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Subject: Rabbis -- United States -- Correspondence

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Letter from David Judah to Isaac Leeser, April 12, 1849Letter from David Judah to Isaac Leeser, April 12, 1849

Letter written by David Judah to Isaac Leeser on April 12, 1849, concerning family matters. The letter was written from Baltimore, Maryland, and addressed to Leeser in either Philadelphia or New York. This letter is part of a larger collection of correspondence spanning several years, with a notable gap between 1831 and 1848.

Letter from Henry Illowy to Isaac Leeser, October 24, 1865Letter from Henry Illowy to Isaac Leeser, October 24, 1865

Five-page letter dated October 24, 1865, from Henry Illowy in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Isaac Leeser in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Illowy, the seventeen-year-old son of Rabbi Henry Illowy, rebukes Leeser for his criticism of his father and accuses Leeser of playing politics between Reform and Orthodox factions within American Judaism to maintain his position. The letter reveals tensions within American Judaism during this period.

Letter from Isaac Leeser to Zalma Rehine, Philadelphia, March 27, 1837Letter from Isaac Leeser to Zalma Rehine, Philadelphia, March 27, 1837

Three-page letter written by Isaac Leeser to his uncle, Zalma Rehine, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 27, 1837. Leeser expresses concern over the blame placed on Jews for the Panic of 1837, discusses business failures in New Orleans, and mentions sending copies of his discourses through David Judah with thanks to Philip Cohen of Baltimore for his support.

Letter from Isaac Mayer Wise to Isaac Leeser Regarding the Congregation Beth-El of Albany Affair, September 20, 1850Letter from Isaac Mayer Wise to Isaac Leeser Regarding the Congregation Beth-El of Albany Affair, September 20, 1850

This two-and-a-half-page letter, dated September 20, 1850, details Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise's account of the conflict that led to the dissolution of his position at Congregation Beth-El in Albany, New York. Wise describes a contentious meeting, a physical altercation, and the subsequent formation of a new congregation, Anshe Emeth, by his supporters. The letter is addressed to Rabbi Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia.

Letter from Julius Eckman to Isaac Leeser, Charleston, South Carolina, May 13, 1851Letter from Julius Eckman to Isaac Leeser, Charleston, South Carolina, May 13, 1851

A one-and-a-half-page letter written by Rabbi Julius Eckman of Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina, to Isaac Leeser in Philadelphia on May 13, 1851. Eckman responds to an article accusing him of inconsistency, defending his faith and principles. The letter includes a two-and-a-quarter-page handwritten response by Isaac Leeser, intended for typesetting in *The Occident*. This letter provides insight into the controversies surrounding Eckman's rabbinical career and his later role as a Western pioneer.