Legal Documents Concerning the Relocation of the Shaaray Tefila Cemetery, New York, New York, 1856-1857
This archival collection contains three legal documents related to a lawsuit concerning the relocation of the Shaaray Tefila Cemetery in New York City. The lawsuit, filed in the New York Supreme Court on May 30, 1856, pits plaintiffs Benjamin J. Hart and David J. Levy against defendants Louis Levy, John M. Davies, Edward Josephs, Aaron S. Solomons, and Joseph Aden (trustees of Shaaray Tefila). The documents include a request for deposition of the plaintiffs (dated May 30, 1856), a copy of an affidavit from Alexander Kursheet for the defendants (filed June 20, 1856), and a group of possibly incomplete draft documents. The suit stemmed from a New York State law passed in 1850-1851 prohibiting further burials in Lower Manhattan, prompting Shaaray Tefila to establish the Beth Olam Cemetery in 1851 with two other Manhattan congregations. The documents detail the legal proceedings surrounding the sale and relocation of the original Shaaray Tefila cemetery. The Shaaray Tefila Synagogue, founded in 1845, was officially chartered in 1848 by primarily English and Dutch Jews who had previously been members of B'nai Jeshurun. Its first rabbi, Samuel Isaacs, was one of few English-speaking rabbis in the United States at the time and remained in that post until 1877.
Associated People/Businesses
- Hart, Benjamin J.
- Levy, David J.
- Levy, Louis
- Davies, John M.
- Joseph, Edward
- Solomons, Aaron S.
- Aden, Joseph
- Congregation "Shaaray Tefilla" (New York, N.Y.)
- Josephs, Edward
- New York State, Supreme court
- Hart, Benjamin J. / Levy,David J. / Levy, Louis / Davies, John M. / Josephs, Edward / Solomons, Aaron S. / Aden, Joseph / Kursheet, Alexander
Geography
Subjects
Physical Location
Arc.MS.56, Box 19, Folder 10