with all the elements of a fresh robust life before
it, is stricken to the earth. A pestilence arises. The aged
invalid who for years has been tottering on the verge of
the grave, to whom existence is no longer aught but a
prolongation of pain, who longs to lie down and die that
he may rest from the weary pilgrimage which has proved
to him nought but vexation of the spirit and suffering of
the flesh ; he escapes unscathed. The youth whose career
opens with brilliant prospects : who is endowed by the gifts
of nature, whose bright genius raises the highest hope as to
his future career, whose path seems strewed with flowers, is
inexorably snatched from our midst by the merciless angel
of death. The blooming young bride perishes and the

JEWISH WORTHIES. 317

wrinkled old beldame survives ; why or wherefore our
limited intelligence cannot fathom. Arthur Lumley Davids,
like Numa Hartog and like Philoxene Luzzatto, the pro-
digiously learned son of the great Hebraist, Professor
Luzzatto of Padua, lived indeed but a short span of time.
Arthur Lumley Davids was born in the year 1811, and he
died in July 1832, ere he had reached his twenty-first
birthday. Before he was twenty, this wonderful young man
had delivered a lecture in the presence of the " Society for
the Cultivation of Hebrew Literature " on the Philosophy of
the Jews, a lecture replete with deep learning and profound
research. Before he reached to the years of manhood,
before he was called away from his family, he had written
a Grammar of the Turkish language, with a preliminary
discourse on the language and literature of the Turkish
nation, &c. ; a work which called forth from the most
competent judges of the subject the most unqualified praise.
The " Literary Gazette," the arbiter of literary merit in those
days, expressed itself on the subject in the following terms :
" We are informed that the author of this volume has not
yet completed his twenty-first year ; and if we were disposed
to think very highly indeed of the learning and research
which it displays, even had they marked the labours of grey
hairs, how much more must we prize and estimate them
when we learn that the extraordinary effort proceeds from
the verge of boyhood." Happily this great work was
honoured with the applause of the monarch the language
of whose people it illustrates ; and it secured to its author
immortal fame.

Davids, in the few years of his life, had acquired a fund of
knowledge so extensive and so varied, that were age reckoned
by the amount of learning attained, he must have reached a
patriarchal old age. Had he been spared to his co-religionists
and to the world at large, a mind so ardent, so stored with
erudition, and so endowed with zeal and perseverance, would
undoubtedly have amply realised the glorious promise of
youth. Providence had decreed otherwise. Davids had been
bred to the law, and was possessed of a competent fortune.
Within a few weeks of that epoch of life which would have
rendered him his own master, in the midst of his pure and

3i8 JEWISH WORTHIES.

lofty aspirations, he became a victim to the new pestilence
that was then spreading its ravages over every country in
Europe. Like so many other men of genius, the mind
seemed to be too powerful for the slender body. Exhausted
by nightly vigils and incessant labour, his corporeal strength
was insufficient to withstand the violent attack of cholera
with which he was seized on the night of the 17th July
1832. He suffered in silence to avoid alarming his mother,
and when medical assistance became available, it was, alas !
too late. His pure spirit fled to its Creator. To the sorrow
of his broken-hearted mother we need not advert here.
Nothing could console her ; not even the generous testi-
monial of Sultan Mahmoud II., who presented to Mrs
Davids a splendid diamond ring, accompanied by a letter
expressing his high approbation of the work dedicated
to him, and his deep regret at the author's premature
death.

In Arthur Lumley Davids the Jews of his day lost one of
their brightest ornaments. His noble efforts contributed to
vindicate Jewish fame from the unjust reproaches which the
prejudice of ages had heaped upon it. He gave a glorious
example to the youths of Israel, and no doubt the good seed
has borne good fruit. Albeit there has been only one Numa
Hartog, it is impossible to say what amount of honest
emulation and good work the memory of Davids may have
induced.

CHAPTER XLIII.

THE JEWS IN HAMBURG AND IN LISBON— THE SHAARE
TICVA SCHOOL— AN UNLAWFUL MINYAN — GIFTS TO
THE SEPHARDI SYNAGOGUE.

ALBEIT the Portuguese Jewish Community of London had
ceased in the second decade of the present century to be the
wealthiest and most important Jewish body in this country,
it still remained an influential and opulent congregation,
able and willing to stretch forth a helping hand to its dis-
tressed brethren abroad. Napoleon Bonaparte was approach-
ing his downfall, and his lieutenants were making a desperate
resistance to a coalesced Europe. The French were shut up
in Hamburg among other places, and as their provisions
were diminishing, their authorities ordered the expulsion of
non-combatants. Numbers of poor Jews precipitately quitted
Hamburg and sought refuge in Altona, utterly unprovided
with the barest necessities of life. Sick women and starving
children indeed formed a heartrending spectacle. A committee
was constituted by the Jews of Altona ; and as many of the
fugitives were of Spanish and Portuguese origin, application
for assistance was made to the Bevis Marks Synagogue. A
grant was at once allotted to their suffering co-religionists,
by the elders of that congregation, who assembled especially
for the purpose. Several sums of money were remitted to
Altona, and doubtless many Jews were saved from the pangs
of starvation, or from the poisoned breath of typhus fever.
In the course of the correspondence between the authorities
of Bevis Marks and the chiefs of the Hamburg Congregation,
it transpired that the latter body was, or elaimed to be, the
oldest Spanish and Portuguese Community in the world.
It was stated that at this period (1814) this congregation
had been in existence for over 400 years. "We think, how-

320 THE JEWS IN HAMBURG AND LISBON.

ever, that the Jews of Leghorn may claim at least as ancient
a foundation for their congregation, which dates back over
four centuries.

In 1816 the Mahamad of the Sephardi Congregation were
informed that the barriers of intolerance were broken down
in Portugal, and that the government of that country had
permitted the Jews of Lisbon to profess openly their ancient
faith. Lusitania, less intolerant and bigoted than the land
of the Cid Campeador, did not consider that the peaceful
existence of a few Jews within its bosom would imperil the
national safety of the State or its national religion. Hitherto
such Jews as might happen to die in Lisbon, were interred
in the English cemetery. At this period it was resolved to
purchase a piece of land for a burial-ground, and the Por-
tuguese Jews of London contributed a small sum to that
pious object. The number of Jews dwelling at that time in
the capital of Portugal seems to have been very limited, and
it appears that it did not increase with any great rapidity
when they were allowed to constitute themselves into a con-
gregation. On the other hand, the descendants of Jews, who to
save their lives adopted Catholicism, formed a not inconsider-
able part of the population. Jewish blood runs through the
veins of some of the noblest families of Portugal, and the
saying of that enlightened minister, the Marquis de Pombal,
to King Jose" I., has often been quoted. When the King
expressed a desire that those individuals whose ancestors had
been Jews should wear yellow hats, the minister brought two
such hats to the king, observing that one was for his Majesty
and the other for himself.

The Portuguese language had constituted for more than a
century and a half, the official language of the Jewish Com-
munity of Bevis Marks. In the beginning of this century
that tongue had fallen into desuetude, and was only under-
stood by some of the foreign Israelites who settled in London.
In February 1819, it was resolved to adopt the plan of keep-
ing the minutes of all proceedings in the English instead of
the Portuguese language ; and a month afterwards a com-
mittee was appointed, of which Mr David Brandon was
chairman, to translate the Askamoth (laws) of the congrega-
tion from the tongue of Camoens to that of Shakespeare.

THE JEWS IN HAMBURG AND LISBON. 321

The task was creditably performed; and since that period
members of the congregation could no longer plead that they
were unacquainted with the laws regulating their community,
because they were written in a foreign language.

In 1821 Mr de Castro, the secretary of the Synagogue,
died. In August of that year his successor was elected in
the person of Mr Solomon Almosnino, the well-known and
esteemed gentleman who for more than half a century has
served his community most zealously and efficiently, gaining
the respect of all with whom he has come in contact.

The state of the education of the Jewish poor remained
in an unsatisfactory condition, notwithstanding the frequent
changes and reforms introduced into the management of the
communal schools. To increase and improve English instruc-
tion a grant of £40 per annum, from the legacy of £5000
left by Moses Lamego in 1757, was allotted for the payment
of an English master to the school of " Heshaim," in addi-
tion to the interest of £1000 in consols. A committee to
inquire into the state of the educational institutions of the
congregation having been appointed early in 1821, the
result of its labours became known towards the close of the
year. The recommendations of the committee were acted
upon. The schools that had existed until then under the
direction of Heshaim were abolished. A society was established
in their place under the name of Shaare Ticva (Grates of Hope),
for the support of a Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Charity
School, for the education of poor youths in the principles
of the Jewish religion. The same sums as before were placed
at the disposal of the governors of the institution. For the
last generation the zeal and efficiency displayed by the
various masters and managers have raised considerably the
standard of education ; and those schools have now become
equal to any others of the same class and appertaining to
any sect in the country.

It is a trite saying that small causes frequently lead to
great events. Had Grouchy not lost his way on his march
to the field of Waterloo, he would have arrived there before
Bliicher, and Napoleon Bonaparte might have died on the
throne of France. Had Louis Philippe not forbidden a few
opposition deputies to dine at a public banquet, his grandson

3 2 2 THE JE WS IN HAMB URG AND LISBON.

might now be King of France. And to speak of compara-
tively small events, had not a certain narrow and exclusive
spirit reigned in Bevis Marks, the schism that caused so
much pain in the Jewish Community thirty-three years ago
might probably never have occurred. The first circumstance
that sowed the seed of dissension among the Sephardim in
London took place in the year 1822. A foreign gentleman
of good family, and of extremely orthodox principles, who was
settled in England, took occasion on the initiation of a son
into the covenant of Abraham, to receive a number of friends
at his house to read prayers during the first night of Pente-
cost. This custom is very generally observed abroad, and is
by some families practised in London to the present day.
On the following morning the prayers allotted to that festival
were recited with Minyan. The event created a great stir.
The first, the fundamental law of the congregation, which
sternly prohibited the meeting of ten or more Jews for the
celebration of prayers in any locality within a certain radius
from the Bevis Marks Synagogue, had been infringed. The
offenders, twelve in number, were summoned before the
Mahamad, and were placed on their trial. A number of
witnesses were examined and cross-examined. The opinions
of the Haham and the Beth Din were taken. The principal
offenders did not appear in defence ; the minor delinquents
alleged various pleas in extenuation. All the transgressors
were found guilty, and various penalties were inflicted upon
them. The gentleman at whose house had occurred the
unlawful proceeding of chanting prayers with Minyan, and
his father and another relative, were deprived of their seats
in Synagogue, their names were erased from the list of
Yehidim, they were relegated to certain places at the back of
the Theba (reading-desk), disqualified from being called up
to the law, declared ineligible for two years for any pious
duties, and finally fines of £40 and £20 respectively were
inflicted upon them. Minor penalties varying in degree were
laid on the other transgressors, all of whom were foreigners,
and some making only transient sojourns in England. The
condemnations were read in Synagogue, and much unplea-
santness ensued. One of the parties implicated attended
Synagogue, and on being removed from his former seat, he

THE JE WS IN HAMB URG AND LISBON. 323

commenced an action at law against the Synagogue authori-
ties, which after a short time was abandoned. The matter
remained in abeyance until November 1825, when the death
occurred of the mother of the gentleman at whose house the
Berith had taken place. The lady's husband and son then
expressed a desire to return to the Synagogue, and offered to
pay the fines which had been imposed upon them ; and those
others who had shared in their condemnations, and who were
still in England, manifested a similar wish. The gentlemen
in question were re-elected as Yehidim ; they duly performed
the necessary ceremonies to purge themselves from ecclesias-
tical censure ; their fines were remitted, and they became
useful members of the congregation. But the bitterness of
their punishment they never forgot. When years afterwards
other members of the community asked for the privilege of
erecting a place of worship nearer to their own homes than
the ancient building in the city, the same men, actuated by
a sense of a former wrong, strenuously opposed any concession
to others, of that which had been refused to them. They had
been treated harshly, as they considered ; and by a strange
code of justice, they determined to revenge themselves by
inflicting harsh treatment upon others. We shall enter more
fully into this subject in its proper place.

The financial position of the Bevis Marks Synagogue was,
generally speaking, favourable. Albeit the impost formerly
levied on the transactions effected by the members had
gradually been abandoned, and the finta was sometimes in
arrears, so many pious legacies had been left to the Syna-
gogue that its funds were continually increasing. Without
mentioning the numerous small sums bequeathed to the
congregation, we will only record some of the larger gifts
presented at this period. Among these we may mention a
legacy from Mr Samuel Bensaken of Philadelphia, and the
residue of his estate, which produced £1218, 17s. lid. ; a
donation by the illustrious philanthropist, Sir Moses Monte-
fiore, in the year 1823, of an estate of thirteen houses in
Cock Court, Jewry Street, the rent arising from which was
to be invested in the three per cent, consols for five years to
form a repairing fund, and then the dwellings were to be
occupied by deserving poor as almshouses ; and finally, the

3 2 4 THE JE WS IN HAMB URG AND LI SB ON.

Lara gift, which was handed over to the Synagogue in June
1826. According to this generous contract, Mr Lara of
Canterbury assigned at once as a fund to several trustees an
annual revenue of £647, 4s. per annum, which was to be paid
to him during his life-time ; after his death £500 a year was
to be allowed to Mrs Lara, and at her demise the sum of
£550 per annum to be appropriated to the following philan-
thropic objects : (1.) £150 per annum to be applied to the
education and maintenance of two Portuguese boys, who
were to be instructed in higher studies so as to fit them for
the clerical offices of the congregation. (2.) £70 per annum
to be allotted to the support of three invalids in the hospital
called Beth Holim, and £40 per annum to the clothing of
twenty poor girls of the congregation. (3.) £50 per annum
to be expended in assisting ten poor lying-in women at their
own homes. (4.) £100 to be given annually as a dower to a
Portuguese Jewish woman, married for not more than a year
to a Portuguese Jew. (5.) £70 a year to be awarded to the
Hebra (burial society) to abolish the use of calico shrouds
and to replace them by linen. (6.) £70 per annum to be
given for the establishment of a dispensary for the poor near
the Synagogue. The surplus was to accumulate and to be
applied, part to existing institutions and part to the support
of the aged poor, either at the hospital or asylum called Beth
Holim, or in some other especial establishment.

This represents an extended range of benevolence, and
doubtless Mr Lara's dispositions effect a great deal of good,
benefiting as they are intended to do various classes. Mrs
Lara survived her husband for many years ; and during her
life-time she made several important gifts of money to the
Synagogue.

CHAPTER XLIV.

MOVEMENTS IN THE PORTUGUESE CONGREGA TION— PARTIES
IN THAT COMMUNITY — PROGRESS OF THE SEPHARDIM—
SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE.

As the century advanced, cordiality became more apparent
in the relations between the ancient Sephardi Synagogue and
the more modern Ashkenazi Congregations. The suspicious,
doubtful manner in which German Jews had been regarded
in Bevis Marks, had long given way to a more brotherly
feeling. Family ties had multiplied between the Jews of
Spanish or Portuguese, and the Jews of German or Polish
descent. It was not, however, until 1825 that a German
'was allowed in the Portuguese Synagogue to be called up to
the Law or hold a mitzvah ; these privileges until that period
had been denied to the members of his community. In
September 1826, the ministers of the Bevis Marks Syna-
gogue, on the invitation of Mr A. Kisch, were permitted to
attend the consecration of the new Westminster Synagogue
in Denmark Court, and to take part in the celebration of
the service. In 1834, whilst the New Synagogue in Leaden-
hall Street was undergoing repairs, the Shaare Ticva school-
room was placed at the disposal of the members of that
congregation for the purpose of reciting prayers during the
New Year Holidays. This simple act of courtesy did much
towards establishing warm relations between the two com-
munities of Jews in England.

After the death of Haham Meldola in 1828, the state of
public feeling among Portuguese Jews on questions connected
with public worship seems to have been of an unsatisfactory
and unsettled nature : so much so, that on the 4th Decem-
ber 1828, a Committee of Elders was appointed to inquire
into the best means of raising altogether the tone of public

326 MOVEMENTS IN THE

services, infusing therein greater decorum and devotion.
Mr Moses Mocatta, the President of the Congregation, in
his charge at the close of the Session of the Elders in the
same year, adverted to the uneasy state of feeling obtaining
among the members of the congregation, and deeply regretted
that party sentiment ran high in the community, and that
an unfortunate opinion had gained ground among the Yehidim,
that men and not measures influenced votes, and that all
proposals were accepted or rejected purely from party con-
siderations. Mr Moses Mocatta, in wise and conciliatory
language, deprecated that party spirit should predominate in
so small a community. He lamented that gentlemen who
considered themselves aggrieved should take the law in their
own hands by curtailing their offerings. ' Finally, he con-
cluded by some excellent advice to his brethren, recommend-
ing them " to restore, by forgetting supposed injuries and
disappointed results, that brotherly love and .good under-
standing which, until recently, were ever implanted in our
breasts."

We are unable to say what effect these prudent and well-
intentioned words had on the community. The speaker little
foresaw that years afterwards his own name would raise a
whirlwind in the assembly over which he was then presiding.
Human passions and failings reign alike in the council of a
small sect and in the parliament of a great nation ; and
doubtless by the time the Greek Kalends shall have arrived,
we may expect perfect unanimity, concord, and unselfishness
in all assemblages of men.

The report of the Committee for the Promotion of Religious
Worship was delivered. That document contained a number
of recommendations which were adopted by the eiders. It
was resolved that the children of the Skaare Ticva and
Orphan Schools should be taught to chant ; that the wardens
themselves should attend Synagogue as often as possible ;
that they should abstain from conversation, and give a good
example to the congregation by not stirring from their seats
until the end of the service. Certain alterations in the mode
of reading prayers were suggested, so as to save time, and
the Mahamad was directed to take measures to abridge the
length of the service, as far as practicable. The importance

PORTUGUESE CONGREGATION. 327

of the study of the Hebrew language was strongly impressed
on fathers of families. All proclamations in the Synagogue
were to be made in the English language. Moral and reli-
gious discourses were deemed essential to the welfare of the
congregation ; an English sermon was to be delivered every
Saturday afternoon, and its text to be taken from Scrip-
ture. Every sermon before delivery was to be submitted
to a committee of three elders, who were to examine the
MS. to see that nothing was contained therein opposed to
Jewish doctrines or hostile to the institutions of the country.
A committee was appointed at the same time to investigate
the state of the Medrash (Theological College). This step
in due course led to a thorough reform of that institution
with the introduction of more stringent regulations as to its
discipline.

There were few persons capable of acting as preachers in
those days either in the Portuguese or in the German Com-
munity, a state of things strongly contrasting with what
obtains now, when highly qualified gentlemen abound. The
Rev. D. A. de Sola, one of the ministers of the Synagogue,
was the first gentleman who offered himself, and he was
accepted as public instructor. Efe preached for some years,
giving great satisfaction to his flock ; but the practice of
delivering sermons was subsequently abandoned in this con-
gregation, and was not resumed as a regular institution until
more recent times.

As the union of the two branches of the Jewish race in
England became closer, they joined together in various under-
takings of common advantage. When London was visited
in February 1832 by a new and mysterious disease, the
cholera morbus, the principal Jewish Synagogues took
stringent measures to preserve their poor against the attacks
of that pestilence. Visiting committees were established by
the Bevis Marks Synagogue and by the three city German
Synagogues, which worked harmoniously together. In the
Portuguese Synagogue a sum of £500 was placed at the
disposal of the Mahamad from the legacy fund; subscrip-
tions were raised ; visiting committees established ; bedding,
blankets, sheets, and under garments were distributed to the
poor ; and such articles of personal apparel as had been

3 2 8 MO VEMENTS IN THE

pledged were redeemed, and returned to their owners. The
other Synagogues displayed equal activity ; and the Jews of
London suffered much less, in proportion, from the visita-
tion of the Asiatic pestilence than their Christian country-
men.

The Portuguese Congregation also bore its fair share of the
expenses entailed upon the Jews by their prolonged struggles
to obtain from the Legislature of the country a recognition of
their civil and political rights.

At one time the Bevis Marks Synagogue was threatened
with an invasion, which filled its members with indescribable
alarm. The shrill shrieks of steam engines, and the thunder
of railway trains, might have startled the ears of worshippers
in the Portuguese Synagogue had the Blackwall Railway Bill
obtained the sanction of Parliament. It was proposed by the
promoters of that Bill to take possession of the almshouses,
school premises, and readers' residences in Heneage Lane,
and to run their line a few feet below the surface of the ground,
and within five yards from the Synagogue itself. A petition
was prepared in opposition by the Synagogue authorities, and
it was presented to Parliament by Mr Crawford, a city mem-
ber. Fortunately, the Bill was defeated in the Legislature,
and the Jews were not disturbed in their devotions by the
piercing whistle of one of the most important instruments of
modern civilisation.

On the death of King William IV., in 1837, special funeral
services were performed in all Jewish Synagogues, which were
draped in black. At Bevis Marks, Mr Abraham Alexander
Lindo volunteered to preach a discourse. This gentleman,
in 1839, wrote a pamphlet entitled, " A Word in Season,"
and he expressed a desire to continue the subject. The Ma-
hamad observed to him that they had seen his publication,
which had been issued without their sanction, and they cau-
tioned him against repeating the offence, lest he fall under
penalties. Free thought and a free press were not understood
in those days. No books touching on religion could be pub-
lished by a member of the Synagogue, without the permission
of the Wardens. Even the useful almanac, compiled by the
late Mr E. H. Lindo, was not allowed to mark the course of
time and the return of Jewish festivals without repeated

PORTUGUESE CONGREGATION. 329

applications of the author to the custodians of Sephardi
orthodoxy.

In that year (1839) the boys who had assisted the readers
in chanting prayers were formed into a permanent choir,
which was placed under the direction of Mr Moss. At the
same period was founded the Infant School, which affords
education to female children of the poor ; and an outfit for
the girls was provided by private subscription.

The Portuguese Community at this epoch, limited as it
was in numbers, was far from being homogeneous in its re-
ligious views. A party of gentlemen existed who appeared
desirous of introducing important modifications in Jewish
religious observances ; while another party insisted on the
intact maintenance of the traditional practices of Judaism.
The former party was composed of some of the descendants
of ancient families long settled in this country; whilst the
latter, which was far more numerous, was to a great extent
recruited from foreigners from the extreme south of Europe,
or from the continents of Asia or Africa. The movement
into which the first section of Congregants entered will be
duly recorded in its proper place. At present we will only
relate that a portion of the most orthodox members of the
Congregation formed themselves into a society styling them-
selves " Shomere1 Meshmeret Hakkodesh " (Preservers of
Sacred Institutions), with the object of upholding and pre-
serving the Jewish faith as handed down, and of preventing
innovation or alteration in any of its recognised forms, un-
less sanctioned by properly-constituted religious authorities.
These individuals displayed more ardour than discretion.
It is difficult to estimate the amount of mischief that may
be committed by excess of zeal. So this association was
not approved of by the moderate members of the commu-
nity, who endeavoured to hold a balance between the two
extremes.

The authorities readily recognised that it would cause more
harm than good, and that it would tend to fan into a flame
any unpleasant feeling that unhappily might exist among
different sections of the Congregation. Such gentlemen as
had taken part in it were recommended to dissolve the
society, and as this - was not done at once, the Wardens

330 MOVEMENTS IN THE

adopted more stringent measures, and gave forth a notice
that members of the association of " Preservers of Sacred
Institutions " would not be eligible for any office in the Con-
gregation, or as members of any committee, so long as they
remained members of such society. This resolution was
rescinded soon afterwards, on the solemn assurance of the
individuals in question that the association was no longer
in existence.

In May 1839 the condition of affairs appears to have been
far from satisfactory ; for it was deemed advisable to elect an-
other committee, consisting of five Elders and the Wardens,
" to take into especial consideration the condition of the
ecclesiastical department of the Congregation and the state
of the Beth Hamedrash, so as to better promote the religious
instruction and general welfare of the Congregation." Un-
fortunately, these well-meaning efforts were quite unavailing
to stem the running waters that had sprang up in the midst
of the community. The conflicting ideas of different members
of the oldest Synagogue in London could not be reconciled,
the most painful episode in modern Anglo- Jewish History
occurred, and brothers were separated from brothers, and
friends from their dearest friends.

From the date of this schism within its bosom — the bitter-
ness of which has long since died away — the Spanish and
Portuguese Jewish Community has followed the even tenor of
its peaceful career and material prosperity, which the secession
of some of its Yehidim only temporarily diminished. The
Sephardim, like the Ashkenazim, have worked hard in the
cause of education and in the advancement of the welfare of
the Jewish race at home and abroad. They bore their full
part in the various movements for the promotion of the civil
and political rights of the Jews in England ; and they contri-
buted to all missions intended for the relief of their distressed
co-religionists scattered throughout the globe. Finally, the
Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent possess an especial
source of pride; for from their community has arisen the
noblest figure in Israel, whose extended beneficence is catholic
and widespread ; who, with a deep-rooted attachment to his
own race, has devoted the greater part of a long life to the
relief of suffering humanity; and whose goodness and charity

PORTUGUESE CONGREGATION. 33 1

are resplendent wherever the sun shines — we mean the pre-
eminent philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore.

Here we feel greatly tempted to descant on that wonderful
combination of virtues which has produced a long series of
almost heroic deeds of benevolence, and to linger on the
beauties of a life unique among our cotemporaries. We
feel the more impelled to dilate upon the merits of such a
man and such a Jew as Sir Moses Montefiore, as we encounter
his name in the Jewish history of the last half century at
every turn. Wherever charity extends its hands to help the
poor, or philanthropy exerts its powers to benefit mankind,
or human tenderness hastens to the rescue of the oppressed
and the persecuted — in all such situations we find the figure of
Sir Moses Montefiore foremost in the canvas of cotemporary
Jewish history. But forcible reasons deter us from the grati-
fication of such a desire. Our powers, in the first place, would
utterly fail in rendering adequate justice to so great a subject ;
and not all that any writer could say, be he the lowliest or
the highest in the land, could add to his fame or increase the
glory of his reputation. It were impossible to gild fine gold,
or to add perfume to the lily. Other motives of a more
private nature would prevent us from following our inclina-
tions, while our plan would scarcely admit of an extended
discourse on one theme only, however lofty it might be.
Finally, we confess we much admire the rabbinical maxim,
which advises us never to praise a man in his presence, a
maxim which was wisely and practically adopted by the
ancient Greeks in not erecting statues to their heroes in
their life-time. A statue to Sir Moses Montefiore is already
raised in the hearts of all his kindred and race throughout
the world.

CHAPTER XLV.

NEW ASHKENAZI INSTITUTIONS-SYNAGOGUE LIBERALITY.

THE annals of the Ashkenazi Community in London during
the second quarter of the present century, though scarcely
very eventful, offer an unbroken record of increasing pros-
perity and influence, and of advancing social and political
importance. A great number of educational and charitable
institutions were founded since the hot days of June, when
the plains of Waterloo witnessed the downfall of the greatest
conqueror of modern ages. First we have the Free School,
which was established in the memorable year 1815, to in-
struct six hundred boys and three hundred girls, and which
is at present the largest and one of the best organised institu-
tions of the kind in the United Kingdom. To clothe the
naked and feed the hungry are maxims strictly practised
among the Jews, and a variety of associations have been called
into existence for those purposes. In 1818, some charitable
members of the more ornamental half of the human race,
under the title of the " Ladies' Benevolent Society," under-
took to clothe half-yearly poor Jewish girls between the ages
of eight and fourteen. In 1820 was founded the Western
Institution for educating, clothing, and apprenticing indigent
Jewish boys. In 1821, other benevolent individuals joined
together for the same philanthropic objects, and formed the
Westminster Benevolent Institution. In the same year a New
Synagogue was opened in Brewer Street, the Congregation of
which was partly drawn from the members of the Westminster
Synagogue. In 1824, the Society for the Relief of the Indi-
gent Poor began to allow 5s. per week to necessitous widows ;
and in 1828 the Western Jewish Philanthropic Institution
commenced to grant loans not exceeding £5, and gifts not
exceeding £2, to cheer the needy during the Jewish festivals.

NE W ASHKENAZI INSTITUTIONS. 3 3 3

That most excellent institution, the Jews' Orphan Asylum,
for the education, maintenance, clothing, and apprenticing of
male and female orphans, was opened in 1851. Many other
charities were created to benefit the poor in various ways,
and which it would be tedious to mention here. We will
only advert to the erection in 1838, by Mr A. L. Moses of
Aldgate, at his sole expense, of twelve commodious and
handsomely-constructed almshouses for the use of as many
respectable poor females of the German Congregation, as an
act of true liberality and philanthropy.

The London Hospital for many years has been a source of
signal advantage to the Jewish poor. The calls on the ser-
vices of that establishment were so great in former times,
that in February 1828 it was found advisable to recommend
that Jewish governors of the hospital should leave blank
admissions for the hospital, to be distributed to the Jewish
poor when needful by the Secretary of the. Great Synagogue.

Due honour must be given to the Great Synagogue for the
liberality and generosity with which it has almost without
exception treated its officials, high and low. The enumera-
tion of the loans and grants made to meritorious officers of
that Congregation would fill a dozen pages. We will merely
adduce an instance as an illustration. In 1829, the Eeader
of the Synagogue, Mr D. Elias, fell into ill-health, and six
months' leave of absence was granted to him. Mr Elias, it
seems, was subject to a pulmonary complaint, and two phy-
sicians, Dr Barnard Van Oven (son of Mr Joshua Van Oven)
and Dr Robertson, certified that by continuing his profession
he would endanger his existence. At the expiration of his
leave of absence the unfortunate minister felt himself con-
strained to tender his resignation. His engagement was
only for three years. Nevertheless, the Vestry of the Syna-
gogue presented Mr Elias, over and above the salary due to
him, with the sum of £200. They handed him in addition
a further sum for his travelling expenses; they allowed his
wife to continue to reside for a certain time, rent free, in
the house allotted to him ; and on her departure to join her
husband, who was a foreigner, and who had returned to his
native country, they bestowed upon her another gratuity.
Readers, choristers, beadles, and watchmen, all equally par-

334 NEW ASHKENAZI INSTITUTIONS.

took of the liberality of the Synagogue. They were not its
only recipients. Occasional assistance was given to decayed
members. To a gentleman who was once a President of the
Congregation and had fallen into temporary difficulties a loan
of £100 was awarded.

On the retirement of Mr Elias from the post of Reader,
the vacancy was not filled up for some time. Many applica-
tions for the post came from different parts of the Continent,
not only from Germany and Holland, but from Dijon and
Besancxm in France, as well as from Brussels. Several
of the candidates came over to this country, were tried and
found wanting. It was not until the 20th May 1832, that
the election took place, when the choice fell on Mr Simon
Ascher of Groningen, whose melodious voice is well remem-
bered by many Jewish readers. We need hardly say that the
disappointed candidates were not sent away empty-handed.

In November 1831, when the approach of the cholera
morbus was producing a general sense of alarm in this
country, Mr Charles Pearson, Chairman of the City Board
of Health, addressed a letter to the Wardens of the Great
Synagogue, recommending them to put their house in order
in good time. Mr Pearson pointed out the dangers resulting
from the congregation of dealers in old clothes who assembled
in Cutler Street, and brought together a great accumulation
of filth, which was most injurious to the public health. Un-
fortunately, the Wardens do not seem to have been able to
remedy this evil thoroughly, for they were afraid of depriving
of their living a body of industrious men who had no other
resource than this trade. The Great Synagogue, in conjunc-
tion with the Portuguese Synagogue, as we have said in a
former chapter, took many precautions to diminish the con-
sequences of the dreaded visitation, and with very fair suc-
cess. We must not omit to relate that the Board of Health
of the Parish of St Botolph behaved very liberally to the
Jews, and passed several measures conceived in a friendly
spirit. The Board called upon the surgeons of the different
Jewish Synagogues to attend professionally all Jews and
Jewesses who preferred being under their care. They granted
to them the use of the Cholera Hospital for the purpose,
uud they engaged the services of a Jewish nurse. They gave

NE W ASHKENAZI INSTITUTIONS. 3 3 5

notice at the outbreak of the disorder to all poor Jews resid-
ing in the parish, that they would be admitted to the hospital
on the certificate of their own (Jewish) surgeons. These
acts of kindness were duly appreciated by the Jews, and
their gratitude was warmly expressed by the Synagogues.

The Duke's Place Synagogue, as the representative of the
German Jews in London, was in the continual receipt of
appeals from their co-religionists from all quarters of the
globe. If there was a fire in Constantinople, "an earthquake
in the West Indies, a famine in Poland, a prayer for help
would certainly reach Duke's Place. In 1832, an application
came from Mr Rothschild on behalf of the community of the
island St Thomas, for assistance in building a Synagogue.
A sum of £20 was granted, and a deputation waited on the
great financier with the cheque. Mr Rothschild declined to
accept the cheque, and bade the deputation authorise Mr
Wolff", the President of the Congregation of St Thomas, to
draw on him (Mr Rothschild) for the amount, with an
addition of £10, 10s. which he would give on his own
account.

In 1834, the Great Synagogue several times narrowly
escaped destruction. Three distinct fires took place in that
building within the course of a few months, all arising
apparently from the defective and dangerous construction of
the stoves employed to heat the Synagogue.

The danger was considered so great that there was some
difficulty in renewing the insurances. The Globe and
Alliance Offices declined to continue the risk, except at
an additional premium and unless some further alterations
were made. Eventually the Sun Fire Office accepted the
insurance on condition that the stoves were enclosed. That
arrangement was duly carried out, and happily the Great
Synagogue has stood ever since safe and unscathed, the
building being now heated by means of hot water pipes.

The Jews were for ages debarred from many rights and
privileges; but it may not be generally known that the
possession of some of these could not be purchased even by
apostasy. The question of the privileges of baptized Jews
was tried before the Court of Aldermen on the 4th March
1828.

336 NE W ASHKENAZI INSTITUTIONS.

citizenship in the city of London. Certain individuals
named Saul prayed to be allowed to carry on business in
the city. These persons, born of Jewish parentage, had been
initiated into Judaism at their birth, but from their infancy
they had been brought up in the Protestant faith. In the
year 1785, the Court of Aldermen had made a standing
order that baptized Jews should not be admitted to the free-
dom of the city. The reason alleged for this resolution was
a fear lest a number of Jews of indifferent character should
accept baptism, and set up in business to the detriment of
good and real Christians. Upon the strength of this order
all succeeding courts had rejected the applications of indi-
viduals who had renounced the forms, customs, and opinions
of the Jews. On the occasion in question several members
of the Court, especially Aldermen Wood, Waithman, and Sir
Peter Laurie, encouraged the applicants. Mr Law argued the
question on behalf of the petitioners. He stated that the
petitioners never had been Jews. They had been baptized in
1803, but he defied the Court to prove that they had been Jews
before that period. He adverted to the case of G-alindo,
which had been tried in 1783, when the Recorder aud the
Common Sergeant had both agreed that baptism was a suffi-
cient renunciation of Judaism, but Mr Nugent, the Common
Sergeant, had placed before the Court, as a matter of expedi-
ency, that there might be so many applications even from
persons of the lowest sort, that they might be attended by great
inconvenience to the public. After some discussion the Court
granted the prayer of the petitioners ; the order was rescinded,
and Messrs Saul were received as freemen of the city of London.
What changes indeed have arisen in less than half a century !
In the wealthiest city of the world, where even converted
Jews were not admitted to citizenship, we have witnessed
two Jews dispense justice as its chief magistrates !

Another curious point of law, in which Jews are con-
cerned, was raised in the following year in the Sheriff
Court, Guildhall. A trial took place in that Court in July
1829, for the recovery of the price of a horse found
unsound, when a verdict for the defendant was entered. It
was moved, on behalf of the plaintiff, that the verdict be set
aside, upon the ground that John Salmon, an Israelite and

NE W ASH KE NAZI INSTITUTIONS. 3 3 7

one of the jury, was sworn on the New Testament, though lie
was of the Jewish religion. Salmon had stood in the box
with other jurymen as Christians, and he did not put on his
hat or observe any of the ceremonies followed by Jewish
people in taking oaths. It was urged that this mode of
swearing was not binding upon a Jew to the value of a straw,
and that the verdict ought to be set aside, as being in reality
the verdict of eleven instead of twelve men. Affidavits prov-
ing that Salmon was a Jew were put in. The application was
opposed, purely on technical grounds. Mr Sergeant Arabin
ruled that the affidavits were not strong enough to sanction
a disturbance of the verdict, and the application was refused.
Doubtless no sincere and observing Israelite would consent
to be sworn except according to Jewish custom with his hat on,
and on the Old Testament ; but what value may be attached
to the oath of a Jew taken on a book which he does not
hold sacred, is a question for his own conscience. Moreover,
we are informed that a Jew who takes the oath on a book in
the contents of which he does not believe, and which there-
fore may not be binding on his conscience, is guilty of con-
tempt of court.

CHAPTER XLVL

TESTIMONIAL TO SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE— SYNAGOGUE
IMPRO VEMENTS.

IN 1840, when the eminent philanthropist, Sir Moses Monte-
fiore, undertook his noble mission to Damascus, to save his
suffering co-religionists from the tortures inflicted upon them
by fanaticism and superstition, the members of the Great
Synagogue contributed to the subscription raised to defray
part of the expenses of that memorable journey. The history
of that glorious mission we shall relate in a separate chapter.
Here we shall merely record that a suitable welcome was
given to the champion of Israel, on his return from the self-
imposed task which he had so successfully accomplished. At
the suggestion of the Mahamad of the Sephardim, sub-com-
mittees were appointed in December 1840, by the three city
Synagogues of the " Germans," in conjunction with the
"Westminster Synagogue, to consider what measures ought
to be adopted by their several congregations on the return
of Sir Moses Montefiore. The celebrations took place with
great solemnity in the Portuguese Synagogue on the 8th
March 1841, and in the German Synagogues on the 13th
March. On those occasions thanksgivings were offered up
in the several Synagogues to Almighty God for His infinite
mercy to His people Israel, in causing their accused
brethren in the East to be delivered from unjust and cruel
persecutions. Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore were present
at the Bevis Marks Synagogue and the Great Synagogue
respectively : and the chief men among the Jews gathered
to do honour to the illustrious philanthropist and to the
accomplished partner of his beneficent labours.

The amount subscribed by the Jews towards the cost of the
journey to the East amounted to £6774. The sum disbursed

TESTIMONIAL TO SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE. 339

exceeded the sum collected. But as Sir Moses Montefiore
generously insisted on bearing himself a part of the expendi-
ture to the extent of £2200, a surplus remained of nearly
one-fifth, which the trustees resolved to return to the original
contributors.

It has always been a weakness with Englishmen to
embody the expression of their gratitude in so many ounces
of solid silver. As a mark of gratitude to Sir Moses Monte-
fiore for his great services to his community, a very hand-
some testimonial was presented to him on the 27th February
1843. This testimonial consisted of a splendid silver orna-
ment in the form of a miniature monument, three and a half
feet high, of great weight, and covering a large quadrangular
base. It was surmounted by several figures, the most pro-
minent of which was David Conquering the Lion. It was
designed by Sir G. Hayter, sculptured by E. Bailey, R.A.,
and executed by Mortimer and Hunt of Bond Street. The
inscription stated that it was presented to Sir Moses by a
large number of his Jewish brethren in the United Kindgom,
Jamaica, Barbadoes, and Gibraltar, in commemoration of
the many personal sacrifices endured, and the philanthropy
displayed, by him and Lady Montefiore during his mission to
the East.

The Jews of Germany were not behind their English
brethren in expressing their admiration and respect for Sir
Moses Montefiore. They offered to him an elegant album,
folio-sized and of double width, bound in maroon velvet, and
framed in gilded bronze. Appropriate paintings appeared on
each cover, and every page was ornamented with a border
engraved with tasteful and suitable emblematic devices. The
album contained an eloquent address signed by Dr Philippsohn
and by 1490 other persons, including many names distin-
guished in literature and art.

In May 1841 the first effort at organising a regular choir was
made in the Great Synagogue. Formerly the only approach
to a choir in German Synagogues consisted of two persons
who aided the hazan or precentor, one being called the
singer and the other the bass. But the propriety of
having an organised choir being admitted, Mr Simon Ascher
selected several youths to undergo training for the purpose,

340 TESTIMONIAL TO SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE.

and Mr Julius Mombach was appointed to instruct them in
singing. Mr Mombach has been for many years an able
composer of sacred melodies, and the choir of the Great
Synagogue has been formed and maintained in its present
state of high efficiency mainly by his exertions.

At the same time it was resolved to obtain, if practicable,
pulpit instruction in English. In reply to some advertise-
ments seeking the services of a preacher competent to deliver
sermons in the English language, Mr D. M. Isaacs appeared
as a candidate. Mr Isaacs had been one of the earliest
preachers in the English language. He had already offici-
ated for some years as minister in Liverpool and elsewhere.
He had not long before been invited to preach in the Duke's
Place Synagogue on the occasion of Sir Moses Montefiore's
return from the East. Mr Isaacs was not elected, and the
Great Synagogue remained without religious discourses.
The reverend gentleman has since been pastor at Liverpool
and Manchester, where he has obtained a reputation for
scholarship and eloquence. Though he is not an English-
man, his accent and fluent acquaintance with the English
language would proclaim him of English birth.

The secession of some members of the orthodox congrega-
tions did not affect the German Community as much as it
temporarily affected the Portuguese Community. The vast
numbers of the Ashkenazim and their great wealth could not
be influenced by the loss of a few individuals, however
greatly their departure from orthodox Judaism may have
been regretted. Since the days of the Reform movement,
the development and increase of the German Jews in
London has been as astonishing as their progress has been
uninterrupted. New schools have been founded, new and
sumptuous places of worship have been opened, new charities
have been established ; and in every quarter we perceive
signs of commercial and communal activity, prosperity, and
enlightenment.

CHAPTER XLVII.

SIMON SOLOMON— ISAAC GOMES SERRA— ABRAHAM MONTE-
FIORE— NATHAN MEYER ROTHSCHILD.

WE have hitherto endeavoured to bestow our humble meed of
praise upon those individuals who have raised the name of
Jew, or who have contributed to the advancement of Judaism.
We shall continue to glance at the career of those Jews
who distinguished themselves during the first half of the
nineteenth century for their virtues, their conspicuous abili-
ties, or their attainment of high position. Should we omit
to give due place in our list of worthies to any deserving
personage, we trust the reader will attribute such omission
to the imperfection ordinarily attending human under-
takings, rather than to any wilful exclusion on our part.
At present we shall speak of the men whose names head this
chapter, and whose claims to the respect or admiration of the
world are based on widely different grounds.

The name of Simon Solomon is probably new to our
readers. Simon Solomon was not an eminent financier, a
successful writer, or a brilliant scholar. He was merely a
truly good and pious man. His lines were not cast in
pleasant places, for his lot was lowly. Born in Lissa in
Polish Prussia, he immigrated in early youth into this
country, where he followed the trade of fancy boxmaker.
Simon Solomon was not an illiterate man : he was proficient
in Hebrew and rabbinical literature, and he was well
acquainted with French and German. Possessed of per-
severing, industrious habits, he was able not only to provide
for a large family and to contribute to the necessities of
his own community, of which he was a conscientious mem-
ber, but also to fulfil what he considered his duty, in re-
lieving his Christian neighbours in such a manner as to

342 SIMON SOLOMON.

ensure the admiration and esteem of all who knew him.
Apart from his private charities, he "was one of the first
founders of the Clerkenwell Philanthropic Society, to which
he and his family liberally contributed, and he was chosen
in conjunction with others, the winter before his death, to
dispense bread and coals. Precluded by his religions
scruples from accepting the refreshments which were offered
to him during his rounds, he underwent many privations.
He was nevertheless so ardent and cheerful in the perfor-
mance of these duties, that the poor in his presence always
seemed to forget their poverty, and hence, like Job, the
blessing of " those that were ready to perish " often came
to him, and he literally made the " widow's heart dance for
joy." Simon Solomon died suddenly in 1817, at the age of
sixty-nine. He was interred hastily, to the sorrow of his
neighbours, many of whom were unable to pay their last
mark of respect to his remains, which were hurried to the
cemetery at Ducking Pond Row, ere the recipients of his
bounty were aware that they would meet his kindly eyes no
more. Simon Solomon by his unwearied beneficence did
much to dispel the prejudices existing against Jews, especially
among the lower and middle classes. He was strictly Jewish
in his belief, and always averse to the attempts of those who
professionally aim at the conversion of Jews; but he had
no objection to an attendance upon Christian worship for
the sake of doing good. He broke a lance with converted
missionaries, and he published an animated letter to the
Rev. C. Frey, on the subject of his conduct with respect to
the Jewish proselytes made by the London Society.

Isaac Gomes Serra was a different type of a noble-minded
Jew. He was the last descendant of an ancient Portu-
guese family, and he died in 1818. He united to a courteous
and dignified bearing true piety and sincere philanthropy.
He inherited a considerable fortune, and after having
pursued for some years a commercial career, he retired, and
resided in a handsome dwelling in King's Road, Bedford
Row ; a situation greatly coveted in those days. Isaac Gomes
Serra, albeit a zealous and devout Jew, was very popular
among Christians. In the Synagogue he served all the
offices filled by laymen. In his later days he devoted his

ABRAHAM MONTEFIORE. 343

time and attention almost exclusively to beneficence. He
not only gave freely to the schools of his own race, but his
fortune and generosity permitted him to bestow time and
funds in the management and support of charities based on
the established Church of the country. He was an active
member of the committees of the City of London Lying-in
Hospital, and of the workhouse of his parish, St Andrew,
Holborn. He was also an assiduous member of the com-
mittee of the Small-pox Hospital, and was liberal in his
subscriptions to many other charitable institutions. His
conciliatory manners and urbane address ensured him polite
attention at those meetings of which a Jew formed part for
the first time. He is described by a Christian writer of the
day in these words : " In temper placid and serene but just,
in character respectable, in age venerable ; as a Jew he was
conscientiously strict ; as a member of society, upright,
benevolent, and honourable." Let us hope that many Jews
of the present day may have earned similar praise !

In 1824 the Portuguese Community of Bevis Marks lost
another eminent member in the person of Abraham Monte-
fiore. This gentleman, well known for his benevolence and
kindly character as well as for his great wealth, was a lead-
ing member of the Stock Exchange. He had been to
Cannes for the re-establishment of his health, and he died
in the prime of life, on his way home, leaving two sons and
two daughters. Mr Abraham Montefiore, who was greatly
esteemed, was the brother of Sir Moses Montefiore, and he
had married, as his second wife, Henrietta, sister of MrN. M.
Rothschild. Mr Montefiore was buried in the Portuguese
cemetery at Mile End, and Dr Hirschel performed the
funeral rites. The elder of the two sons of this gentleman
is the present President of the Jewish Board of Deputies.
His second son is President of two of the most important
institutions of the Sephardi Community, the Hospital and
the Congregational Schools. One daughter, Mrs H. Monte-
fiore, was an authoress of distinction ; another daughter is
the wife of Sir Anthony de Rothschild.

The name of Nathan Meyer Rothschild is as familiar to
the Hebrew public as household words. We shall not
repeat here the history of the rise of the Rothschild family,

344 NATHAN MEYER ROTHSCHILD.

which has become as popular a story as the legend of Alfred
burning the cakes, or of William Tell transfixing the apple
on his son's head. Nevertheless, in modern Anglo-Jewish
history an honourable place must be given to a family which
not only has attained unparalleled wealth and financial pre-
eminence, but which has become famous for its unbounded
munificent and almost unrestricted charity. We cannot pass
over the subject without offering a few remarks. Nathan
Meyer Eothschild came over from Frankfort to England in
1800, when he acted for his father in the purchase of Man-
chester goods. It was not until the breaking out of the war
with Spain, in 1808, that his extraordinary means, which
were displayed in making the remittances for the English
army, became apparent to the mercantile world. Through
the agency of his father, large sums were placed to his
credit. Gradually his financial transactions pervaded the
whole of the continent, and exercised more or less influence
on monetary affairs of every description. No operations on
equal scale had existed in Europe previous to his time.
Sampson Gideon and Benjamin and Abraham Goldsmid,
were puny speculators in comparison with N. M. Rothschild.
The latter operator and his brothers participated in most of
the great financial affairs of Austria, of France, of England,
and of nearly every other country. Nathan Meyer Roths-
child was considered the head of the firm, though really not
the eldest brother in his family. In addition to the essential
co-operation of his relatives, he had agencies in almost every
important city in the old or the new world, in all of which,
under his directions, extensive operations of various kinds
were carried out. Mr Rothschild's loan contracts were not
uniformly successful in the first instance. He was at the
outset exposed to severe reverses which would have proved
fatal to houses of inferior means. One of those reverses
was connected with a loan of Exchequer bills in a 3£ per
cent, stock, the first of that denomination introduced into
the English market; he is said to have lost thereby
£500,000. This loan was a project of the then Chancellor
of the Exchequer, the Right Honourable Nicholas Vansittart,
afterwards Lord Bexley. Another event by which he would
have been exposed to great danger was the conversion of

NA 2 HAN ME YER ROTHSCHILD. 345

French rentes projected "by M. cle Villele, the French Mini-
ster. Fortunately for Mr Rothschild the measure was lost
by a single vote in the Paris Chamber of Peers ; had it been
carried, the convulsion that shortly followed in the money
markets of Europe would probably have proved fatal to his
position, notwithstanding all his vast resources. Another
perilous contract was the four per cent, loan made with M. de
Polignac, previous to the celebrated three days of July 1830,
which heralded the fall of the Bourbons in France. The
stock went down twenty to thirty per cent. ; but luckily for
Mr Rothschild the greater part of the loan had been dis-
tributed among the subscribers who suffered more or less
severely.

The great financier's success in loans made it a matter of
rivalry with all those states which wanted to borrow money
to obtain his co-operation. He uniformly refused to enter
into any such contracts for Spain and the American Repub-
lics, formerly its colonies ; but whether his conduct was
actuated by mere worldly prudence, or from a disinclina-
tion to assist a race which had maltreated his own, and
banished it from the Iberian peninsula, we are unable to
say.

Mr Rothschild's operations in bullion and foreign exchanges
were nearly as considerable as his loan contracts. He never
hesitated for a moment in fixing the rate either as a taker
or as a drawer of bills on any part of the world. Notwith-
standing the immense transactions into which he entered
every foreign post day, and that he never took note of
them, he could dictate the whole on his return home to his
clerks with the most perfect accuracy. He is said to have
been very liberal in his dealings ; and many merchants whose
bills were declined in other quarters found ready assistance
from him. His judgment was proved to be correct, by the
very small amount of loss which he incurred in such liberality.
His attachment for and confidence in his wife (a daughter of
L. B. Cohen, and a sister of Lady Montefiore) were unbounded,
and he proved them by entrusting to her the administration
of his will and the distribution of suitable legacies to nume-
rous charities. For some weeks before his death he was ill at
Frankfort, where he had been attended by Professor Chelens

346 NATHAN MEYER ROTHSCHILD.

of Heidelberg. He died at Frankfort, in 1836, at the age of
sixty. He was, perhaps, the greatest financial genius that
this century has seen ; and his demise caused a great tumult,
such as followed the death of Abraham Goldsmid. The timid
were greatly alarmed. They said it was impossible to foresee
what difficulties might arise on the withdrawal of the ability
with which the foreign exchanges had been managed. Mr
Rothschild had prided himself on the dexterity with which he
distributed his immense resources, so that no operation of
his should long abstract bullion from the bank. No catas-
trophes, however, occurred in the bourses of Europe after the
death of the autocrat of the Exchange ; and the affairs of the
world in general, and of his firm in particular, proceeded as
evenly and as quietly as if he had been at the helm to direct
the ship to port.

The body of Mr Rothschild was brought to England on the
4th of August 1836, and was conveyed to his house in St
Swithin's Lane. The funeral took place on Monday, the 8th
of August ; the remains were removed in a hearse drawn by
six horses, and were followed by thirty-six mourning coaches
and forty-one private carriages. Among these were the car-
riages of the Austrian, Russian, Prussian, and Neapolitan
Ambassadors, of Lord Stewart, Lord Dinorben, Lord Mary-
borough, and the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen of the
city of London. When the procession reached Whitechapel
Church, the children belonging to the Jews' Free School and
Orphan Asylum joined in the cortege, which proceeded until
the hearse drew up at the north entrance of the then burial-
ground of the Great Synagogue. The Rev. Mr Ascher per-
formed the service, and the Rev. Sol. Hirschel delivered in
English an eloquent and fervent address, in which he ex-
patiated on the beneficence of the deceased, who, in addition
to his public subscriptions to nearly every Jewish and Chris-
tian charity, had placed many thousands of pounds in the
hands of his relict to be distributed among the poor.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST— MISSION OF SIR MOSES
MONTEFIORE.

IN the spring of 1840, the Jews of Europe were startled by
rumours of two cruel persecutions in the East, of which their
brethren were the victims. Tales of false accusations and
infamous aspersions against the unhappy Jews, of tortures
and imprisonment to which respectable fathers of families
were subjected, of odious calumnies propagated and vehe-
mently supported by persons who ought to have known better,
reached London and Paris. The reports gradually gained a
tangible form, and the harrowing details — ascertained to be
true — stirred the hearts of all Jews from the banks of the
Danube to the banks of the Thames, and raised the indig-
nation alike of Jew and of Christian.

This was the story : Father Thomas, an Italian priest, who
exercised at Damascus the profession of physician, and who
visited the houses of Catholics, Armenians, and Jews, for the
purposes of vaccination, disappeared with his servant on the
1st of Adar. On the following day, a number of so-called
Christians crowded to the Jewish quarter, and seizing upon
an unhappy barber, they dragged him before the Pasha. The
infuriated mob shouted that the Jews had murdered Father
Thomas to employ his blood in their superstitions rites, and
the Pasha, to calm the rioters, ordered five hundred blows to
be administered to the wretched barber. This miserable
creature, on being urged to confess, yielding to intolerable
physical pain, accused some members of the families of Farhi
and Arari, and several other Jews, of having offered him
three hundred piastres to kill the padre. Under unbearable
torture, he gasped out that as the Passover holidays were
approaching, they required human blood with which to knead

348 BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST.

their cakes. The prisoner at the same time maintained that
he had refused to lend an ear to these instigations, and that
he had informed the priest of the danger he incurred. The
Pasha ordered the arrest of the individuals inculpated, six of
whom were seized ; and the remainder saved themselves by
timely flight. All the prisoners were submitted to the
" question," and endured some of the most excruciating tor-
tures that the devilish ingenuity of semi-barbarians could
invent. They were flogged. They were soaked with their
clothes for hours at a stretch in cold water. Their eyes were
punctured. They were made to stand upright for three days
without being permitted the slightest support, and when their
wearied bodies fell down, they were aroused by the prick of
the soldiers' bayonets. They were dragged by the ear until
their blood gushed. Fire was set to their beards till their
faces were singed, and candles were held under their noses
so that the flames burnt their nostrils. Fire, water, and iron
were used to extort admission of guilt from the unhappy
Jews ; and when all these means failed, moral torture was
employed. The Pasha carried the children of one of the
prisoners to a dungeon, and fed them — or rather starved
them — on bread and water, and forbade the mother from
visiting them, hoping to tear from the heart of the wretched
father a confession which no amount of physical pain could
extort.

In vain the poor Jews appealed to their sacred writings,
which stringently prohibit the shedding of human blood.
A courageous man, who boldly came forward and stated that
the Christians themselves must have put to death the padre,
perished under the bastinado. Some dwellings inhabited by
Jews were demolished to seek the bodies of the missing friar
and his servant, which, as may be expected, were not found.
Upon this, fresh cruelties were heaped on the prisoners. It
is not surprising that, under such combinations of horrors,
several of the incriminated Jews should at last have allowed
a frantic confession of guilt to escape their lips. Witches
and wizards, it is well known, not so many centuries ago,
and in England too, were wont, under the persuasive argu-
ments of fire and steel, to admit the commission of utterly
impossible deeds of darkness. So some of the mangled and

BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST. 349

bleeding Jews said that they had given a bottle containing
some of the blood of the padre to Moses Abulafia, who in his
turn, after receiving a thousand blows, and hardly knowing
what he was uttering, stammered out that he had hidden the
blood in a certain closet. Abulafia was carried on the backs
of four men to the closet indicated by him, where naturally
no traces of blood were discovered. On the other hand, what
was of much more value to the Pasha was perceived, that is,
a considerable sum of money, which was promptly appro-
priated to his own uses by that functionary. As to Abulafia,
he saved his life by embracing the Turkish religion. A wise
individual ascertained, through his knowledge of the stars,
that the imprisoned Jews had murdered Father Thomas, and
that some other Jews had killed the servant ; upon which six
other unfortunate Israelites were arrested and thrown into
prison. Damascus became so unsafe for Jews, that an
Israelite, who served the office of treasurer to the Pasha, was
constrained to adopt the faith of Islam in self-preservation ;
and few Jews durst venture into the street.

While this tragedy was being enacted in Damascus, a no less
serious occurrence happened in Rhodes. In that island a
Greek boy, ten years of age,, having disappeared, a rumour
at once spread that the Jews had killed him. Strange logic,
indeed ! A Christian child was missing, ergo the Jews must
have assassinated him. The Consuls of the European powers
proceeded in a body to the residence of the Pasha, and de-
manded justice against the Jews. The British Consul, Mr
Wilkinson, and his son, were among the bitterest denuncia-
tors of the hunted Jews. The Austrian Consul alone had the
courage of defending the unhappy descendants of Abraham
against the unfounded and infamous accusation. Two Greek
women charged the Jews with this crime. To the shame of
civilisation, and tfre utter disgrace of so-called Christianity,
the Consuls subjected one of the Jews to the bastinado. They
burned his flesh with red-hot irons, and dislocated his bones
on the rack, until praying for a death that would not come,
the unfortunate victim named at random several other Jews
as his accomplices. These were even in their turn seized and
put to the rack, until they also prayed to their God to release
them speedily from their sufferings. Christians went round

350 BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST.

to the Jewish quarter in the dark, endeavouring secretly to
introduce dead bodies of Christians into Jewish houses to
incriminate the latter, and Jews were not permitted to leave
their quarter.

A thrill of horror and of compassion mo\7ed the Jews of
Western Europe on hearing these recitals, which were duly
attested by trustworthy and impartial witnesses. Urgent
prayers for assistance reached the ears of Sir Moses Monte-
riure ; and the noble-minded philanthropist, before whom the
cause of his brethren was never pleaded in vain, at once
took up arms in their favour. A meetiug was held, on the
21st April 1840, at the residence of Sir Moses Montefiore,
Grosvenor Gate, Park Lane, in which were present not only
the members of the London Committee of Deputies of the
British Jews, but such other eminent men as Isaac L.
Goldsmid, Isaac Cohen, David Salomons, A. A. Goldsmid,
Drs Loe'we and Barnard Yan Oven, and several of the most
distinguished members of the Portuguese Community. Mon-
sieur Cremieux, the Vice-President of the Consistoire Central
of the French Jews and present President of the Alliance
Israelite Universelle, also attended to represent the Jews of
France. Translations of various communications from the
East, addressed to Messrs Rothschild and Sir Moses Monte-
fiore, and giving minute details of the sufferings of the
unhappy Jews of Damascus and of Rhodes, were read, and
produced a profound and painful sensation. A letter was
also read from the Rev. Sol. Hirschel, the Chief Rabbi,
solemnly repudiating such charges, and declaring them to be
false and malicious ; for so great is the horror evinced by
the Jewish law at the shedding of blood, that the slightest
admixture of blood, even that of animals, would pollute the
common food of man ; still more would human blood
desecrate and render abominable a religious rite. A series
of resolutions were adopted expressing the concern, disgust,
and horror of the meeting at such unfounded and cruel
accusations against their brethren in the East, and against
the barbarous tortures inflicted upon them ; entreating the
governments of England, France, and Austria to take up
the cause of the unhappy Jews ; and appointing a deputa-
tion to wrait on Lord Palmerstou (who was at the time Her

BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST. 351

Majesty's Secretary for Foreign Affairs), which comprised
Sir Moses Montefiore, Baron de Rothschild, Sir I. L. Gokl-
smid, David Salomons, Mr A. A. Goldsmid, and Mr F. H.
Goldsmid.

Lord Pulrnerstou received the deputation at the Foreign
Office with the greatest urbanity and kindness, expressing
his abhorrence of the cruel persecution of which the Jews
were the objects in the East, and his surprise that the
calumny should have met with the slightest credence. He
assured the deputation that the influence of the British
Government would be exerted on behalf of the Jews, and
that he would give instructions to Colonel Hodges at Alex-
andria, and to Lord Ponsonby at Constantinople, to direct
them to use every effort to prevent a continuance of such
inhuman and undeserved treatment.

The same deputation then waited on the Austrian Am-
bassador, who was absent, and on M. Guizot, the French
Ambassador. M. Guizot gave fair words, which were not
borne out by the deeds of his chief in Paris, M. Thiers, the
minister of Louis Philippe. France, the country which
boasts of being the leader of civilisation, acted on this occa-
sion as the champion of ignorance, fanaticism, and savage
superstition. Count Ratti Menton, the French Consul at
Damascus, was one of the most active persecutors of the
wretched Jews. He had lived in Spain for some years, and
had imbibed 'a blind hatred against the Jews. Though the
French Government sent M. de Melvoires to inquire into
the conduct of M. Ratti Menton, the latter was fully exone-
rated, and M. de Melvoires was appointed French Consul at
Beirout. In fact, as M. Cremieux said, " Nous avons la
France contre nous." France had then ambitious dreams
in the East, and supported the rebellious policy of Mehemet
Ali against his Suzerain the Sultan of Turkey. Mehemet
AH had possessed himself of Syria, which was occupied by
his troops. But England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia
sided with Turkey, and a very complicated Eastern ques-
tion was arising at this period, and threatening serious
consequences.

The English Press at large almost unanimously reprobated
the conduct of the accusers and persecutors of the Jews, and

352 BLOOD AC C USA TIONS IN THE EAST.

expressed their belief in the complete innocence of the
calumniated Israelites. We may also honourably mention
the Malta Times, which warmly espoused the cause of
the tortured Jews, and strenuously maintained their inno-
cence. The English nation, which as a rule is always ready
to sympathise with the weak and oppressed, showed in an
unmistakable manner their compassion for the Jews. The
Lord Mayor convened a meeting at the Mansion House for
the purpose of expressing the sympathy of the citizens of
London with the Jews of Damascus, and their detestation
of the atrocious calumnies which had been circulated against
them. Mr Alderman Thompson presided until the arrival
of the Lord Mayor, Sir Chapman Marshall. Many friends
of justice, humanity, and toleration met together, albeit of
different political parties ; and such men as Mr J. A. Smith,
M.P. ; Sir Denham Norreys, M.P. ; Mr James Morrison,
M.P. ; Mr W. Attwood, M.P. ; Dr Bo wring, Mr Martin
Smith, M.P. ; Mr S. Gurney, Lord Howden, Hon. and Rev.
Baptist Noel, Sir C. Forbes, Thomas Campbell the poet,
Mr David Wire, Mr John Masterman, Mr John Dillon, and
the " great liberator," Daniel O'Connell, with one voice
declared emphatically their utter disbelief of the odious
calumnies spread against the Jews. A statement from the
Rev. Mr Pieritz, a Jewish convert who had become a
Christian clergyman, bore witness to the sufferings of the
unfortunate Jews, and strongly confirmed the great aversion
of his former co-religionists to the taste of the blood of
animals. Several eloquent speeches were made, and were
followed by a number of appropriate resolutions setting
forth in forcible terms the commiseration felt by all true
Christians for the poor persecuted Jews of Damascus and
Rhodes ; their abhorrence at the use of torture ; their dis-
belief in the confessions thereby obtained ; and their deep
regret that in this enlightened age a persecution should
have arisen against their Jewish brethren, originating in
ignorance, and inflamed by bigotry. Finally, the gratifica-
tion of the meeting was manifested on perceiving that many
persons of distinguished rank, as well as the Government,
had testified their willingness to uphold and support the
cause of suffering humanity.

BLOOD A CCUSA TIONS IN THE EAST. ? c i

»J u \J

The sympathy of their fellow-citizens greatly encouraged
the Jews of England in their exertions. A subscription to
defray the expenses of a mission to the East was actively
being raised. The Sephardi Congregation handsomely gave
£500 from their fund of cautivos ; other Synagogues offered
according to their means. Contributions came in not only
from the London Synagogues, but from several continental
congregations ; and from Hamburg to Leghorn funds were
collected for the defence of the unhappy Jews of Damascus
and Rhodes/ Meetings <of Jews took place for the same
purpose, even in America and the West Indies. In New
York, Philadelphia, St Thomas, and Jamaica, the Jews
showed to the best of their power that they had not forgotten
their persecuted and tortured brethren in the far East.

The Board of Deputies, as the political representative of
the Jewish community in England, took the lead in action.
At a public meeting held on June 15, 1840, in which there
were present not only the Deputies, but the principal
ecclesiastical authorities and many of the most influential
members of the London , Jewish Congregations, it was
resolved to send a mission to Mehemet Ali, to intercede
on behalf of the Jews of Damascus. The whole community
unanimously pointed to one man. Who so zealous, so
philanthropic, so earnest, so able and courteous, as Sir
Moses Montefiore ? To Sir Moses Moutefiore, who was
President of the Board of Deputies, was entrusted the
important task of representing the British Jews, while M.
Cre'mieux accompanied him as the envoy of the French
Jews. The subscriptions raised were intended to defray
the expenses of,, and to remunerate, those who accompanied
Sir Moses Moutefiore in his errand of mercy. Sir Moses
Montefiore, always ready to sacrifice his comfort and to
imperil his valuable life in the service of his brethren,
accepted the honourable, and what to any one else would
have been the onerous, mission. M. Cremieux failed in
obtaining the recommendations he had expected from the
French Government, and it was then agreed that Sir Moses
Montefiore should be the recognised head of the mission, and
that M. Cremieux should act as his counsel under his direc-
tion, and in conjunction with Mr Wire. Mr H. de Castro

z

35* BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST.

was appointed President of the Board of Deputies in the
absence of Sir Moses Montefiore, and a Committee of Corre-
spondence was elected from the members of that body.

Sir Moses Montefiore, accompanied by his estimable
consort, Lady Montefiore, by Mr Wire and Dr Loewe, left
London on the 7th July 1840. In Paris, his party was
increased by the additions of M. Cremieux and Dr Madden.
Sir Moses Montefiore proceeded to Malta via Marseilles and
Leghorn. He had the satisfaction of being able to advise
from the very beginning of the journey, that the imprisoned
Jews of Rhodes had been released after being honourably
acquitted, and that they had commenced proceedings against
their persecutors. At Leghorn, the accounts received from
Syria by Sir Moses were very discouraging. That province
was in open revolt against the rule of Mehemet Ali;
Suleyman Pasha, one of the Viceroy's generals, had been
attacked and taken prisoner, and Beirout was blockaded.
The dangers of the expedition were pointed out to Sir Moses
Montefiore. He declined to return without having achieved
success, and he resolved to proceed forward at all risks, rather
than desert his unhappy brethren. In pursuance with this
noble resolution the Jewish mission proceeded to Malta. In
the same packet in which they sailed, were the correspondents
of the Times and the Morning Chronicle, who went to seek
information on the question of the Jews of Damascus. Sir
Moses Montefiore and his party arrived at Malta on the
27th July, when hearing that the insurrection in Syria was
on the point of being quelled, they continued their voyage
to Alexandria.

On his arrival at Alexandria, Sir Moses Montefiore de-
livered his despatches to Colonel Hodges, the English
Consul- General, who promised to procure him an interview
with the Viceroy. At the same time all the foreign Consuls,
with the exception of the French Consul, offered their
support to Sir Moses Montefiore. Mehemet Ali received
the members of the Jewish Mission very courteously, and
said he would consider the petition which they presented to
him. The petition asked for permission for Sir Moses and
his party to proceed to Damascus to obtain evidence on
behalf of the imprisoned Jews, with leave to see and inter-

BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST. 355

rogate the prisoners, and for absolute personal safety for the
members of the Mission and for all persons giving evidence.
A second and a third interview followed between the suc-
cessor of the Pharaohs and the champion of the Jews. The
Viceroy said he was too much occupied to decide on the
question ; but on being pressed he agreed to give orders for
the better treatment of the prisoners. Sir Moses Montefiore
placed himself in communication with Mr Werry, the British
Consul at Damascus, who, in conjunction with Mr Merlato,
the Austrian Consul, had endeavoured to alleviate the
miseries of the Jews, and to defend them against the rabid
Hebraaophobia of M. Eatti Menton. Sir Moses had the
satisfaction of receiving from Mr Werry a detailed account
of the improved condition of the remaining incarcerated
Israelites, three of them having died under torture. But
the political situation in Egypt was becoming serious.
England, Eussia, Prussia, and Austria insisted on the re-
cognition by the Viceroy of the Suzerainty of the Porte, and
on his abandoning Syria. France encouraged the ambitious
designs of Mehemet Ali. The four powers despatched an
ultimatum to the Viceroy requiring an immediate decision.
War seemed imminent, and Sir Moses Montefiore was pre-
paring to depart from Alexandria. Mehemet Ali rejected
the terms offered by the four powers ; and these, like the
Sybil, who destroyed each time one of her books asking the
same price for the remainder, sent back another ultimatum
less favourable to Mehemet Ali.

The French Government, while countenancing Mehemet
Ali in his resistance to allied Europe, opposed strenuously
the rendering simple justice to the Jews of Damascus.
Monsieur Thiers declined to furnish Monsieur Cremieux with
letters to the French Consul at Alexandria, and the conduct
of Count Eatti Menton was sanctioned by his superiors in
Paris. A strange decree of Providence was that which
rendered many years afterwards M. Cremieux and M. Thiers
— the former the advocate who was a suppliant on behalf of
his oppressed brethren, and the latter the minister who re-
fused to grant his prayer — colleagues in the same govern-*
ment of their conquered and humiliated country !

The position of Mehemet Ali was becoming complicated,

356 BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST.

and he determined to get rid of one cause of embarrassment.
Mr Briggs, an English merchant, who had taken much in-
terest in the fate of the Damascus Jews, waited on Sir Moses
Montefiore, and informed him that the Viceroy had expressed
an inclination to release the prisoners, provided the whole
matter were allowed to fall into oblivion. Now Sir Moses
Montefiore, with great courage and patriotism, had demanded
not merely the release of the Jews, but a new trial, to enable
them to clear their character even from suspicion. He justly
required the complete vindication and rehabilitation of his
co-religionists. On considering the perturbed political state
of the country, Sir Moses Montefiore agreed to waive his
demands for a new trial and for compensation, provided
Mehemet AH discharged at once the prisoners and declared
in his Firman his complete conviction of their innocence.
The Viceroy was also to give his permission for those who had
fled to return to their homes, and to express his desire that for
the future the Jews should live unmolested in his dominions.
At the suggestion of Mr Briggsr these conditions were em-
bodied in a memorial to be presented to His Highness the
Viceroy, to which were appended copies of Bulls from diffe-
rent Popes, acquitting the Jews of the charge of using blood
in their ceremonies ; a Firman of the Porte to the same
effect ; an account of the proceedings at Rhodes against the
Jews, and of their acquittal by the Courts of Constantinople,
together with some other documents. These documents were
not presented to His Highness, for on their being privately
submitted to an Effendi, one of his councillors, it was
recommended to refrain from so doing, as it was not con-
sidered that Mehemet AH would comply with the requests
therein contained.

Then Sir Moses Montefiore resolved to apply for a simple
discharge of the prisoners. A petition for that purpose was
drawn up, signed by himself, by M. Cremieux, and by. ten
foreign consuls. Mehemet AH offered the discharge of the
prisoners as an act of grace, which Sir Moses Montefiore
declined to accept. Eventually, the discharge was obtained
as an act of justice. The demands of Sir Moses Montefioie
were in point of fact substantially if not formally conceded.
The imprisoned Jews were liberated. The fugitive Jews were

BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST. 357

permitted to return to their homes unmolested. An order
of general protection to the Jews was given. A Firman per-
mitting the members of the Jewish Mission to proceed to
Damascus was granted. And the Viceroy personally assured
Sir Moses Montefiore of his complete disbelief of the calum-
nies directed against the Jews. The head of the mission
was strongly dissuaded from going to Damascus, owing to
the fanaticism of the nominal Christians ; and Mehemet Ali
himself pointing out the dangers of the journey, the expedi-
tion had to be abandoned. An authenticated copy of the order
of release was forwarded to Damascus, and the British Con-
sul was requested to see that the mandate was promptly
carried out.

The Mussulman inhabitants of Damascus manifested their
extreme satisfaction at the discharge of the prisoners ; and
on the return of the latter to their distressed families, the
greater part of the Mohammedan merchants hastened to
pay to them visits of condolence, and to express cordially
the pleasure felt at their liberation. Count Ratti Men ton,
when he heard of the order, stormed and raved, and endea-
voured to oppose its execution ; and to our regret we must
record that the Christian population slunk silently and
moodily about the streets of Damascus as if a calamity had
befallen them. These unhappy Christians had forgotten, if
they had ever known, the dearest and most sacred precepts
of their own religion.

The Jewish Mission sent a letter of thanks to the Viceroy,
drawn up in the Turkish language by Dr Loe'we, and it was
received by His Highness before their departure. Mehemet
Ali appeared much gratified on hearing the joy experienced
by his Mussulman subjects at the happy termination of the
sufferings of their Jewish fellow-subjects ; and Sir Moses
Montefiore and he parted under mutually favourable impres-
sions.

Sir Moses Montefiore, not satisfied with obtaining such
noble results, and impelled by an unconquerable love for his
race, and by indefatigable philanthropy, decided on extend-
ing his journey to Constantinople. In the capital of the
Turkish Empire, Sir Moses Montefiore was courteously re-
ceived by Reschid Pasha, the Grand Vizier, and by the

358 BLOOD ACCUSATIONS IN THE EAST.

Sultan himself, and he succeeded in obtaining the celebrated
Hatti Homayoun or Firman, in which the Chief of the Faith-
ful declared his perfect conviction of the innocence of the
Jews against the accusations of which they had been the
victims ; and he granted them the same protection, rights,
and privileges as were accorded to other races in his
dominions.

These are the glorious achievements of that memorable
mission ; when by a wonderful combination of qualities on the
part of Sir Moses Montefiore, and by the zeal and abilities of
the gentlemen who accompanied him, nine persons were
saved from a lingering and cruel death. Moreover the posi-
tion of the Jews in the East was materially raised ; despotic
Pashas were taught that enlightened humanity knows no
distinction of clime or of creed ; and the Sultan by his
own sign manual decreed the civil rights of the Jews, and
established their equality before the law to other classes of
his subjects.

CHAPTER XLIX.

SOME MORE JEWISH AUTHORS

THE Jews of a former generation may not have readied to
the very foremost rank in literature; but many of them
assuredly performed meritorious work and attained honourable
places among Jewish and among English litterateurs. We do
not profess to mention the name of every British Israelite who
entered into the thorny path of literature ; our object being to
offer a few remarks on those whose productions have acquired
most fame, or who appear to deserve especial commendation.
Many of our readers will probably recollect the modest
figure of the Rev. D. A. de Sola, the senior minister of the
Spanish and Portuguese Congregation. Mr D. de Sola,
from his unassuming presence and manners, was not gene-
rally known to possess the learning and abilities which he
undoubtedly displayed in his numerous works. He was de-
scended from an ancient family which emigrated from Spain
in 1492 and settled in Holland — a family which seems to
have given birth to many scholars of eminence. Isaac de
Sola distinguished himself as a preacher in London, between
1690 and 1700, and his remains were interred in the Sep-
hardi cemetery in 1735, while Dr Benjamin de Sola, Court,
Physician to William V., Prince of Orange, and Stadthouder
of Holland, was a practitioner of great repute at the Hague.
David Aaron de Sola was born on the 26th December 1796,
at Amsterdam, and he was the son of highly educated paren ts.
His uncle, the said Dr Benjamin de Sola, was desirous of
training young David to the medical profession, but the
future minister preferred to devote himself exclusively to his
favourite theology and Hebrew literature. He was admitted
a student in the Medrash at the early age of < eleven, and
continued his attendance there for nine years ; during which
time he was promoted through all the five degrees up to the

360 SOME MORE JE WISH A UTI1OXS.

highest. He became well versed in the superior branches of
Jewish theology, and also gained a good knowledge of secular
literature. At the same time he learnt several modern lan-
guages, and wrote fluently in English, German, and Dutch, in
addition to Hebrew.

When the Sephardi Congregation of London desired the
services of a second Hazan or minister — the Rev. Isaac
Almosnino being then the first — D. A. de Sola came to
London and became a candidate for the vacant post. He
was duly elected, and though the position was not very
brilliant, the young minister entered eagerly and zealously
in his new career, hoping to be able to raise his office by his
unwearied exertions. Having become united in marriage to
the eldest daughter of Haham Meldola, he devoted him-
self to a more profound study of the English language. The
Rev. D. A. de Sola's contributions to Jewish literature are
too numerous to be mentioned here, and we can only advert
to a few of the most important. His first published work
was entitled " The Blessings," with an introductory essay on
Thanksgiving. The subject and plan of the book originated
with Sir Moses Montefiore, to whom Mr de Sola acknow-
ledged himself deeply indebted for the generous support he
bestowed on his work. Mr de Sola, as we have already
stated, began, in March 1831, to preach in the Portuguese
Synagogue, and his sermons were in all probability the first
ever delivered in the English tongue in those precincts. His
discourses were received with much approbation, and some of
them were published. He translated the whole of the Portu-
guese Jewish Prayers into English ; and he subsequently ren-
dered the same service to the Germans as regards their Festival
Prayers. These versions are more lucid and exact than those
of David Levi. He began a new edition of the Sacred Scrip-
tures in conjunction with Dr Raphall, with an English trans-
lation and critical notes, and he issued the first volume. The
work remained incomplete, owing to the removal of Dr Raphall
to the pastoral charge of the Birmingham Congregation.

The Rev. D. A. de Sola was an indefatigable worker, and
his pen was seldom idle. In 1845 he brought out the
" Mishna" in Conjunction with Dr Raphall, which comprised
some of the treatises of that voluminous work, touching on

SOME MORE JE WISH A UTHOR S. 361

subjects of daily occurrence. He then produced his well-
known " Ancient Melodies of the Liturgy of the Spanish and
Portuguese Jews," in conjunction with Emauuel Aguilar.
Mr de Sola, in addition to a number of miscellaneous writ-
ings and contributions to the Jewish press of England,
Holland, and Germany, revised the cheap " Jewish Library,"
a work issued at the expense of a generous and high-minded
lady, Mrs Charlotte Montefiore. This publication, which
consisted of stories of Jewish life, was intended for the
benefit of the humbler classes, and each tale was retailed
separately at a penny. Grace Aguilar, who was a favourite
pupil in Hebrew of Mr de Sola, and who was greatly guided
by his opinion, wrote one of the tales entitled the " Perez
Family." He also was called upon to revise various other
works ; and he took part in the several movements for ren-
dering known the rich Jewish literature. In 1830 his co-
operation was given to the " Society for the Cultivation of
the Hebrew Language and Literature," his fellow-labourers
in that vast field being Michael Josephs, Joshua Van Oven,
Arthur Lurnley Davids, Morris Jacob Raphall, and Selig
Newman. In 1842 the Rev. D. A. de Sola was instrumental
in organising an " Association for the Promotion of Jewish
Literature," when he was elected a member of the Provi-
sional Committee with Mr Lindenthal, Dr Benisch, &c.
Unfortunately both these societies were short-lived. Mr de
Sola left behind him a mass of correspondence of a literary
character with most of the highest Jewish scholars of his
day, such as Jost, Delitsch, Fiirst, Zunz, Rappaport, &c., in
Germany; Belinfante, Isaacson, Bassan, &c., in Holland;
Carmoly, Cohen, &c., in France; Loe'we, Zeduer, Raphall,
Dukes, Benisch, &c., in England.

Mr de Sola closed a blameless and busy career on the
29th October 1860 (13th Hesvan 5621), after much suffer-
ing. The length of the funeral procession testified to tbe
esteem in which he had been held by his congregation.

No Jewish female author has attained the general and
well-deserved popularity achieved by Grace Aguilar. Her
numerous literary productions have been read and appreci-
ated in England, America, Germany, and France. Her
'• Women of Israel" is a work stamped with the most ardent

362 • SOME MORE JE WISH A UTHORS.

zeal and fervent piety, in every line of which breathe the
national sentiment and the true patriotism which are the
characteristics of her writings. It is a book teeming with
powerful lessons to her own sex, and eloquent exhortations to
the opposite sex. She desired to elevate the character of the
women of Israel. She has shown that when all the nations
of the East degraded females, the Jewish code gave them an
equality in civil and religious institutions suitable to women's
mind and to their special mission. She has also demon-
strated that many women in Israel have been the exponents
of the noblest sentiments and the most sublime actions.
Her " Spirit of Judaism" and "Jewish Faith" are likewise
works of considerable merit, and full of that pious fervour
and filial affections which carry the reader along with her,
and impress him with profound sympathy for the writer.
Her " Jewish Faith " displays signs of no mean acquaintance
with Jewish and Christian philosophers and divines, and its
logical reasoning is far from betraying the sex of the author.
With all her abilities, which were of no ordinary range, she
was humble and unassuming, tender and genial to all, and
greatly attached to her parents. The ambition of Grace
Aguilar was neither for wealth, reputation, nor distinction.
The pure consciousness of raising the literary and religious
character of the Jewish race, and of her own sex in particular,
was at the same time her guiding motive and her reward.

Grace Aguilar was the eldest child and only daughter of
Emanuel Aguilar, the descendant of an old Spanish family,
and she first saw the light at Hackney, in June 1816. By a
not uncommon dispensation of Providence, the strength of
her mind was counterbalanced by the weakness of her bodily
frame. The shell that confined an over-active intellect was
indeed of a frail nature. Grace Aguilar was struggling from
childhood upwards through her whole existence with a weak
constitution. She was nevertheless very quick of apprehension
and learnt easily all she was taught. Her parents seem to
have been her principal instructors. In childhood her mother
instilled rudimentary knowledge in her bright young mind ;
and at the age of fourteen her father began a regular course
of lessons. The family, owing to Mr Aguilar's health,
went to reside in Devonshire : and at Tavistock, amid the

SOME MORE JE WISH A UTHORS. 363

beauty of the surrounding scenery, she first gave vent to her
tnoughts in verse. She was exceedingly fond of music, and
became proficient on the piano. From the age of seven she
began to keep a journal, and this practice no doubt fostered
a spirit of self-communion. She studied the principles of
religion, and she carried its precepts in everyday life, reliev-
ing sufferings as far as her limited means allowed, and with-
out inquiring into the theological opinions of the afflicted.
She herself endured much physical pain ; and in 1835 she
had an illness which completely prostrated the small stock
of strength at her command. In the midst of much mental
distress, caused by the sickness and death of her father and
by various domestic troubles, Grace Aguilar produced the
" Spirit of Judaism " and several other works.

Mr Moses Mocatta, a gentleman who had himself translated
from the Hebrew the work entitled " Faith Strengthened,"
and who was a zealous worker in the cause of Judaism, very
liberally came forward, and materially assisted Miss Aguilar
in the publication of the "Jewish Faith." She worked
hard, and, her health breaking down completely, she was
ordered rest and change. In June 1847 she visited Frank-
fort, where her brother was pursuing his musical studies.
At first she appeared to rally, but she became soon again
exhausted. She tried the mineral waters of Schwalbach,
without success ; and, after two months of great suffering,
Grace Aguilar passed away in September 1847. Her
remains were consigned by the hands of tender friends to
that portion of the cemetery of Frankfort which is set apart
for Jews. She had loved truly her religion, into the depth
of which she entered so fully that her spirit could not rest
till she publicly taught it to her sisters and brethren. In
addition to her religious works, Grace Aguilar was the suc-
cessful author of several very pleasing novels which had an
extensive circulation, and still maintain their reputation. The
principal of these are, " The Days of Bruce," a tale of Scot-
tish history, and some domestic stories, entitled " Home
Influence," " The Mother's Recompense," and " Home
Scenes and Heart Studies."

Another energetic labourer in the cause of Jewish litera-
ture was the late Mr E. H. Lindo. This gentleman, after

364 SOME MORE JE WISH A UTHORS,

spending a considerable portion of his existence in com-
mercial pursuits, devoted many years to literary occupations.
Mr Lindo compiled the well-known almanac bearing his
name, the usefulness of which is far more extended than
would be imagined from the unpretending nature of its title,
for it contains a chronological table of the most interesting
events in Jewish history. Then in 1842, Mr Lindo published
a translation of the " Conciliator " of Menasseh ben Israel,
a work which endeavours to harmonise the apparent contra-
dictions in the Bible. The most important production by
this gentleman is the " History of the Jews of Spain and
Portugal," which was issued from the press in 1848. The
author took vast pains to" acquire original and authentic
information on this interesting subject; he visited the
Iberian peninsula, he inspected personally the scenes of the
events which he described, and examined many valuable
MSS. This work displays much painstaking research and
considerable erudition, and was favourably reviewed by the
most influential journals of the day. Mr Lindo, in addition,
prepared a catalogue of the books contained in the library of
the Sephardi Medrash (Religious College), and he completed
several translations of Hebrew and Spanish works, in both
of which languages he was well versed. Mr Lindo died in
1865, at an advanced age.

Among other deceased Jewish writers who deserve honour-
able mention, we may name Moses Samuel, of Liverpool, the
eminent Hebrew scholar and author of several productions.
Moses Samuel was a self-taught man, and he possessed con-
siderable abilities. He was born in London in 1795, and
evinced at an early age a singular taste for languages and
mathematics. After taking up his residence in Liverpool, he
published an address to the missionaries of Great Britain,
which was a forcible protest against the attempts of con-
version societies to lead the Jews away from their ancient
faith. He translated the Book of Jasher, and he brought
forth a work on the position of the Jews in Great Britain,
while his letters to Lord Brougham and Mr Hume, M.P.,
were highly commended. He then became one of the joint-
editors of a monthly magazine, named " The Cup of Salva-
tion." He was a zealous worker in all that concerned the

SOME M ORE JE WISH A UTHORS. 3 6 5

welfare of his co-religionists, and ever ready to wield his pen,
not only on their behalf, but on behalf of the oppressed
of all denominations. A rebuke he administered to a
member of the bar, and entitled " The Jew and the Bar-
rister," was favourably noticed in several magazines. Moses
Samuel, whilst attending a meeting on the emancipation of
the Jews, in 1840, was attacked with paralysis, from which
he never entirely recovered, but he lived in retirement until
1860. We must also name A. Abrahams, an uncle of Serjeant
Simon, M.P., and who translated the " Matinees du Samedi ; "
and Morris Jacob Raphall, whose versatility, learning,
and literary powers were remarkable. We purposely abstain
from adverting to the far greater number of literary English
Jews and Jewesses who are flourishing at present in our
midst ; and whom we do not specify by name for reasons
that will easily suggest themselves to our readers. Among
the Jews of a former generation who distinguished themselves
in sciences and in arts, we must give a place to Benjamin
Gompertz, the eminent mathematician ; Jacob Samuda, the
talented engineer, who perished at an early age, the victim of
an accident ; and Daniel, a miniature painter who in his day
achieved a considerable reputation.

No chapter devoted to modern Jewish authors would be
complete without including the name, familiar to the Anglo-
Jewish community, of the late Michael Henry. The history
of Michael Henry offers few stirring events, but it affords
an example of philanthropy and self-abnegation such as is
seldom witnessed in these days of worldly-mindedneas and
self-seeking. He was born in Kenuington in February 1830,
his father being a merchant, and his mother the Miss Emma
Lyon of whom we have already spoken in this work. Michael
Henry was educated in the City of London School, from
which he went to Paris, where he was engaged for a short
time in a counting-house. Thence he returned to London,
and entered the office of the late James Robertson, patent
agent and editor of the Mechanics' Magazine. On the death
of Mr Robertson, Michael Henry established himself in the
same business, which he carried on from 1857 until his death.
In course of time he began to assist Dr Benisch in his labours
as editor of the Jewish Chronicle; and when that journal

366 SOME MORE JE WISH A UTHORS.

changed hands in 1868, the editorship, vacated by Dr Benisch,
was entrusted to him. Michael Henry was endowed with a
strong poetic feeling, which found its vent in fervid verses.
At the age of six he composed some lines on a storm ; at the
age of nine he wrote prayers for his own use ; and when he
reached thirteeen he produced a short humorous tale. In
youth he contributed occasionally to magazines ; subsequently
he wrote regularly in the Mining Journal ; and he is best
known in connection with the Jewish Chronicle. His articles
were easy and full of imagination ; his style was warm and
impassioned, and at times rose to eloquence. His words
carried with them conviction, for they were the outpour of an
honest, zealous nature, and of one who was an earnest believer
in Judaism. In his profession he stood deservedly high for
his profound knowledge of Patent Law, and for the perfect
conscientiousness with which he carried on his avocations.
To his community Michael Henry was a great loss. All
the leisure hours left to him by his occupations were em-
ployed in advancing the interests of his favourite charitable
and educational institutions. Instruction for the young and
help for the needy divided his attention, and he was as well
known for his love of boys as for his kindness of heart. He
was the founder of the General Benevolent Association ; the
Jewish Stepney Schools owed little less than their existence
to his indefatigable labours ; and various other Jewish insti-
tutions were indebted to him for the support of his forcible
pen and eloquent voice. He was modest and unassuming in
his deportment; and his geniality and courteousness, added
to his other good qualities, won for him a popularity among
his race seldom exceeded. When Michael Henry perished in
June of the present year, in the plenitude of his mental and
physical powers, the victim of a lamentable accident, the
respect in which he was held in his community was amply
testified, by the presence at the Willesden cemetery of one of
the largest assemblages of mourners that for years had fol-
lowed the remains of a Jew to their last resting-place. As
a proof of the esteem and friendship felt for him by his co-
religionists, we may mention that they hastened to raise a
fund to perpetuate his memory in the manner which would
have been most agreeable to his feelings.

CHAPTER L.

THE REFORM MOVEMENT.

Few religious communities have displayed the complete union
for which the Jews have been ever remarkable since the days
of their last dispersion from Jerusalem. Properly speaking,
with the exception of the small number of individuals known
as Samaritans and as Karaites, there are no sects in Judaism.
The principles of Judaism appear so simple and incontestable,
its dogmas so plain and easily understood, that if the Jews
numbered a hundred millions, they could never split into a
thousand sects like the professors of other creeds. The only
differences of opinion existing among Jews are purely con-
fined to matters of practice, and do not affect belief in the
simple truths of the Mosaic dispensation. We say it in
all respect, there is probably less discrepancy between the
Jews forming what are called Orthodox Congregations, and
those Jews who are members of the Reformed Congregation
of London, than is evident within the bosom of a single
denomination of Christians. We venture to assert that a
wider and deeper gulf yawns between the Ritualist and the
Low Churchman, than separates any two congregations of
Jews within the four seas in all that regards essentials. The
slight variations in the liturgies of the so-called Portuguese
and German Jews, and in the mode of pronunciation of
Hebrew, are perhaps inevitable consequences of their resid-
ence among different nations, and their adoption of different
languages, but in no degree do they constitute a difference in
dogma, doctrine, or practice.

The establishment of the West London Congregation of
British Jews was doubtless a painful event, which caused
much heart-burning at the time of its occurrence, and which
is the more to be lamented by Jews, as it might easily have

3 68 THE REFORM MOVEMENT.

been avoided by the prevalence of wiser and more conciliating
counsels, and by a truer perception of the spirit of real religion.
It is not within our province to decide on which side to award
the greater blame for that which cannot be characterised
otherwise than as a secession. We shall treat the question from
a purely historical point of view. We shall, in so far as we
are able, state the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth. We shall deliver a plain unvarnished tale, adding
nought in malice, and extenuating nothing. We shall
abstain from offering any comment or remark, even at the
risk of rendering our narrative tame and colourless, as we
prefer that our readers should form their own conclusions after
carefully weighing the facts that we shall bring before their
notice.

We have on several occasions adverted to the slovenly and
indecorous manner in which Jewish worship was too often
celebrated in English Synagogues at a former period. This
evil led to serious reflections on the part of those who fre-
quented the Synagogue to commune with their Maker, and
not to mumble through, in an indistinct and formal manner,
certain prayers which they scarcely understood. All parties
indeed desired an improvement in the mode of conducting
the services, but all parties did not agree as to what shape
the improvement should assume. So far back as the year
5584 (1824), a committee of the vestry of the Great Syna-
gogue, under the presidency of Mr Isaac L. Goldsmid,
appointed to propose a plan for the training of some young
men for the Jewish ministry, stated in their report that
11 they are convinced that the small attendance in the Syna-
gogue is, in some measure, to be ascribed to the present
mode of reading the service ; that it has led, and, if un-
changed, will lead, to alterations which they most sincerely
deprecate, and which may be fatal to the dearest interests of
the Jewish nation.'* This committee, which consisted of
seven gentlemen, all well known in the community for their
zeal for and devotion to Judaism, clearly foresaw a rock
ahead which they pointed out to the ruling powers- of their
congregation. The ministers had a happy knack of reading
prayers in a mode calculated to disturb and not to arouse
devotion. They preferred absurd or exaggerated displays of

THE REFORM MOVEMENT, 369

vocalisation to a solemn rendering of the Jewish ritual. The
committee limited themselves, however, according to the
restricted nature of their mandate, to recommend the educa-
tion of some youths for the office of readers, the determina-
tion of some fixed and regular mode of reading prayers, and
the avoidance of all singing not connected with sacred music.
These recommendations were acted upon ; but they seemed
to have had very little influence on the evils in question.

In the Sephardi Community, the dissatisfaction felt by
many members assumed a tangible shape in 1836. On the
4th December of that year, a memorial signed by several
Yehidim (members) was laid before the body of elders at
one of their meetings. The memorialists stated in that
document that they had observed, with regret, the existence of
a considerable confusion during a great part of the service ;
that the irregular singing of the schoolboys and others
tended to destroy all harmony, and to impair the solemn
effect of the beautiful Jewish hymns ; while a constant
repetition of some of the prayers seemed to them the cause
of a relaxation of the attention and seriousness vitally re-
quisite to the maintenance of a spirit of reverence and
fervour. Without presuming to offer any specific plan, the
memorialists ventured to make a few suggestions. The sing-
ing and recitation of prayers should be confined to the
reader, and to a certain number of trained boys ; and the
introduction of an organ or other instrument, they thought,
would insure harmony, order, and solemnity during the whole
service. In view of the constant allusions to instrumental
music in the psalms, it was not conceived that there could
be anything inherent in the Jewish faith to prevent its adop-
tion. They respectfully but earnestly solicited an inquiry to
be set on foot. They recommended an omission of the
repetition of the Amidah and Musap/t, and especially of
Kadisck (prayers recited during the service). They entertained
an opinion that there was no sanction for the observance of
the second days of the Festivals, or of the eighth day of
Passover, or of the ninth of Tabernacles. They were con-
vinced that the needless multiplying of holydays was
calculated to render the observance of all less strictly
attended to ; and they ventured to submit the propriety of

2 A

37° THE REFORM MO VEMENT.

instituting an inquiry, in order to ascertain whether some
steps could not be adopted for limiting the observance of holy-
days to the da}rs specified in the Perasah (portion of the law)
read on these occasions.

This memorial had been signed by members of ancient
families, hitherto distinguished for their charity, their libera-
lity, and their profound love and reverence for their faith.
On the other hand, at a subsequent meeting of the Elders,
held on the 13th December 1836, a counter memorial signed
by forty-five Yehidim was presented in a sense totally opposed
to the former petition. These members expressed an equal
desire to see great order, solemnity, arid harmony established
in the religious services, but conscientiously and firmly
differed from the other requisitiouists, as to alterations which
would set aside or change those observances which for ages
have been held sacred, and they fir-mly believed that if the
principle of alteration in Jewish religious institutions was
once admitted, it would split the Jewish nation into
innumerable sects. This view was supported by a letter to
which 109 signatures were appended of persons who said that
they were contributing members of the congregation, and of
the class depending on their daily labour for the mainten-
ance of themselves and families. They felt at times some
hardships and privations from the many observances and
ordinances which surrounded them, but which were cheer-
fully borne; and they declared that, holding in the same
veneration as their forefathers the precepts and institutions
of their holy faith, they prayed that no measures might be
sanctioned or adopted to change them. After much discus-
sion, a resolution, very moderate in tone, was accepted by the
Elders, expressing their readiness at all times to receive with
attention and to deliberate with calmness on any representa-
tions made to them by members of the congregation ; that
the Elders gave due credit to the first memorialists for purity
of intention ; that the means of promoting greater harmony
and solemnity during prayers, and of infusing more order and
decorum in the services, were objects of their best considera-
tion, but that the other suggestions were of a description
which they deemed inexpedient to entertain.

It appears evident that the majority of the members of the

THE REFORM MO VEMENT, 3 7 1

Sephardi community were averse to the innovations desired
by a portion of the Yehidim. Notwithstanding the decision
arrived at by the Elders, one of the gentlemen concerned in
drawing up the memorial in question circulated a paper, in
which he urged the appointment of a committee to ascertain
from the ecclesiastical authorities how far those suggestions
could be acted upon consistently with the tenets of the
Jewish religion. He then used arguments in defence of
the proposals for the introduction of instrumental music in
Synagogue, and for the limitation of the liolydays to the
days specified in Scripture. On touching minor points, he
mentioned the wish of some members for fixing the begin-
ning of the prayers at a late hour on Sabbaths and festivals,
to enable those who dwelt at a distance to attend Synagogue
at a proper time. The question was not re-opened by the
Elders during that session.

In 1837 attempts were made to introduce greater decorum
and order in the Synagogue, and by the assistance of the
Rev. I. Almosnino, the senior minister, a choir was in-
structed. On the 9th December 1837 a joint committee was
appointed, together with the Wardens, to extend the measures
already taken, and to devise further means of imparting
greater order and solemnity to public worship.

Notwithstanding these slight improvements, the existing
feelings between the large conservative party and the less
numerous party of intending reformers did not assume a
friendly appearance. Some members of the conservative party
were disposed to grant the concessions sought in the minor
points, which probably appeared to them fair and reasonable.
But they were afraid that this was but a prelude to further
and more sweeping reforms, and they somewhat reluctantly
refused to yield an inch for fear that the proverbial ell might
be taken. In 1838 stormy discussions took place among the
members at their meetings. An unfortunate spirit of con-
tention obtained in the community. A proposal was made
in the month of Heshvau in the same year for the ap-
pointment of a .committee, in which the Readers were to be
included, " to inquire into the propriety of altering or curtail-
ing the prayers, and to supply more regular religious instruc-
tion." Those who were present on that occasion assure us

372 THE REFORM MOVEMENT.

that the discussion assumed a violent character. Of the
formation and subsequent dissolution of the Society of the
" Preservers of Sacred Institutions " we have already
spoken. Its operations served only to fan the spirit of dis-
sension unhappily reigning in the community. The odium
theologicum temporarily seized members of the same race,
of the same religion, of the same family.

Meanwhile another important grievance was alleged by
those gentlemen who were dissatisfied with the existing
order of things. The Jews were leaving the districts in
which they formerly resided close to their Synagogues, and
many of them dwelt in Bloomsbury and other quarters which
were then considered fashionable. The German Jews had
two or three Synagogues beyond the boundaries of the city.
The Portuguese Jews qould only pray congregationally
within the precincts of their ancient building in Be vis Marks.
Some of the more affluent members of the latter community
were unable to walk to Bevis Marks, and were equally un-
willing to infringe the Sabbath or Festivals by driving to
Synagogue. Their desire to possess a House of Worship
within a walking distance of their abodes, however reason-
able it may appear to us, was considered an unattainable
ambition in those days. The Ascama of the Kaal No. 1 (1st
Law of the Congregation) forbade, under the severest
penalties, the assemblage of ten or more men for the pur-
poses of reciting prayers within a certain radius of the
Synagogue. We have seen that this regulation had caused
much unpleasantness and ill-feeling on a former occasion,
and those who had suffered from its stringency then, were
not disposed to treat others with greater leniency than they
had themselves experienced.

The difficulty of reaching a Place of Worship, and the regret
on reaching it of finding public service conducted in a manner
not consonant with their wishes, induced several Yehidim to
contemplate seriously the practicability of celebrating service
in their own neighbourhood, and in their own manner. Wo
have reason to believe that this step was decided upon very
reluctantly by those who undertook it, and that they fully
expected that it would only be of a purely temporary
nature. It must doubtless have been very painful to men

THE REFORM MO VEMENT. 3 7 3

who had hitherto strictly followed the precepts of Moses, to
disobey the constituted authorities of their Synagogue, many
of whom were their personal and attached friends, and still
more painful to appear to secede from the traditions of
Orthodox Judaism.

On the 15th April 1840, a meeting of twenty-four gentle-
men took place, exactly three-fourths of whom were Sephardim
and the remainder Ashkeuazim, in which the following
declaration was signed by the individuals present, who con-
stituted themselves into a separate congregation :

" We, the undersigned, regarding public worship as highly con-
ducive to the interests of religion, consider it a matter of deep regret
that it is not more frequently attended by members of our religious
persuasion. We are perfectly sure that this circumstance is not owing
to any want of general conviction of the fundamental truths of our
religion, but we ascribe it to the distance of the existing Synagogues
from the place of our residence, to the length and imperfections of the
order of service, to the inconvenient hours at which it is appointed, and
to the absence of religious instruction in our Synagogue. To these evils
we think that a remedy may be applied by the establishment of a
Synagogue at the western part of the metropolis, where a revised
service may be performed at hours more suited to our habits, and in a
manner more calculated to inspire feelings of devotion, where religious
instruction may be afforded by competent persons, and where to effect
these purposes, Jews generally may form a United Congregation under
the denomination of British Jews."

It will be remarked that not a word is here said respect-
ing instrumental music in Synagogues or the abolition of the
second days of Festivals ; the two points most objectionable
to those who call themselves strict Jews.

Resolutions in conformity with the above declarations
were adopted at that meeting, when it was decided that the
new Place of Worship should be named the West London
Synagogue of British Jews.

CHAPTER LI.

THE WEST LONDON CONGREGA TION OF BRITISH JE WS.

THE gentlemen, forming part of the meeting mentioned in
our preceding chapter, proceeded to organise themselves
as an independent community. They secured the services of
an able and eloquent minister in the person of the Rev. D.
W. Marks, to whom was entrusted the preparation of a
revised book of prayers ; and they in due course obtained
suitable premises which they converted into a Place of
Worship. The conservative members of the oldest congre-
gation in London felt deeply this more than threatened
secession ; and the Wardens of the Sephardi Synagogue in
their address to the Elders, delivered on the 16th of May
1841, thus expressed themselves : — " Several valued and
influential members of our congregation have associated
themselves with members of other communities in this city,
for the purpose of establishing a Synagogue westward. This
is already an infraction of the fundamental law of the con-
gregation, which has been our bond of union since our
admission into this country, now nearly two centuries since ;
still it admitted of excuse and palliation in the acknowledged
inconvenience experienced by those respected friends and
their families from the distance to our Synagogue and the
want of accommodation near them. But it is to be appre-
hended that their contemplated establishment is to be on
principles opposed to the received religious institutions and
ordinances of our nation, that it is not to be subject to
ecclesiastical discipline in religious matters, and that its
promoters are engaged in alterations and abridgments of our
established ritual to form a new order of prayers and service
unsanctioned by any competent or regularly-constituted
authority. Then their proceedings thus assume a character

THE WEST LONDON CONGREGATION. 375

of so serious a nature as to call for the united interposition
of the Jewish nation." The document closed with the ex-
pression of " an anxious and earnest hope " that some course
might be devised, in conjunction with the ecclesiastical
authorities, likely to conciliate discordant feelings and pre-
vailing opinions, and that "by a temperate and well-digested
plan of improvement, and above all, by a cordial and sincere
approximation of all parties in so good a cause, the peace
and union of the congregation may yet be restored and per-
manently established." Unhappily these fond hopes were
not realised. It rests not with us to apportion the blame
nor to decide which side was most in fault. What is
obvious is, that whatever opinion may be entertained as to
the nature of the demands made by the authors of the move-
ment, some of these demands could scarcely be conceded
without proper ecclesiastical sanction.

The following communication was addressed by some mem-
bers of the Portuguese Congregation to the Elders, under date
of 7th Elul 5601 — 24th August 1841 :—

" GENTLEMEN, — Having so often expressed our sentiments, both to
your respected body and to the meetings of the Yehidim, on the impor-
tant subject of the improvements, which in our opinion were so much
required in our form of public worship as well as on some other points,
and having on so many occasions ascertained your total disinclination
to attend to our suggestions, or even to "consider our views, we cannot
entertain the idea that our present communication will excite any surprise
in your minds. In fact, we intimated at the meeting of Yehidim in
5599 (1839), on the proposition being made for the abrogation of Law
No. 1 of the Yehidim, that our object was to establish a, new Syna-
gogue on the principles we had so long advocated, and that we adopted
this as the best, if not the only, course for satisfying our own conscien-
tious scruples, and for avoiding the repetition of discussions tending to
excite and foster ill-feelings. We now proceed before opening the
intended Place of Worship to lay a statement of the principles on which
it is to be conducted. To secure decorum it is essential that the con-
gregation should assemble before the commencement of prayers and
remain until their conclusion. To facilitate this, more convenient
hours are appointed for prayers ; these being half-past nine in summer
and ten in winter. To enable the attention of the public to be con-
centrated, the service is on no occasion to exceed two hours and a half.
It has been found necessary to abridge slightly the prayers ; the daily

376 THE WEST LONDON CONGREGATION

and Sabbath prayers have already been carefully revised, and consider-
able progress has been made with the festival prayers. To familiarise
the rising generation with a knowledge of the great principles of our
holy faith, religious discourses in the English language will form part
of the morning service on Sabbaths and holydays. That offerings
should interfere as little as possible with the devotional character of
the place, and that they should not by occasioning interruptions to the
reading of the law mar its effects, we have decided to discontinue
calling up to the law. On the three great festivals, voluntary offerings
will be made on the return of the law to the Ark, to be accompanied
by personal compliments and limited to two objects : the relief of the
poor and the support of the establishment. It is not intended by this
body to recognise as sacred, days which are not ordained as such in
Scripture ; and consequently the service appointed for Holy Convoca-
tions is to be read only on the days thus designated. Gentlemen of
other congregations have associated themselves with us, but we have
resolved to read Hebrew after the manner of the Portuguese, believing
it to be more correct : and to abolish the useless distinction now exist-
ing between those termed Portuguese and German Jews, we have given
the intended Place of Worship the designation of West London Syna-
gogue of British Jews. These views have been carried into effect
not with any desire to separate, and through a sincere conviction tliat
substantial improvements in the public worship are essential to the
weal of our sacred religion, and that they will be the means of handing
down to our children and to our children's children our holy faith in
all its purity and integrity. Indeed, we are firmly convinced that
their tendency will be to arrest and prevent secession from Judaism, an
overwhelming evil which has at various times so widely spread among
many of the most respectable families of our community. Most
fervently do we cherish the hope that the effect of these improvements
will be to inspire a deeper interest in, and a stronger feeling towards,
our holy religion, and that their influence on the minds of the youth of
either sex will be calculated to restrain them from traversing in their
faith, or contemplating for a moment the fearful step of forsaking their
religion, so that henceforth no Israelite born may cease to exclaim :
' Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one ! ' We antici-
pate encountering considerable difference, and even a strong prejudice
against our proceedings, but we venture to hope that on further con-
sideration, our motives and intentions will be duly appreciated, and
that those kindly feelings which ought to exist between every com-
munity of Jews, will be maintained between the small body, whose
views we had endeavoured to explain, and the other congregations.
We desire to continue to make through the Elders a contribution

OF BRITISH JE WS. 3 7 7

towards the relief of the poor, and to devote some of our time and
attention to the superintendence of the excellent institutions connected
with the parent Synagogue. Influenced as we are by a sense of duty
to offer our assistance in these works of charity towards our poorer
brethren, we should derive no small gratification, if in thus co-opera-
ting with you to satisfy the claims of humanity, we slumld find that
we are thereby establishing a bond and symbol of connection with the
old Congregation ; and assuring you that its welfare will never be a
subject of indifference with us, we shall but express the words which
we utter so frequently in our daily orisons : ' May He who maketh
peace in His high heavens, in His mercy grant place unto us all, and
all Israel.' "

The innovations adverted to in the above document could
not receive the assent of the old orthodox community of
Be vis Marks, and the friendly and truly Jewish spirit
breathing through that letter was not so fully responded to
as might have been expected, owing to alarm at some of the
unfortunate changes mentioned. It was considered desirable
at that meeting of the Elders to express strongly its views
on the question ; and the following lengthy resolution was
adopted. After stating the necessity of making a public
avowal of the course it was intended to pursue, the resolution
said : —

" This meeting at once declares that in the event of the gentlemen
subscribing that letter, or any other member of our congregation com-
bining to erect a Synagogue westward, and to carry into effect therein
the principles they advocate in the said letter, either by admitting as
their ritual the book of prayers forwarded to this Room (which has
already been proscribed by authority) or introducing or allowing the
introduction of changes in our established forms, customs, and usages,
save and except under ecclesiastical authority, such acts will be con-
sidered as a violation of the Askama of Kaal (law of congregation),
and render such and every member of our Congregation so acting,
virtually excluded from Yahid, and liable to all the penalties of that
Askama. Painful indeed will be such proceedings on the part of this
Room, for it cannot lose sight of the fact that the members who have
addressed them have always been zealous supporters of our ancient
congregation and its valued institutions, and that their rank and
station in the community entitles them to every consideration ; a
severance, therefore, from such valued and respected friends, number
ing amongst them some who may trace their descent from the original

378 THE WEST LONDON CONGREGATION

founders of our establishment, must be considered a deep sacrifice of
personal feeling to a sense of religious duty. This meeting, therefore,
most earnestly exhorts them as brethren, well-intentioned but mistaken
in their views, to yield their individual opinions to the u-nited voice of
the congregation, to abstain from all objectionable measures, and to
recollect that the Ychidim of this congregation have given proofs of a
desire to grant them their great desideratum — a Synagogue westward
— and let them, above all, consulting their own interests and welfare,
not lightly discard the protection of their ancient and parent Congrega-
tion ; and if they will but seriously reflect on all this, the meeting may
yet entertain the hope that the severance so much to be deplored may
still be avoided."

Both parties, it thus appeared, professed to be animated
by mutual good feeling, which no doubt really existed ; never-
theless the breach between Jew and Jew became wider every
day. Nor was the dissatisfaction manifested by Jewish
worshippers expressed only by members of the Sephardi
Congregation. In April 1842, a meeting of seatholders of
several Synagogues was held under the presidency of Mr H.
H. Cohen, when a memorial was drawn up to be presented
to the respective vestries of the Ashkenazi Congregation?.
The evils so often mentioned were forcibly pointed out in that
document. The then existing system of saying prayers was
described as being " as unaccountable as it is unseemly; as
manifestly inconsistent, obviously indecorus, and clearly
adverse to that lifting up of the soul in solemn communion
with the Creator, which is the effect that prayer is intended
to produce." Various suggestions for the amelioration of
public worship were made, stress being especially laid on the
introduction of pulpit instruction in English. It was not
until years afterwards that some of their recommendations
were carried out ; and in the meantime several of the
memorialists joined the Reform movement.

In April 1841, when the movement had been openly
declared, the vestries of the various city Synagogues resolved
that no member of any Place of Worship not conforming as
heretofore in religious matters, and not recognising the estab-
lished ecclesiastical authorities, should be eligible to the office
of deputy. In September of the same year the Chief Rabbi
and the Beth Din of the German Jews and the Beth Din of

OF BRITISH JE WS. 3 7 9

the Portuguese Jews drew up a declaration against " the
forms of prayer used in the West Lou don Synagogue of
British Jews, edited by D. W. Marks, printed by J.
Wertheimer." This document stated "that the manner and
order of the prayers and ble.ssings have been curtailed and
altered and otherwise arranged not in accordance with the
Oral Law by which we have so long been guided in the per-
formance of the precepts of the Lord ; " and further it was
said " We hereby admonish every person professing the faith
of Israel, and having the fear of God in his heart, that he do
not use or in any matter recognise the said book of prayer,
because it is not in accordance with our Holy La\v, and who-
ever will use it for the purpose of prayer will be accounted
sinful." This declaration was issued on the 24th October ;
prior to its publication on the 9th September 1841, a meet-
ing had been held at the residence of the Rev. Sol Hirschel,
attended by the wardens and honorary officers of the several
metropolitan Synagogues and by the members of the London
Committee of Deputies of British Jews, when the following
" Caution " was read and approved, and copies of it were
forwarded to the Synagogues : —

" Information having reached me, from which it appears that certain
persons calling themselves British Jews, publicly and in their published
book of prayers, reject the Oral Law, I deem it my duty to declare, that
according to the laws and statutes held sacred by the whole House of
Israel, any person or persons declaring that he or they reject and dc
not believe in the authority of the Oral Law, cannot be permitted to
have any communion with us Israelites in any religious rite or sacred
act. I therefore earnestly entreat and exhort all God-fearing Jews,
especially parents, to caution and instruct all persons belonging to out-
faith that they be careful to attend to this declaration, and that they
be not induced to depart from oxir Holy Laws.

" S. HIRSCIIEL, Chief Rabbi"

The members of the Beth Din of both German and
Portuguese Communities countersigned this document.

We are informed by unimpeachable authorities that the Rev.
S. Hirschel, as well as the Rev. D. Meldola, senior Dayan of
the Portuguese Congregation, signed the above paper with
the greatest reluctance, knowing that it would cause much

3 8o THE WEST L OND ON CONGRE GA TION

exasperation, that it would sow dissension when- peace was
sought and desired, and that it would tend to convert a
temporary difference into an irreconcilable enmit}r. But the
reverend gentlemen yielded to the powerful influences brought
to bear upon them. Even after the Rev. S. Hirschel had been
induced to affix his signature to the document, he wished to
recall it, and at all events he insisted on its being held back.
The " Caution " was not promulgated for some time. On
Saturday, the 22d January 1842, it was read publicly in the
principal London Synagogues by their respective secretaries,
and accompanied by proclamations from the local authorities
to the same effect. We may state that the members of the
new Congregation deny altogether the impeachment of having
renounced the Oral Law. Professor Marks and Mr Elkin,
in the earlier days of the Reform, strenuously maintained
the general fidelity of their congregation to Jewish tradition.

On the 13th January 1842, the members of the Reform
party, before they consecrated their House of Prayer, addressed
another communication to the Elders of the Spanish and
Portuguese Congregation. In this letter the writers expressed
their pain and surprise on perceiving that the conciliatory
spirit they had displayed in the former missive had met with
so little response ; that an Askamah (law), called into exist-
ence by other circumstances, should have been resuscitated,
and that a determination should have been formed to render
them amenable to all the pains and penalties of the law of
Yehidim No. 1 on their assembling in their new House of
Prayer for the performance of divine worship.

The course had been forced upon them of withdrawing at
once their names from the list of the Yehidim of the con-
gregation. They disclaimed any desire for innovation or
schism, and only wished to establish a House of Prayer where
they might worship their Creator agreeably to the dictates of
their own conscience. They professed an ardent love for the
law which they desired to transmit intact to their descendants
in perpetuity. They refrained from making the remarks
they had intended, relative to the part taken by the Beth
Din in the condemnation of their prayer-book, but they
avoided doing so, only not to enter into irritating topics.
Their communication was thus brought to an end : —

OF BRITISH JE WS. 3 3 r

" In conclusion, we earnestly implore Almighty God, who searcheth
the inward workings of the heart, to shed His blessing upon every mem-
ber of the House of Israel, and so to implant His Spirit amongst us,
that love, charity, and kindness may ever distinguish the conduct of one
Israelite to another. May He cause us ever to bear in mind that we
are all sprung from one stock, that we embrace one faith, acknowledge
one Law, one God, one Common Parent !

" To all who may doubt the purity of the intentions that have led
us to open our Synagogue, we are content to reply in the words of
Scripture — ' The God of gods, the Eternal, the God of gods, the
Eternal, He knoweth and Israel shall know, if in rebellion or if in
transgression against the Lord, may we not be saved this day.' "

This touching peroration apparently exercised little influ-
ence in the deliberations of the Elders, who in their meeting
of the 19th January 1842, in moderate but firm language
declared, that the withdrawal from Yehidim did not exone-
rate the parties from the consequences of the infraction of
Ascama of Kaal No. 1, which applied to all Jews of the
Spanish and Portuguese Communion, whether Yehidim, con-
gregants, or even strangers residing in the city.

The more moderate portion of the Sephardi Congregation
regarded the penalty of Herem — excommunication, or ecclesi-
astical censure — as opposed to the enlightenment of the age
and to the spirit of true religion. Unfortunately less tem-
perate counsels prevailed among the ruling powers. The
propriety of abolishing Herem altogether was proposed in
the assembly of Elders*, and lost by a single vote. At
meetings held on the 26th February and 4th March, a
strong resolution against the retiring members was passed
and confirmed.

The offending parties were declared " to have forfeited all
claims to the rights and immunities which they enjoyed as
members of our community, that the grants made to them
of seats in our Synagogue are rescinded and annulled. They
are also declared ineligible to act in any religious office or to
perform a Mitzvah of any kind in the Congregation. Neither
shall any gift or offering be accepted from them, or in
respect of them, in any way or under any form whatever,
during the time they remain in contumacy ; they shall not
be allowed burial in the carreira of our Beth Haim, nor

382 THE WEST LONDON CONGREGATION

receive any of the religious rites and ceremonies paid to
departed members of our communion."

We have stated at the beginning of the preceding chapter
that we should offer no opinion and pass no comments on
the events which we are relating. We shall therefore refrain
from inquiring how far the offence justified the punishment,
and whether the authorities of the Orthodox Congregations
adopted a just, wise, and conciliatory line of conduct.

On the 27th January 1842, the Reformers consecrated
their Place of Worship, formerly a chapel in Burton Street.
The Rev. D. W. Marks, now the Rev. Professor Marks,
became their spiritual chief* As the members of this com-
munity increased in numbers and wealth they removed to a
larger building in Margaret Street, and subsequently to their
present handsome structure in Berkeley Street. At first the
members of this congregation were placed at some incon-
venience with reference to their marriages, by the Board of
Deputies declining to certify that the Rev. Mr Marks was
the secretary of a Synagogue. Young couples desirous of
being joined in wedlock were constrained to appear before
the registrar, and when that functionary m-ade them one
before the law, they went to their Synagogue and passed
through the religious ceremony. Eight or ten years afterwards
on the passing of an Act of Parliament called the u Dissenters'
Chapels Bill," a clause was introduced in the Bill recognising
the Reformers' Place of Worship as a "-Synagogue," and Rev.
Mr Marks as its certified secretary, and empowering the
authorities of this Synagogue- to certify to the secretaries of
other Synagogues which might adopt the same ritual.

The fact that some of their former friends and relatives
might be labouring under Herein, or religious disabilities was
disquieting to the majority of right-thinking members of the
Spanish and Portuguese Congregation. Accordingly, on the
14th December 1845, at a meeting of the Elders, it was
resolved to ascertain whether the members of that Synagogue
who seceded in 1842 were or were not lawfully under Herein;
and as that body had never sanctioned or desired to sanction
the enforcement of that penalty, they appointed a committee
to consult with the Ecclesiastical Authorities as to the state
of the case. Should it appear that such parties were labour-

OF BRITISH JE IVS. 3 S3

ing under excommunication, the Committee were empowered
to adopt such measures on behalf of the congregation as
might be necessary to absolve them from Herein,

The Committee rendered their report on the 10th April
1846. They had consulted the Beth Din, before whom they
had laid several documents. It was explained that the
Herem denounced in the Askama was for the offence of sepa-
rating from the Congregation, and would have applied equally
had the offenders formed another Congregation under the
old ritual, or joined any other Congregation already formed.
The religious offence of altering the ritual had already been
the subject of ecclesiastical censure, with which it was not
the purpose of that inquiry to interfere. The answer from
the Beth Din stated' that the parties in question were labour-
ing under Herem, which would remain in force so long as
they neglected or refused to abide by the principles of the
Jewish religion. So the question remained in abeyance
until the beginning of the following year. On the 17th
January 1847, at a memorable meeting, the Yehidim re-
solved that the continuance of Herem was repugnant to the
spirit of modern legislation, and earnestly entreated the
Elders to devise some means of effectually relieving the
parties implicated from Herem and its penalties. At a
meeting of the Elders, held on the 28tli February 1847, it
was determined to comply with the request of the Yehidim,
by a majority of fifteen votes to three. The parties who
were in Herem were to be relieved from that penalty,
subject to the approbation of the gentlemen of the Beth
Din ; and a committee was appointed consisting of the
Wardens, the Chairman of the Elders, and the Chairman of
the Yehidim, to confer with the Beth Din, and to carry out
in the nam eand on behalf of the Congregation any religious
formality that might be necessary. This resolution, owing
to various causes, was delayed in its execution, and Herem was
not formally repealed until later. Several gentlemen con-
tributed by their exertions to the removal of Herem, and
among these we may mention Mr H. de Castro and Mr Haim
Guedalla. These gentlemen deserve credit for their efforts
in this matter. They experienced considerable difficulty in
carrying out their pacific intentions, but they eventually sue-

384 THE WEST LONDON CONGREGATION

ceeded in inducing the seceders, with the exception of two,
to sign a request to be relieved from Herem. The ecclesias-
tical authorities performed, on the 9th March 1849, the
ceremony requisite to purge the Reformers of Herem, in the
presence of Mr H. de Castro and Mr H. G-uedalla. This
act enabled families which had long ceased holding mutual
communication, to resume friendly intercourse ; and one of
the leaders of the Reformers paid at once a visit to one of
the chiefs of the Orthodox party, between whom family ties
had not prevented the birth of a bitter religious feud.

So ended this the most painful episode in modern Anglo-
Jewish history. We in our day can scarcely understand the
heart-burnings, the dissensions it caused among a former
generation. It is when the difference is small and has arisen
between those who were once near and dear to each other,
that unhappily the animosity is greatest. Shibboleth
does not spare Sibboleth. The Reformers say they would
have returned to the ancient Synagogue, even after their
own Place of Worship had been opened, if very moderate
concessions had been made to them, and if certain acts
which they characterised as harsh and unjustifiable had not
been perpetrated. The Conservative party aver that those
who had left the fold of Israel would never have been satis-
fied with what religiously could be conceded to them, and
that they would have insisted in disregarding traditions held
sacred among the Jews, and in adopting practices repugnant
to the conscience of the majority of Jews. It is not for
us to decide, and the reader doubtless can form his own con-
clusions without our assistance. What is certain is that
most of the reforms asked for by the so-called seceders have
been introduced in our days into the Orthodox Congrega-
tions. The movement, however, has not greatly spread in this
country. A Synagogue was subsequently established on nearly
the same principles at Manchester, and in 1874 a small tem-
porary building for a Congregation following a similar ritual
was inaugurated in a southern suburb of London.

Time, the great healer of wounds, has meanwhile effected
its work. Calm reflection could not fail in the end to remind
all parties that discord, with its train of evil consequences,
has caused great national disasters, and that Israel, at the

OF BRITISH JE WS. 3 S 5

present age, needs more than ever union and concord in its
onward march towards its glorious future destinies. To
forget and forgive is a pre-eminent virtue in the Jewish
code of ethics ; and we are happy to think that all traces of
past animosities are fast disappearing, nay. perhaps, have
already disappeared. Wise men have agreed to differ in
matters of opinion. Germans, Portuguese, and British Jews
meet together to promote the interests of Judaism, of Jewish
education, charity, and moral progress. They exchange to-
gether social amenities, they assemble at the same social and
festive tables, at the same institutional boards ; and if they
worship in different Synagogues, and with slightly different
forms of prayer, yet they pray to the same God !

2 B

CHAPTER LIT.
THE CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS OF THE JEWS.

THE Jews for many years were subjected to so many disquali-
fications, that they may be said to have possessed neither
civil nor political rights. True, the Jews were not confined
in a material Ghetto. But their pursuits were so restricted,
the scope of their lives was so cramped, that trading,
speculating, huckstering, and bartering, necessarily became
the principal occupations of their existence. Not only were
they considered unfit to have seats in the national Legislature,
but they were thought unworthy of dispensing justice as
magistrates, and even of pleading for others in the law
courts of the land. As we have seen in a former chapter,
to be a Jew was an insuperable bar to a man being permitted
to open business premises within the precincts of the City,
and even adjuration of the ancient faith did not quite
expiate the crime of being born a Jew. Until modern
times, the number of Jewish brokers in the City of London
was limited to twelve ; and we have already stated that the
office was purchased, when a vacancy occurred, by a douceur
to the Lord Mayor, varying from £1000 to £2000, according
to the needs or exigencies of that high functionary. The
last recorded instance of such a bargain took place in 1826,
when Mr J. B. Montefiore bought for 1500 guineas from Sir
"William Magnay, the then Lord Mayor, the medal which
formed the title - deed of the privilege, and which had
lapsed by the death of the previous owner. Two years
afterwards, this absurd limitation as to number was removed,
and Lord Mayors ceased to levy a heavy tax on Jewish
brokers. Until the year 1832, a Jew could not be admitted
to the freedom of the City of London. Accordingly, he was
precluded from opening a retail shop, and was debarred from

CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. 387

many other rights and privileges. The removal of these
disabilities was owing, to a great extent, to the exertions of
Mr Charles Pearson, at that time City solicitor, and of several
members of the Common Council. The Court of Aldermen
indeed has not always been liberally inclined towards the
Jews. We are happy, however, to admit that now, for many
years past, the Corporation of the City of London has been
justly celebrated for its liberal and enlightened policy, and
for its complete freedom from intolerance and prejudice.
As evidence of this, we have only to advert to the fact that
two Jews have filled the Lord Mayor's chair, and that several
have occupied seats in the Courts of Aldermen and of Com-
mon Council.

As the Jews during^ this century progressed in wealth and
education, they began to feel their exclusion from civil and
political rights, and resolved to struggle manfully to obtain
their due. The Board of Deputies, as the representative of
Jewish interests, took the matter in hand ; and Mr 1ST. M.
Rothschild and Mr Isaac Lyon Goldsmid powerfully sup-
ported with their great influence the acts of this body. The
repeal of the Test and Corporation Act in 1828, previous to
which all holders of municipal offices were required to take
the Sacrament, aroused the hopes of the Jews. In April
1829, Mr Rothschild informed the Deputies that he had
consulted with the Duke of "Wellington, the Lord Chancellor,
and other influential persons connected with Government,
concerning the disabilities under which the Jews laboured,
and he recommended that a petition for their removal should
be drawn up to be presented as the opportunity occurred.

A deputation waited on Lord Bexley (Right Hon. N.
Vansittart) .and the Duke of Sussex, and both of them
promised to favour the petition. This was prepared by Mr
Pearce, the Attorney to the Sephardi Congregation, but the
application to the Legislature had to be suspended for that
session. Lord Bexley, who was a friend of the Jews, had
seen the conqueror of Waterloo, and the result of the inter-
view had been unfavourable. The grounds of objection on
the part of the Duke were, that having recently carried so
important a measure as the Catholic Relief Bill, which had
excited the feelings of all classes of society in the United

388 CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS.

Kingdom, he was averse to the creation of renewed hostile
feelings against the Government by giving his support to
another Bill of the same description during that session.
In point of fact, the Catholics, who were strong and nume-
rous, having obtained a rightful recognition, it was not worth
while to render justice to the Jews, who were weak and few
in numbers. Lord Bexley believed that the Duke of Wel-
lington would certainly vote against the Bill if pressed
forward, but that if adjourned to another session the Duke
would probably give his countenance to it. So the Bill was
withdrawn.

In January 1830, another petition to Parliament was
prepared by Messrs Pearce under the direction of Dr
Lushington ; and it was placed in the vestry rooms of all
the Synagogues in London for the signature of British-
born Jews. A deputation from the Deputies waited once
more upon the Duke of Sussex, who gave the kindest pro-
mises of support. The petition was presented in February
by Mr Robert Grant, the member for Inverness, in the
House of Commons, and by Lord Bexley in the House of
Lords. The Jews of Liverpool had signed a similar
memorial, and had entrusted it to Mr Huskisson, their
representative in Parliament. Moreover, Mr Huskisson
presented a petition from 2000 constituents in Liverpool,
including several clergymen of the Church of England,
every banker and every merchant of importance and influ-
ence. Mr Alexander Baring (the late Lord Ashburton) laid
before the House a memorial signed by 14,000 bankers,
merchants, and traders of the City of London. On the
5th April 1830, Mr Robert Grant moved for leave to bring
in a Bill for the Repeal of the Civil Disabilities of the Jews.
He stated that the Jews were excluded from practising law
and physic, from holding any corporate office, and from being
Members of Parliament ; and they might be prevented from
voting for Members of Parliament if the oaths were tendered
to them.

In some large towns, such as Liverpool and Exeter, they
were allowed to enjoy civil rights, but in the Metropolis
they could not obtain the freedom of any of the companies,
nor exercise any retail trade. The motion was carried. The

CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. 389

Board of Deputies bestirred themselves to obtain a successful
issue. A number of petitions signed by Christians in different
parts of England were collected ; and memorials on behalf
of the Emancipation of the Jews were found in most of the
London and provincial taverns. A committee of the Deputies
sat daily between ten and four o'clock, at the King's Head
in the Poultry. Nevertheless, on the second reading of the
Bill on the 23rd May, it was thrown out by 228 noes again>t
165 ayes. The expenses incurred were considerable, the
solicitor's bill alone amounting to little less than £1000,
and the costs were divided pro-rata between the various
London Synagogues.

The Board of Deputies passed a vote of thanks to Mr R.
Grant for his generous efforts in favour of the Bill ; but they
resolved to take no further steps on the question during that
session. Strange to say, that while the Jews of England
were making strenuous efforts to obtain their Emancipation,
Mr David Henriques sent from New York a communication
to the Board of Deputies, in which he furnished a long list
of names of Jews holding official appointments in that city.
The new country had been readier to render justice to the
Jews and to recognise them as citizens than the old country.
Some small gain, however, was obtained even in England,
for Mr Sugden, afterwards Lord St Leonards, offered to
bring in a Bill to enable Israelites to hold land.

In 1833, Mr Grant made another effort in Parliament on
behalf of the Jews. On the 17th of April of that year he
moved, in a committee of the whole House of Commons :
" That it is expedient to remove all civil disabilities affecting
His Majesty's subjects of the Jewish religion, with the like
exceptions as are provided by the Catholic tEmancipation Act
of 1829, with reference to Her Majesty's subjects professing
the -Roman Catholic religion." Sir R. Inglis, a consistent
foe to Jewish Emancipation, spoke in opposition to the
motion, which was supported by Mr Macaulay, Mr Hume,
and Mr O'Connell ; and it was agreed to without a division.
On the 22nd May Mr Grant moved the second reading of the
Bill, which called forth some discussion. Again, honest,
narrow-minded Sir Robert Inglis earnestly resisted the Bill,
which was as warmly defended by Dr Lushington ; and it was

390 CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS.

passed by a large majority. The Bill was duly read a third
time, and it found its way to the House of Lords under the
patronage of Lord Bexley. On the 1st August 1833, this
liberal-minded nobleman moved the second reading of the
Bill before the hereditary legislators of Great Britain. The
Archbishop of Dublin, the Bishop of Chichester, the Lord
Chancellor, and the Duke of Sussex expressed themselves
strongly in favour of the Bill ; while His Grace of Canter-
bury, the Bishop of London, and the Earl of Winchelsea
pronounced against it. Dr Whately, the Archbishop of
Dublin, made a logical, impartial, and masterly exposition
of the ease ; and the Duke of Sussex brought before the
Upper House a petition, signed by 7000 inhabitants of West-
minster, who desired the Jews to obtain their rights. The
Dukes of Gloucester and Wellington stated that they could
not consent that persons who denounced Christianity should
be admitted into the Legislature. The noes conquered, and
the Bill was thrown out by 104 votes against 54 in the
affirmative.

In 1834, another effort was made by the friends of religious
tolerance to obtain a recognition for the rights of the Jews.
A " Jewish Disabilities Bill " passed through its various
stages in the Lower House, and was sent to the Upper House.
On the second reading it was supported by Lord Bexley and
the Earl of Radnor, and opposed by the Earl of Malmesbmy,
the Earl of Winchelsea, and the Marquis of Westmeath, who
carried the day. The Bill was lost by 130 votes against 38,
which were all that the Bill could obtain in that august
assembly.

In the Parliamentary Session of 1836, a great number of
petitions were presented to the Legislature in favour of re-
moving the Civil Disabilities of the Jews. The latter thought
the moment favourable to success, and under the guidance of
the Board of Deputies, strenuous endeavours were made to
achieve the long-sought-for end. The chairman of that
body, Mr Moses, now Sir Moses Montefiore, asked for the
co-operation of Mr I. L. Goldsmid and his son, Mr F. H.
Goldsmid, who were called in to aid the Board with their
counsels and influence. The Board placed themselves in
communication with the Right Hon. J. Spring Rice, after-

CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. 391

wards Lord Monteagle, who was preparing a Bill for the
Relief of Jewish Disabilities ; and while thanking him for
his kindness, they offered to afford him any information he
might require as to the sentiments of the Jews ; they being
the only authorised body by which the opinions of the Jews
could be expressed. A petition was drawn up and entrusted
to Dr Whately, the Archbishop of Dublin, who had always
manifested a friendly spirit for the Jews, to be presented to
the House of Lords. In this document it was urged that
those Britons who professed the Jewish religion felt it a
great hardship that they should be excluded from stations of
trust, by the forms of administering oaths employed on some
occasions ; and they humbly prayed to be placed in the same
condition, as to all rights and franchises, with the other sub-
jects of Her Majesty dissenting from the Established Church.
The Bill for the Removal of Jewish Disabilities, which was
introduced by the Right Hon. J. Spring Rice, was, as on
former occasions, carried through the House of Commons.
Mr Alderman Thompson, a high Conservative, presented to
the House of Commons a prayer for the removal of Jewish
Disabilities, signed by 2000 burgesses and inhabitants of
Sunderland. Unfortunately, after the first reading it was
abandoned in the House of Peers, partly through the late-
ness of the season, and partly through the small probability
of its meeting with success.

Meanwhile as the struggle for the admission of the Jews
into Parliament was proceeding, an important step towards
the relief of the Civil Disabilities of the Jews had been
gained, by the introduction in 1835 of the Sheriffs' Declara-
tion Bill. The credit of this measure was due to Sir J.
Campbell, afterwards Lord Campbell, and then Attorney-
General. During that year, for the first time in English
history, a Jew, in the person of Mr David Salomons, attained
the dignity of Sheriff. That office in London was a double
office, consisting of the shrievalty for London, which was a
Corporation office, and the shrievalty for Middlesex, which is
a Crown office. On the repeal of the Test and Corporation
Act in 1828, a declaration was substituted for the Sacrament,
which declaration could not be made by Jews, owing to its
concluding with the words " On the true faith of a Christian."

392 CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS.

This declaration had to be made either before entering upon
the office or immediately afterwards ; while for Crown offices
the declaration was usually made six months or a year after
entering the office. The result was, that persons unable to
make the declaration were practically excluded from the office
of sheriff for the county of Middlesex, an office which in
itself did not necessitate the previous taking of the declara-
tion. Sir John Campbell, perceiving the inconsistency of
exacting for a non-corporate office a declaration which should
have been required only for a corporate office, introduced the
Sheriffs' Declaration Bill to set the question at rest. The
Jews were not specially named in the Act. Nevertheless it
enabled the followers of that faith to enter into the office
without violating their scruples of conscience. After Mr D.
Salomons, Sir Moses Montefiore in 1837 graced the dignity.
Sir Moses was knighted at the same time. In 1841 Queen
Victoria conferred upon him, as a mark of royal favour in
commemoration of his unceasing exertions on behalf of his
injured and persecuted brethren in the East, and the Jewish
nation at large, the right to bear supporters to his coat of
arms, a privilege usually limited to peers of the realm.

The shrievalty appeared for some time the only office to
which a Jew might aspire. In the Parliamentary Session of
1837-8, a Bill was presented to the House of Commons for
the purpose of altering the declaration contained in the Act
9 Geo. IY. cap. 17, to be made by persons on their admis-
sion to municipal offices. This Bill, however, limited the
indulgence to Quakers and Moravians. The Board of
Deputies made an effort to obtain an extension of the pro-
visions of the Bill to the Jews. Sir Moses Montefiore placed
himself in communication with Lord John Russell, and
expressed a hope that the declaration might be so amended
as to- be rendered available to all classes of Her Majesty's
subjects. Lord John Russell, as might have been expected
from so consistent a friend to civil and religious freedom,
promised his best support to the request of Sir Moses
Montefiore. Mr Baines, the originator of the Bill, expressed
himself favourable to the claims of the Jews, but he declined
to include them in the Bill, for such proceeding would be
fatal to its success. He had done so in the Bill proposed in

CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. 393

the previous session, and the consequence was, that it was
violently opposed and delayed in the House of Commons,
and finally thrown out by the Lords. On the 4th December
1837, on the second reading of the Bill, Mr Grote, the
historian, and member for the City of London, moved that
the benefit of the Bill be extended to all classes of Her
Majesty's subjects, and the Jews were especially mentioned
by him. Most of the speakers that followed upheld these
liberal views. Sir J. Duke, who had been Sheriff for London
and Middlesex, passed 'a high eulogy on his predecessor
in the office (Mr D. Salomons) and on his successor (Sir
Moses Montefiore), and he bore testimony to the high worth
of the Jewish race generally. Mr Pattison, Capt. Pechell,
Mr Geo. F. Young, Mr O'Connell, Mr Hume, and Lord
John Russell spoke in the same sense. Even Sir R. Inglis,
the most uncompromising foe to Jewish Emancipation, ex-
pressed his great pleasure in admitting all the high personal
qualifications of the two excellent individuals who had been
alluded to by gentlemen on the other side. He opposed the
proposition, however, on the ground that those who did not
believe in a common Christianity should not legislate for it.
Mr Baines was not averse to the relief of the Jews, which on
the contrary he thought desirable ; but on thatT occasion he
did not mean to go further than Quakers and Moravians,
though he consented to introduce the term Separatists, thus
including another sect of Christians. On a division, Mr
Grote's amendment was negatived by 156 ayes against 172
noes. And so the Jews fared no better than before.

CHAPTER LIIL

REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES.

PRIOR to 1841 but little progress had been made towards
the abolition of the especial restrictions hemming in the
Jews. The only point gained by them Was the passing of
Sir J. Campbell's Bill in 1835, which enabled David Salo-
mons to serve as Sheriff. The Jews were still excluded from
municipal offices and from Parliament. When in 1835 the
electors of the Ward of Aldgate chose Mr D. Salomons as
their representative at the Court of Aldermen, that body
annulled the election ; for the first Hebrew Alderman was
unable to take the required declaration which was repugnant
to his conscience. In 1841, Mr Divett introduced a Bill in
the House o.f Commons " for the relief of persons of the
Jewish religion elected to municipal offices," which passed
through its various stages in that assembly, but was rejected
at the second reading by the higher, if not more enlightened,
body forming the second estate of the realm. In 1844, the
liverymen of Portsoken honoured Mr D. Salomons by elect-
ing him as Alderman for their ward. The election had the
same result as before, the Court of Aldermen pronouncing
it null and void. However, soon afterwards that Court
displayed a more liberal spirit, and made no further objec-
tions when Lord Lyndhurst, the Lord Chancellor, introduced
in 1845 into the House of Lords a measure relieving the
Jews from this disability. This Act, which became law with-
out opposition, substituted a declaration of allegiance for the
declaration imposed by the Act 9 George IV. cap. 17. The
declaration fixed by the Act of George IV. was itself a sub-
stitute for the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but could not
be taken by a Jew, as it concluded with the words " Ou
the -true faith of a Christian."

REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES. 395

The benefits conferred by the Act in question were further
extended to Jews by the Act of 21 and 22 Vic. cap. 48, in
all cases in which Jews were required to make the declara-
tion contained in the Act of Geo. IV. This Act of Victoria
substitutes one oath for the oaths of abjuration, allegiance,
and supremacy, which were imposed by an Act of 6 Geo. III.,
and enables Jews to take such oath, omitting the concluding
and to them objectionable words. Before the passing of the
Act of 1845, the oath and the declarations were both required
of all persons holding any office, civil and military, or any
place of emolument or trust under the Crown. The oath
alone was deemed sufficient for all persons filling offices at
either of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and
from all foundation scholars and exhibitioners at either of
the Universities ; while the declaration only was demanded
from all persons occupying any office or employed in any
corporation.

Mr Phineas Levi, of Devonport, was the first Jew who held
municipal office in England ; and Mr, now Sir B. S. Phillips,
was the first Jewish Common Councilman elected in London.
Due credit must be awarded to these gentlemen for their
efforts in raising the status of their co-religionists in this
country. The attainment of office was not so easy then as it
has since become, and to reach even a comparatively humble
dignity Mr Levi, and especially Mr Phillips, must have under-
gone much anxiety and surmounted considerable obstacles.
Many Israelites have since achieved civic honours, and have
become useful and trusted members of the corporation.
They have invariably borne the offices, to which they were
appointed by the votes of their Christian fellow-countrymen,
with modesty, yet with liberality and dignity. Several
Jewish gentlemen, too, received Her Majesty's Commission of
the Peace under the Act, and we may name Baron M. de
Rothschild, for Bucks; Sir I. L. Goldsmid, Bart., for Middle-
sex ; Sir Moses Montefiore and Sir D. Salomons, for Kent ;
Sir B. S. Phillips, for several counties ; Mr J. M. Montefiore,
for Sussex ; Mr Benj. Cohen, for Surrey ; and Mr Emanuel
Lousada, for Devonshire. Some of these gentlemen, how-
ever, had already been appointed magistrates before, and
they had taken office under the Indemnity Act, which was

396 REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES.

annually passed, and which afforded exemption in some
instances when only an oath was required. Mr D. Salomons
in 1845, to commemorate his former election to the office of
Sheriff, and as an acknowledgment of the honour conferred
upon him, founded a scholarship in the city of London
School. Mr Salomons conveyed to the trustees of that
institution £1666, 13s. 4d., 3 per cent, consols, to establish
an exhibition of £50 per annum, open to members of every
religion, towards providing a maintenance of four years at
either Oxford, Cambridge, the London University, or King's
College, London.

The bar had at this period already admitted Jews to its
privileges. The first Jewish barrister was Mr, now Sir F,
H. Goldsmid, who was called to the Chancery Bar on 31st
January in the year 1833; the second being Mr John Simon,
LL.B., of Jamaica, now Mr Serjeant Simon, M.P. for
Dewsbury, who was summoned to the Common Law Bar by
the Hon. Society of the Middle Temple in November 1842. So
many Jews have since that period attained forensic honours
in England, that it would be difficult as well as needless to
enumerate them here.

In 1846 the "Religious Opinions Relief Bill" became
a law of the land. This Act began by repealing the Acts of
Elizabeth enforcing attendance at church, all Acts requiring
schoolmasters and tutors to obtain a bishop's licence, and the
exception against Jews contained in the Naturalisation Act
of 23 and 24 Geo. III. The Bill then enacted " that all Her
Majesty's subjects professing the Jewish religion, in respect
of their schools, places of religious worship, education, and
charitable purposes and the property held therewith, should
be subject to the same laws as Her Majesty's Protestant
subjects dissenting from the Church of England." It also
provided " that there should be extended to them (the Jews)
the protection of the law against the wilful, malicious, and
contemptuous disturbance of religious assemblies and
teachers."

A Jew could now become an Alderman, a Sheriff, or a
Magistrate. He could administer the laws, but he could not
participate in making them. Numerous and prolonged were
the efforts necessary to break the last barrier of intolerance.

REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES. 397

The first Jew who endeavoured to penetrate into Parliament
was Mr D. Salomons, who in 1837 canvassed the constituency
of Shoreham. This attempt led to no result During the
general election of 1847, Baron Lionel de Rothschild became
a candidate for the City of London. The Liberal party
strenuously supported his cause, though it was well known
that a Jew could not take his seat in the House of Commons.
There were nine candidates on this occasion for the honour
of representing the City in the Legislature. The Jews
naturally struggled hard to give a good position in the poll
to their candidate. A body calling itself the Jewish Asso-
ciation for the Removal of Civil and Religious Disabilities
issued an address to the electors and inhabitants of the City
couched in eloquent language, and it is certain that the
sympathies of friends of religious toleration were enlisted in
favour of Baron Rothschild. The Baron was elected after
an arduous contest ; but he only became a nominal legislator,
for he could not vote in consequence of the required oath.
There was no direct prohibition to the admission of Jews
into Parliament : possibly as some of the opponents to their
Emancipation asserted, because it was never dreamt that
Jews would claim such a privilege. Only all new members
were required to take the oath of allegiance which had been
directed against another class of religionists, and which ended
in the customary form objectionable to a Jew.

To obviate the difficulty, Lord John Russell, on the 16th
December 1847, moved in the House of Commons " That the
House resolve itself into a Committee on the Removal of
Civil and Religious Disabilities affecting Her Majesty's Jewish
subjects." Lord John Russell m'ade an able and exhaustive
speech, and the motion was carried by 256 to 186 votes.
The Bill brought in, received in the second reading 277
against 204 votes, and at its third reading it was adopted by
234 against 173 votes. Sir Robert Peel, who had at first
declared himself against the Bill, finally altered his opinion ;
and he fully explained to the House the reasons that had
induced him to favour the proposition of Lord John Russell,
and had placed him in painful collision with many of those
friends with whom he had always acted. The House of
Lords took a different view from the House of Commons,

398 REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES.

and at the second reading the Bill was lost by 163 to 128
votes. Lord Lansdowne had been sponsor to the Bill in
the Upper House, and Dr Thirlwall, Bishop of St David's,
warmly supported it in a speech remarkable for critical acu-
men, research, and impartiality. Moreover, Lord Brougham,
the advocate of liberty, gave his powerful eloquence to
the Jews. On the other side the Archbishop of Canterbury
mildly spoke against the Bill, and the Earl of Winchelsea
more strenuously opposed it. But the bitterest and most
uncompromising foes to the measure were Lord Stanley
(late Earl of Derby), the Bishop of Oxford, and the Earl of
Ellenborough. In the House of Commons, Sir R. Inglis,
Lord Ashley (Lord Shaftesbury), Sir Thomas Acland, Mr
Newdegate, Mr Stafford, and Mr Walpole foresaw the direst
calamities from the admission of the Jews into Parliament.
Mr Gladstone, Mr Disraeli, and Mr W. P. Wood (Lord
Hatherley), on the contrary, looked upon the measure as a
simple act of right and of justice, only likely to render still
more loyal and more attached to the throne, a section of the
community already remarkable for its good conduct and
patriotism. The arguments on both sides of the question
have been urged so many times since that period, and they
must be so fresh in the mind of the reader, that it would be
tedious and unnecessary to repeat them. Mr Faudel pub-
lished a masterly reply to the allegations of Sir R Inglis ;
and the alleged fear of Judaising the Legislature, by permitting
half a dozen Jews to take their seats in an assembly com-
posed of 658 members, disappeared under the weight of well-
deserved ridicule. A medal, in commemoration of the services
rendered to their cause by Lord John Russell, was struck by
some grateful members of the Jewish community.

Mr David Salomons, not deterred by the unsuccessful re-
sult of the election of Baron Rothschild, displayed his public
spirit by coming forward as candidate for the borough of
Greenwich in 1851. Having secured his return to Parlia-
ment, Mr Salomons entered the House of Commons, and
insisted on taking the oath on the Old Testament, and without
the concluding words. He then ventured to take his seat;
he spoke and voted upon a division on the very question of
his right to remain in the House. Many members and the

REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES. 399

Speaker himself loudly denounced his conduct ; while a
number of other members, among whom were Lord John
Russell and Mr Bethell (Lord Westbury), strongly supported
him. Mr Salomons was ultimately constrained to withdraw ;
and an action was brought against him in the Court of
Exchequer (Miller v. Salomons) for the recovery of a penalty
of £500, alleged to have been incurred by him for voting
without being duly sworn. After a lengthy argument this
action was decided for the plaintiff, when the defendant
appealed to the Exchequer Chamber, where the case was
reargued and the previous verdict confirmed. The judges
present on that occasion were Chief Baron Pollock, Baron
Parke, Baron Alderson, and Baron Martin. Mr Baron
Martin, it may perhaps be remembered, differed from his
brother Barons, and upheld the claim of Mr Salomons.

Several Bills for the repeal of Jewish Disabilities were
again brought before Parliament at different periods, but
with the same result as in the first attempt in 1847. The
House of Commons invariably passed the Bill; while the
Upper House, in direct opposition to the will of the people,
gave grounds to certain enemies of religious freedom to thank
Heaven with the Duke of Wellington that there was still a
House of Lords. Finally in 1858 an Act became law (21 and
22 Vic. cap. 49), which empowered the House to modify the
oath required of members, by omitting in the case of Jews the
concluding words of the oath. Baron Rothschild assumed
his seat in Parliament for the first time on the 26th of
July 1858. Two years afterwards, by the exertions of the
Jewish members, another Act was passed (23 and 24 Vic.
cap. 63), dispensing in the case of oaths to be taken by
Jews with the words " On the true faith of a Christian," in
certain cases not comprised in any of the former Acts.
Another Act beneficial to Jews also became law (29 and 30
Vic. cap. 22), abolishing for many offices the declaration re-
quired by the Act 8 and 9 Vic. cap. 52, and providing an in-
demnity for those who had omitted to make such declaration.

Happily in our day a Jew is scarcely subject to any prac-
tical disqualifications. Jews have been considered worthy
of filling positions of trust. The highest legal offices, with
the exception of that which entitles the incumbent to preside

400 REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES.

over the deliberations of the House of Lords, and to carry the
great seal of England, are within the reach of Jews. The
Mastership of the Rolls is worthily borne by a Jew, and we shall
probably soon see a Jew occupy a seat in the Common Law
Bench. Several constituencies have returned -Tewish repre-
sentatives. Social prejudices have disappeared and are dis-
appearing; and the Jew, like the member of any other sect,
may fill such place as he wins by his industry and his talents.

The cause of Jewish Emancipation was materially j; misted,
and a favourable issue was hastened, by the unwearied exer-
tions of some eminent members of the community, who made
sacrifices of time and wealth to promote the noble aim they
had in view. The great philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore,
did much to secure to the Jews their civil and political rights,
albeit his unceasing efforts were principally devoted to their
protection from oppression, to their enjoyment of religious
freedom, and to the improvement of their general condition
in England and in foreign countries. The services rendered
by the Goldsmid family to the removal of Jewish Disabilities
are of high importance. Sir I. L. Goldsmid and his son, Mr
F. H. Goldsmid, worked strenuously and zealously on behalf
of their co-religionists. Sir L L. Goldsmid, in conjunction
with Mr Apsley Pellatt and other members of the Common
Council, contributed materially to the admission of Jews to
the freedom of the City of London. He zealously urged for-
ward the several Bills brought at different periods before the
House of Commons for the relief of Jewish Disabilities, and
he spared neither labour nor expense to secure a successful
issue. Mr F. H. Goldsmid practically demonstrated that a
Jew might be called to the bar : and he wrote several able
pamphlets on behalf of Jewish Emancipation. The numerous
services rendered by Sir F. H. Goldsmid to the community
in latter times are too recent to need recalling to the mind
of the reader.

The late Sir David Salomons was the first Jew who
obtained the post of Sheriff. He struggled for the civil
and political rights of the Jews ; he worked hard for the
aldermanic gown, and we have already spoken of the great
services he rendered to the cause of civil and religious liberty
by his election for Greenwich in 1851, and his bi>ld proceed-

REMOVAL OF JEWISH DISABILITIES. 401

ings in the House of Commons. No man deserves more of
his brethren than the late Sir D. Salomons, of whom the
Times said : " At last we have for the first time a Lord
Mayor who can speak the Queen's English with propriety."
Due credit must also be awarded to Baron L. de Rothschild
for his repeated efforts in the same cause, and to Alderman
Sir Benjamin Phillips, who has shown to the world that a
Jewish Lord Mayor may make an excellent civic magistrate,
and r ly occupy with dignity and becoming modesty the
highest office in the wealthiest Corporation in the world. We
must not omit to give honourable mention also to Mr Henry
Faudel and Dr Barnard Van Oven, who by their energies
and talents materially contributed to a successful issue.
Some of these able champions of civil and religious freedom
are now in a region where all spirits commune alike before
their Creator. But those who happily are still amongst
their families may look round with pride, and see the posi-
tion their co-religionists have achieved, as they think of their
early struggles for what was deemed by many as almost
beyond the reach of probability.

2c

CHAPTER LIV.

THE JEWISH PRESS.

FOR many years the Jews dwelt in England contented to
remain in obscure silence, and without the smallest endea-
vour to make their voices heard. As this century advanced,
and the Jews progressed in numbers, in affluence, and in
enlightenment, the want began to be felt of a press which
should serve to make known the requirements of the Hebrew
community, and should prove a bond of union between its
different branches. In 1822, three or four enterprising
young men resolved to establish a medium for the circula-
tion of Jewish news, and the first number of the publication
was announced for the 1st January 1823. The advent of a
newspaper written by Jews for Jews was expected with some
curiosity, which was set at rest when the twopenny postman
on New Year's Day punctually left the Hebrew Intelligencer
at the doors of intending subscribers. A copy of this
curiosity of literature lies before us at this moment. It
bears the same resemblance to the Jewish Chronicle of 1874
as the London Chronicle of a century ago bears to the Times
of to-day. The Hebrew Intelligencer is a solitary sheet of a
small quarto size, and was sold for the sum of sixpence.
On the front page of the first number we perceive an Address
to the Readers, from which we gather that the- journal was to
be published monthly. The editors speak of the publication
as " a work novel in its nature, and we trust, amusing and
useful in its tendency."

The readers are also informed that the writers in the new
journal were not moved by a spirit of speculation, for they
purposed devoting the gains derivable from the enterprise,
after payment of printing and other expenses, to some
charitable institution.

THE JE WISH PRESS. 403

This address is followed by an essay very muck in the
style of Queen Anne's time.

We then come to the news of the day. We learn that
the annual dinner of the Society for the distribution of
bread, meat, and coals to the Jewish poor during the
winter months had been postponed, owing to a number of
tickets having been returned by the subscribers. Happily
such an untoward occurrence is impossible in our days.
Indifference to the calls of charity is one of the things that
have been changed since that time. After some editorial
comments on this subject, we meet with a short article
headed " Proposal of Mr Rothschild to the Committee of
the Great Synagogue." We gather from it that Mr Roths-
child (of whom we have spoken in a preceding chapter) had
suggested to the authorities of the Duke's Place Synagogue
the establishment of a fund for advancing to the Jewish
industrious poor sums of money to be repaid in small instal-
ments. Mr Rothschild had liberally offered to subscribe
£500. We are unable to say whether the fund was actually
called into existence, but if so it was certainly not placed
on a sound and useful footing. Then under the title of
Miscellanies, we have a number of short paragraphs giving
scraps of information of a personal nature. The following
paragraph we give in extenso, as a specimen of the kind of
news likely to have been interesting to our grandfathers, or
rather to our grandmothers : —

" We are informed that Edward Goldsmid, Esq. of Finsbury Square,
is about leaving that neighbourhood for Park Lane, where he has
purchased an elegant mansion, which it is supposed with the furniture
will cost £10,000."

Finally we have births and deaths. Among the latter we
perceive the following : —

" At his house in Finsbury Square, Asher Goldsmid, Esq., aged 70."
" On Thursday, 26th December, Rabbi Luria, aged 76. — (Mr Luria
was Senior Dayan in the Sephardi Congregation)."

We cannot tell whether the sanguine expectations of the
editors of the Hebrew Intelligencer as to the financial success
of the venture would have been realised. Their philan-
thropic designs were certainly frustrated; a great man in

404 THE JE WISH PRESS.

the community considered himself aggrieved by some re-
marks made concerning him. He exercised some pressure
on the printer, J. Wertheimer of Leman Street ; and after
the issue of three numbers the Hebrew Intelligencer came to
a sudden and untimely end.

A more serious and important effort to establish a Jewish
publication was made in 1835 by the Rev. M. J. Raphall, an
accomplished scholar, whose name we have already men-
tioned. This gentleman, in his Hebrew Review and Maga-
zine of Rabbinical Literature, aimed at fostering a love for
the higher branches of Jewish literature among his co-
religionists. The Hebrew Review was a monthly magazine ;
and taking no cognizance of the small talk of the day, or
even of communal events, it devoted its columns to disquisi-
tions on learned Jewish authors of past times ; to essays of
a philological, exegetical, theological, and literary nature,
scarcely likely to be attractive to a circle of promiscuous
readers. The Hebrew Review was written for the few. It
did not seek popularity, and with all its merits it certainly
did not achieve it. It continued its career until 1840, when
the publication expired for want of support. The magazine
was revived in 1859 under the title of the Hebrew Review
and Magazine for Jewish Literature, but we do not think
that much success attended its re-appearance.

The Voice of Jacob was the first Anglo-Jewish journal
which offered a record of passing events. It was started for
the promotion of certain objects, such as the training of a
Jewish ministry ; the organisation of desultory charities ;
educational union ; the championship and defence of
Judaism at home and abroad ; the interchange of
Jewish opinions with other countries, &c. The founder
of the Voice of Jacob still survives, and in deference to his
known desire, we refer rather to his work than to his indi-
viduality. Several accomplished Hebrew gentlemen, all men
well known in their community, assembled together at a
conference, to meet Mr. J. A. Franklin, who had invited
them to attend. They were Mr Sampson Samuel, the Rev.
D. de Sola, the Rev. M. J. Raphall, and Dr A. Benisch.
Mr Franklin had undertaken to provide funds for the estab-
lishment of the journal, which was to be conducted by the

THE JE WISH PRESS. 405

Rev. D. de Sola and the Rev M. J. Riiphall. Ilmvevcr,
these two ministers withdrew immediately from the enter-
prise, owing to a fear of wounding certain susceptibilities.

The journal made its appearance on the 16th September
1841, and it continued its unbroken course for five eventful
years, 5602 to 5606 A.M., inclusive. The first number con-
tained, in addition to the contributions of Jacob, its editor
and proprietor, some verses by " S. S." (Sampson Samuel),
an essay on the vocation of the British Jews by a " For-
eigner " (Dr Benisch), and an article proving that Chris-
tianity, not Judaism, had first incurred the calumny of using
human blood sacrificially, by " T. T." (Professor Theodores).
All literary aid was, and continued to be for some time,
gratuitous. The undertaking was in no sense a commercial
one. Pecuniary losses were foreseen from the beginning,
though after a time they were relieved to some extent by a
guarantee fund, originated by the late Hananel de Castro.
Eventually the journal, except for some of the literary work,
became self-supporting. Its founder, after five years of
incessant labour, was called upon to proceed to the continent
on a filial mission, when he transferred the copyright to Mr
H. Guedalla, and Mr Henry Jessel. Dr Benisch was to have
conducted the Voice of Jacob, but the combination did not
work well. After the issue of one or two numbers under
the new proprietorship, the Voice of Jacob ceased to appear.

The mission of the Jewish Press, always high, had an
especially extended scope at that period. Those were stirring
times among the Jews. There was a division in the com-
munity. Party spirit was rife, and differences of opinion
were rendered more irreconcilable by intemperance of lan-
guage and a spirit of intolerance. There was peace to be
restored in Israel, there was goodwill and amity to be preached
to all parties, and mutual concessions to be urged. Then
the Jewish Press had the opportunity of becoming the medium
of communication between Judaism and Christianity, between
the descendants of the patriarchs and the outer world.
There were civil and political rights to be claimed, and the
barriers of disqualification encircling the Jew* to be re-
moved.

In most of these directions did the Voice of Jacob labour.

406 THE JE WISH PRESS.

That journal was an advocate of authority as based on
Jewish tradition, but was far from favouring religious fana-
ticism. It made known to sincere Christians the religious
belief of the Jews ; and in a remarkable instance it altered
a zeal for conversion to Christianity into a staunch friend-
ship for Israel. It demonstrated the fitness of Jews for civil
and religious equality, which was to be considered, not as a
boon to an excluded race, but as a gain to the nation at
large. The Voice of Jacob made for itself some reputation in
different quarters of the globe. It was reprinted at Sydney,
translated into Judeo-Spanish at Gibraltar, and followed in
other parts of the world.

Soon after the establishment of that journal, Dr Ashen-
heirn became one of its contributors, and then its sub-editor.
Dr Benisch had not long arrived from Germany then, and he
was not familiar with the English tongue; but he quickly
acquired a mastery over it, as the readers of that and other
journals can testify.

Shortly after the Voice of Jacob had spoken, the JenisJi
Chronicle began to note the events of the day. On the 5th
of November 1841, one of the Dayanim of the Portuguese
Synagogue, the Rev. D. Meldola, a son of the late Haham
Meldola, asked permission of his wardens to contribute to a
new weekly paper entitled Sepher Aziccaron, which was con-
ceded to him. The names of Mr Moses Angel and the Rev.
D. Meldola appeared as those of the conductors of this new
literary venture, which was not destined to enjoy a prolonged
existence. After a few months the Synagogue authorities
took umbrage at some remarks made by Mr Meldola, and
requested him to discontinue his connection with it, and
though Mr Angel was really the editor and principal writer,
he did not think himself justified in continuing the
periodical.

Mr Angel subsequently joined the Voice of Jacob, and
undertook the post of its joint-editor with Dr Benisch, under
the supervision of Mr Franklin. Mr Angel fulfilled his
functions for several years, when he resigned owing to his
engagement at the Jews' Free School, the head mastership
of which establishment had been for some time under his
charge. The contributions of Mr Angel to the Anglo- Jewish

THE JE WISH PRESS. 40 7

Press, usually signed " A," display great erudition and
marked literary powers, and they are most interesting. His
" Law of Sinai " which has been reprinted in a separate
form, is a valuable addition to Jewish literature.
t The Voice of Jacob was published fortnightly. Subse-
quently it was desired to issue a monthly magazine in con-
nection with it, but this part of the programme was not
carried out. The journal ranked among its contributors
several able scholars and accomplished writers. It has been
alleged that the Voice of Jacob represented only one section
of the community. The problem as to whether one Jewish
organ may suffice to reflect the views of all classes of Jews
in London has not yet been solved. It is probably impos-
sible to please at the same time Whitechapel, Bayswater,
Berkeley Street, and the United Synagogue. At all event?,
the disappearance of the Voice of Jacob left a void in the
Jewish world of London. The disinterested efforts of Mr
Franklin to maintain an independent and well-conducted
Anglo-Jewish Press, have scarcely been sufficiently appre-
ciated.

In 1844 the Jewish Chronicle was revived by Mr Mitchell,
and started in opposition to the Voice of Jacob. At first the
new organ sailed under the banners of ultra-orthodoxy, but
it gradually adopted more liberal views, until eventually it
leant towards Burton Street. The Jewish Chronicle at that
period was as different from the present Jewish Chronicle as
the Mercuries of old were unlike our Times and Daily News.
Mitchell secured the services of M. A. Bresslau, a ready writer
and a man of some attainments. , The journal was conducted
with ability, but it did not acquire a reputation for independ-
ence. Bresslau several times had broken his connection with
it, to resume it again at the earliest opportunity. Commer-
cially speaking, the Chronicle did not flourish under that pro-
prietorship. On the death of Mitchell, Bresslau proposed to
continue the periodical, which happily soon afterwards passed
into better and abler hands.

The Anglo-Jewish Press is much beholden to Dr Benisch.
No man, next to the founder of the Voice of Jacob,
has worked so much in its behalf. Dr Benisch, an able
scholar and man of letters, perceiving the unpromising

408 THE JE WISH PRESS.

condition to which the Anglo-Jewish Press had been reduced
after the discontinuance of the Voice of Jacob, determined to
devote his time and talents to its elevation. We need
scarcely advert here to the numerous literary productions
of Dr Benisch, which probably are known to our readers,
and by them fully appreciated. Dr Benisch established
the Hebrew Observer, which was subsequently embodied with
the third series of the Jewish Chronicle. He proposed
rendering the new organ honourably self-supporting, and at
the same time he did not desire to espouse the opinions of
any particular class or section of the community. He advo-
cated a broad Judaism, moderate progress with the age,
the spread of education, the study of Hebrew literature,
and conciliatory views on religious questions. He aimed at
rendering the Hebrew Observer the medium for intercom-
munion between the Jews of the different parts of the
British Empire, and, when practicable, the connecting link
between them and their continental brethren. The services
performed by this gentleman to Jewish journalism in parti-
cular, and to the advancement of Jewish interests in general,
are too fresh in the minds of his co-religionists to require
enumeration here. Resolved to maintain the perfect freedom
of his journal, Dr Benisch declined all proffers of assistance,
preferring to retain absolute liberty of action. The struggle
was doubtless arduous. He purchased the copyright of the
Jewish Chronicle from the heirs of Mr Mitchell, and he
adopted the name as the first title of his journal. With the
assistance of his wife, he became his own editor, writer,
printer, and publisher. After some years of partial loss, he
succeeded in rendering his publication self-supporting ; and
eventually, assisted as he was by the abolition of duties on
paper and advertisements, he placed the Jewish Chronicle,
for the term Hebrew Observer was dropped, on a safe and
sound basis. The judgment, moderation, and scholarship
displayed by Dr Benisch in the conduct of his journal, have
been fully recognised by Jewish and Christian readers.

Another publication devoted to Jewish interests was the
Hebrew National, started by Mr Filipowski in 1867. It did
not, however, enjoy a prolonged existence.

A creditable effort was made in 1868 to establish a Jewish

THE JE WISH PRESS. 409

journal, entitled the Jewish Record, intended for family and
popular reading, but the venture was not successful, and the
periodical did not live long. Since the extinction of the
Record, another Jewish paper, called the Jewish World, has
0been started. It appears to possess a good circulation, and
to be increasing in popularity.

The journal in which these papers were originally pub-
lished was for some years under the management of an
editor to whom the work so admirably performed by Dr
Benisch was transferred, and by him as admirably con-
tinued. Of the labours of the late Mr Michael Henry in
this direction, we have already spoken. He conducted the
Jewish Chronicle with ability and judgment, until after his
death the direction of the periodical reverted to Dr Beinsch.

CHAPTER LV.

CONCLUSION.

" Farewell ! a word that must be, and hath been,
A sound which makes us linger ; yet — farewell. "

— Childe HarolcCs Pilgrimage,

ANY act performed avowedly for the last time can scarcely
fail to leave behind in the human heart a tinge of sorrow.
The prisoner who leaves his gloomy cell, and the emigrant
who lands at his destination from an overcrowded and narrow
ship, look back wistfully ou the stone walls and wooden walls,
inside which they suffered many privations, and which they
quit for a freer and happier existence without. To look fot
the last time on any familiar scene or object is painful ; and
the writer who ends his work which for a considerable period
has engaged his attention, and which he has grown to love,
feels like a father about to part from his offspring. Even
the attentive reader of a book of this nature, however much
he may be disappointed at its numerous shortcomings, may
possibly feel some slight regret at the conclusion of these
chapters, whence at least he has acquired some information
he did not possess before, and where he may recognise' in
earnestness of purpose -some atonement for the absence of
higher qualities.

Our task is ended. We have endeavoured to follow closely
the fortunes of Israel in England. We have seen a handful
of Jews immigrate into this country, trembling with misgiv-
ings and fears, and we leave them now a peaceful, wealthy,
and important community of nearly fifty thousand souls,
enjoying the rights and privileges of British-born subjects,
and having their full share of public honours and influence.
The successors of the few Jews who assembled to pray in

CONCLUSION. 411

1663 in a room in King Street, find now a dozen Synagogues
insufficient. Handsome new structures have of late years
been erected in London, and yet the cry is for more extended
Synagogue accommodation. We have beheld a Jew debarred
^from opening a shop in the City of London ; and we have
witnessed a Jewish Lord Mayor presiding gracefully over the
hospitalities of the City of London.

We have caught a glimpse of Menasseh ben Israel elo-
quently pleading the cause of Israel before the Lord Pro-
tector. We have observed the Jews tolerated by Charles II.,
and favoured by" him, possibly aided by the influence of the
Queen's Portuguese surgeon, Antonio Mendes. We have
found them remaining unmolested under James II., and
wisely befriended by William of Orange. Good-tempered
Queen Anne, as we know, did not alter their condition, and
during the reigns of the Three Georges, we have watched
them increasing in numbers and in enlightenment, albeit
still excluded from civil and political rights. It was not
until the reign of Queen Victoria, as our readers are well
aware, that the Jews obtained full justice.

The descendants of the ancient Spanish and Portuguese
Jews did not retain their lead in Jewish atfairs ; and at the
end of the eighteenth century they found themselves out-
stripped in numbers and wealth by the more numerous immi-
grants from Germany and Poland. With congregations it
happens as with families, with cities, and with empires. The
glories of Egypt and of Babylon have disappeared. Greece
scarcely deserves the name of nation, and Spain has sunk
into a seventh-rate power. So the Sephardi Jews, for reasons
to which we have adverted on several occasions, no longer
occupy the proud position which th^y once enjoyed, though
they are still an important and influential community. Ancient
and noble lineage does not necessarily go hand - in - hand
with much opulence. The energy, enterprise, and financial
genius which, in combination with various other incidental
causes, have increased to so great an extent the preponder-
ance of the Ashkenazi Jews, are at least as praiseworthy
qualities as Spanish sangre azul. The decrees of fate are
immutable, and have been recognised as such by all Israel-
ites. Feelings of envy and jealousy have, happily, long

4i2 CONCLUSION.

ceased to exist among the different sections of the Jewish
community in London. The greatest amity and concord
prevail now, and we trust the day may come — though it may
not be in our time — when the terms Sephardi and Ashkenazi
will have disappeared, and when all children of Israel will be
known by one name — that of Jew.

We have endeavoured to present to the reader a brief view
of the Jews most distinguished for their piety, wealth, high
position, or talents, or for the services they have rendered to
their co-religionists. The shadows have passed before us of
the philosopher, physician, and scholar, Menasseh ben Israel,
as he argued on behalf of his brethren before Cromwell, the
Privy Council, and the eminent magistrates and learned
divines summoned to the presence of the Protector ; of
Sir Solomon de Medina, the financier, making army
contracts with John Churchill, Duke of Maryborough, and
paying him a pension of £6000 a year ; of Menasseh Lopez,
who made a fortune while panic-stricken speculators were
rushing to sell stock at Jonathan's under the belief that
Queen Anne was dead ; of Sampson Gideon, in his thread-
bare garments, negotiating a loan with Walpole, becoming a
millionaire, living like a Christian, and dying like a Jew — a
man who wished to be a Christian on earth and a Jew in
heaven ; of Joseph Salvador, the loan-contractor and patriotic
Jew, whose chequered career would serve to adorn a tale ; of
Abraham Goldsmid entertaining Royalty, and dying rather
than the slightest speck should rest on his honour ; of Isaac
D'Israeli leaving the faith of his fathers on account of a dis-
agreement with the authorities of the Synagogue ; of Nathan
Meyer Rothschild advancing funds to the principal powers
in Europe ; of Sir David Salomons firmly maintaining the
rights of a Jew to sit in the House of Commons, against the
shouts of opposing and intolerant members of the popular
assembly.

We have seen a succession of learned men preside over the
Spanish and Portuguese Community from the days of Haham
Jacob Sasportas to those of Dr Artom ; and over the German
Community from the time of Uri Phaibul to that of Dr Adler.
We have shown the love for his race and faith on the part
of Moses Hart, to whose generosity the Great Synagogue

CONCLUSION. 413

owes partly, if not entirely, its existence ; and we have not
allowed to remain unnoticed the liberality of numerous other
members of the same congregation. We have striven to be
just and impartial ; and even the extravagances of Bphraim
Jjopes Pereira, Baron D'Aguilar, have been recorded in these
columns. Some account has been given of the laws and cus-
toms governing the Jews ; of their former numerous disquali-
fications, and of their struggles for the removal of their civil
and political Disabilities. A brief history of the original con-
stitution, and of the principal Acts of the Board of Deputies,
lias been laid before the reader. We have accompanied Sir
Moses Montefiore in his glorious mission to the East in 1841,
and we have set forth the numerous obstacles he had to con-
tend with, and which were so happily surmounted. We have
adverted to the foundation of the principal charitable and
educational institutions in the community.

We have devoted several chapters to the development of
German Congregations ; and if in the earlier part of these
articles we have dwelt more fully on the affairs of the
Sephardi Congregation, it is, as our readers must recollect,
because for a century and a quarter the Sephardi Jews
played the principal part in London. It was they who were
the wealthiest, most enlightened, and best known. Until
the rise of the G-oldsmid family, such Jews as were tolerated
in high Christian society were, with rare exceptions, members
of that Congregation. Necessarily, therefore, the Jews who
most deserve a place in the history of those days belonged
to the Sephardim.

We have glanced at those Jews who gained a place in
literature in England, or who by their writings contributed
to the advancement of their co-religionists. We have spoken
of the marriage laws that govern the Jews, and of the enact-
ments that refer to them in the statute-book of the country.
The Jewish Press has not been forgotten, and a due acknow-
ledgment has been made of the eminent services rendered by
Jewish periodical literature to their community. Finally,
the division that arose a generation since among the Jews of
London, and the separation of a small body into a distinct
Congregation, has been narrated as impartially as it may be
accomplished by fallible human nature.

4M CONCLUSION.

We have not continued the history of the Jews until our
clay, for our task would have entailed upon us discussions
and expressions of opinion which we preferred avoiding.
Moreover, the present generation of the Jewish community
has scarcely witnessed in its midst any stirring events^
Indeed, there is little for the Anglo-Jewish historian of the
second half of the nineteenth century to chronicle, beyond a
steady increase on the part of his co-religionists in numbers,
in wealth, in intelligence, in material prosperity, and in
moral influence. New Jewish schools have been opened,
new Synagogues consecrated, new charities founded, new
associations for the advancement of Jewish interests estab-
lished. Jewish young men have distinguished themselves at
college, at the bar, in literature, and in the varied pursuits
of modern civilisation. Social prejudices against Israelites
are fast vanishing, and the Jews have rendered themselves
completely worthy of their improved position, and kept full
pace with their Gentile neighbours in the onward march of
progress.

LIST OF AUTHORITIES AND SOURCES WHENCE THE
FACTS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
WORK HAVE BEEN GATHERED.

Annual Biography and Obituary. London, 1817 to end.

Annual Register, from 1758 to end.

Apology for the Naturalisation of the Jews, An. 1753.

Archives of the Congregation of German Jews, Duke's Place, The,

from the Middle of the Eighteenth Century.
Archives of the Congregation of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews,

The, from the Foundation of their Synagogue, beginning 1662.
Goldsmid, B. of Roehampton, Memoirs of the Life and Commercial

Connections of the late. London, 1808.
Biographic Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne. Nouvelle Edition.

Mechaud, Paris, 1843.

Blunt, John E., History of the Jews in England. London, 1830.
Burnet, Gilbert, Bishop of Salisbury, History of His Own Time.

London, 1766.

Chalmers' Biographical Dictionary. London, 1812.
Collection of the Best Pieces in Prose and in Verse Concerning the

Jews, A. London, 1753.

Colquhoun, Patrick, LL.D., A Treatise on the Police of the Metro-
polis. London, 1797-1800.

Colquhoun, Patrick, LL.D., The State of Indigence, and the Situa-
tion of the Casual Poor in the Metropolis Explained. London,

1799.
Confutation of the Reasons for the Naturalisation of the Jews, A.

1753.
De Cheaumont French Ambassador at Constantinople, A New

Letter concerning the Jews. London, 1664.
Egan, Charles, The Status of the Jews in England from the Time of

the Normans. London, 1848.
European Magazine.

4i 6 LIST OF AUTHORITIES, ETC.

Evelyn, John, Memoirs comprising his Diaries, £c. London, 1818.
Francis, John, Chronicles and Characters of the Stock Exchange.

London, 1855.

Gentleman's Magazine, or Monthly Intelligencer, from 1731.
Hansard's Parliamentary Reports.
Harleyan Miscellany, The.
Historical Treaty concerning Jews and Judaism in England, An.

London, 1820.

Hume and Smollett's History of England.
Jewish Chronicle. London, 1841-5.
Jews, A Review of the Proposed Naturalisation of the Jews, being

a Dispassionate Inquiry. London, 1753,
Margoliouth, Rev. M., History of the Jews in Great Britain.

London, 1851.
Milman's, Dean, History of the Jews from the Earliest Days. 4th

Edition. London, 1866.

Nouvelle Biographic Gen^rale. Firmin Didot Freres. Paris, 1855.
Political Mercurius. London, 1655-6.

Records of the London Committee of Deputies of British Jews, The.
Scialitti, R. Mois£, Breve Discurso Politico solve las Espulsiones de

los Judios, Letter, &c., 1663, 1675.
Tovey D' Blossiers, Anglia- Judaica. Oxford, 1 738.
Universal Museum, and numerous other Periodical Publications of

the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, The.
Voice of Jacob. London, 1841-5.

Wraxall, Sir Nathaniel, Historical Memoirs of His Own Time. Lon-
don, 1818.

Considerable Information has been obtained from the Inspection of

Private Letters and Documents, and from Traditional

Family History.

INDEX.

Aben Ezra, 9

Abendana, Jacob and Isaac, 55

Abraham, Eliakim ben, 227

Abudiente, see Gideon, Sampson

Adler, Rev. Dr, 291

Act, of 1715, 65 ; of 1723, 66 ; of
1740, 67, 87 ; Naturalisation, 69 ;
Lord Hardwicke's Marriage, 102,
105-112 ; of 1695, 102 ; Sir John
Barnard's, 219 ; Prohibiting Mar-
riages of Consanguinity, 128 ;
Marriage and Registration, 112 ;
Test and Corporation, Repeal of,
388, 389 ; Religious Opinions
Belief, 394

Alien Duties, the, 46-51 ; Aguilar,
Baron Ephfaim d', 97-99, 110;
Grace, 361-364

Almosmino, Hasdai, 193, 271 ; Solo-
mon, 321

AJtona, 319

Amsterdam, Jews of, 25, 31, 35,

- 43, 45, 53, 58, 145, 169

Andreas, Mrs, 104

Angel, Mr Moses, 404

Anne, Queen, 57, 59

Anti-Gallican Monitor, the, 231

Argus, the, 231

Army, Jews in the, 54, 275

Ascqmoth, 38, 40, 191, 296

Ascher, Rev. Simon, 334, 339

Ashenheim, Dr, 404

Ashkenazim, the, 55, 230, 243, 258,
262, 265, 266, 291, 307, 325, 332,
340, 372, 377, 409

Azevedo, Moses Cohen de 192

Baal Sliem, the, 245
Banishment of the Jews in 1290, 23
Baring, Sir Thomas, 253 ; Mr Alex-
ander, 386

Barnard, Sir John, 81
Barrow, Joseph, 273
Basevi, Joshua, 300
Bedford, Jews in, 289
Belisario, Mendes, 107

Benevolence, Jewish, 2G8, 331, 342

Benisch, Dr, 404

Bensaken, Mr Samuel, 323

Bequests, Jewish, 323

Beracha, 37

Bernal, Jacob Israel, and Isaac, 157

Beth-Din, 107, 111, 170, 208, 214, 294,

322, 377, 382
Betting, 77

208
Bevis Marks, 57, 63, 74, 114, 150,

161, 164, 169, 176, 319
Bexley, Lord, 385
Bible, Hebrew, Text of, 172
Body-snatching, 194
Bonaparte, Napoleon, 69, 273, 275,

281, 234, 319
Braham, John, 231
Bristol, Jews of, 10, 77
Brougham, Lord, 397

Cambridge, Duke of, 267
Campbell, Sir John, 390
Caorsini, the, 15-17, 20
Catherine of Braganza, 44, 103
Cemeteries, Jewish, 226, 235, 320
Charities, Jewish, 75, 76, 136, 176,

245, 260, 273, 323, 332, 401
Charles II., 30, 43, 46
Charlestown. Jews in, 271
Cholera, the,' 327, 334
Cohen, Levy Barent, 267 ; Joseph,

269

Colquhoun, Patrick, 257-260
" Committee of Diligence," 114
Congregation of British Jews,
Conversions, 34, 54, 65, 143, 176,

196, 206, 208, 220, 295, 303-3C6,

335
Costa, Emanuel Mendes da, 32, 95 ;

Benjamin Mendes da, 89, 95, 155 ;

Moses or Anthony da, 103 ; Jacob

Mendes da, 103
Crimes, Serious, Rare amongst the

Jews, 180
Cromwell, Oliver, 25-29

2 D

4i8

INDEX.

Cumberland, Richard, 238-240; Duke

of, 267
Curry, Elias, 206

Damascus, Jews of, 130, 338, 347-349
Dashwood, Sir James, 87, 88
Davids, Arthur Lumley, 317
Deputies, Board of, Origin, 115, 118 ;
Early Proceedings, 118-121, 385-
390 ; German Jews first admitted,
124

Disabilities, Jewish, 198, 384; Re-
moval of, 392-399; Divorces, 110,
294
D'Israeli, Isaac, 295-301 ; Right

Hon. Benjamin, 300, 396
Dublin, Jews of, 77, 168, 225
Dupass, Mr, 34, 54

Edward I., 20-24, 52

Egmont, Earl of, 88

Elias, D., 333

Elizabeth, Queen, 24

Emigration, Proposed, of Poorer

Jews, 153

Ergas, Haham Joseph, 56
Exeter, Jews of, 386

Falk, Rabbi de, 245-248

Foreign Jews, Relief of, 159, 166, 164,

291, 319, 335
France, Laws respecting Jews in, 27,

84, 177

Frey, Rev. C., 342
Funeral Ceremonies, 193, 309
Furtado, Isaac Mendes, 206

Gascoigne, Sir Crisp, 81

George II., 92

George III., 115, 122, 173, 222, 252,

268, 276-278
George IV., 119
Germany, Jewish Immigrants from,

54, 132, 176, 258
Gibraltar, Jewish Immigrants from,

190

Gideon, Sampson, 60-64, 84, 113
Goldney, Edward, 143
Goldsmid, Isaac L., 129-131, 254-256;

Aaron, 249, 385, 398 ; Abraham,

252-254, 259 ; Benjamin, 249-252 ;

George, 249
Goldsmith, Lewis, 230
Gordon, Lord George, 181-189
Grant, Mr Robert, 386
Grote, Mr George, 391
Guizot, M., 351

Halevy, Yehuda, 56
Hamburg, Jews in, 319
Hardwicke, Lord, 105

Harley, Lord, 88

Hart, Moses, 133

Hartog, Numa, 317

Hebrew, Difference in Pronuncia-
tion of, by German and Portuguese
Jews, 157, 262, 291, 366 ; Instruc-
tion in, 170, 327, 361 ; Knowledge
Of, 279 «

Helbert, Jacob von, 287

Henry I., 2 i

Henry II., 4,8

Henry III., 11-20

Herem, 37, 78, 181, 380-382

Hirschel, Rev. Solomon, 265, 307-
310, 350, 378

Hospitals, Jewish, 263

Hunter, Dr

Immigrants, List of the first Jewish,
32

Incledon, Charles, 232

Inglis, Sir Robert, 387

Inter-marriage of German and Portu-
guese Jews, 157, 265, 325

Interment, Jewish, 216-218, 292

Isaacs, Rev. D. M., 340

Jamaica, Jews in, 53, 120, 353
James II., 46, 47, 67
Jeffreys, Chief Justice, 52
Jewd, Derivation of, 280
John, King, 9-11
Jose I. of Portugal, 320
Josephs, Michael, 314, 316

Kennicott, Rev. B., 172
King, J., 302

Laguna, Daniel Israel, 56

Langton, Stephen, 12

Languages, the Jews usually possess
two, 153, 311, 317, 364, 402, 410

Lara, Mr, 323

Learning, Jewish, 8, 26, 55, 56, 95,
146, 227, 230, 314

Lecture, General, 274

Legacy Fund, the, 267

Leghorn, Jews of, 320

Lemoine, Henry, 229, 278, "280

Levi, David, 228

Levy, Mrs Judith, 96, 147; Mr
Phineas, 393

Lincoln, Jews in, 18

Lindo, Miss Esther, 107 ; Alexander,
273, 328 ; E. H., 364

Lithuania, Jews from, 54

Literature, the Jews and, 296, SIS-
SIS, 359-365

Liverpool, Jews of, 386

London Jews' Society, the. 342

Lopez, Menasseh, 59

INDEX.

419

Lopez, Rodrigo, 24 ; Mordecai Rodri-
guez, 304 ; Menasseh, 304

Loughborough, Lord Chief Justice
328

Loyalty, Jewish, 67-69, 221, 142, 267,
276

Lushington, Dr, 387
1 Luzzatto, Philoxene, 317

Lyndhurst, Lord, 392

Lyon, Myer, 147 ; Solomon, Rev.,
285, 314 ; Miss Emma, 314

Macaulay, Mr, 387

Mahamad, the, 36, 78, 139, 152, 178,
181, 205, 272, 294, 322, 338

Mahmoud II., Sultan, 319

Marks, Rev. D. W., 373

Marlborough, Duke of, 58, 59

Marriage, Three Legal Modes of, 100;
Jewish Cases relating to, 106-111 ;
Ceremonies in, 107, 135, 286; Ir-
regular, 107, 293

Matthew Paris, 14, 236

Meat, Measures concerning Butcher's
158, 169, 214-216, 271, 287

Medina, Solomon de, 50

Mehemet Ali, 351, 353-357

Meldola Raphael, 271 ; Rev. D., 404

Menasseh ben Israel, 25-30

Mendes, Antonio and Andrea, 44,
95 ; Catherine, 103

Mendoza, Samuel, 212

Menton, Count Ratti, 351

Merchants, Jewish, in London in
1753, List of, 93

Mile End Cemetery, 235

Mocatta, Mr Moses, 326, 363

Mombach, Mr Julius, 340

Montefiore, Sir Moses, 127, 323, 331,
338, 350, 353-358, 388, 390 ; Abra-
ham, 343

Morocco, Jews in, 173

Myers, Dr Joseph Hart, 222

Naturalization Bill of 1753, the, 80-
80 ; Repealed, 86-91 ; Squibs on,
90, 91 ; the Press on, 88 ; Irish, 114

Navy, Jews in the, 54

Netto, Moses, 151

Newcastle, Duke of, 80, 86

Newdigate, Sir Roger, 87

Nieto, David, 55

Norwich, Jews of, 3, 5, 13, 18

O'Connell, Daniel, 352, 387
Oxford, Jews of, 2, 18, 24

Palmerston, Lord, 351

Parliament, Jews in, 305, 395, 396,

398
Parliamentum Judaicum, 14

Patna, Jews in, 144

Pauperism, Jewish, 152, 257

Paz, Moses de, 179

Pearson, Mr Charles, 385

Peel, Sir Robert, 395

Peerage, Jewish Connections with

the, 104, 158, 233
Pelham, Mr, 80, 88
Pepys, Mr, 39
Pereira, Eliau Lopes, 193 ; Abraham

Lopes, 273

Pereire, M. Jacob Rodriguez, 177
Persecutions, Jewish, 3-7, 10, 12-24,

46, 237, 347

Phillips, Sir Benjamin, 399
Pimentel, Jacob Abenatar, 258
Pitt, Mr, 88
Poland, Immigrants from, 258, 207,

341 ; Jews in, 307
Pombal, Marquis de, 320
Port Mahon, Jews in, 120
Portugal, Jews in, 320
Portuguese Congregation, Founda-
tion of, 36-38 ; Original Laws of, 40
Press, The, on the Jews, 28, 88, 123,

250, 278, 283, 351, 399
Press, Jewish, 400-407
Pretender, Advance of the Young,

60,67

Priestley, Dr, 228
Prisoners, Jewish, Exempted from

Labour on Sabbaths and Festivals,

243

Prize-fighter, a Jewish, 212
Proselytism, Christian, 143, 203, 241,

283

Provinces, Jews in the, 77
Prynne, 27, 100
Purim Riots, the, 205

Quakers, The, and the Jews, 124

Raphall, Rev. Morris Jacob, 365, 402
Rebello, David Alves, 230
Reform Movement, the, 366-372
Reid, William Hamilton, 280-282
Return of the Jews to England, 25-30
Rhodes, Jews in, 349, 354
Ricardo, Abraham Israel, 220; David,

220

Rice, lit. Hon. J. Spring, 388
Richard, I., 4
Robins, George, 309
Rochambeau, General, 274
Rome, Jews of, 197
Rothschild, Mr Nathan Meyer, 125,

266, 292, 343-346, 385, 401
Rothschild, Baron Lionel de, 395, 397
Royalty and the Jews, 268, 252
Russell, Lord John, 390, 395, 397
Sabbath, the, 272

420

INDEX.

Salomons, Sir David, 389, 392, 390
Salvador, Joseph, 162-163
Samuel, Moses, 364
Sarmiento, Jacob de Castro, 56
Saxon Kings, Jews in England under

the, 1

Schism, The, in the Portuguese Con-
gregation, 330, 366-383
Schools, Jewish, 41, 154, 170, 201,

261, 270, 321, 332
Scialitti, Moists, 34
Sedition BUI, 123
Scphardim, the, 31,258, 262, 266,272,

320, 322, 325, 338, 368, 372, 409
Sermons, 340
Serra, Isaac Gomes, 342
Services, Jewish Mode of Conducting,

202, 270, 290, 302, 325-327, 367, 381
Shechita, Board of, 271
Sheva, Cumberland's, 238
Shomere Meshmcret Hakkodesh, the, 329
Shylock, Shakespeare's, 238
Singing, Jewish, 339, 368
Sola, Rev. D. A. de, 327, 359-361 ;

Dr Benjamin de, 359
Solomons, E. P. Mr, 217, 220
Solomon, Simon, 341
South Sea Bubble, 60
Starrs, 8

Statutum de Judaismo, 21, 100
Stephen, 3
Stowell, Lord, 107
Surnames, Jewish, 40
Sussex, Duke of, 267, 285, 385-388
Sweden and the Jews, 167
Sweetmeats, Throwing at Marriages,

135
Synagogues in King Street, 30, 33, 39;

New, in 1676, 42; in Bevis Marks,

42, 57 ; Number of, in 1804, 266

Talmud, the, 179
Temple, Earl, 86
Terefa, 159, 214, 287 -
Thiers, M. 357
Thirlwall, Dr, 396
Thomas, Father, 347
Tucker, Rev. Josiah, 90

i

University College, 255
University, London, 255

Van Oven, Joshua, 259-263, 268, 280,

285, 291

Victoria, Queen, 128, 390
Villareal, Isaac da Costa, 75 ; Mrs

Catherine da Costa, 103-104
Volunteers, Jewish, 69, 276

Wales, the Prince of, 277

Walpole, Sir Robert, 60

Way, Louis, 284

Wealth, Jewish, 93, 279

Wellington, Duke of, 385

West London Congregation, the

Foundation of the, 372
Whately, Dr, 388
Wilkes, John, 180
William the Conqueror, 2
William Rufus, 2
William III., 48-50, 52, 67, 219
William IV., 328
Witherby, Thomas, 280, 284
Wordsworth, Rev. Christopher, 284
Wynne, Sir William, 106

Ximenes, Sir Maurice, 303
York, Jews of, 5, 6, 7

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