!l lillliM iiii H' .; m J ISAAC M. WISE AET. 80 From a photograph of a bas-relief by Boris Schatz. (Jerusalem.) Isaac Mayer Wise The Founder of American Judaism A Biography By Max B. May, A. M. \\ Judge of the Court of Common Pleas Hamilton County, Ohio. Illustrated G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London Zbc IknicRetbocfter press 1916 Copyright, 1916 BY MAX B. MAY 1^ Ube ftnicberbocfier t>^cse, new IQork The Memory of my Beloved Wife JEAN MAY THIS BOOK IS affectionately DEDICATED 392361 PREFACE In 1846, when Isaac Mayer Wise arrived in America, he found the Jews in this country with but Httle secular culture, many of them drifting away from Judaism, and what religious institutions they had, entirely unorganized. Their religious life was an intolerable imitation of that which ex- isted in the old Ghettos of Europe — a condition so inconsistent with the spirit of American in- stitutions as to make positively impossible its survival. Dr. Wise realized that if Judaism in America was to be preserved, it would be neces- sary not only to Americanize the Jew, but also his Judaism. This was his life work. But for this work the Jews in America would either have been lost to Judaism or their mode of life and worship an empty continuation of that brought with them from their narrow European environ- ment. His death found American Judaism mod- ernized and adapted to its new environment, and the American Jew preserving the essentials of his religion, living in every community as an influen- vi Preface tial, respected, public spirited, and philanthropic citizen. How Dr. Wise founded an American Judaism, and a brief history of the institutions by means of which he accomplished this purpose, necessarily form an important part of this volume. No complete history of Dr. Wise and his work has yet appeared. In 1900 the Alumnal Associa- tion of the Hebrew Union College published Se- lected Writings of Isaac M. Wise, with a Biography by the editors, David Philipson and Louis Grossmann. The biographical sketch consists of 112 pages. In 1 900-1 901, "The Reminiscences of Isaac M. Wise," published in his German Weekly, Die Deborah, July 3, 1874, ^o August 11, 1875, were translated by Rev. David Philipson, and pub- lished by Leo Wise & Co. Part of Dr. Philip- son's biographical sketch treating of Dr. Wise's European life was based on conversations he had with Dr. Wise, and in the preparation of this biography I have relied upon this sketch, verifying it as far as possible. I have likewise quoted freely from Dr. Philipson's translation of The Remi- niscences. Rabbi Wise should have had his Boswell. Unfortunately, those closest to him never realized the importance of recording his many thoughtful Preface vii sayings. At his death, to the great disappointment of the historian and the biographer, no diary and other memoranda were found, and few of his letters had been preserved. As his grandson, who was very close to him, I felt it but proper and fitting at this time that a biography should be written from original sources, which would conclusively prove that Isaac Mayer Wise was not only the most prominent figure in American Judaism during the last half of the nineteenth century, but also that he was the founder of American Judaism and all the many institutions which preserved that Judaism in this country. My aim has been to let Dr. Wise tell in his own words the story of his life and activities, and, therefore, I have printed many extracts from his writings in The Occident, The Asmonean, The Israelite, and Die Deborah. I have not attempted to give an estimate of Rabbi Wise as an author and theologian, because I am not competent to do so. In 1919, the several organizations which Rabbi Wise founded will celebrate the centennial of his birth, and undoubt- edly those qualified to speak will treat that phase of his career. I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. VIU Preface Adolph S. Oko, Librarian of the Hebrew Union College, and Dr. N. D. C. Hodges, Librarian of the Public Library of Cincinnati, for their val- uable assistance. Max B. May. Cincinnati, July 21, 1916. CONTENTS CHAPTER PACK I. — The European Background . . i II. — Early Years .... 22 III. — The Last Years in Europe . . 32 IV. — The Promised Land ... 45 V. — The First Albany Period — Rabbi of Beth El Congregation . 59 VI. — The First Call for a Union AMONG Israelites ... 74 VII. — The Charleston Episode — T h e Break with Beth El . .86 VIII. — The Second Albany Period — Organ- ization OF Congregation Anshe Emeth, Men of Truth . .108 IX. — Last Years in Albany — First Ed- itorial Work — A History of the Israelitish Nation . . .126 ix X Contents CHAPTER PAGB X. — The Rabbi of Congregation Bene Yeshurun ..... 153 XI. — The Editor of the "Israelite" . 194 XII. — The Union of American Hebrew Congregations . . . 257 XIII. — The Hebrew Union College . 294 XIV. — The Central Conference of Ameri- can Rabbis .... 322 XV. — Personal Activities and Character- istics 355 XVI.— The End 391 List of Writings ... 399 Index . . . . \ . 409 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Isaac M. Wise. Aet. 8o . . Frontispiece From a photograph of a bas-relief by Boris Schatz. (Jerusalem) Isaac M. Wise. Aet. 35 . . . .154 Isaac M. Wise. Aet. 60 . . . . 258 Isaac M. Wise. Aet. 70 . . . . 322 Xl Isaac Mayer Wise CHAPTER I THE EUROPEAN BACKGROUND To understand the life and career of Isaac Mayer Wise it is necessary to know something of the con- ditions of the Jews of Europe and especially of Bohemia during the early part of the nineteenth century. Prior to the decree of the French National Assembly, September 27, 1791, the Jews of Europe did not enjoy the privileges of citizenship. Not only were they treated as aliens, but the ancient prejudice against them still existed. Moses Men- delssohn, the friend of Lessing and the prototype of Nathan der Weise, summed up the Jewish ques- tion very accurately when he said ' : "It is wonderful to note how the prejudice assumes the forms of every century in order to ' Graetz, History of the Jews, vol. v., p. 361-2. I 2 Isaac Mayer Wise act despotically towards us (Jews) and place difficulties in the way of our obtaining civil rights. In superstitious ages we were said to insult sacred objects out of mere wantonness, to pierce crucifixes and cause them to bleed; secretly to circumcise children and to stab them in order to feast our eyes upon the sight; to draw Christian blood for our Passover; to poison wells. "Now times have changed, calumny no longer makes the desired impression. Now we in turn are upbraided with superstition and ignorance, lack of moral sentiment, taste and refined manners, incapacity for the arts, sciences, and useful pur- suits, especially for the service of war and the state, invincible inclination to cheating, usury, and lawlessness, all these have taken the place of coarse indictments against us to exclude us from the number of useful citizens and reject us from the motherly bosom of the state. They tie our hands and reproach us that we do not use them. . . . Reason and the spirit of research of our century have not yet wiped away all traces of barbarism in history. Many a legend of the past has obtained credit because it has not occurred to any one to cast doubt upon it. Some are sup- ported by such important authorities that few have the boldness to look upon them as mere The European Background 3 legends and libels. Even at the present moment there is many a city of Germany where no cir- cumcised person, even though he pays duty for his creed, is allowed to issue forth in open daylight unwatched, lest he kidnap a Christian child or poison the wells; while during the night he is not trusted under the strictest surveillance owing to his well-known intercourse with evil spirits." Before the beneficial effect of the French Revo- lution and the Napoleonic era was felt in Germany and Austria, the condition of the Jews was pitiable. Although Jews had lived in Bohemia since the tenth century, it was not until the reign of Emperor Joseph II. (i 780-1 790) that their con- dition was to any extent ameliorated. Naturally the prejudice against the Jews was increased by the crusades which swept over Europe, and as they were in the path of the fanati- cal hordes pressing on their way to Jerusalem they were treated without mercy. In order to prevent the increase in population among the Jews the privilege of marriage was restricted. The number of Jewish souls in the community was fixed by law, and with few exceptions no marriages were permitted until vacancies occurred by death. Four years after Maria Theresa (i 740-1 780) became Empress of Austria she issued her decree 4 Isaac Mayer Wise banishing all Jews from Bohemia by June 30, 1745. Later, upon the payment of a large annual tax, the enforcement of the decree was postponed for ten years, and was subsequently revoked upon condition that the number of Jewish families should not be increased. Maria Theresa was succeeded in 1780 by a great ruler, Joseph II., and by his so-called toleration decree the Jews of Austria and Bohemia were granted greater immunities and more privileges. His purpose was not to scatter the Jews over the land nor to permit them to settle in places from which they were excluded, but rather to make them more useful to the state in those places where they dwelt in large numbers. Under the provisions of this decree the Jews obtained some civil recogni- tion in the community and enjoyed commercial and trade privileges. Henceforth farming and industrial employment of larger scope were open to them. Joseph II. increased the number of Jewish families permitted in Bohemia from 8541 to 8600, and in some communities they were allowed to live outside of the Ghetto, the restricted Jewish dis- trict. Joseph II. also abolished all laws pre- scribing differences in dress. It was also decreed by this liberal monarch that the Jews should draw The European Background 5 their contracts, agreements, wills, in short all legal documents in the language of the country under penalty of having them declared illegal. The Hebrew or Jargon was to be used in Divine Services only. Formerly the Jews had been for- bidden to till the soil, now they were permitted to become lessees of lands and pursue agriculture, but they had to till the soil themselves, for during the ensuing ten years they were not permitted to employ any Christians to assist them. They were also granted the privilege of leaving their native city to study, and in Bohemia they could receive instruction in all sciences. Later it was provided by law that no one could become a rabbi who had not also taken courses in the philosophical sciences and the laws of nature at a National University; and in communities where there were no Jewish schools, Jewish children had to be sent to Christian schools. All teachers before receiving their ap- pointment must have attended the normal school at Prague. Under Frances II. (i 792-1835) the effect of the Napoleonic wars was felt, but after Waterloo the reactionary party under Metternich had full sway, and the Jews again began to feel the hard- ships of restrictions. There were cities where no Jews were allowed to settle, in other places they 6 Isaac Mayer Wise were compelled to pay special taxes, and they were always treated as inferior people and v/ith great arbitrariness. The chief cause of this was the fear that the Jews would control all the trade. In those communities where the influence of the lib- eral spirit of Joseph II. lingered their treatment was better. The greatest disability under which the Jews suffered was the restriction as to marriage. As the rulers did not wish to have them increase in number, marriage among them was restricted. The number of Jewish families allowed in a dis- trict was fixed by law, and no one was permitted to marry without a special license, which was difficult to obtain, except by the eldest son of the family, unless there was a vacancy created by death. Even where marriages were permitted the bridegroom had to be twenty-two years of age and the bride eighteen years. The right to marry was called a "Familiantenrecht." Rabbis, cantors, and teachers belonged to the exempt class and had the privilege of marrying. The result was that there were many marriages among the Jews which were considered by the state as illegal and the offspring illegitimate. Such was the pitiable lot of the Bohemian Jew in the early years of the nineteenth century. The European Background 7 The hope of emancipation held out under the liberal acts of the great Emperor Joseph II. was quickly crushed by his illiberal successors, who, after the Congress of Vienna, were unwilling to ameliorate the condition of their oppressed Jewish subjects. The revolutions of 1830 had little effect in Austria, and the condition of the Bo- hemian Jews did not improve materially until after 1848. In the larger cities the Jews lived in the Ghetto, and in the smaller villages they usually lived in one neighbourhood. Their life was separate and apart from that of their Christian neighbours. Outside of the larger cities of Germany and Aus- tria, the education of the Jewish youth was con- fined to the study of the Talmud. In the early decades of the nineteenth century the young Jews, with few exceptions, had no acquaintance with the secular literature and sciences. In an article entitled, "Recollections of Bo- hemia," written by Wise, and printed in the Asmonean of New York,^ the following vivid and accurate picture of life among the Bohemian Jews is given : "It is admitted by all travellers who bestow sufficient attention on Jews, that those of Bohemia ' The Asmonean, vol. ix., March 17-24, 1854, Nos. 22 and 23. 8 Isaac Mayer Wise are, as a class, the best educated and the wealthiest in the Austrian empire. Jewish physicians, liter- ati, rabbins, teachers, and bookkeepers are so numerous in that country, although the Jewish population amounts from 80,000 to 100,000 souls only, that they emigrate in all directions. Among those who preach Judaism in this country are four Bohemians, and no less than ten Jewish physicians of that country are now in the United States, although emigration to America is in Bohemia a rare circumstance. The poet Hart- mann, Kuranda, the distinguished editor of the BruesseVs Grenzhoten, both ex-members of the Frankfort parliament, Rev. Dr. Zachary Frankel, now of Dresden, the late and lamented Rev. Mr. Cohn, preacher in Lemberg, Rev. Dr. Meisel, of Stettin, Rev. Dr. Hamburger, of Prossnitz, Rev. Mr. Popper, present chief rabbi of Tyrol, and many more prominent clergymen; Prof, Klein, the distinguished mathematician, Moscheles, the celebrated pianist, M. Steinschneider, the oriental- ist, and a host of many other celebrities are Bo- hemians. There are more than fifty Bohemian Jewish physicians in the Austrian army. . . . The names of Landau, father, son, and grandson, Peter Beer, Herz Romberg, Dr. Wolfgang Wessely, Jeiteles, Wehle, Schlesinger, Wolf Mayer, Letteris, The European Background 9 Stern, are familiar to every friend of Hebrew lit- erature ; it needs only to be said that all of them are Bohemians. "It must be admitted that it is unusual, we might say marvellous, that so many prominent men should spring up among so small a popiilation, and under the adverse position in which Austria placed the Bohemian Jews up to 1848; but we are in possession of the key to solve the riddle .... "l. The commercial and manufacturing inter- ests of the land are almost exclusively in the hands of Jews, consequently they always were in pos- session of the means to give to their children a scholastic education, and to support the children of the poor to this laudable end, which is done no- where in the world so extensively as in the city of Prague. "2. Bohemia was the seat of the old Yeshi- both Talmudical colleges since time immemorial; Prague, Kollin, Jenikau, Kaledai, Ronsperg, Bunz- lau, and other places are noted for such colleges. Besides this the Jews of Prague have a normal school of eight classes, where tuition is gratis, and a Beth Hammidrash; and all Austrian schools, from the village school to the university, give tui- tion gratis to the poor and to those students who pass a good examination. 10 Isaac Mayer Wise "The Bohemian Jews may be divided according to domicile into inhabitants of cities and villages. In some villages ten to thirty families reside, but in others there are but one or two families. The manufacture of glass, porcelain, and cotton goods, the distilleries of liquors, the grocery, dry goods, and produce business are much followed by them. Some pursue agricultural pursuits, others are physi- cians, teachers, mechanics, etc., etc.; they repre- sent all classes of society, and are superior to their rural neighbours in scholastic attainments and mercantile enterprise. "In the centre of the village where Jews live usually stands the Synagogue, often a beautiful stone building with a brick roof and a Mogen David (Shield of David) on the top. Inside most of the Synagogues are plain, arched, and have high bow-windows. Next to the Synagogue is the dwelling of the minister and the schoolrooms, and around the Synagogue are generally the best houses of the Jewish families. Usually the Jews of some villages have one Synagogue in a central village whither they go to worship and also send their children to school. Twice a day, morning and evening, the Synagf^^^ue is open for Divine Service, and it is a rare case that no Minyan (ten male persons above thirteen years of age) is in The European Background ii attendance. Friday evening and Sabbath morn- ing every person attends divine worship, if one is missed in the Synagogue he is considered sick, and is sure of being visited by his friends. ' ' The minister of the smaller congregations is a hazan (cantor), shochet (one who slaughters the cattle and fowl according to religious rules), and sometimes the teacher .... In the larger con- gregations he must be a Moreh Zedek — a man authorized to perform rabbinical functions, and in the largest congregations in the country they have a rabbi, a cantor, a teacher, a sexton, and a shochet. We have seen in a place where two Jewish families resided, and around which village some thirty Jewish families lived, a temple built in modern style with an organ and choir put into it, and a rabbi and cantor were engaged to con- duct divine worship, preach, and instruct the young. "The children may attend the village schools, and do so in many places . . . but in general the Jews have separate schools. Instruction begins at eight o'clock in the morning and is continued until noon, generally in Hebrew branches, and is resumed at one o'clock in winter and is continued until dark. In the evening, instruction in the higher Hebrew classes is given 12 Isaac Mayer Wise until eight or nine o'clock. A child is taught three different languages: the Slavonic, which is spoken in the greater part of the country; the German, which is spoken by all Jews and taught in all Hebrew schools; and Hebrew, the language of the Bible, which is understood by a majority of the Bohemian Jews. Reading and writing in these languages, grammar, Rashi, a biblical commen- tary, arithmetic, and some geography make up the course of elementary education. "Besides these congregational schools, rich fam- ilies, and those who live at too great a distance from the large places, have private teachers. Large sums of money are spent on these private teachers and they are treated with especial dis- tinction. It is often the case that a man spends his whole property on the education of his sons, who support him and their sisters after they have entered upon public functions. "In former times Talmud was one of the princi- pal studies at every school, three to four hours daily being given to its study. When a child was six to eight years old and could read Hebrew it was sent to a Talmud class. When a boy had learned something so that he was deemed capable of a higher education he was sent to places where a Talmud teacher of some distinction resided. The European Background 13 Wealthy parents paid for the children's board and tuition ; but the poor did not suffer, he had tuition gratis, most always also lodging, and good people gave what they called "Board Day," viz., one day's board weekly gratis; seven such good men generally supported a poor student. We knew one man who had twenty-five such young fel- lows in board, one day three and the other day four, who were treated as kindly as the man's children. "Having made considerable progress in the Talmud the young student went to a Yeshibah where the higher Talmud studies were pursued under a distinguished master, and the young men were educated to be rabbins and teachers. The poor were supported in those places in the same manner ; some got Sabbath board free and others earned a living by instruction of either younger students who could pay, or other children. After some time thus spent the young man returned to the business of his father, or he finished his educa- tion for the rabbinical office. ' ' The Yeshiboth life was a peculiar thing. Sixty or one hundred lads between the ages of fourteen to twenty, or so, came together to the room of the much venerated master twice a day and learned of him the method of rabbinical disputation in a 14 Isaac Mayer Wise practical way. The passage on which the master treated had been studied previously, so that in- struction consisted merely of rectifying the student and chiefly of training the mind in those sagacious disputations, which were strong nutriment to the reasoning faculties. Outside of the schoolroom there was perfect liberty. There was not in a Bohemian Yeshibah that bigotry, as in Hungary and elsewhere, that the students were prohibited from reading belletristical works, or that it was considered a crime to know Ibn Ezra's Commen- tary to the Bible, or Maimonides' Moreh Ne- buchim. On the contrary, it was considered an accomplishment to have read Schiller's, Goethe's, Lessing's, or Wieland's works, and the young man spent a considerable time in philosophic theolo- gical books, such as Kusari, Moreh, Chobath, etc. We remember distinctly that we had formed a secret club for the study of Cabalah, and we met for this purpose three times a week from nine to twelve P. M., but when our old master found out the secret of our club, he earnestly exhorted us not to spend oiir time with such an impracticable study, calculated to make young men bigots and phantasts. He said it would be better for us to read Moses Mendelssohn's, Arbarbanel's, or De Rossi's works. The European Background 15 "The Yeshiboth and the Talmud study in gen- eral have given way in the past fifteen years to a modern education. When we left Bohemia (1846), there was almost no trace any more of Talmud instruction in the villages and smaller towns. Those unhappy old men who knew nothing besides the rabbinical literature held very poor places in small congregations, and not a few subsisted on public charity. The rabbi must have gone through a course of studies in a university, and the hazan must be either a musician or an ex- amined teacher, and at length it became difficult for a teacher to find a place who could not show certificates either from the State Normal School or the Hebrew Normal School at Prague. The schools were improved by this change. Able boys now study Latin, geography, history, etc., instead of Talmud only. After they are prepared they go to an academy, to the polytechnical in- stitute or to a commercial institute (Real Schule). Others who intend to devote themselves to a learned profession go to a gymnasium where they are prepared for the university, and then to the university. Talmud and other Hebrew branches are studied by those only who intend to become rabbins, and they must do so in private schools and after the college hours. An attempt was i6 Isaac Mayer Wise made some years ago to establish a rabbinical college, but it proved a failure. "Poor students are supported in the way we have mentioned before; it is therefore not surpris- ing if we say that two-thirds of the young Jews in Bohemia who visit the institutes of learning are the sons of poor parents, and it is a fact deserving notice. We know one man who almost subsisted on charity, living now with his sons, two of whom are distinguished rabbins, one is a celebrated physician, and the fourth a promising young lawyer; and another, who worked a day for as much money as twelve cents, has three sons all of whom are physicians, and the oldest one is a medical officer in the Austrian army. Hundreds of such facts might be mentioned. "One of the greatest deficiencies among Bo- hemian country Jews is, that the girls do not receive more than a common school education; it is a rare exception that one is sent to a city for the ptirpose of receiving a better education. But this is a common fault of Europe, and is not quite rectified in this country. ' ' The country Jews in Bohemia are very religi- ous, sometimes superstitious, have good morals, and are industrious and enterprising. The family life among the country people is of a patriarchal The European Background 17 nature. The husband and father is the independ- ent sheik of the house, the wife and mother is second in rank. This dominion is often regulated by laws of love and respect, but sometimes de- generates into a kind of petty tyranny. Uncon- ditional obedience is required of the children, without distinction of sex or age; no vocation in life can be selected, no marriage can be contracted without the permission of the parents. Married children are considered independent of their parents; still, it is a matter of good deportment to pay distinguished respect to parents. There is that mutual attachment in families which dis- tinguishes patriarchal family life, and domestic quarrels are rare, and almost never grow up to violent disaffections. "The days of labour are devoted to business, and none are idle. The father, and the sons who have left school attend to some useful employment, many working hard. The mother and her daugh- ter care for the domestic comfort. The Sabbath and holydays are highly valued. On Friday the whole house is cleaned and set in order, and cook- ing required for the Sabbath is done. On Sab- bath evening everyone in the house changes his clothing, and the male portion of the family repair to the Synagogue. Meanwhile the lamp 1 8 Isaac Mayer Wise with six to twelve lights is kindled, a white cloth is spread over the table, and two loaves of bread and a cup of wine are set on it. The mother reads the prayers, and everything around is clean, and assumes, as it were, a festive look. When the father and his sons have returned from the Syna- gogue every child salutes his parents with the solemn "Good Sabbath," after which the blessing is received: "May God let thee be as Menasseh and Ephraim," or, " May God let thee be as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah," concluding with the blessing prescribed to the priests: "May God bless thee and guard thee, " etc. Then the whole family sing the hymn, Shalom Alechem (Peace be with thee) , everyone washes his hands, and takes a seat at the table; the father arises and recites the benediction over the wine and bread, after which the cup is given to the mother and then to every child according to age; the father then breaks the Sabbath bread and gives a piece to everyone in the above order. This is followed by the Sabbath supper, which is generally of an excellent kind. Meat is never missed, and, if possible, fish must grace the table. After the meal several hymns are sung, after which the father loudly speaks the grace. So, every Friday evening is a family feast to the poor, as well as to the rich, the exceptions The European Background 19 are very rare. If there is a domestic quarrel in a house, the Sabbath eve brings peace. This is regarded so highly that the poor are sent flour, oil, money, and meat on Thursday to have it for the Sabbath. . . . " There is a great difference between inhabitants of cities and villages. This is due to civilization and scholastic attainments having progressed so rapidly in the cities, from which the country people were excluded by the influence of the government. Rich merchants and learned men generally leave their native villages and take up their residence in some city, so that the most intel- ligent and enlightened portion of the community are in the cities. There everything is revolution- ized; there are but a few traces left of the old Bohemian Jews; everyone is modernized, or at least assumes the appearance of being so. Lan- guage, customs, habits, schools, synagogues, and views underwent a mighty change. In Prague, Toeplitz, Brandeis, Leipsic, and other places, synagogues with choirs, organs, and good preachers occupy the places of the old "Shuhl," and good schools, under examined and experienced teachers have almost extinguished the old "Heder. " Talmudical celebrities have become very rare, and are only sought for if they are in possession of 20 Isaac Mayer Wise a good university education. The sacredness of the ceremonial law is almost lost, and many a merchant violates the Sabbath. "The most distinguished Talmudists of Bohemia are in our days Rabbi Samuel Freund, of Prague, Rabbi Aaron Kornfeld, of Jenikau, Rabbi Daniel Frank, of Kollin, and Rabbi Moses L. Bloch, of Ronsperg, all of whom, with the exception of the latter, are old men. The young rabbins of larger cities consider the Talmud a secondary affair and spend their time in the acquirement of modern sciences, although there are but a few of them who have not a considerable knowledge of our national literature. It is remarkable that the far-renowned Rabbi Rappaport is considered more as a philolo- gist, antiquarian, and historian than a learned Talmudist. When he first came to Prague (he is a Polander) his reputation was very low in this respect, and we remember distinctly that he was looked upon as a third-rate man in Talmudical learning. The highly learned Rappaport is not chief rabbi of Bohemia, his authority extends no farther than the city of Prague, although his and his colleagues' reputation give them, by tacit consent, a certain and acknowledged authority. There is no hierarchy among the Bohemian Jews, and there never was one, although men greatly The European Background 21 renowned for learning always enjoyed the special respect of the multitude, which gave them an influence and authority. . . . Congregations are not as large in Bohemia as in Germany, and much less numerous than in Polish and Hungarian cities." CHAPTER II EARLY YEARS Very little is known of the ancestry of Isaac Mayer Wise. He could not be induced to talk about his early years, and often said they were too terrible to contemplate. No authentic data are to be found in Wise's writings; and, unlike many another great man who rose from humble begin- nings to a position of influence and prominence, he never referred to his early years. While noth- ing is known of his maternal ancestors, there are a few meagre facts concerning his paternal great- grandfather, grandfather, and father. His great- grandfather was a physician named Leo, who had studied medicine at Padua, practised at Marien- bad, and lived in the neighbourhood, in the village of Durmaul. This physician was known as Dr. Leo, and spoken of by his co-religionists as Leo "Chakam, " the Hebrew for Vv^ise. The son of this Dr. Leo, or Leo Weis, was Isaiah, who also studied medicine at Padua and likewise settled at 22 Early Years 23 Durmaul. This Doctor Isaiah lived to be over ninety years of age. Besides learned in his pro- fession he was well versed in Talmudical and rabbinical literature, and became the teacher of his son, whom he named for his father, Leo. This Leo, grandson of the Doctor Leo who had studied at Padua, was educated by liis father and became a teacher. Leo Weis was never a vigorous man, and died shortly after the birth of his youngest child, a daughter. Nothing certain is known of his early life. Shortly after receiving his educa- tion he removed from Durmaul to Steingrub, a small village of a few hundred inhabitants near the town of Eger, in Bohemia, overlooking Saxony and Bavaria. In this village of Steingrub, in which there dwelt a large number of Catholics, Leo Weis was married twice. His second wife was Regina Weis. The families were distantly related. As already stated, nothing is known of the ancestry of Regina Weis. She was, however, a handsome woman, bright, cheerful, lovable, and devoted. She emigrated to America in 1867 with her son Samuel and later lived in Peoria, Illinois, with her daughter, Caroline Korsosky, where she died in 1880 at a ripe old age. In July, 1877, Dr. Wise, en route to the Coast, stopped at Peoria to visit his mother, and he writes 24 Isaac Mayer Wise delightfully of her as follows': "You need not laugh, we must stop to see the ladies. Here is one of them, a wonderful woman. She is eighty- six years old, speaks, hears, and sees like a young woman, and goes every Sabbath to the temple even if it rains or is right hot. She tells beautiful stories of sixty to seventy-five years ago, and laughs over a good joke of today. She is never cross, never displeased, and has a kind word for everyone. She speaks, thinks, and feels as I do, and like me she laughs over the world's numerous _ follies. She looks like me, and is as incurable an optimist as I am. She is my mother. God bless her. I stopped over to see her and my baby sister." Of this marriage there were born thirteen chil- dren, seven of whom died in infancy. Isaac Mayer was the oldest surviving son. He was born on March 29, 18 19. The Hebrew date, which in later years was always observed as his birthday, was the third day of Nissan, 5579. The family was very poor and barely eked out an existence. The father was the typical Jewish school teacher of the Bohemian village. Besides conducting a small school he performed all the necessary duties as functionary of the Jewish community, such as reading the prayers morning ' Israelite, vol. xxix., No. 2, Early Years 25 and evening, slaughtering the cattle and fowl, and officiating at times as minister. Young Wise began at the age of four to attend his father's school; when he was six years old he received his first instruction in Talmud, and within three years thereafter he showed such precocity that his father was unable to give him individual attention. It was then decided that he should live with his grandfather, Dr. Isaiah, at Durmaul. Here he attended the Jewish day school, where most of the time was taken up in the study of the Talmud, and once a week the Pentateuch with Aramaic translation and Rashi commentary was studied. The young boy, however, had the advantage of receiving in the evening personal instruction from his learned grandfather, Dr. Isaiah. The following anecdote is told of his stay with the learned physician: "At ten the boy was invariably sent to bed, but the grandfather sat up till midnight poring over huge tomes. These midnight vigils excited the boy's curiosity, espe- cially as he had noted a large wooden box which was never opened in his presence, but from which the child, who was supposed to have been asleep, saw his grandfather take books; the mysterious box was meddled with, and one day yielded to manipu- lation, when it was found to be filled with cabal- 26 Isaac Mayer Wise istic works, with the mysticism of which the physician busied himself in the still hours of the night. "^ When the lad was twelve years old his learned grandfather died. Inasmuch as his parents in Steingrub were in no position to care for him, and as he had already determined to become a rabbi, he set out for Prague, the capital of Bohemia, and at that time the centre of Jewish learning of Bohemia. He started on his journey afoot, with a small bundle of clothes and twenty-seven kreut- zer in his pocket. En route he stopped at Mies where a cousin gave him five florins, and at Pilsen an uncle, an officer in the artillery, bestowed upon him ten more. When he arrived at Prague he at once attended the Jewish school called the Beth Hammidrash, which adjoined the Alt-Neu-Schul, the famous Synagogue of Prague. In his "Recol- lections of Bohemia," quoted in the first chapter of this book. Dr. Wise tells of the custom of the well- to-do Jews to give to poor and deserving students "day-board," so that they could piu-sue their studies. Had it not been for this custom and charity it is doubtful whether the young student could have reached the goal of his ambition. In later life he never forgot this great boon shown him 'Philipson-Grossmann's Selected Writings of Isaac M. Wise, p. 3. Early Years 27 in youth, and no young man who wished to study ever left him unassisted. In his home there were always to be found young men who lived with him, and when more than forty years later the Hebrew Union College at Cincinnati was opened he became the guardian angel of many a young student. In Prague he was assisted first by the widow of Rabbi Bezalel Ronsperg, an uncle of his mother. He also gained the friendship and assist- ance of a wealthy Jew named Moses Fischel, through a boyish prank. Fischel's daughter was about to be married. It was customary for the bridegroom on the Sab- bath afternoon before the wedding to give proof of his Talmudical learning before an invited audi- ence. Young Wise and some of his fellows hap- pened in the Synagogue and mischievously began to question the prospective bridegroom, who, entirely ignorant of his subject, which he had learned by rote, broke down and was unable to answer the questions. This disclosure so mortified Moses Fischel that in a fit of anger he boxed young Wise's ears. The next day Moses Fischel, rich and influential, sought out the boy and apologized for his conduct. Upon learning that the young boy was among the best pupils of the school he became interested in him, frequently invited him 28 Isaac Mayer Wise to his house, where, when partaking of his hos- pitaHty, young Wise found generous sums of money under his plate. Wise remained at Prague about two years. He was ever fortunate in making the useful ac- quaintance of learned men. At this time Prof. Moses Koref, a teacher of mathematics in the school at Prague, became interested in him, and in the evenings gave him private instruction in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, and thus was laid the foundation for his scientific training, which stood him in such good stead in later years. After leaving the intermediate school, the Beth Hammidrash, he went to the high school of Jewish learning, the Yeshibah, as it was called. He attended two of these schools, one of Rabbi Loeb Glogau, the other the leading rabbinical school of Prague, conducted by Rabbi Samuel Freund, one of the greatest Talmudical scholars of his age. About 1835 he went to Jenikau to attend the most famous Bohemian, rabbinical school, that conducted by Rabbi Aaron Kornfeld. This school had about one hundred and fifty pupils, and, under the provisions of the law in force at that time, any student could accept a rabbinical position provided a rabbinical court of three, technically called Early Years 29 "Beth Din," passed the candidate. In July, 1837, however, a governmental decree was issued providing that thereafter no one could become a rabbi unless he had pursued certain courses at the gymnasium and the university. Wise's liberal and progressive spirit may be attributed in a great degree to the influence that surrounded him at Jenikau. In the first place Rabbi Aaron Korn- feld, the head of the school, was opposed to the prevailing method of disputation, the hair-split- ting method, or pilpulism, as it was called. He also recommended to his scholars the study of geography, history, and mathematics. The local rabbi of Jenikau, Jonathan Altar, had two sons who had]studied at the University of Prague. These young men with whom Wise became acquainted had read the German poets, Goethe, Schiller, and Herder, and through their influence the imagina- tive and poetic young Wise turned to these mas- ters of German literature and at once became absorbed in the best German literature of the day. After the governmental decree reqiiiring at- tendance at the gymnasium and the university. Wise went to Prague again and became a tutor in the house of Leopold Jerusalem. He success- fully passed the examination of three gymnasium courses in his nineteenth year. Shortly after 30 Isaac Mayer Wise coming to Prague, Jerusalem died and, as his children, whom Wise had tutored, were sent to school, Wise was compelled to find another posi- tion as tutor. Unable to find one in Prague, he was fortunate enough to be accepted as a tutor in the house of Herman Bloch, a merchant in the small village of Grafenried. In the neighbour- hood there was a town, Wassersuppen, in which the assistant of the Catholic priest was studying for the priesthood. The prospective priest and rabbi formed an educational alliance, the former instructing the latter in Greek in exchange for lessons in Hebrew. Surely Hellenism and He- braism were not at cross-purposes in this instance. Within a year he returned to Prague, and after six months' attendance at the gymnasium passed the examinations of the fourth and fifth classes. However, upon the recommendation of Rabbi Solomon Judah Rappaport, of Prague, he was elected teacher by the Jewish community of Ronsperg. As there were no Jews at this time who had passed examinations for the university, without which no one could become a teacher, the government permitted V/ise to accept because he had passed through the five classes of the gym- nasium. After remaining at Ronsperg for the year, he went to Pressburg in Hungary to pass his Early Years 31 final examination for the university. He went to Hungary because in Austria he would not have been permitted to take the examinations unless he had attended the classes of the upper gymnasium for a full year. While at Pressburg he also attended the rabbinical school of Rabbi Moses Sopher. On his return to Prague he attended the uni- versity for two years, living in the meantime in the house of Rappaport, and tutored and copied music for a living. After leaving Prague he attended the University of Vienna for a year. Here he lived for a time at the house of the leading Jewish preacher, Isaac Noah Mannheimer, and here he also met Sulzer, the famous cantor, and frequently dined with both of these celebrated men. Soon after his arrival, however, he became a teacher in the family of Herr von Wertheimstein, a wealthy and influential man, with whose son he travelled in Italy. Upon his return to Prague he lived again with Rabbi Rappaport, and at the age of twenty-three (1842) passed a creditable rab- binical examination before the Beth Din, the rabbinical court composed of Rabbis Rappaport, Freund, and Teweles, who conferred upon him the rabbinical title of Rabbi, a title that he as Presi- dent of the Hebrew Union College conferred tipon sixty-one rabbis between 1883 and 1899. CHAPTER III THE LAST YEARS IN EUROPE The first and only rabbinical position in Bo- hemia and Europe held by Wise was at Radnitz, a small town near Pilsen, Bohemia. When the congregation at Radnitz in 1843 requested Solo- mon Judah Rappaport, the chief rabbi of Prague, to send them a competent man who could officiate as a rabbi, he stated he would send them a "new light," and, upon his recommendation, the re- cently ordained Rabbi Wise went to Radnitz, delivered a sermon, and was immediately elected. He was inducted into office on October 26, 1843, and took as the text of his inaugural sermon, Isaiah li; 1-3: "Hearken to me ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord; look unto the rock whence ye are hewn and the hole of the pit whence you are digged. Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bare you, for I called him alone and blessed him and increased him. For the Lord shall comfort Zion 32 The Last Years in Europe 33 and he will comfort all in waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like a garden of the Lord: joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. " In October, 1893, fifty years thereafter, Dr. Wise refers to his induction in office in the follow- ing manner^: "Fifty years ago this day the oldest son of a Bohemian village schoolmaster and a minister of a small congregation, preached his inaugural sermon (Isaiah li; 1-3) before the large and highly respectable congregation of Radnitz, Bohemia. I was humbly aware of my imperfections and with little confidence in my ability to do justice to the sacred ofhce. " Notwithstanding his doubts, he began to preach in German regularly. Besides him, there was but one rabbi in Bohemia, outside of Prague, who preached in German. The young rabbi, he was in his twenty-fifth year, opened a day-school in Radnitz, and was able to overcome the opposition of the Catholics by obtaining the special consent of the minister of education. At this time he was greatly influenced by the liberal movement that was in progress among the German Jews. While at the university there ' Israelite, vol. xl., No. 17. 34 Isaac Mayer Wise appeared a book b}^ Rabbi Samuel Hirsch, then living at Dessau, Die Religionsphilosophie der Juden. Speaking of this work, Dr. Wise wrote in April, 1889': "We only wish to add that another book which appeared when we had en- tered upon the twenty-second year of our age exercised a similar influence upon the forma- tion of our character and that was Dr. Samuel Hirsch's great work on Jewish philosophy. This book impressed us among the then small band of disciples of Saadia, Maimonides, Albo, and their compatriots at a time when wavering between the two standpoints of the crystallized 'Halachah' the rational and progressive theology of the Moorish-Spanish savants. Rappaport taught us the method of research, Sachs gave us the rules of pulpit oratory, and Riesser made us feel free, and Hirsch led us to think free." Gabriel Riesser referred to above largely influ- enced the young boy Wise, "leading him into a new sphere of right and freedom then unknown to the masses of his co-religionists, and especially to the students of the Talmud." Gabriel Riesser ( 1 806-1 863) was the grandson of Rabbi Raphael Cohen. He studied law, but because of the dis- abilities under which the Jews in Germany lived, ' Israelite, vol. xxxv., No. 43. The Last Years in Europe 35 he was greatly hampered in making progress in his chosen profession. The German Judaephobia aroused him, and he became the champion of the movement for the emancipation of the German Jews. Being rejected as an attorney in his native town on account of his religion, he sought to deliver lectures in jurisprudence at Heidelberg, but he was denied this privilege. Met by these rebuffs, Riesser was instantly aroused. Graetz says^: "Thus Riesser, who felt no particular call to work for the general good, was driven to become an agitator, not alone for the freedom of his co-religionists, but also for that of the whole German nation. He made it his duty in life to secure equal privileges for the Jews and to defend them whenever attacked. 'The unspeakable suf- ferings, throughout two centuries, of many millions of persons who patiently waited for deliverance weighed heavily upon him. His ideal was Lessing. In his first pamphlet (1831) he spoke with con- scious pride, not alone against German rulers, but against the people who refused permission to the Jews to ascend even the lowest rung on the ladder of distinction." In 1874, Wise, speaking of Gabriel Riesser's visit in 1856 to Cincinnati, says^: "Gabriel ' Graetz, vol. v., p. 599. * Reminiscences, p. 338. 36 Isaac Mayer Wise Riesser, of Hamburg, the mighty champion of emancipation of the German Jews, and vice- president of the Parhament of Frankfort in 1848, travelled through the United States and visited Cincinnati in the course of his journey. It was from the journal edited by this man that I learned in 1 83 1 in a distant village of Bohemia, that the Jew also had inborn human rights that must be respected by eVery honourable man. I still re- member how he told the German country squires, soldiers, and pikemen, boldly : ' You have the can- non, and you have the power, therefore you are what you want to be, and will not let us become what we might be. Give us the cannon, give us the power, and we will be what we wish to be, and let you be what you can.' Severely as I was scolded by my aged Talmud teacher whenever I read a German book or magazine, yet I managed to procure every leaflet that bore the name of Gabriel Riesser, and I read it with childish delight. I had to weep frequently at the wrongs which he set forth and the mighty language with which he castigated. " Imbued with such democratic doctrines it is little wonder that the progressive young rabbi soon found himself in opposition to both church and state. Being summoned to Pilsen, before the The Last Years in Europe 37 governor of the district in which Radnitz was situated, for referring only casually to the Emperor Ferdinand's birthday, instead of preaching a laudatory sermon as contemplated by the order directing especial service to be held in honour of that event, he refused to answer questions ad- dressed to him in the third person, e. g.: "Is he a loyal citizen?" Saying: "I am not a he." Mention has already been made of the restric- tions placed upon the Jew's right to marry. The Radnitz rabbi married all Jewish couples despite the fact that the groom did not possess the much coveted " Familiantenrecht, " the right to marry. When called to task for this infraction of the law he bitterly complained against its iniquity and unjustness, and stated he would continue to dis- regard so inhuman an edict. When questioned at Prague by a member of the imperial council in charge of Jewish affairs as to the cause of so many illegitimate births among the Jews, he pointed out that it was due solely to the barbarous restrictions of the right to marry. On account of his inde- pendent nature he came into conflict with the dis- trict rabbi, Abraham Kafka, and his position became irksome. On May 26, 1844,^ Isaac Mayer Wise married ' Record in Family Bible. 38 Isaac Mayer Wise at Grafenried a former pupil, Theresa Bloch, the daughter of Herman Bloch, and the sister of Edward and Joseph Bloch, whom he had tutored at Prague. Theresa Bloch, who was two years younger than he, was a beautiful woman, small of stature, with a lovable and sweet disposition. She had a great fund of common sense and an abiding faith in her ambitious young lover and husband. The young couple were ideally mated, and with mutual confidence there began a happy married life which was to last for thirty years. His eldest child, a girl, named Emily, was born February 22, 1846. In 1845, while visiting Frankfort, the young rabbi was a spectator at the famous second rab- binical conference over which presided Leopold Stein, of Frankfort, formerly of Burgkunstadt. This was the second of the three great reform rabbinical conferences that were held in Germany (1844-1846). The first took place at Brunswick in 1844, and the third at Breslau in 1846. The leading spirits of these conferences were Abraham Geiger, Samuel Holdheim, Leopold Stein, Ludwig Philippson, Samuel Adler, David Einhorn, and Zacharias Frankel. At the Franlvfort conference the principal topics of discussion were the ques- tions presented by the report of the Commission The Last Years in Europe 39 on Litiirgy which had been appointed in pursuance of a resolution adopted by the Brunswick con- ference. The principal questions presented and discussed were the necessity for the retention of the Hebrew in the public service, the prayers for the return to Palestine, and the restoration of the sacrificial cult ; likewise the observance of the custom of calling to the pulpit men to read parts of the Scripture and the introduction of the organ into the synagogue. All of these questions were ably and fully discussed by the members, leaders of reform Judaism in Germany, and the young Rabbi of Radnitz who no doubt was in hearty accord with these reformers must have been greatly stirred and influenced by the debates; for nearly all the reforms approved at this conference were eventually introduced by him in America. It was this conference which, at the suggestion of Ludwig Philippson, the great editor of the Alle- gemeitce Zeiiung des Judenlhums, adopted reso- lutions declaring "the foundation of one or more Jewish theological faculties in Germany a worthy and high endeavour," and resolved "That a com- mission be appointed to interest the public in this noble cause." The commission appointed con- sisted of Geiger, Philippson, Stein, Holdheim, and Solomon. On his return to Radnitz one can read- 40 Isaac Mayer Wise ily understand how Rabbi Wise soon became dis- satisfied with his narrow environment. He had famiHarized himself with the English language by reading several volumes of American-English reprints, among which were contained letters of Richard Henry Lee, under the nom de plume "Fed- eral Farmer," on the adoption of the constitution proposed in 1787 for the United States. Wise had also read many novels of J. Fenimore Cooper, and was familiar with the English Bible. In his fiftieth anniversary sermon, above re- ferred to, he says: "I was well satisfied with my condition materially and yet I was morbidly dis- satisfied with everything; the country, the city, Judaism and Christianity, everything in any State appeared to me a disappointment; my ideals were far above the realities, and I could see no pros- pect of improvement. I felt sick of home. The irresistible longing for other conditions; another state of things generally became to me finally the message to Abraham — 'Get thee out of thy country, and far from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto the land which I shall show thee.' All my considerations as to such a ven- tm-ous step were silenced by the charge to Eliezer — 'He will send his angels before thee.' 'You The Last Years in Europe 41 must emigrate ' became to me al' divine command- ment which I could not overcome in spite of myself. "In an antiquarian bookstore in the city of Prague I found a collection of American-English prints, and in it a set of journals from the year 1 780-1 790. I purchased the whole and read with the heart more perhaps than with the reason. That Uterature made of me a naturalized Ameri- can in the interior of Bohemia. It inspired in me the resolution to go to America, and against the will of my friends I did go and my family with me." And so, being a progressive in his religious belief and democratic in his political views, he began to make preparations for his departure from Rad- nitz. When he applied for a passport he was refused with the words: "Do you think we opened schools for you to take your learning to America ? " Nothing daunted, Wise resigned his position at Radnitz, and without a passport, accompanied by his young wife, and baby girl who had been born a few months previously, crossed the border into Saxony and proceeded on his way to Bremen whence he was to sail for the promised land. At Leipsic he met Berthold Auerbach, in Breslau, Abraham Geiger, at Magdeburg, Ludwig Philipp- 42 Isaac Mayer Wise son, in Frankfort, Leopold Stein, and at Berlin, Michael Sachs, from whom he learned the art of pulpit oratory. Leopold Stein, who until 1844 was rabbi at Burgkunstadt, whence emigrated to America many Jewish families who settled in Cin- cinnati, must have impressed him very much. Apropos of his death. Wise, on December 15, 1882, " wrote': "It may be put down as a fact that re- form among American Jews was accelerated by Leopold Stein, because many of our leading men and women in this country were educated under his influence and felt a rare attachment to him and his teachings." About the twentieth of May, 1846, Wise set sail from Bremerhaven in the vessel Marie and arrived, after a stormy voyage of sixty-three days, at New York, July 23, 1846. After his arrival in America he desired only once to return to Europe, and then not to Bohemia but to Germany. That was in 1848, when discouraged at Albany he heard in the spring of that year of the revolution in Paris and throughout Europe. He then expected the formation of a European republic. His wife declined to accompany him, and both William H. Seward and Horace Greeley advised him to remain. After that struggle with himself and ' Israelite, vol. xxix., N. S., No. 24. The Last Years in Europe 43 the subsequent fiasco of the 1848 movement in Germany and Austria, he never had the desire to return even for a brief visit, and often expressed himself as being heartily sick of the monarchical systems of Germany and Austria. He came to America with definite plans and purposes, chief among these was to liberate the Jew from his narrow bigoted environment, to secure for him the enjoyment of equal political and religious rights, and to make him an inde- pendent and respected citizen of the community in which he lived. He succeeded in all his purposes, but not with- out a bitter and fierce struggle. The succeeding fifty-four years of his life (i 846-1 900) are in reality the history of Judaism in America, for during that time he established the American Israelite and Die Deborah, organized the Union of American He- brew Congregations; founded the Hebrew Union College at Cincinnati, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The history of the fore- going institutions is the history of Judaism in America. He overshadowed every other rabbi in this country between 1854 ^^"^ 1900, and, despite the opposition of the most powerful, he succeeded in Americanizing the Jew and Judaism. 44 Isaac Mayer Wise Diiring his half century and more in this coun- try he held but three rabbinical positions, two in Albany, 1 846-1 854, and one in Cincinnati, 1854- 1900. CHAPTER IV THE PROMISED LAND In the summer of 1846 Wise arrived in New York with much luggage and little money. At the dock his knowledge of English prevented him from being grossly overcharged by expressmen, but brought upon him the abuse of the German drivers who, without delay, cried out derisively against the Jews. This greeting in the land of the free was a rude awakening to him. Neither did the city of New York at this time impress him favourably. In the first chapter of his Remi- niscences, written nearly thirty years afterwards, he writes^: "The whole city appeared to me like a large shop where everyone buys or sells, cheats or is cheated. I had never known before a city so bare of all art and of every trace of good taste ; likewise I had never witnessed anywhere such rushing, hiu*rying, chasing, running. In addition to this there was the crying, blowing, clamouring, ' Page 18. 45 46 Isaac Mayer Wise and other noises of the fishmongers, milkmen, newsboys, etc. . , . All this shocked my ses- thetic sense beyond expression. In the first few- days I heard the sound of music but once in the street. This was produced by a wandering medi- ocre Bohemian band which thundered Turkish music. . . , Everything seemed so pitifully small and paltry ; and I had had so exalted an idea of the land of freedom that New York seemed to me like a lost station by the sea; on the first day I longed to be away from the city. " During the first weeks after his arrival he opened a night school in the basement of the house he lived in, giving the young foreigners he found there instruction in English, but as he humorously says: "The experiment lasted only a week or two, for I discovered that I had poor pay- ing pupils, and they discovered they had a still poorer teacher." The first Jews to settle in America were of Spanish and Portuguese descent. They came here from England, Holland, Brazil, and the West Indies, and established congregations in New- port, R. L, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Va., Charleston, S. C, and Savannah, Ga. Between 1820 and 1845 there was a large immigration of German, Polish, and Austrian The Promised Land 47 Jews, driven to this country by the intoler- able conditions abroad, due to the reaction that set in after Waterloo. Many of the immigrants were men of liberal views who had emancipated themselves from all burdensome religious observ- ances. The earliest comers settled in cities where Portuguese congregations existed and affiliated with such congregations. The majority of the immigrants, however, established German and Polish congregations and benevolent societies in the above cities, and later in Boston, New Haven, Hartford, Baltimore, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and St Louis. A large number settled in smaller towns and through intermarriage were lost to Judaism. In 1846 there were seven Jewish congregations in New York, two communal schools, and a number of Jewish mutual benefit associations. At this time there were but three German officiating rabbis in America: Dr. Max Lilienthal and Dr. Leo Mers- bacher, in New York, and the Rev. Gustav Posnanski, in Charleston, S. C. Within the con- gregations, with the exception of the three, Beth Elohim, of Charleston, S. C, Har Sinai, at Bal- timore, and Temple Emanuel, of New York, the strictest orthodoxy prevailed. Ignorance of Jew- ish literature was the order of the day, and there 48 Isaac Mayer Wise was the same lack of decorum and discipline that existed in Europe. The old customs so religiously observed in the home country for the most part, were strictly insisted upon in the new settlements. Outside of the three reform congregations in New York, Baltimore, and Charleston, most of the Ger- man and Polish congregations were ultra orthodox. At this time, with the exception of Dr. Max Lilien- thal, of New York, no rabbi officiated in any orthodox congregation. In these congregations there was usually the cantor or the chazan, as he was usually called, who chanted the services, the shochet, or the slaughterer of cattle and fowl ac- cording to religious rules. The prayer-book in use had been brought from abroad and was according to the Polish or Polish- German ritual. One of the greatest sources of confusion and abuses tolerated in the congregations was the custom of the many special blessings, the Mi-sheberakhs as they were called, and the selling of religious func- tions to the highest bidders, called Mitswoth, i. e., selling to one the right to read certain portions of the law, to another to carry the scroll, or torah, etc. Wise had brought with him letters of introduc- tion to certain physicians in New York; upon presenting these he was advised not to have any- thing to do with the Jews, but rather to peddle or The Promised Land 49 learn a trade. This advice depressed him very much. However, he resolved to present one more letter of introduction, and this was addressed to Dr. Max Lilienthal, through whom he obtained the first opportunity to officiate in America, and who later, in 1855, became his colleague in Cin- cinnati, where they remained friends until Lilien- thal's death in 1882. In his Reminiscences,^ Wise describes his first meeting with Lilienthal: "In the morning, accordingly, I went to Eldridge Street, stopped at a small house, and rang the bell very timidly. A man in a dressing-gown with a black velvet cap on his head opened the door. 'I would like to speak to Dr. Lilienthal,' 'I am he; step in.' We stepped into a rear room which was his library. 'I came from Bohemia; here is a letter from Dr. W., your school friend, and here are some of my papers.' Dr. Lilienthal read the letter and the first of the twelve documents I had given him, then he went to the door and called, 'Wife, bring coffee and cigars, I have received a guest. ' Turning to me, he gave me a friendly and hearty Sholem Alechem, Peace be upon thee. 'Hold up your head, courage,' cried he, 'you are the man, we need you. ' In short, Dr. Lilienthal was the first one to encourage me and inspire me * Pages 19-20. 4 50 Isaac Mayer Wise with hope, and at that time this was of prime importance and significance to me .... With- in ten minutes I felt at home, and the impression which I received in the Lilienthal home perhaps decided my career in America. Here I became acquainted with Jewish conditions and with per- sons of the better type. " Among those he met were a young lawyer who later became a judge, several teachers and rabbini- cal students, and many prominent merchants, one of whom, J. D. Walter, gave him a letter of intro- duction to his brother-in-law, an Albany merchant. At this time Dr. Lilienthal was the chief rabbi of three ultra-orthodox congregations, preaching every Satiirday in a different synagogue. During this season of the year the orthodox observed, as they still do, the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem, Tishah b'ab. Wise's tendencies are already shown in his comments on this service, which he attended at Dr. Lilienthal's congregation: "But what he said about the season of mourning had long since lost significance for me and I was really and truly moved to mournful feelings, not for the destruction of Jerusalem, but for the dis- appearance of Judaism in the Polish-cabalistical rabbinism and supernaturalism. " ^ ' Reminiscences, p. 22. The Promised Land 51 About the first of August, 1846, Wise was intro- duced to Dr. Leo Merzbacher, rabbi of the Re- form Congregation Temple Emanuel. Dr. Merz- bacher was a learned and thoroughly sincere man who had had sad experiences in New York, and he seemed very sympathetic when Wise informed him that he intended to practise his calling. Wise added: "In case I fail in this, I will enter upon an academic career; and if I should not succeed, I will work. I am 3^oung, healthy, active, and have enjoyed a good education." "And do you intend to preach reform?" Merzbacher asked. "I can sacrifice everything but principle," was the answer. "Well, then, I wish you luck," said the New York rabbi. "That was a sad blow for me, " writes Wise.' "Later I learned he received two hundred and fifty dollars per year because the congregation could not afford to pay more. Such were the prospects for the reform movement in New York in 1846. " In order to support himself at this time. Wise gave private lessons and spurned all suggestions that he should embrace Christianity. He un- doubtedly would have continued for some time to tutor had not Dr. Lilienthal sent him during the last week in August to New Haven, Connecti- ' Reminiscences, p. 25. 52 Isaac Mayer Wise cut, to dedicate a synagogue. Wise, who had refused several invitations to preach in New York City, willingly went to New Haven. The new synagogue was located in a hall of an upper story of a building. The services were well attended and the young rabbi was cordially received. In the New Haven Palladium of August 29, 1846, the following account appears : ' ' The hall in the fourth story of Brewster's building was consecrated as a Jewish synagogue. A lecture was delivered in German by Dr. Wais, a rabbi who has but recently arrived in this country. This is spoken of by those who understand the language as a most excellent discourse, and the speaker certainly in his manner gave evidence of a most perfect style of oratory." The mis-spelling of his name in- duced Wise to change the spelling from the Ger- man "Weis" to the English "Wise." For his services the rabbi received sixty dollars, to him a small fortune. Upon his return to New York Dr. Lilienthal informed him that the fol- lowing week he could go to Syracuse to dedicate a synagogue there if he chose. The offer was most welcome, as he desired to get away from New York. Mr. Walter gave him a letter of introduction to the president of the Albany congregation, which was without a preacher. He went to Albany by The Promised Land 53 boat and was greatly impressed by the beauty and the grandeur of the Hudson. "I have seen and experienced quite a great deal in life," he wrote nearly thirty years later,' "but I can recall no impression that can be at all compared with that which I received on that day. The steamer seemed to be a floating palace, the people higher beings, and the Hudson a second Chideqel flowing out of the Garden of Eden. The lofty walls of rocks above New York seemed to shut off the Old World, and the steep heights in the vicinity of West Point were for me a mighty door, the grand gate opening into the New World. Over- come with awe and emotion, I could have em- braced every mountain, every rock." On Saturday, he preached at Albany in Beth El congregation, but his sermon was far above his audience. Nevertheless he was invited to return to conduct the holiday services for which he was promised one hundred dollars. The young preacher said he would write from Syracuse, for he wanted to go to Cincinnati, having heard that city praised most highly by a Cincinnatian he had met in New York. From Albany he went by train to Syracuse. That was his first railroad ride in America. At Syracuse he remained longer than ^ Reminiscences, p. 30. 54 Isaac Mayer Wise he had intended, because the synagogue had not been completed on his arrival. His sojourn was very valuable to him, and he got a good insight into the Jewish conditions of the smaller communi- ties. "My experience in New Haven, Albany, and Syracuse were of the most signal importance. These German Jewish immigrants, mused I, have not lost their love for Judaism under the influence of their new political and social conditions. Hence desire for organization. They form congregations, build synagogues, and feel a longing for the living word. . . . There are life and energy in this new Judaism whether it now be conscious or unconscious. The people lack culture; they do not possess a true appreciation of the conditions among which they live. 'Tis well I have found my vocation and my mission."^ During his two weeks' stay at Syracuse he came into contact with all kinds of people and learned their great faults. He also thought over the causes of his failure at Albany and determined, if possible, to redeem himself, and he succeeded. He gives the following description of his sermon at Albany, the sermon that induced Beth El congregation to elect him^: "When my turn came I stepped to the im- provised pulpit (there were no pulpits in American ' Reminiscences, p. 37. ^ Ibid., pp. 43-44. The Promised Land 55 synagogues in those days, since the congregations gave no thought to employing preachers) with the firm determination to move the hearts of the assembled multitude, and I spoke like an old pastor whose flock threatened to dissolve. Hagar and Ishmael served as symbols for body and soul. I characterized culture and religion as bread and water, and likened the wandering in the wilder- ness to the course of human life. 'And she went and lost her way,' was the first knotty point. Here I was able to bring all my weapons into play. I passed in review all the faults and mistakes of all the centuries, and the listening audience which had never heard such a flood of words was com- pletely overwhelmed and dumbfounded. There- upon followed the second phase, 'And she threw the child under the terebinth. ' This I applied to the inner remorse of the sinner, and expatiated upon this until the sobbing in the gallery (the place in the synagogue set apart for women who were not permitted to be seated with the men) became so audible that I was compelled to stop. Finally I spoke of the angel and the spring. This I called the voice of conscience and the perennial font of religion, etc., which unite mother and child at last in comfort and hope, and lead to a beautiful future. I concluded with an expression of the 56 Isaac Mayer Wise hoped-for reconciliation and brotherhood of man- kind. As I left the pulpit and glanced at the con- gregation I felt triumphant, for it seemed to me I had struck the right note at this time." He was warmly congratulated by the whole congregation, and the next day he preached at another synagogue. It was evident that the Beth El congregation wanted the eloquent young man, not as rabbi, but as teacher and preacher. The distinction is hard to understand at this day, but in 1846 the conditions were very different. At that time the rabbis and preachers were not popular, in fact there was a prejudice against them as well as against cultured people because of their impracticability. Then, too, only the wealthier congregations could employ both a rabbi and a cantor. The cantor himself generally opposed the election of a rabbi. The cantor, or chazan, was the Reverend. He was reader, cantor, teacher, butcher, grave-digger, and performed the rite of circumcision. When it was suggested to Wise that he should apply for the position of preacher and teacher, he refused, saying: "If you wish to elect me you must elect me as rabbi. This is my province. I will preach and open a school. I leave to you the determination of the amount of the salary, because I do not know how The Promised Land 57 much is needed here. I will write no petition. I have never sought a position and will never do so. "^ After stating such conditions he left for New York to rejoin his family from whom he had been absent nearly a month. On arriving home he received the welcome news that he had been elected unanimously as rabbi of Beth El congre- gation of Albany. He left for Albany in time to officiate on the eve of the Day of the Atonement, and within a week was followed by his wife and child, and the family took up their home at 77 Ferry Street. In these days of high-salaried rabbis it may be interesting to recall the fact that Rabbi Wise's first salary was two hundred and fifty dollars a year, in addition he was allowed nine dollars a year, for each pupil in his school, but he had to bear the expenses of carrying on the school. The school soon flourished, and as the public schools of Albany at this time were not very good, the number of pupils at Wise's school was very large, increasing from seventy-six, the original enrolment, to one hundred and twenty in the following spring, when Wise's salary was increased to four hundred dollars a year. The Albany career of Wise has been justly characterized as the storm and stress period of ' Reminiscences, p. 46. 58 Isaac Mayer Wise his life, and may be divided into two periods. The first, 1 846-1 850, which covered the beginning of the great reform movement, including the efforts to establish an American Ritual, techni- cally called "Minhag America," and the first efforts for the union of American Hebrew Con- gregations, ended with the break with his congre- gation in September, 1850. The second period, 1 850-1 854, begins with the organization of the new Congregation Anshe Emeth (Men of Truth), and deals with his further efforts for reform, the beginning of his editorial, literary, and historical work, and ends in April, 1854, when he left Albany to enter upon his duties as rabbi of Congregation Bene Yeshurun of Cincinnati, having been elected to that position in October, 1853. CHAPTER V THE FIRST ALBANY PERIOD — RABBI OF BETH EL CONGREGATION I 846-1 850 Prior to 1848 two-thirds of all the Israelites of Albany, and also of America, were unable to read English. Their Judaism consisted of a number of inherited customs and observances. Most of them did not observe the Sabbath, and when away from home did not observe the dietary laws, or put on the phylacteries in the morning, "The laying of the t'fillin," as it was called. While at home, however, they insisted that the service must be conducted in the strictest orthodox manner, and, naturally, as the people came from various coun- tries there were as many different customs or rituals as countries whence they came. Thus there were Portuguese, German, and Polish cus- toms. This divergence of nationalities resulted in a veritable Babel. Wise, speaking of this, says': ^Reminiscences, pp. 70-71. 59 6o Isaac Mayer Wise "Hence arose a Babel-like confusion. Blows passed in a certain synagogue in New York at the service on the eve of the Day of Atonement (Kol. Nidre) because one party insisted that at the close of the services a certain hymn, Adon 01am, be sung first, and then the conventional concluding hymn, the Yigdal, while others insisted on the opposite. Rudeness goes hand in hand with ig- norance. A fight at the congregational meeting, the escape of the president by a window . . . lengthy and unprofitable altercations in place of debates, such things were common occurrences not only in Albany but everywhere. ... In addition to this, the congregation looked upon those who ministered to it as mere hirelings, ser- vants; the rabbi, the cantor, the sexton, servants, etc., were engaged and paid by the year or half- year. It was understood that he had to be the servant and lickspittle, buffoon and menial, or else he was dismissed. " The congregation was under the domination of the president, "Parnass, " and he ruled with the power of a political boss, and so autocratic was his authority that no sermons were permitted without his consent. Wise recognized from the beginning that it would be necessary for him to take a bold stand The First Albany Period 6i to bring order out of chaos, to make the synagogue respected by the sister churches, and to introduce order and decorum, not only within the synagogue, but without. Speaking of himself at this time, he says': "Now, I came among these people with a consciousness of independence and mastery which never deserts me, and with ideas on religion, political and social conditions so radically differ- ent from theirs, that struggle and ill feeling were bound to ensue. True, I might have acted more skilfully and discreetly, but being by nature fiery, earnest, and fearless, I gave expression reck- lessly to all my principles and views, for which the majority of my hearers could by no possible manner have been ripe and ready. In addition to this, I had the peculiarity of pointing out vices, faults, and weaknesses so sharply and vividly that in every sermon someone felt that he had been attacked, and harboured ill will toward me on that account. Old conditions had to be over- come and new ones had to be created, and anti- quated abuses had to be corrected." Among the faults and vices preached against were the non-observance of the Sabbath, card-playing, the frequenting of the saloons, and giving of false testimony. Wise realized immediately that if he ' Reminiscences, p. 72. 62 Isaac Mayer Wise was to hold his congregation and exert an influence upon them it would be necessary to improve the service and make it more attractive and intelligible to the young people. In October, 1846, about a month and a half after Wise had taken charge at Albany, Dr. Max LiHenthal, of New York, suggested that there be organized a synagogal authoritative body to be called by the old Jewish name, Beth Din, a court of learned men who decided ritual questions. He invited Wise, of Albany, and Rev. Mr. Felsenheld, and a Mr. Kohlmeyer, a rabbinical student, to join him. Although the name Beth Din was not pleasing to Wise, nevertheless, he gladly co-oper- ated with the others. At the first meeting in New York it was decided that LiHenthal should prepare a history for Jewish schools, Felsenheld a cate- chism, Kohlmeyer a Hebrew grammar, and Wise an American ritual or Minhag America. The Beth Din was to re-assemble in the spring of 1847. At this preHminary meeting in October, 1846, Wise realized that the only way reform could be ac- compHshed was by introducing reforms.. "The act," he said,^ "must accompany the spoken word, because the general people understand the act better than the clearest word. " ' Reminiscences, p. 50. The First Albany Period 63 Dr. Lilienthal had received from Vienna a copy of the Cantor Sulzer's "Sons of Zion," but was not permitted to use it in the chief synagogue. Wise purchased it and resolved to introduce it in Albany. The first step necessary was the organization of a choir; so, with the assistance of a violinist, he first trained a mixed choir, which was ready to take part in the service in the follow- ing spring. The weekly sermon and the choir led to the second reform : the excision of certain tradi- tional Hebrew prayers from the service. These were the liturgical poems, Piutim, the lamentations, Quinnoth, and the supplications, S'lichoth. The trustees readily agreed that this change should be effective except on the two great holidays New Year and the Day of Atonement. "Poor as the choir was," writes Wise,' "it still was the im- mediate cause of our getting rid of all the medi- aeval rubbish at once. In this manner synagogal reform began in 1847. True, there was opposition, but the opposition was outvoted, although it was impossible to silence it. " Among the orthodox synagogues to this day prevail the customs, the Mitzwoth, the selling to the highest bidder of certain religious functions connected with the reHgious worship, and Shnoder- ' Reminiscences, p. 54. 64 Isaac Mayer Wise ing, calling people to the pulpit to have read to them portions of The Law, Thorah, for which privilege various sums of money were donated to the congregation, followed by the Mi-sheber- akhs, the pronouncing of special blessings in exchange for donations. Wise aroused opposition by modifying the manner of observance of these customs. Instead of publicly calHng out the names of the successful persons, cards with the names of such as were to be called were passed around and the number of special blessings for each person at one service was limited to two. During the winter of 1846- 1847 Wise worked very hard. He taught at his school six hours daily and gave singing lessons three hours a week. He also read and studied English two hours daily, and listened to two English sermons every Sunday. In addition to this work and his regular congrega- tional duties, he applied himself so industriously to the assigned task of preparing an American ritual that he had completed it by April, 1847. At that time he went to New York to meet his colleagues, but the meeting was a great disap- pointment. Kohlmeyer had gone to New Orleans and neither Lilienthal nor Felsenheld had finished the portion of the work assigned to him. A writer in the Occident of May, 1847, gives the report of The First Albany Period 65 this last meeting of the Beth Din. He says: "Rabbi Wise then proposed a Minhag America for Divine Service. He had been charged with such a work, because experience teaches that in most places different congregations are set up and the strength of the Israelites is divided because the emigrant brings his own Minhag from his home, and the German will not give way to the Polish, nor he to the English, nor the latter to the Por- tuguese. Such cause for dissension would be obviated by a Minhag America, which would promote the harmonious development of the young congregations. The project of the Minhag as introduced by Dr. Wise treats of the Tephil- lah (prayer-book) according to the Din, that is, religious authority, upon scientific principles and the demand of the times, and shows plainly that the new Alinhag must be based on these three pillars to be entirely satisfactory. The plan was read to the meeting and a resolution was passed to lay the whole question over until the next meeting in order to give the members time for deliberation and they were not to give their opinions until then, the question being one of paramount magnitude." It was likewise re- ' Occident, vol. v., p. 109. 5 66 Isaac Mayer Wise solved that the next meeting should be held at Albany. Wise returned to Albany with a heavy heart and realized that there would be no further meeting of the Beth Din. He received little sympathy when he complained to his friends. They ad- vised him "to pursue practical aims." "After I arrived home," he says, "I embodied my plan in two English lectures which I delivered to a small circle of friends, because I did not wish to submit them to the congregation. . . . One of my friends asked me for the manuscript. I gave it to him, thinking he wished to read it. He, how- ever, sent the whole thing to Isaac Leeser (editor of the Occident, the only Jewish paper in America, published in Philadelphia). Before I had given any further thought to the manuscript, I saw it, to my astonishment, published in the Occident accompanied by some notes from the pen of the incensed editor. " ' Wise in his lecture said: "We have no reason to pray for the restoration of the sacrifices, wherefore all prayers having allusion to such restoration ought to have no place in our literature." Leeser, at that time the leader of the orthodox Jews in America, commented as follows on the plan: ' Reminiscences, pp. 55-56. The First Albany Period 67 "We must emphatically object to any such form of prayer which as proposed by Dr. Wise should exclude the petitions for the rebuilding of the temple and the re-establishment of the sacrifice. "^ A correspondence took place between Wise and Leeser. The editor of the Occident looked upon progress in Judaism as unjustifiable and reform as proposed by the German rabbis in their several conferences as destructive of Judaism. "But we say in all candour, " he wrote later, "that any synagogue reformation except such a one as looks to raising the standard of decorum and propriety cannot be supported by us in our journal."^ This controversy w4th Leeser had a decided influ- ence on the young rabbi. He immediately realized that much could be accomplished by one if he had a healthy body, a cheerful disposition, and the desire and capacity for work. He also realized that he must acquire a clear and virile English style and resolved to study English during the summer. In this work he was assisted by prom- inent and learned citizens of Albany. Among those who cheerfully and willingly assisted him were the Hon. Bradford R. Wood, a member of Congress (i 845-1 846) and later Alinister to Den- mark, a lawyer spoken of in Wise's Remifiiscences ^Occident, vol. v., p. 158. 'Ibid., vol. vi., p. 538. V. 68 Isaac Mayer Wise as "Chief Justice Wood," and Amos Dean, Pro- fessor of Medical Jurisprudence in the law school of Albany, New York, and afterwards Chancellor of the University of Iowa. Wise spent the hours he set aside for the daily study of English at the state library, and the library of the Young Men's Association. He was introduced to Amos Dean by the son of a neighbour hazan. After he became acquainted with Wood and Dean, both of whom were progressive young men, he spent much time with them. Shortly thereafter he de- cided to deliver three lectures in English in answer to the weekly attack made upon the Jews and Judaism by a Baptist minister. The subject of these lectures was "The Messiah." In the course of the lectures Wise repudiated the idea of a personal Messiah. In December of 1847, Wise made effective use of his studies in English. About this time American orthodox Christianity was making decided efforts to secure converts, and the English Society for the Conversion of Jews had its agents everywhere, supported by nearly all the Protestant clergymen. The move- ment was especially distasteful to Wise because the preachers "aroused and fomented a sentiment of pity for the poor persecuted and blinded Jews. " As the Jews were unable to read the tracts, the The First Albany Period 69 missionaries did not accomplish much. Wise paid little heed to the conversionists until it was announced that "The Rev. Rabbi Cohn from Jerusalem," a missionary of the London Society for the Improvement of the condition of the Jews, would speak at a church for the purpose of forming a branch of the London Society. As the lower floor was reserved for the clergy, Wise resolved to attend the meeting. He gives the following vivid description of the meeting ': "I took a seat near the pulpit, and when the two Unitarian and Universalist ministers entered we agreed that they would second anything that I would propose, and I for my part promised to second their proposals. The pious men and women came in large numbers, and the church was entirely filled. Dr. Wykoff, the pastor of the church, in company with other prominent per- sonages, came at eight o'clock. Among them was a little, dark, well-fed man with small black eyes. The meeting opened with prayer and song. . . . Dr. Wykoff was elected chairman of the meeting. Wykoff now noticed me sitting opposite the pulpit. He had to explain the object of the meeting. He coughs and stammers, and some- how or other could not do it successfully, for he ' Reminiscences, pp. 66-67. 70 Isaac Mayer Wise and I were old friends. At last, however, the words were out and the unfortunate Jew was spoken of pityingly in the stock phrases. He finished and said, 'Does any one wish to speak on the subject?' The intention was at this point to introduce the missionary who was to speak his piece, but I anticipated him. *I ask for the floor, Mr. Chairman. ' WykofT made a wry face, but he could not refuse me the floor. Nor did I wait for his decision, but began to speak at once. It was the first time that the voice of a Jew had been heard on this question, and I could count with assurance on the undivided attention of the audience. I surrended myself completely to my emotions. I analysed the subject thoroughly from the moral standpoint. I chastised the covet- ous affectation and the hypocritical sympathy of piety with all of the powers at my command. I refused determinedly in the name of the Jews all monetary support, because we ourselves pro- vide for our poor, our widows and our orphans, and rear our children. ... I had determined to treat the subject from the theological stand- point, but the repeated applause from the gallery convinced me that it was not necessarv to do so. I contented myself with stating that I was prepared to prove that the Jew could be converted to The First Albany Period 71 Christianity neither by gold nor by cunning, neither by persecution, nor by force, but that I considered it unnecessary to do so at any length at present. I then moved that the meeting adjourn si7ie die. The Unitarian minister arose with solemn mien and seconded my motion. The chairman could not do otherwise than put the motion. ... A rousing aye thundered from the gallery .... Wykoff, happy to be released from his uncomfortable predicament, declared the meeting adjourned. The play was over, the audience went home, their faces a yard long. No similar meeting ever again took place in Albany, and whenever a missionary did come to town Dr. Wykoff brought him to me that I might explain matters to him." Wise's bold stand, as well as his reforms and his insistence on the strict observance of the Sabbath, made him many enemies in his congregation. He, however, calmly piirsued the even tenor of his way. About the same time he met Isaac Leeser, the editor of the Occident, a Jewish monthly published at Philadelphia. Leeser was -born in Germany, but came to America when he was a young man and soon became proficient in English. He was an ultra-orthodox, and before coming to Philadelphia had officiated as a cantor at Richmond, Virginia. 72 Isaac Mayer Wise In 1843 he began the publication of the Occident, a monthly magazine, and continued its editor until his death in 1868. Before 1850 very few German Jews in America could read English easily, and therefore few of them read the Occident, the cir- culation of which was confined to the EngHsh, Polish, and Dutch Jews of this country. Among the contributors to the Occidejit was a young clergyman, M. R. Miller, who wrote under his initials, "M. R. M.," and also under the nom de plume, "Talmid." In his articles in the Occi- dent he "claimed that the foundation of Judaism lay in Christian mysticism." These articles called forth much criticism against Leeser and he came to Albany to request Wise to answer them. The meeting between the reform Rabbi Wise and the orthodox champion Isaac Leeser was most cordial. Wise shortly thereafter contributed sev- eral articles in answer to "Talmid" under the title, "Rejoinders to Talmid's Thoughts on Deuteronomy, Chapter xxx; 6."^ In these arti- cles Wise bases his arguments on the "rational Maimonidean standpoint." He was, however, conscious of their defect. "When I read my articles in cold type I found them very poor. The thought did not seem compact enough, and ' Occident, vol. v., p. 353. The First Albany Period 73 was very often obscure; the logic appeared faulty and the style insipid. I regretted exceedingly that I appeared in public print. Much as I was gratified in having obtained a hearing for the rational standpoint, I was none the less mortified by my scribbling."^ ' Reminiscences, p. 8i. CHAPTER VI THE FIRST CALL FOR A UNION AMONG ISRAELITES The year 1848 played as important a part in the career of Isaac Mayer Wise and in the history of American Judaism as it did in the history of Continental Europe. In the spring of the year the news of the politi- cal revolutions in France, Germany, Austria, and Italy reached this country. Wise, who had left his native land because of the monarchical tyr- anny, was greatly affected by those sudden popular uprisings. "The months of February and March, 1848, agitated me to such a degree that it was long before I returned to a state of normal calm. I became more restless and discontented than I had ever been before. One Sabbath afternoon I sat in the synagogue in the midst of my chosen friends and delivered them a private address as I often did. One of my friends came in and whis- pered in my ear, ' Paris is in a state of revolution ; Louis Philippe has abdicated. ' I jumped up elec- 74 First Call for a Union 75 trified, repeated the portentous words, rushed out towards the post-office where the bulletins were usually posted and found the report confirmed. ... I ran from one newspaper office to another, but none had received any particulars. We had to wait fourteen days for further news. . . . Those days were as years of torment and uncer- tainty for me. I had expected the proclamation of a European republic and made preparation to go to Europe at once. Upon the arrival of one im- portant news item after another, the establish- ment of the French Republic, the revolution in Vienna, Berlin, Hungary, Italy, etc., I felt pa- triotic for the first time. * Back to the old home. ' This word sounded within me mightily."' He delivered an address at a public meeting called to celebrate the founding of "Universal Republic and the Brotherhood of Man." He recognized in the revolution the struggle of humanity against the stupid and stupefying element, and therefore his sympathy was greatly excited. Anxious as he was to go, he remained upon the advice of his friends, and on account of the unwillingness of his wife to return with two baby girls. And it was well that he did not return. " I probably would have been lost in the contests of ' Reminiscences, p. 8i. 76 Isaac Mayer Wise 1848 and 1849, for I lacked tact and moderation, but I could not comprehend this at the time and I passed through a severe struggle."^ He was then corresponding with Isaac Leeser for the purpose of formulating a plan to bring about a union of American Israelites. There were at that time six Jewish schools in America, lo- cated in New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Albany. "The school system in general was in a deplorable condition. Religious instruction was imparted one hour in the week by women. Leeser furnished the text -books, all ultra-orthodox. There were no Jewish charities with the exception of several decaying associations, and two societies in New York. There was no provision for widows and orphans, no hospitals. In brief, the American Jews had not one public institution except the synagogue. It was perfectly evident to me that Judaism would have no future in America unless mighty upheavals accompanied by constructive action would arouse the better element into action and awaken and attract the thoughtless and the indifferent, so that it would become reconciled with the spirit of the age and the opinions preva- lent in the new fatherland."^ Leeser was in sympathy with the movement, > ' Reminiscences, p. 84. 'Ibid., pp. 85-86. First Call for a Union 77 and besides placing the Occident at the disposal of Dr. Wise, he, himself, wrote strong articles advocating the project. As early as October, 1848,^ in an editorial in the Occident on "Association," Leeser speaks of the necessity of union, and requests New York to take the lead before large masses are put in motion. "Could not a meeting of elected members of various congregations be held as a friendly re- union?" he asks. "This idea was first broached to us by the learned Rabbi of Albany, Dr. Isaac M. Wise; he wishes to see ministers West and East meet and exchange ideas." The editor then calls on ministers to meet, and requests them to send their names to Dr. Wise, and he also asks Dr. Wise to give his views. In the December, 1848,^ number of the Occident appears the famous call of Dr. Wise, addressed "To the Ministers and other Israelites. " This im- portant document begins as follows: "To my Brother Israelites in North America, I call in the Name of my God. Be firm and let us strengthen each other in behalf of our people. The Rev. Editor of this periodical has granted me the favour to give publicity to my views about the association ' Occident, vol. vi., pp. 313 at 321. ^ Ibid., vol. vi., pp. 431-435. 78 Isaac Mayer Wise of Israelitish congregations in North America to produce one sublime and grand end to defend and maintain our sacred faith to the glory of God and for the benefit of Israel and all mankind. Breth- ren, though I am a stranger among you, un- known and unimportant, I make use of the Rev. Editor's permission to express publicly my views on this important subject. It is one of the holy demands of our religion to walk in the ways of God. God is a unity. Wherefore all mankind will one day be united for one great end, to worship in truth the Most High, to adore His Holy Name with humanity and purity. Then will also be ful- filled that God's name will be one. To bring about this sublime unity God has selected the people of Israel. Wherefore we may justly say our cause is the cause of mankind. Now, in order to fulfil our sacred mission, to send our important message to mankind it behooves us to be united as one man, to be linked together by the ties of equal views concerning religious questions, by uniformity in our sacred customs, in our form of worship and religious education. We ought to have a uniform system for our schools, synagogues, benevolent societies, for all of our religious in- stitutions. Let us now direct our attention to the country where we live and the circumstances in First Call for a Union 79 which we are placed. The majority of our con- congregations in this country have been estab- Hshed but a few years, they have been founded and are governed for the greater part by men of no considerable knowledge of our religion, and gener- ally of no particular zeal for our cause. This naturally produces an enormous amount of in- difference and each congregation pursues its own way, has its own customs and mode of worship, its own way of thinking about religious questions, from which cause it then results that one Jew is a stranger in the synagogue of the other Jew. It is a pity to observe that any man who is so happy as to have a license to slaughter, from some un- known person, can become a minister of a con- gregation and the teacher of the youth without any proof of his knowledge or religion and in the absence of any evidence of conduct as a Jew. I will be silent about the whole casuistic theology and ask only the community at large. What will become of our synagogue? What of our youth? You see we have no system for our worship, nor for our ministry and schools, and we are therefore divided in as many fragments as there are congre- gations in North America. It is lamentable, but true, that if we do not unite ourselves betimes to devise a practicable system for the ministry and So Isaac Mayer Wise religious education at large, if we do not take care that better educated men fill the pulpit and the schoolmaster's chair, if we do not stimulate all the congregations to establish good schools and to institute a reform in their synagogues on modern Jewish principles, the house of the Lord will be desolate or nearly so in less than ten years. It needs no prophetic spirit to read this horrible future in the present circumstances. I lay down these lines before the throne of history as a solemn protest against the spirit of separate action and of indifferentism, which has taken hold on so many noble minds of our brethren, and I proclaim before the world, before the present and future, my sincere conviction that something must be done to defend and maintain our sacred faith. Nor is it too late. Everything can be done if we are united before God." The appeal then continues and sets forth reasons why ministers and "learned laymen" should unite to bring about the desired union. The eloquent rabbi then calls on Rev. Drs. LiHenthal, Kohlmeyer, Merzbacher, the Revs. Isaacs and Felsenheld "not to be the last ones in offering their views. " "I pray them to assist my weak voice and call on all Israel. ' ' The concluding paragraph of this eloquent, stirring, and remark- First Call for a Union 8i able address which outUnes the program of Wise's work in American Judaism, viz., a union of con- gregations, a college to educate ministers, and a conference of rabbis, concludes as follows: "And may God the Great Father of all unite and bless the house of Israel! May he enlighten all men with the shining light of truth, be gracious to all who seek Him, and be merciful to all who have for- saken him. Amen. " The editor, Leeser, comments as follows: "With- out endorsing beforehand all that this gifted son of Israel has said in his address, we beg leave to second earnestly his ideas about the necessity of a thorough union of Israelites residing on this continent."^ The Occident pubHshed during the first months of 1849 many communications on this subject, and in the March number^ prints the circular sent to the various congregations setting forth the reasons for the union, i.e., existence of evils, remedy, and plan of organization. These are: (i) Want of proper concert; (2) Teachers lack proper qualifications; (3) Want of good schools; (4) No knowledge of history and religion; (5) No authority to which to refer questions of doubt; (6) No means to instruct poor children; (7) Want I Occident, vol. vi., pp. 435-436. ' Ibid., p. 581. 82 Isaac Mayer Wise of proper devotion in homes and synagogues. The remedy is: (i) Union of congregations by delegates; (2) Education of youth; (3) EstabHsh- ment of schools; (4) Discussion of subjects pre- sented by congregations. Plan of organization: meeting of delegates at New York, each congrega- tion to send one delegate; if more than one, to have unit vote, and convention to meet when- ever delegates representing twenty congregations attend. Wise immediately began the campaign for union ; in lecture and by pen he sought to influence the congregations to appoint delegates. In the March number of the Occident ^ he writes in answer to the accusation of being an agitator, a reformer, and an offlce seeker: "I will never accept a salaried office from this convention ; I will not give up the plan. You aver that I am a reformer to prejudice the people against a sound plan. To be sure I am a reformer as much as our age requires, be- cause I am convinced that none can stop the stream of time; none can check the swift wheels of the age ; but I always have the Halacha for my basis; I never sanction a reform against the Din." He then urges his opponents to send delegates to oppose him if he is a "reformer. " " We will go on ^ Occident, vol. vi. p. 614. First Call for a Union 83 and erect a memorable monument in the history of Israel and bring it about that our children and grandchildren may still look upon it with con- fidence; that the house of Israel may have a solid centre to maintain its sacred faith, to justify and develop our principles before the eyes of the world." But he was doomed again to disappointment. Although he preached a powerful sermon in New York he could get no support from the leading congregations. A recently organized society, called "Friends of Light," could not be induced to act favourably. Without the co-operation of New York, union at that time was impossible. Wise left New York gloomy, indignant, and de- pressed. On the evening before his departure Dr. Lilienthal asked him what he intended to do. "I am going back to Albany," he said, "and as truly as I am a son of a Jewish mother, I shall divide this American Judaism into two inimical camps, and they shall overcome the abominable indifference, repair the damages, and achieve the triumph of a new Hfe by fight and struggle. " ' It required, however, a quarter of a century of fight and struggle to bring about the desired result. Wise's activity in this first effort for union induced his congregation, in April, 1849, to ' Reminiscences, p. 92. 84 Isaac Mayer Wise enter into a new contract with him. His sermons in New York had been w^ell received, and he had a flattering offer from a Louisville congregation. To prevent the possibility of his leaving Albany a special meeting of the congregation was called, and he was elected for a term of two years at an advanced salary. At first this action caused dis- sension in the congregation, but after a stormy meeting on April 14, 1849, the action taken at a former meeting was adhered to. The contract between the rabbi and the congregation is a most singular one. The salary fixed was $550 per annum, payable quarterly, and S9.00 for each pupil in the school. The rabbi was to furnish suitable schoolrooms and heat them at his own expense. Notwithstanding the new agreement the dissensions in the congregation continued. The ultra-orthodox element was dissatisfied with even the moderate reforms introduced, and when- ever a new reform was advocated the storm broke out anew. The principal reform now advocated was the confirmation of boys and girls on the hoHday, Shabuoth, the anniversary of the pro- mulgation of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. In an orthodox congregation confirmation had never been sanctioned for boys, and it was considered rank heresy to allow girls to take part First Call for a Union 85 in the service. The introduction of EngHsh and German hymns in place of certain traditional prayers Hkewise caused much discord. Another ground of complaint was the suggestion of the rabbi that the young boys and girls, after they left his school, should attend the higher institu- tions of learning in Albany. The tension was so strong that upon the slightest pretext ill feeling and discord were created. When Wise spoke to his friends at the Albany library they advised him to give up the ministry and study law. Indeed, at one time Wise did begin to read Kent and Black- stone to prepare himself for the bar if it became necessary for him to leave the ministry. The immigration of 1848 brought many cultured Germans to Albany, and Wise soon succeeded in organizing a German literary society which gave him much pleasure. "For me," he writes, "the society was an oasis in the wilderness, for there I found myself among my best, truest, and warmest friends with whom I could exchange ideas freely. " ^ ^Reminiscences, p. iii. CHAPTER VII THE CHARLESTON EPISODE — THE BREAK WITH BETH EL I 849-1 850 After the failure of the first movement for the union of American Hebrew congregations, Wise took little interest in national Jewish affairs. He studied incessantly at the State library, devoting most of his time to the reading of mythology. He wrote very little for the Occident. In October, 1849, there appeared in New York City a Jewish weekly published and edited by Robert Lyon, an English Jew. The first number states that: "The Asmonean is a journal devoted to the advocacy of a congregational union of Israelites of the United States."' In the November 9, 1849, issue ^ appears a remarkable letter from Dr. Wise, in which he hails with delight the new organ. A ' Asmonean, vol. i., Oct. 26, 1849. ' Ibid., No. 3. 86 The Break with Beth El 87 few extracts from this letter give a good insight into his feelings and views at this time. "The first number of your paper reached me in my soli- tary closet behind the dusty barricade of large books of antiquity, and, to confess the truth, I read the first number with sificere pleasure. But I know what good you can do with your paper to the Jewish community on this side of the ocean. An American Jew you perceive has a twofold mission, to promote truth and liberty. " . . .In respect of promoting truth I thought it proper and advantageous that Israel form a re- ligious unity of his little republics (congregations) that this centre may animate light where darkness yet prevails. I left last year my solitary closet for a short time to call on my brethren earnestly and solemnly to unite for the accomplishment of our mission to be strictly combined in our sacred cause. But I am ashamed and disappointed. I had to retire from the stage of public activity, my caU died away, my design was misinterpreted, and all the pious efforts of my orthodox friends proved a total failure. Therefore do I sit again in my soHtary closet behind barricades of vast tomes of antiquity and study restless dead letters to forget the living presence, to forget the shame and disap- pointment which I experienced. You, my dear 88 Isaac Mayer Wise sir, promise to advocate the cause of unity in co- operation with our worthy friend, the Rev. Isaac Leeser, therefore take that grand standard out of my feeble hands and represent it to the people. If you think it advantageous to the sacred cause that I leave again my solitary closet, then call on me and, though opposed by the prejudices of a world, I will render my assistance ; it is true I lost the battle, my hosts lay slain on the battlefield, but I have saved the mighty banner under which yet new forces may assemble ; but if you think my co-operation (as I do) injurious to the sacred cause, then say it frankly and openly and hence- forth I will be dumb. I will continue to forget myself, to subdue, and to bury my wishes, but with the glorious triumph of union I will triumph, too, when this grand statue shall be erected, and with American Israelites I will rejoice likewise. " The failure of the plan for union, and the op- position to reform in his own congregation were not the sole causes of Dr. Wise's depression and sad- ness. Just prior to these events he had been quite ill. His sickness was undoubtedly due to over- work. He had a presentiment of approaching death, and thought his lung was affected. "Two years of uninterrupted exertion," he writes,* ' Reminiscences, p. 97. The Break with Beth El 89 "without recreation and sufficient sleep had quite consumed my vitality, and the exciting events of the past months produced in me a nervous irrita- bility which I could overcome only with difficulty. Friendly physicians called my attention to my pallid countenance, the blue rings under my eyes, and my listless and tottering gait. They pre- scribed various remedies, but I neglected to use them. I was haunted by a presentiment of death, and this made me disregard all medicaments." About this time there arrived in Albany from Bohemia Dr. Joseph Lewi, who had been Wise's family physician at Radnitz. Besides physician, he was an intimate friend, and he immediately insisted that Dr. Wise change his manner of life. A simple diet, cold baths, exercise in the open air, and less reading brought about a decided im- provement. Shortly after the movement for union failed, the dissensions in his congregation due to his reforms increased, and a great grief came to him in the death of his second child, a daughter, Laura, aged two years. The child, who had been frail, died after an illness of one day. Dr. Wise became quite ill, his cough grew worse, and at times he was very melancholy. At the funeral of his daughter he forbade "pious" members of the con- 90 Isaac Mayer Wise gregation to rend his garments or those of his wife, and he refused to observe the traditional mourn- ing customs, such as sitting on the floor without his shoes. To vex him all the more his opponents circulated petitions asking for the aboHtion of the principal reforms he had introduced, and for the restoration of the traditional prayers containing references to the personal Messiah and the return to Palestine, but the petitions did not receive the required signatures. Some of his friends wished him to leave Beth El congregation and organize a new synagogue, but he did not wish to disrupt the congregation, and at his request his friends abandoned the idea. The opponents continued their agitation, and Wise worked harder than ever, frequently until two o'clock in the morning. He resumed the study of law so that he should be able to support his family, if necessary. His first son, Leo, had just been born. However, there was no improve-^ ment in his condition during the winter of 1849- 1850. Dr. Lewi insisted that he must go South for several weeks, and, with the consent of his congregation, he left early in February, 1850. "This journey, " he writes, ' "was the turning point of my career," As there were no railroads be- ' Reminiscences, pp. 126-128. The Break with Beth El 91 tween Albany and New York, and the Hudson being frozen, he had to travel to New York via Bridgeport, Connecticut. On this journey of sixteen hours his whole past was recalled. "With what high hopes I had travelled up the Hudson not quite four years before! How disappointed and discouraged I was now travelling back. I examined myself carefully in the mirror of my own consciousness and saw in my mind's eye a man physically and mentally broken, without any prospects of improvement, without any hope for the future." Such were his thoughts from Albany to Bridgeport, due, as he intimates, to the rough railroad trip. From Bridgeport to New York he went by steamer across the Sound. "The motion being different was very pleasant. I took supper, smoked a cigar, and viewed the clear waters lying so calmly below me. Then I gazed at the beautiful sky above me spangled with stars so full of mystery, moving in their orbits so noiselessly. And it occurred to me that I was a naughty child which wanted everything it could not have, which imagined that it under- stood everything better than its teacher and master. I bethought myself, banished my feelings of despondency, and arrived at New York cheer- ful and bright." 92 Isaac Mayer Wise Upon his arrival in New York he called on Lilien- thal, who told him how badly Rev. Dr. Raphall had treated him. Dr. M. J. Raphall, formerly of Birmingham, England, came to America primarily to deliver lectures on Hebrew poetry, but was induced later to accept the pulpit of the Elm Street congregation of New York, and soon became the leading orthodox rabbi in America. Lilien- thal and Wise exchanged their sad experiences. Lilienthal told him of his intention to leave the ministry and to devote himself entirely to the education of the young. This he did shortly thereafter, and did not occupy another pulpit until 1855, when he became the rabbi of Bene Israel of Cincinnati, for which position he was enthusiastically recommended by Dr. Wise, who was temporarily occupying that pulpit. After Wise told Lilienthal of his troubles the latter replied: "There is no help for you. If you want to be the Christ you must expect to be crucified. I will not. I shall do something else for a living."^ Upon leaving New York, Wise went to Phila- delphia, where he visited Leeser, who also told him of his precarious position. It was during this visit that Leeser informed him that he was ' Reminiscences, p. 129. The Break with Beth El 93 translating the Bible into English. This Leaser translation of the Hebrew Bible was the only one used in America until 191 6, when a new translation was issued by the Jewish Publication Society of America. From Leeser he also learned that Dr. Raphall's six lectures on Hebrew poetry had attracted much attention wherever delivered, and that Raphall expected to deliver them at Charles- ton, South Carolina, and incidentally to champion the cause of the orthodox congregation in the latter city. Upon leaving Leeser, Wise told him he intended remaining in Washington ten to twelve days, and might possibly visit Charleston. Leeser asked him to send him the first lecture delivered there. The next day Wise left for Washington. In the spring of 1850 the country was eagerly awaiting the settlement of the grave questions growing out of the Mexican War. The Congress that had retired with Polk in March, 1849, had left the status of New Mexico and California un- settled, and when Taylor, a Southern slaveholder, was inaugurated, the South believed her rights secure. California, without waiting for Congres- sional authority, having adopted a state consti- tution expressly prohibiting slavery, was applying for admission into the Union. The Congress which assembled in December, 1849, was a remarka- 94 Isaac Mayer Wise ble body. The Senate, divided equally between the free and slave states, was composed of the ablest men in public life, and without doubt was stronger than it had ever been in the history of the country. Naturally the giants of the Senate were Webster, Clay, and Calhoun. Besides these three great men there were many other notable ones, some serving their last term, others just entering on glorious and illustrious careers, and again others upon whom the mantles of departing leaders were to fall. Among the former was Benton, of Missouri; among the rising stars were Seward, Chase, and Hale, and of the new leaders Douglas and Jefferson Davis were to be the most prominent during the coming decade. The question uppermost in the minds of all was slavery. The South wished to extend the slave territory, and the North to prevent any extension. It was evident that a crisis was at hand, and Henry Clay, despite his years and failing health, was ready as ever with his usual panacea, compromise. This he sought to accompHsh by admitting Cali- fornia as a free state, to make New Mexico a territory without slavery; the fugitive slave law was to be made more stringent. Congress was not to interfere with slavery in the District of Colum- bia, and Texas was to be paid millions in exchange The Break with Beth El 95 for certain of her territory which was to become a part of New Mexico. His measure was introduced at the end of January, 1850, and within a week an epoch-making debate was in progress upon this scheme, a debate which was to be the making and unmaking of illustrious men, a discussion in which statesmen who, during the past forty years, had become world-renowned orators, were to make their last appearance in the public forum. During his short stay in Washington, Wise was in constant attendance at the Senate, and had the good fortune to hear, and was greatly impressed by many of the famous and now historical speeches on the Compromise of 1850, though he is mistaken when he writes^ that he left Washington an hour after the passage of the Omnibus Bill. During his sojourn he met William H. Sew^ard, whom he knew in Albany, and dined with Webster. Seward in- troduced him to President Taylor. Both Webster and Seward promised to secure for him positions in colleges if he felt inclined to teach. Dr. Wise writes of his visit as follows^: "My sojourn in Washington had an Americanizing influence on me. I felt that I was one of the American people al- though I had not yet been naturalized, and from that time I said ' we, ' ' us ' and ' our ' quite uncon- ^ Reminiscences, p. 141. 'Ibid., p. 139. 96 Isaac Mayer Wise sciously whenever I spoke of American affairs. I felt greatly uplifted and aroused by this inter- course with the greatest spirits of the country and the kindly reception wherewith I met. The intel- lectual eight-day combat that I witnessed in the Senate stirred me mightily, enlarged my horizon, refreshed my mind, and taught me what was needed to become an English orator. " While at Washington he was invited by the re- form congregation of Charleston, South Carolina, to address them. In extending the invitation the congregation informed him of the attacks Dr. Raphall was making upon reform. Wise accepted with alacrity, and arrived at Charleston in good health and spirits, and realized that much of his illness was imaginary. The reform congregation, Beth Elohim, of Charleston, consisted of Americans of Portuguese descent. Its preacher and leader, Rev. Gustav Posnanski, was a German. The reform movement in this congregation began as early as 1824 when forty-seven members of the congregation, dis- satisfied with the services, memorialized the Board of Trustees for a reform of the ritual, which was granted. More radical reforms were introduced after 1836 when Rev. Mr. Posnanski took charge. An organ was placed in the synagogue when it was The Break with Beth El 97 rebuilt after the fire of 1838; in 1843 the observ- ance of the second-day hoHdays was aboHshed and the congregation worshipped with uncovered heads. Thus, in March, 1850, Beth Elohim was the most advanced reform congregation in Amer- ica. Dr. Wise's sermon, "The Effect of Biblical Theology," was well received. Dr. Raphall was preaching for orthodoxy while Wise expounded the cause of reform Judaism. Before Wise's arrival at Charleston a public debate between Raphall and Posnanski had been arranged, and Wise was a spectator. He readily surmised that neither debater had a first-hand knowledge of rabbinical literature. "Raphall," he writes,' "was being worsted, for Posnanski was a skilled dialectician and remained calm, while Raphall became excited and declaimed violently. Finally Raphall grew angry and glowed with holy zeal. Instead of arguing, he began to catechize. He asked the public, and, finally, myself personally, 'Do you believe in the personal Messiah? Do you believe in the bodily resurrection?' The unhesitating direct answer in a loud and decisive manner was 'No.' This ended the drama. Raphall seized his books, rushed angrily out of the hall followed by his whole party. He had apparently given ^ Reminiscences, p. 149. 7 98 Isaac Mayer Wise up the fight. Raphall departed at the end of that week. I preached on the following Sabbath and left in the evening for New York by steamer, for I wished to take an ocean trip. "I left Charleston in perfect health, thoroughly Americanized. I had gained a large circle of new friends, among whom were men and women of considerable influence. I felt exalted, vivacious, and energetic." Shortly after his arrival at Albany he received word of his unanimous election as rabbi of Beth Elohim. The call was a most welcome one, for he felt there would be no congregational bickerings. Upon receiving his wife's consent, he accepted the offer, and resigned his position in Beth El con- gregation to take effect April 15, 1850. His friends approved of his action, not that they wished him to leave, but because they believed he had not been treated properly by many mem- bers. Resolutions of goodwill and appreciation signed by the president, ex-president, and many of the trustees, were printed in the Asmonean of April 5, 1850.^ His opponents acted as on former occasions, begging him to remain and promising him support in all his efforts. The horrors of yellow fever were pointed out to ^ Vol, i., No. 24. The Break with Beth El 99 his wife and relatives, who finally induced him, much against his wall and inclination, to withdraw his resignation. "I finally acquiesced in the folly and the wrong of remaining and permitted myself to be re-elected in Albany for three years. The joy was great; feasts of reconciliation were celebrated; I was overwhelmed with costly gifts, the heavens were without a cloud. I could, how- ever, not rejoice because I knew I had acted fool- ishly and wrongly. In this mood I wrote the letter of declination to Charleston. This was received in ill part there, but the step was irre- vocable. "' Wise had been elected at Albany in 1849 for a term of tvv'O years ; he was now re-elected for a term of three years at the same salary. An additional sum of two hundred dollars per annum was to be subscribed by some of the members. At the same meeting a new president, Louis Spanier, was chosen, and this man soon became Wise's bitterest enemy. Within a week after Wise's re-election at Albany he wrote to the Asmonean,'' answering an anony- mous letter attacking him for refusing the Charles- ton position. This attack accused him of remaining in Albany because of an increase in salary, and ' Reminiscences, p. 152. =* Vol. i., No. 26, April 19, 1850. 100 Isaac Mayer Wise also stated that he had practically sold out re- form, as he could render better services in that cause in Charleston than in Albany. In his reply Wise, after stating that this letter was malicious in tone and setting forth that he could not resist the pleadings of his many friends to remain in Albany, writes: "But what vital difference is it if I am in Charleston or in Albany ? I am rather inclined to think every man and every woman of the congregation Beth Elohim of Charleston is a true-hearted reformer, and every meeting in their synagogue a new guaranty for the duration of their sentiments; while the congregations in the North are still dead, they still shut up their ears not to hear the violent cry of the demands of the time; they still blind their eyes not to see the downfall of Judaism, the expiration of our sacred faith. Therefore I think if I can do anything for the benefit of Judaism, I can do much more here in the North than in Charleston. But if anybody can convince me that I am at any other place of more benefit to Judaism I am always ready to go, to the Pole, or to the Equator, to Ethiopia, or to Pata- gonia. " The letter then sets forth what he has already done for reform, and continues: "You see, my anonymous friend, that I have not sold my convictions for base money, and I can heartily The Break with Be;th El iot assure you that I shall remain faithfully devoted and sincerely attached to the sacred cause of Judaism, which, in my humble opinion, can pros- per only in and through reform which dare by no means be a partial one." The publication of this letter was followed by abusive letters signed by "Israel."^ Rev. Mr. A. Rice, an orthodox preacher, of Baltimore, in the same number of the Asmoiiean writes: "I will herewith show that the man who agrees with the reformers of the Charleston congregation, Beth Elohim, has no longer a right or a voice to talk about Judaism." Wise's reply is printed in the Asmonean of May 3, 1850. He treats the abusive letter of "Israel" with contempt and answers the Rice letter in detail, refuting the former's argu- ments with biblical and Talmudical quotations. In the Occide?tt there also appeared attacks on Wise because of the answers he made to the cate- gorical questions of Dr. Raphall. The orthodox party under Raphall 's leadership now began to make Wise's position in Albany very unpleasant. Louis Spanier for some unknown reason lent him- self to this movement. When Dr. Wise com- plained to him of the unbecoming conduct of the cantor, Spanier only mildly reprimanded that ' Asmonean, vol. i., No. 26. i02 Isaac Mayer Wise official. No member of the Board was permitted to have his store open on the Sabbath. A friend of Spanier violated this rule, and when Wise insisted over the latter's objection on preaching against this infraction, Spanier and some of his friends left the synagogue. The congregational affairs were becoming more unsettled, and the breach between Wise's friends and opponents was widening daily. The crisis came in July, 1850. At the request of President Spanier two sets of charges were preferred against Rabbi Wise. One set forth, "that as Dr. Wise had denied the coming of the Messiah and the (bodily) resurrec- tion of the dead he is consequently an apostate who has no position in the life to come according to the highest rabbinical authority universally recognized." The second petition contained six specific charges: " (i) In one of his recent sermons he declared all prayer in a dead language (Hebrew) to be but a superstitious performance and all ceremonies like Tephilin and Zisith, which have no longer any meaning, as superfluous and un- necessary; (2) He tries to make us forget our old beautiful prayers which we have inherited from our fathers and wants us to replace them by new- fangled prayers of the Offenbacher synagogues and the so-called Templars ; (3) In his first sermon after The Break with Beth El 103 his election he said: 'From the fact that he per- mitted himself to be elected by the reform con- gregation of Charleston, they had to infer that he stands for reformation, and one that is further reaching than that at Charleston.' If a Jew is in favour of a reform religion like that of the con- gregation Beth Elohim, in Charleston, it is bad enough, but if he wants to go still further in re- forming he can be a Jew no longer ; (4) They have heard that he was seen writing on Rosh-Hashanah (New Year) in an Odd Fellows Lodge; (5) They heard that on a Sabbath he was seen swinging himself in the Mineral Spring Garden (Ge- schwungen in a Schwing); (6) He ridiculed pub- licly the woman's ritual bath. "^ These petitions, signed by twelve members, asked for an investigation of the charges and a dismissal of Wise if proven guilty. The bitter opponents of Wise gave serious attention to the charges, copies of w^hich were delivered to him with the direction that he submit his defence in writing to the president by the fourteenth day of July, at ten o'clock "precisely." Wise sent his reply on July 12, 1850. "He knew of no law in this country," he writes,^ "which requires a man ' History of Beth Emeth Congregation, Albany, 1910, pp. 46-47. ' History oj Albany Congregation, p. 48. 104 Isaac Mayer Wise to defend himself in writing unless confronted by his accusers. For the sake of peace he will con- sent to defend himself orally, and in the presence of his accusers, and for this purpose they may fix a certain time and place. " At a meeting of the trustees on July 24, 1850, attended by a bare majority, it was resolved "that Dr. Wise's salary due on July 14th previously should be stopped until the congregation at its next meeting should decide whether or not it should proceed,"^ The meeting which usually took place on the night of the second day of New Year was held on September 5th, two days before the Jewish New Year. The meeting was a long stormy one. Louis Spanier, without permitting Dr. Wise a personal defence, placed the charges before the meeting. The friends of Wise insisted that as the meeting was a special one, and as no notice had been given of the intention to consider the charges, it was not permissible to debate them. A motion to adjourn was made, and when Presi- dent Spanier refused to put the motion to a vote, Vice-President Sporberg called for the question and declared the motion carried, and the meeting adjourned. Wise's friends left, but about forty- three members, including a minority of the ' History of Albany Congregation, p. 48. The Break with Beth El 105 trustees, remained. Spanier then brought for- ward the charges and the meeting declared the contract between the congregation and Dr. Wise null and void and deposed Dr. Wise from office and refused to pay him his back salary. Upon receiv- ing a copy of the resolutions, Wise immediately notified the president that "According to law, and at the request of the majority of the trustees, he shall remain in office and perform all the duties pertaining thereto."^ It was then apparent that there would be trouble at the service on New Year's day. When Dr. Wise entered the synagogue he found his seat on the platform occupied by one of Spanier' s friends, whereupon he took a seat in the body of the synagogue near the ark. In his Reminis- cences he describes what followed^: "Excitement ruled the hour. Everything was quiet as the grave. Finally the choir sings Sulzer's great En Komokho. At the conclusion of the song I stepped before the ark to take out the scrolls of the law as usual and to offer prayer. Spanier steps in my way and without saying a word smites me with his fist so that my cap falls from my head. This was the signal for an uproar, the Hke of which I ' History of Albany Congregation, p. 48. ' P. 165. io6 Isaac Mayer Wise never experienced. The people acted like furies. It was as though the synagogue had burst forth in a flaming conflagration. Within two minutes the whole assembly was a struggling mass. I finally reached home bowed with pain and in- expressible grief. The constable came and ar- rested me as the ringleader of a rebellious mob at a public service. Who can describe that terrible day? Not I. It was an agonizing hellish torture. This victory of orthodoxy proved its grave wherein it was buried." Numerous lawsuits grew out of the disgraceful proceedings. Most of them were dismissed. The case of Wise against Louis Spanier for assault and battery was tried the following May. This suit probably would not have been pressed had it not been for Spanier's boast to Wise. "Louis Span- ier," said Dr. Wise, "there is a law to which I can appeal." Spanier replied, "I have a hundred thousand dollars more than you. I do not fear the law. I will ruin you." The Asmonean of May 23, 1 85 1,' and the Occident of June, 1851,' contain a detailed account of the trial in the mayor's court on May 17, 1851. The court held that Dr. Wise was bound to preach on New Year's day; that only a minority of the congregation had I Vol. iv., No. 5. » Vol. ix., p. 166. The Break with Beth El 107 cancelled his contract, that the action was illegal; that Louis Spanier had no right to interfere with him, and that he inflicted blows upon him. "That the defendant committed an assault and battery on the minister in the pulpit in the presence of the congregation, and when he was told by the plain- tiff that the arm of justice should reach him, he answered he was too rich to fear the law." The jury awarded the plaintiff one thousand dollars damages and his costs. Wise never sought to collect the judgment. He states': "I never received one thousand dollars because I did not want them. It was enough for me that the law had decided that my conduct was lawful, while my opponent's acts were illegal. He (Spanier) re- tired as president shortly afterwards, left Albany, and died a few years later in his prime. May God forgive his sins. I have forgiven him long ago. If, however, any member of his family is still living I beg him or them to consider me a friend and to turn to me trustingly in case of need." ' Reminiscences, pp. 205-206. CHAPTER VIII THE SECOND ALBANY PERIOD — ORGANIZATION OF CONGREGATION ANSHE EMETH, MEN OF TRUTH 185O-1854 Beth El congregation had been closed by the sheriff on New Year's day to prevent further breaches of the peace. So the following day services were held by Dr. Wise in his home. This service was largely attended by his friends and the entire choir. And on the following day Dr. Wise dismissed the school for two weeks. He now took counsel with his friends at the State library. They urged him to leave the ministry and enter the law, and a time was set for the bar examination. However, Wise was in a state of great doubt and uncertainty, and spent the whole afternoon in considering the grave question. That evening while still wavering as to his decision, he was asked to attend a meeting called by the most prominent members of the congregation. The men assembled were earnest 108 The Second Albany Period 109 and enthusiastic, and they told Wise that they would no longer remain members of Beth El con- gregation and were willing to organize a new reform congregation, provided he would become its rabbi and leader. He finally consented, and arrange- ments were made to incorporate the new congre- gation, which was done shortly thereafter under the name Anshe Emeth, Men of Truth. Wise's library friends^ thought he had made a great mis- take in yielding to the importunities of his con- gregational friends. But it was most fortunate for Judaism in America that he decided to remain in the ministry. At that time he was undoubtedly the foremost Jewish reformer in the country, and among the ablest of all the rabbis, both reform and orthodox. His views were well known and he had the magnetism to attract to himself and his cause young, loyal, and fearless followers. Within a week his friends had rented rooms on the upper floor of a building on the comer of Lydius (now Madison) Avenue, and South Pearl Street, and in this temporary house of worship were held the services on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. Speaking of this service, Wise says^: ' These were Wood, Dean, and other lawyers and litterati who interested themselves in his welfare. ^ Reminiscences, p. 174. no Isaac Mayer Wise "The congregation was assembled in this unin- viting place. They sat on rough benches, and yet all were present, women and girls, men and boys, not one missing. A spirit of devotion and exaltation such as is rarely met with pervaded the assembly. This day was one of the most touching of my whole life. The room was crowded all day long (services on this holy day continue throughout the day). A new spirit seemed to possess all. A band of courageous and spirited champions of progressive Judaism possessed of an inexpressible enthusiasm had arisen out of the defeat which we had suffered. On that Yom Kippur day I saw American Judaism arise out of the grave to go forth to ever new triumphs, and it has not deceived me in my expectations. " During the last century it was customary in America for new congregations to solicit funds in larger Jewish communities, and Dr. Wise, within a short time after the organization of Anshe Emeth congregation, set out on such a mis- sion. During his long and eventful career he travelled in the interest of American Judaism more than any other rabbi in this country, and much of his success is due to the fact that he came into personal contact with more Jews in America than any other man. His genial manner, his democratic The Second Albany Period in ways, and his oratorical powers caused hundreds, and later thousands, to rally around his standard of reform. On this, the first of his pilgrimages among the Jews, he visited New York, Phila- delphia, Baltimore, and Washington. In New York he did not meet with a hearty welcome, though with the aid of some influential men he succeeded in collecting a large sum of money. From New York he went to Philadelphia where he was received more cordially. He preached a strong sermon on reform in an orthodox congrega- tion. Isaac Leeser heard him, and commented as follows: "Dr. Wise's style is highly figurative and ornate, perhaps too much so for an English or American audience, but to a German ear accus- tomed to poetical illustrations he handles his matter dehghtfully. We may freely say that Dr. Wise has made quite a favourable impression as an orator, and if he would only be a little more energetic, that all could feel the earnestness which compels him to speak, he would no doubt reach a high eminence as a preacher among us, and he is young enough yet (31) to acquire the requisite manner he now lacks. " ^ From Philadelphia he went to Baltimore, where he delivered sermons in three congregations in that ' Occident, vol. viii., p. 474. 112 Isaac Mayer Wise city. One of these, Har Sinai, was a reform con- gregation. During his stay in Baltimore he delivered lectures for the benefit of the Albany congregation. Having accepted an invitation to return to Philadelphia, he decided to visit Wash- ington for a few days. On this visit he saw Web- ster, now Secretary of State under President Fillmore. Webster, who had heard from his friends in Albany of Wise's bitter struggle there, asked him if it was a fact that he had remained true to his calling, and when Wise answered him affirmatively, said: "You have more enthusiasm for Judaism than our ministers have for the church. This is worthy of all praise, although it seems to lie in the Jewish blood, as appears clearly from the prophets of old and the Jewish martyrs of all ages. I am able to offer you a number of positions here, but refrain from doing so. Your position appears to me sublime. One spark of enthusiasm is worth more than a whole conflagration of reason."^ Wise also called on President Fillmore, from whom he learned that his Albany friends had asked the President to appoint him to a position in the library of Congress. On Wise's return to Philadelphia he delivered a lecture before the Rodef Shalom congregation ^Reminiscences, p. 185. The Second Albany Period 113 on "The Origin of Reform." He was offered the pulpit of this congregation, but declined it on account of the recent events at Albany, which obligated him to remain with the new congregation Anshe Emeth. Wise's life in Albany from 185 1 to 1854 was quiet, happy and serene, and he was able to devote himself to writing and to research work. During the first six months of that year there appeared in the Occident five remarkable articles, entitled ' ' Principles of Judaism. ' ' ' These in the main were answers to Leeser's articles under the same title. * In these articles Wise lays down the fundamental principles of Judaism from the reform standpoint, and they contain the germs of his future great works on this subject, especially The Essence of Judaism, which was revised in 1872 under the title Judaism — Its Doctrines and Duties. The principal arguments urged against reform were three: (i) That the Bible forbids every reform; (2) That the prophets teach bodily resurrection and the coming of a personal Messiah; and (3) That every Jew to be a Jew was bound to believe these dogmas. Wise answers these arguments: ' Occident, vol. viii., pp. 492, 541; ihid., vol. ix., pp. 19, 187, 298. ^ Ibid., vol. viii., pp. 265, 325, 393, 433, 481, 529. 8 114 Isaac Mayer Wise "If the expounders of the Bible teach doctrines incompatible with the laws of nature which are the works of One Eternal God, or to the experience of history, which is the realized will of the same benign Providence, I am bound to reject them in order not to be forced to doubt the authenticity of the Bible, or to suppose that Infinite Wisdom contradicts itself in the Bible, nature and history. I consider everything which is of human origin Hable to mistakes. And though I have found many doctrines and opinions in the works of antiquity to which I am opposed, I nevertheless venerate these incomparable treasures for their great value as a whole. But when the Talmud comes into conflict with the facts of natural philosophy, or with events as expressed in history, and their natural results, I am fearless on the side of truth, hence when the Talmud imposes upon us doctrines or observances of ceremonies which are foreign to the Bible and which infected us for many centuries with the spirit of intolerance and separation, which degraded religion into a compendium of blind and insignificant rites, which depressed the youthful spirit of Judaism and drove thousands from our community, or when the Talmud comes into conflict with the demands of our age, which, if listened to, will The Second Albany Period 115 bring distraction and ruin in its train, then I am feariess on the side of reform; and if thousands of learned or not learned doctors say 'The Talmud is Divine' I must a thousand times pity them that they do not look deeper into the matter, or that they lack the moral courage to speak the truth." In the February, 1851, Occident "^ he continues the argument and lays down the four leading ideas of Judaism: "Judaism is based on four leading ideas, and has therefore four principles with which all doctrines, dogmas, maxims, ceremonies, and observances must correspond as consequences with their respective causes, otherwise must be rejected as anti- Jewish and foreign to our system. These four are: (i) One God; (2) Man the image of God; (3) Man accountable to God; (4) God has chosen Israel to promulgate these divine and sublime truths to mankind at large. These four truths are plainly announced in the Pentateuch, re-echoed by the Psalmist and by each of the Prophets. Nature and history" do not contradict them, but they are the living witnesses, they bear the strongest evidence to verity of all these four dogmas, and every Jew believes them and defends them with his life, liberty, and property; and if he ^ Vol. viii., p. 541. ii6 Isaac Mayer Wise ceases to do so he has ceased to be a Jew. I shall not enter upon philosophical evidences to prove the correctness of these main dogmas. [Here is appended a note : " I have done so in a large work which lies completely finished on my desk, the want of pecuniary means and the efforts of my oppo- nents to decry me as a base denier of our faith have prevented me from publishing it. Better times will come and with them the means to pub- lish my manuscript."] I shall only take under consideration the consequences of these principles. The consequences of the first are of immense importance. There is not only no religion without God, but also no moral law, no virtue, no real humanity, no hope, no real existence. If this universe has no moral government then there is no reason for man to submit to the government of laws ; and morality and virtue are nothing but the selfish invention of selfish man to suit his conve- nience, to satisfy his vain imagination to the detri- ment of the freedom of all others. Our views of right and wrong, about morality and immorality, about virtue and vice, are altogether derived from our views with regard to God, wherefore it is by no means a matter of indifference what one thinks relative to God. Our doctrines about God, as the Bible gives them, are therefore the best. The Second Albany Period 117 because they are the truest and the most sublime and the best foundation for religion and morality. The Islam, no less than Christianity, could not avoid adopting our doctrines, and what they added to them only disfigures the perfect and exalted ideas of the Bible." In the third article^ he writes concerning im- mortality: "The soul of man is immortal and can exist and does exist with the body, but the body of man is subject to mortaHty and cannot exist in its proper functions without the soul. The dogma of immortality of the body is not biblical, but Talmudical. " Wise then states that there can be no bodily resurrection because there is no room, the number of inhabitants constantly increasing. On this article the editor of the Occident commented as follows: "We do not know that in our editorial career we have given publication to an article with more pain and un- willingness than in laying the above letter * On the Resurrection ' before our readers. Dr. Wise speaks out plainly enough that he does not believe in it, and that he is satisfied with the philosophical im- mortality of the soul as all-sufficient in Judaism." The fifth and last article was printed in the July, 1851, Occideiit.'' He writes: "Doctrines ' Occident, vol. ix., April, 1851. ' Ibid., p. 298. ii8 Isaac Mayer Wise which are opposed by sound common sense, by the very facts of nature, by the Bible itself, aroused the suspicion of rational men, and they rejected not doctrines alone but the whole systems of which they form a part, made hundreds of indifferent spectators to our sacred cause, caused others to overthrow the whole structure of Judaism. The time of a blind and uninquiring faith is gone indeed now with rational and reasoning men. Lay your hand on your heart, be calm and honest, and ask yourselves whether you can justify your cause before God, if coming generations of Israel will be lost to our sacred cause, because you imposed on them doctrines which caused them to reject the whole system? I could not. Or do you think a generation grown up in a free and enlightened country will not do so? I do not, and therefore I think it my sacred mission to teach an enlight- ened and pure Judaism to remove as much mysti- cism as possible from the system of our faith; to give as much rational evidence for it as I can bring forward, and if I am wrong I am honest, and God will not judge me too severely. But as for man, none is my judge in a case in which I have to plead but before God, nor will their fanatical endeavour frighten or hinder me in the least. And so I abandon the dispute, and I hope my name The Second Albany Period 119 will be mentioned no longer in American Jewish journals, nor will I reply to any charge brought against me. I shall henceforth piu-sue my way with- out journals. I can easily forgive you (editor of the Occident) for the injuries you have done me, and I pity you, and I hope the day is not far distant when the Occident will advocate the doctrines of re- form. I will remain an honest friend of Isaac Leeser, but with the editor of -the Occident I am done. "WTierefore I bid a hearty farewell to the reader. " The editor of the Occident prints the following note to this article: "We acknowledge boldly that we meant to convey the idea that those who deny the two doctrines (the coming of a personal Mes- siah and the bodily resurrection of the dead) in question are not fit to be Jewish ministers, and why? Because they have no right to employ the Prayer Book and read the Scriptures to the people in a sense different from what the ostensible words seem to convey. It is not necessary to follow Dr. Wise step by step. But we may say that we do not insinuate that our epistle has caused Dr. Wise to retract. We only wish that he had done so and thus aided lis to heal the breach which German reformers have produced in four congrega- tions in this country." (Charleston, New York, Baltimore, and Albany.) 120 Isaac Mayer Wise Thereafter Wise did not write for the Occident, but that paper continued to print accounts of his many activities. During the winter of 1851, undisturbed in his rabbinical duties, he was able to devote much time to the study of the history and philosophy of the Middle Ages and at that time had determined to write a history of the Middle Ages. During the last week of June, 1851, Wise officiated as chaplain in the New York State Sen- ate. He was the second Jew in the United States to open a legislative body with prayer. The first was the Rev. Mr. Eckman, of Richmond, Virginia, who officiated as chaplain in the Virginia legislature in 1850. Dr. Wise's first prayer is worthy of being reproduced as a model of brevity and good taste, and is evidence of his intense Americanism and patriotism ^ : "Lord of Hosts, Rock of Salvation, whose un- limited power, wisdom, and love are revealed in the innumerable millions of creatures that populate the universe, whose providence, special care, and benignity is revealed in every page of the history of nations, hear our supplications, listen graciously to our petitions that we offer up unto Thee in behalf of our beloved country and her faithful ' Asmonean, vol. iv., No. 12, July 9, 1851. The Second Albany Period 121 legislators who have assembled again to give us laws and regulations to the promotion of liberty, prosperity, justice, and humanity. O Lord, Thou who hast inspired and assisted our ancestors when they arose lion-hearted against their oppressors and bought for the warm blood of their hearts the liberty and independence of these United States. Inspire, our Father, O, inspire our legislature with the same spirit of truth and justice, with the same love of liberty and independence, with the same desire to promote happiness and prosperity among these fellow citizens; remove prejudice, partiality, and factional endeavours from every mind ; give unto them the same spirit as the vener- able fathers of this republic manifested, let them be freely united in the discharge of the sacred duty to their country that she may bloom and prosper before Thee ; that she may be an example of liberty, equity, and humanity; that she may be imitated by those nations that still suffer and sigh under the iron rod of despotism; that her citizens be united before Thee to do Thy sacred will, to proclaim Thy holy name. Blessed be the name of the Lord from sunrise to sunset, from now to evermore. Amen." In the meantime the new congregation, the fourth in number of reform congregations, but 122 Isaac Mayer Wise the first as far as activity on behalf of reform was concerned, was prospering. Its membership steadily increased, and in the summer of 185 1 steps were taken to purchase the Baptist Church located on South Pearl Street, at the head of Herkimer Street. It was the clergyman of this church who, in 1847, spoke so fanatically against the Jews and Judaism. The congregation thus came into possession of one of the largest churches in the city of Albany, containing seats for nearly a thousand persons. It was well furnished, had an organ and family pews, schoolrooms and vestry room. During the remodelling it was decided to introduce another important reform, the first of its kind in the United States,' namely, the retention of the family pews where men and women could sit together. This innovation was soon adopted by all Jewish reform and many conservative congregations in this country. This important step was severely condemned. Heretofore the Jewish woman had been treated almost as a stranger in the synagogue, she had been excluded from all participation in congregational life. Today she is the mainstay of ' In Germany in Reform Synagogues, although the women's gallery no longer exists, the men and women occupy separate pews. The Second Albany Period 123 religious and congregational life of the Jews, and her emancipation was begun in Albany when Wise formed his choir of boys and girls, and her influ- ence increased when she was permitted to wor- ship, on an equality with her father, husband, and brother. The formal dedication of the new synagogue took place October 3, 1851. The state and city officials attended. Rev. Dr. Max Lilienthal delivered an oration in German, and Dr. Wise spoke in English, his text being. Psalm 84, 1-5. In his Reminiscences he writes as follows ' : "It was a day of ecstatic enthusiasm for us, an hour of atonement and heartfelt rapprochement between the Jews and the most cultiired non-Jews of the city of Albany. It was perhaps the first time in America that progressive Judaism had had an opportunity to speak forth its doctrines in earnest fiery words which were reproduced a hundredfold and spread broadcast. The temple became the centre for all Jews and all lib- eral non-Jews. Naturally the jubilation among the temple people was inexpressible at their scarcely credible success after but one year's existence." Shortly after the dedication came the great ' Reminiscences, pp. 210-214. 124 Isaac Mayer Wise holiday, the Day of Atonement. "The differ- ence," writes Dr. Wise, "between the two days in the years 1850 and 1851 was so great that I spoke on the evening of Yom Kippur before God and the congregation in so inspired and inspiring a manner that I have never succeeded in equalling it since. I saw God's favour revealed in peace, joy, progress, and enthusiasm, and I thanked and praised him from the depth of my soul. I tried to write down the sermon on the following day, but I did not succeed. The enthusiasm born of the moment cannot be committed to paper later. I could retain the shadow only, the spirit had flown." The new congregation continued to worship in this temple for nearly thirty-five years. In 1875 it was enlarged. Soon thereafter the enlarged temple became inadequate, and the building of a new temple was agitated. In 1884 the congre- gation Beth El was without a minister and a move- ment to unite the two congregations was successful. On December i, 1885, the new congregation, Beth Emeth, was incorporated, and on May 23, 1889, the present handsome temple on Lancaster, Severn, and Jay streets was dedicated. Rabbi Wise, then in his seventy-first year, took part in the ceremonies. Almost forty years The Second Albany Period 125 before he was the rock upon which the two con- gregations had split, and it must undoubtedly have been a great satisfaction to him to take part in the reunion. CHAPTER IX LAST YEARS IN ALBANY — FIRST EDITORIAL WORK — A HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITISH NATION Toward the close of the year 1851, Wise began to take an active interest in public affairs. His patriotism was aroused by the revolutions of 1848, but soon thereafter he was disappointed because of their failure. In 1851, Louis Kossuth came to this country to secure assistance for his oppressed fellow countrymen of Hungary, and Wise became the secretary of the Albany Kossuth Society. When he delivered a public lecture on Kossuth's politics he was "received with thundering ap- plause. " He had been advised that it was highly improper for him as a minister to discuss political topics and therefore he prefaced his lecture with the following remarks: "Had I the eloquence of Demosthenes, of Cicero, of Kossuth, the power of Caesar, of Napoleon, of Francis Joseph, had I the wealth of Croesus, of the Rothschilds, I would gladly devote them to the cause which Louis Kos- 126 First Editorial Work 127 suth pleads before us, for it is the liberty of Hun- gary, of Italy, of Germany, of Europe, of the whole globe, and liberty is the germ of morals, the mother of revealed religion, the muse of virtue, the requisite of prosperity, the fairest and loveliest daughter of heaven. " ^ In 1851-52 the treatment of the Jews in Switzer- land and especially in the Catholic cantons called forth a vigorous protest from Wise, and in the issue of the Asmonea?t, May 28, 1852,^ appears "A call to the American Israelites" to take united action and to request Congress to interfere in behalf of the oppressed Jews. This "call" is interesting as showing Wise's organizing ability, and is likewise the first of his many efforts upon behalf of the oppressed Jews in foreign lands. He calls on all the Jews to meet in their respective synagogues to appoint delegates to meet in New York to prepare a suitable petition to be presented to " Congress, requesting our government to protest against the illegal, inhuman, and degrading laws which have been thrust upon our brethren. Let everyone exert himself to have it (petition) signed by as many of our fellow citizens of other creeds who feel kindly disposed toward an oppressed and suffering people. Congress will regard the prayer » Asmonean, vol. v., Dec. 19, 1851. ' Vol. vi., No. 6. 128 Isaac Mayer Wise of the hundreds of thousands of faithful citizens and the powerful word of our government will check the enemies of Israel. The congregations who cannot send delegates to New York should appoint residents in New York to represent them. Hold meetings and report immediately to the public press and let us come before Congress before the close of the present session." Five years later Wise took a prominent part in protest- ing against the laws of certain cantons which dis- criminated against the American Jews. This will be considered in a subsequent chapter. Wise had written in the Occident, July, 1851,' "I shall henceforth pursue my way without journals." But his nature was such that he could not refrain from appearing in public print. With- in a year he published his views on the Swiss question and in September, 1852, he was invited to take charge of "The Theological and Philo- sophical Department of the Asmonean.'" In the issue of September 10, 1852,^ appears the following announcement: "According to an agreement made between the editor of the Asmojtean and my humble self, I have taken charge of the theological and philosophical department of this paper, and I deem it my duty to inform the public of the ' Vol, ix., pp. 303-304. ' Vol. vi., No. 21. First Editorial Work 129 leading principles which will guide me in my task. "Judaism has to struggle against two adversaries, viz., Ignorance and Prejudice. The Jew who is ignorant of the principles and doctrines of Judaism and its history cannot be a pious Jew. The non- Jew who does not possess a correct knowledge of our religion is our fiercest opponent. It will be my endeavour in the first place to promulgate correct information on Jewish learning, I shall attempt to remove the veil from the source of Jewish literature and to open the fountains of our history so that its pure waters may spout forth and satisfy the calm and reasoning readers. I am a republican and consequently an independ- ent man, and acknowledge every man's right to his own opinion, and I am not vexed if my views are gainsaid by others, wherefore I shall utter truth boldly and only notice arguments of opponents for refutation. Especial care will be bestowed upon the history of our nation about which the German Jews have written so much and so well. " The editor of the Asmonean says in this same number: "The liberal sentiments of Dr. Wise and his open, fearless method of discussing questions having placed him in the front rank of reformers, it becomes necessary to say and repeat in order 130 Isaac Mayer Wise that there should be no misunderstanding on this point that Dr. Wise's position will not interfere with the management or control of the paper. It will still continue 'open to all and influenced by none.'" Wise had now obtained what he had long wished for, "an organ" in which he could freely express his views and answer his opponents. During the eighteen months that he was con- nected with the Asmonean he contributed many scholarly articles. It was Wise's habit now, as well as later, to write articles which could be published in book form afterwards. Among the longer essays printed were The Bath Qol, included later in his Origin of Christianity, a biography of the first Hillel as the precursor of Jesus, and the Jewish Constitution based upon the Code of Maimonides. There were also translations from learned German publicists, e. g., "The Chapter on the Book of Chronicles," in Zunz's Gottesdienstliche vortraege der Juden, Geiger's Divan des Jehiida Halevi, Frankel's der Gerichtliche Beweis, and translations of the various writings of Rappaport, Luzzatto, Kroch- mal, Holdheim, Jost, and Graetz. There also appeared almost every week a rabbinical legend from the Talmud or Midrash, translated from the original. A department of foreign news was like- wise instituted by him. First Editorial Work 131 In his article, "The American Synagogue as It Is, "^ he points out that the chief fault is the lack of educated ministers and teachers, which can be remedied by securing better educated preachers: "The preacher must know and master the whole of the Hebrew literature, both bibHcal and Tal- mudical, for he must be thoroughly versed in the religion he expounds. To such congregations who do not feel able or inclined to pay the salary to those men (rabbi and cantor), but still wish to have a competent minister who instructs in the synagogue and in the school, we have to offer the following plan: AboHsh all sorts of singing and chanting in so far as the minister is connected w4th it and let him read only the prayers and the weekly section of the Bible without making himself ridiculous by peculiar and antiquated chanting and singing. This is a change to which none can offer any material objection, for in our day none is superstitious enough to think that God will be less pleased or the heart of the worshipper less edified if antiquated tunes are abolished. If the service is too long so that one cannot read the whole of it and deliver his sermon, then shorten it, omit such prayers as Piutim, which are of later origin. In shortening your service you will derive ' Asmonean, vol. vi., No, 25, 1852. 132. Isaac Mayer Wise the following benefits: (a) That one minister can read the service and preach without fatigue, and you save the expense of paying two salaries; (b) You will not be fatigued and worried in the house of the Lord by a service which lasts two to three hours; (c) You will be able to maintain a proper decorum in the synagogue. The most of the congregations are desirous of employing a minister who can preach in the English language, and this is both laudatory and praiseworthy. We hate exclusiveness and separateness ; we are none of those partisans who wish to maintain the German element or any sectional element in this country; the German governments especially have not treated either us or our forefathers so very ami- cably that we should feel so much inclined to remain Germans, or educate our children as patriotic Germans; we are disposed to fraternize with a nation which first offered a brotherly hand to persecuted Israelites, and this nation, America, uses the English language, therefore we invariably endeavour to speak English at home, in our schools, and in our synagogues. We feel no regret in abandoning a language in which we heard and felt the terms Judenhass and Judenverjolgung and Judenverachtung (hatred, persecution, and contempt of the Jews) for the language of a nation First Editorial Work 133 whose dictionary is not polluted by such low terms. In this case we again believe we give utterance to the voice of the people, for it is generally noticed at the end of advertisements 'None need apply who is not a thorough English scholar.'" In the Asmonean of October 22, 1852, ' he writes on "Congregational Schools," and the following quotations show his intense Americanism and pa- triotism; "If anything like sectarian religion is taught in the public schools the Israelites should complain and the school board is bound in duty to hear and redress the wrong. As citizens we must not be distinct from the rest, in religion only are we Jews, and in all other respects we are American citizens. And therefore we must have religious schools in which the Hebrew language, Bible catechism, etc., is taught by competent teachers, but do not entirely withdraw your children from the public schools. " The following, taken from an article on the "Parties in Israel,"^ is interesting as throwing light on his reform views: "On the whole it ought to be said the American Jews are divided into ultra- orthodox and reform congregations; the latter of which are the most numerous. The parties do ' Vol. vi., No. 27. * Asmonean, vol. vi., Dec. lo, 1852. 134 Isaac Mayer Wise not understand each other because their leaders have not the moral courage to enter upon the calm and honourable discussion of the leading principles. Reforms go slowly because the leaders are not as sincere as it behooves them to be, and each desires to be greatest without doing much for it. The future would bring better results if those who now stand at the head of the parties would be devoted enough to cast off their private feelings and become more active and attempt more earnestly to reconcile the parties and to forward the cause of Israel." Answering the question, "What ought to be done?" he says: "The whole divine worship must be improved, the antiquated chants must be aboHshed, the young must be instructed in the principles of Judaism. The living word must be restored to the temple of Israel by the people engaging able, pious, and moral preachers. And if our readers ask what else must be done, we would tell them that those who cry out at noonday 'Come, let us have midnight' are the false prophets of our day and must be silenced, and those who believe or are attempting to make others believe that the Jewish citizens of this country will creep back into narrow Jewry, wear a long beard, veil the face and cover the hair of his wife, make the school a place of First Editorial Work 135 torture, the synagogue a place of ridicule, are mightily mistaken. That time has gone, and happily will return no more. We demand now the respect of society for us and our institutions; we claim the regard of the community for our religion; we have an unrestrained intercourse with the world, and therefore we must act accordingly. Everything that is not in accord with the natural laws of morality and justice must be shunned. Our religion and institutions must be defended by competent orators and sound publications, a course more than all others that will secure the respect of the nation of which we are citizens and also instruct and inspire our sons and daughters with veneration and love for Judaism." To assure the future of Judaism, he writes in December 31, 1852, issue of the Asmonean: "It is necessary for the congregation to have a minister grounded in ancient and modern literature cap- able of expounding Judaism; good schools for the young, and colleges where Jewish literature is taught and where ministers and teachers, as well as laymen, may be educated, and societies should be organized in every city for the purpose of establishing libraries." In the January 28, 1853, Asmonean, under the head, "The Necessity for a Collegiate Institution, " 136 Isaac Mayer Wise Wise again advances potent arguments. He points out the ignorance of Jewish literature and history among the American Jews: "Therefore we cannot be silent," he says, "when we see such a horrible grave dug for Judaism which is much dearer to us than all the favour of all the com- munities in the world. If we are right in our views then a horrible wrong is being perpetrated upon the rising generation, if no provision be made to remedy this evil. We are upon a fair way to reduce Judaism in America to a mere shadow, and the synagogue to a ridiculous imita- tion of what it should be; endeavours ought to be made to prevent such a state of affairs. We deem it our sacred duty to call upon every sensible Israelite to consider this matter and to try that means be devised to meet this evil. We earnestly call upon our friends in every city of the Union to consider the present position of things and to reflect what it will be in twenty years or ten years hence; where will they obtain their teachers and preachers? Now they are dependent on Germany and Poland. Is such a dependence to continue, and if it continues will the crop be unfailing?" In the spring of 1853 Isaac Leeser published an article in the Occident calling for a conference of Israelitish Clergy. Wise opposed such a gather- First Editorial Work 137 ing. In the April 28, 1853 Asmonean, he wrote that it was necessary to have ministers before you could have a conference of ministers. "The conference might have the effect of instituting an ecclesiastical authority of one or more men. That is exactly the thing we hate to see or have proposed under existing circumstances." Wise continued to write for ihQ Asmonean until his departure for Cincinnati in April, 1854. ^^~ sides his hterary and historical articles of which mention has been made, he wrote articles in which he dwelt upon the necessity for a college for the education of the Jewish youth. On August 19, 1853, the Asmonean printed an article, "Plan for a Hebrew College." Although it was twenty years before his cherished plans and hopes were realized, it is remarkable with what detail he had worked out the scheme in 1853. "Such a college," he writes, "must be located in the city which is in possession of good libraries, hence where a good university, or college, or academy exists, so that the students by an ar- rangement with the directors are enabled to study there all the branches of mathematics, physical sciences, and the general branches of belles lettres, the commercial sciences, and the classical studies. All the remaining professorships would be these: y 138 Isaac Mayer Wise (i) One for the Bible, its commentaries and He- brew languages; (2) One for the Alishna, Talmud and Aramaic languages; (3) One for history of the Israelitish people and its literatiire; (4) One for rhetoric, logic, and moral and mental philo- sophy; (5) One for Pedagogics, etc. More than five or six professors would not be required for the commencement. " His optimism is seen in the statement that the necessary money for the building and the library could be raised very easily. "It admits of no rational doubt that the matter could be carried into effect if co-operation of all influential men could be obtained. Will not some of our friends interest themselves on the subject and take the measure into their hands ? We promise our hearty co-operation, we will strain all our feeble nerves in obtaining support for the institution. We would even undertake to travel and see the principal congregations of this country on the subject if the desirable end could be reached." This latter he did, but the story of the founding of the college must be reserved for a later chapter. THE HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITISH NATION With the organization of the reform congrega- tion, Anshe Emeth, Wise was able to devote more First Editorial Work 139 time to study. He had always felt that the Jews of America should do some productive work, and after he ceased writing for the Occideitt in July, 1 85 1, he devoted nearly all his time to a work that was published early in 1854, under the title, The History of the Israelitish Nation from Abraham to the Present Time — Derived from Original Sources , Vol. I. This first volume closed with the destruction of the first temple at Jerusalem. He had intended at first to write a history of the Middle Ages, but yielding to the solicitation of his friends he con- sented to write a history of the Jewish people. During the ensuing two years he worked steadily, and at the same time wrote for the Asmonean, and was busily occupied in the upbuilding of his new congregation. After completing the first volume he wrote an introduction in which his views were clearly set forth. In this introduction he unequivocally stated that miracles do not belong to history, and explained them as natural events. Je-^dsh history was likewise written from a democratic standpoint. "In this," he says,"^ "I differ from all my predecessors, hence the monarchy was unjustified and contrary to the laws of Moses. If this were true the Messianic ' Reminiscences, pp. 230-231. 140 Isaac Mayer Wise belief of both Jews and Christians was without foundation, therefore I had no reason to palHate the faults and weaknesses of David, Solomon, and the whole dynasty. I exposed all the intrigues of the court, and pinned my faith to the prophets who had thundered against the kingdoms and the kings. Today the book is orthodox in very truth as Theodore Parker asserted at that time; but at the time of its appearance (1854), it fell into the orthodox camps like a veritable bomb." This book contains a preface of ten pages, an introduc- tion of nine pages, and five hundred and sixty octavo pages, divided into five periods of thirteen chapters. The main body of the book contains the political history, and the appendix of every period contains the doctrines, principles, customs, and literary activity of that particular age. The periods are, first, From the Birth of Abraham to the Demise of Moses, three chapters; second. From Joshua to the End of the Republic in the Time of Samuel, three chapters; third. From King Saul to the Division of the Kingdom, three chap- ters ; fourth, From the Division of the Kingdom to the Fall of Samaria, two chapters; and, fifth. From the Fall of Samaria to the Fall of Jerusalem, two chapters. In the preface and introduction are given the names of the works the author con- First Editorial Work 141 suited in his studies. To appreciate the hostile criticisms with which the book was received by the orthodox it is necessary to quote from the intro- duction, pages 15-16: "The difficulty which we encoimtered on the threshold in the writing of this volume is this: The facts preserved in the Scriptures are surrounded by doctrines and mira- cles, so that it often becomes difficult to say which belongs to the province of history. . . . We have proceeded upon the following principle: History is distinguished from religion and theology as the ideas of knowing and believing. History records what is established by the criterion of criticism to be fact, while the dogmas and doctrines of religion are based upon faith, not admitting of the rigid application of criticism. Rational theo- logy itself cannot proceed beyond a reconciliation of faith and reason. This, however, is insufficient in history, where evidences are reqmred that things actually took place, where, when, and how they occurred. "The next distinction between history and religion is tliis, the former treats of man and the latter of God. If this be admitted it must neces- sarily follow that miracles do not belong to the province of history. Miracles can be wrought by God only, and history records what men have 142 Isaac Mayer Wise done. The historian may believe the miracles, but he has no right to incorporate them in history. . . . "Doctrines are not of themselves a part of history ; they are of importance only so far as they exercise an influence upon human actions which became a part of history. "According to these principles we have adopted only such facts as are able to stand the test of criticism; miracles for which we could not find common and natural reasons were not recorded by us, still we have attempted to find such reasons wherever we could." This book was the result of long and painful study, and when it was finished in the spring of 1853, Wise took the manuscript to New York in the hope of finding a publisher. Despite letters of recommendation from Horace Greeley and William H. Seward, no publisher was willing to accept the w^ork. Not being able to find a pub- lisher he decided to publish it himself, and he contracted for an edition of two thousand copies. "The contract called for about two thousand dollars more than I possessed. While the book was in press I told my friends of my rash under- taking. The faithful ones who had stood man- fully and fraternally by me in all my struggles, my First Editorial Work 143 old guard, did not fail me now."^ During the summer of 1853, Dr. Wise read the proof of his new work. The History of the Israelitish Nation was severely criticized by Jews and Christians. Volumes xi. and xii. of the Occident, and ix. and X. of the Asmonean contain many communica- tions bitterly condemning the work, and a few praising it. Wise was considered un- Jewish, a heretic, a German rationalist, etc. Although Dr. Wise had been in this country only seven years, the style of the book is very good and shows a remarkable grasp of the English language. THE CLOSE OF THE ALBANY CAREER In September, 1853, while Wise was busy with the publication of his first book he received a letter written by Jacob H. Goodhart, secretary pro tern, of the congregation Bene Yeshurun of Cincinnati, asking upon what condition he would accept election as rabbi of that congregation. At this time he believed that his mission at Albany had been accomplished. He was also depressed by the lack of support he had received in the East for his cherished desires, a college and a union of Israelites. Besides, he was in debt, and he had a ' Reminiscences, p. 227. 144 Isaac Mayer Wise family of three young children. Another child, a son, Julius, had been born in 1851, and he thought that there were better prospects in the rapidly growing West, From the Occident and the Asmonean he had heard of the congregational activity in Cincinnati, and especially of the Bene Yeshurun congregation which had been organized by German Jews in 1842, under whose auspices there had been opened a day school in 1849, the Talmud Yelodim Institute, which he hoped would be useful in his efforts to establish a college. Easily gaining the consent of his wife, he decided to go to Cincinnati provided the congregation would accept him on his own terms. In order to avoid the difficulties and the disagreeable condi- tions that he had encountered during his first years at Albany he determined there should not be a repetition of such awkward situations, and therefore wrote that he would accept an election on the following conditions, viz., that he should be elected unanimously and for life, and without trial sermon; that the salary should be sufficient to make him "independent of any gifts from the rich or poor members," and that he be permitted to enter upon his duties six months after his elec- tion. "I dispatched the letter," he writes,' ' Reminiscences, p. 235. First Editorial Work 145 "and thought that if the congregation accepted these conditions, it was sincere in its desire to have me despite my failures, stupidity, and bad reputation." At the general meeting of the Bene Yeshurun congregation, October 27, 1853, the following resolution was unanimously adopted: "That this congregation elect the Rev. Dr. Isaac M. Wise during good behaviour as our minister and super- intendent at a salary of $1,500 per annum. " The proposal no less than the acceptance by the con- gregation were bold steps at that time. Twenty- five years later Dr. Max Lilienthal said in the course of a congratulatory sermon delivered from Dr. Wise's pulpit: "Jacob Goodhart said to me in New York, 'We have engaged the services of the rabbi of Albany for life. ' For life ! That was a new and decisive word twenty-five years ago. Thanks, a thousand thanks to your noble congre- gation who first uttered these words, thanks to the rabbi who first insisted on this condition. Minis- ters were elected but for one year and like poli- ticians had to flatter and humble themselves before every ignoramus who had a right to vote at the annual election. And whenever a man dared to show his self-respect, his superior knowledge, and the will to maintain the dignity of his clerical 10 146 Isaac Mayer Wise office there arose hydra-like contentions and bitter animosities. We, the elder rabbis of this country, can tell the story of our sadder experiences. But the spell was broken when this congregation first of all said, 'I have betrothed thee unto me for- ever,' and when the rabbi and the congregation repeated the words of the Song of Songs."' In his letter of acceptance. Wise wrote: "I am a friend of bold plans and grand schemes, therefore I entertain the hope that the Talmud Yelodim Institute will in a few years realize my fervent wishes for a Hebrew college in which our national literature may flourish alongside of a classical and commercial education." Wise immediately resigned his position in Albany to take effect in April, 1854, and requested his staunch and loyal friends not to dissuade him from going. They readily acquiesced in his course, for they realized not only the welfare of his family, but the cause of reform Judaism necessitated his acceptance. In response to many invitations from leading members of the Cincinnati congregation. Wise visited Cincinnati in December, 1853, where he spent three weeks delivering sermons in the several congregations, and addressed the Bene B'rith ' Israelite, May 2, 1879, vol. xxxii, N. S., No. 18. First Editorial Work 147 Lodge and other benevolent organizations, and on all these occasions he set forth his views on reform, which were well received. This first visit to Cincinnati is delightfully described in his Reminiscences. ^ He was fortunate in the friends he made on this trip, for they were a tower of strength to him during his early years in Cincin- nati. "My reception seemed hearty and well meant, and I felt at home at once in the Marcus Fech- heimer house. That very day and evening all the prominent members of the congregation visited me and welcomed me heartily. It is difficult to determine at this time (1875) what impression I made upon the people. I was thin, my face was pale, my eyes were deep-set and encircled with blue rings; my hair was long and flowing, my glances were fiery, my lips colourless, my figure bent and insignificant. " On his return to Albany he made the necessary preparations for his removal to Cincinnati in the following April. In January, 1854, a second daughter, his fourth surviving child, Ida, now Mrs. Henry Berheim, of Cincinnati, was born. During the winter of 1854 when he and his book were being so bitterly attacked he offered to release ^ Pp. 239-250. 148 Isaac Mayer Wise the Cincinnati congregation from its contract, but the offer was refused. He continued to write weekly for the As7nonean, and he pubHshed some very instructive and valu- able articles. In the first chapter of this book the articles, "Recollections of Bohemia" are reprinted and it is greatly to be regretted that he did not write the sequel, "Recollections of Prague," which undoubtedly would have contained much biographical material. His attitude towards women is well expressed in an article,' "The Confirmation and Bar- mitzvah. " In this he defends the Confirmation which is the ceremony in which both boys and girls participated, whereas only boys took part in the Barmitzvah. "We leave it to the reader to decide whether this reform was right and good, or uncalled for, at the same time we can not re- strain ourselves from entering our complaints on behalf of our female friends," he writes. "Is it not an insolence that men say in their morning prayers, 'Blessed art thou, etc., that thou hast not made me a woman.' Is it not an offence to their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, and if it should not be said, why should it be printed? [In the Prayer Book.] Is it not a rudeness of the ' Asmonean, vol. ix., No. 23. First Editorial Work 149 meanest kind that a female is considered as a nobody in respect to person in religious affairs, not only in the synagogue, but in the family circle? This is one of the ' established ' absurdities, this is evidently the mildest name we can find for it, "^ On April 19, 1854, the last day of Passover, Wise delivered his farewell address before the congregation Anshe Emeth. ' ' I will not attempt to describe the scene," he writes in his Reminis- cences.'^ "It was a day of mourning; I was at- tached to Albany with all the fibres of my heart. It was my first home in the new world. I had so many true and tried friends in the old city on the Hudson. Every child, every tree was dear to me, but my school-days were over, I had to go out into the world. I had attended two schools in Albany for nearly eight years; the school of ex- perience, of bitter struggles and brilliant triumphs, and the school of learning, whose lessons I had learned with tireless industry. I had no fortune, but I was very rich; I had many warm friends, a wife and four children, much self-reliance, and a firm faith in God and the truth. A dreaming optimist, an idealist such as I always was requires no more than this to be happy." The congrega- tion passed resolutions of appreciation of his ser- ' See infra, page 363. * P. 251. 150 Isaac Mayer Wise vices. They were printed in the Asmonean of March 24, 1854, and also in the Occident. Wise left for Syracuse en route to Cincinnati on April 20, 1854. His brother-in-law, Edward Bloch, was to meet him with Mrs. Wise and the children at Rochester several days later. Having missed the train at Rochester he wrote a letter to the Asmonean, dated April 25, which appeared in the April 28, 1854, issue. It was his last regular con- tribution, as he had severed his connection with that paper a few weeks before. In this letter he writes : ' ' The last sounds of my friends in Albany still re-echo in my heart, and if I was able to give utterance to my sentiment I could write you a touching and beautiful letter. Allow me, my dear sir, a small space in the Asmonean to assure my friends in Albany that if my success were and will be of any value to the house of Israel, the thanks for it are due to the Albanians, for without their faithful attachment and support I would have been obliged three years ago to have quit my position and entered upon the legal profession. 'This country congregation, ' as Isaac Leeser styled them, consists of men who adhere to the principles which I advocated ; they adhered consistently to those principles under all circumstances. " This communication contains an early reference First Editorial Work 151 to the idea of circuit preaching among the Jews. "Why can not we," he writes, "have travelHng ministers to preach to such congregations who have no ministers ? If we had such Judaism would prosper much more, and congregations could be organized much faster. " His family joined him at Rochester on April 24, 1854, and together they continued their journey westward. "My wife was charmed," he writes,' "with the changing scenes through which we passed. I also was in a happy frame of mind, notably when we rolled through the rich and blooming state of Ohio on the 25th. All the peach-, plum-, and cherrry-trees were in full blos- som, displaying their pageantry of rich colours in the mild spring sunshine. The fields were full of life and bustle, dotted everywhere with flocks of sheep and playful lambs. It was a charming picture. My children shouted with glee. " On April 26, 1854, h^ arrived in Cincinnati. Of the close of his journey he writes: "The school-days are over; I am entering upon life a second time. A new chapter of my biography is opened; what lies hidden in the lap of the future?" The following pages will tell the story of that future which was so pre-eminently successful. ' Reminiscences, pp. 253-254. 152 Isaac Mayer Wise During the next forty-six years of his Hfe in Cincinnati he became the leader and dominating spirit in progressive American Judaism; the ablest and most prominent reform rabbi in America, the editor of the most influential Jewish journal in the country, the Israelite, later the American Israelite, and of the Die Deborah, a German weekly, the organizer of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the founder and first president of the Hebrew Union College and of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, CHAPTER X THE RABBI OF CONGREGATION BENE YESHURUN On April 26, 1854, Isaac Mayer Wise arrived in Cincinnati, and during the next forty-six years his entire hfe was devoted to the cause of Judaism in America. This successful career covering the last half of the nineteenth century can be appreciated best if his many-sided activities are considered separately. Naturally they overlap and are so interwoven one with the other that it will be .difficult to portray any one without reference to the others. However, a clear insight into his power, force, and influence can be had by setting forth in greater detail each phase of his activity, that of rabbi of the congre- gation Bene Yeshurun, editor of the American Israelite, founder of the Union of American He- brew Congregations, the Hebrew Union College, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In 1854, Cincinnati had a population of about 155,000 of whom four thousand were Jews. The 153 154 Isaac Mayer Wise first Jew settled in Cincinnati in the first week of March, 1817. He was a native of Plymouth, Eng- land. About the time of his arrival another Jew from Portsmouth, England, settled at Connersville, Indiana. Other English Jews settled in Cincin- nati between 1820 and 1830, and during the same period some Dutch and French Jews arrived. About 1830 the Polish and German Jewish immigration began, and within a decade the English Jews were outnumbered by the Germans, who continued to arrive in large numbers during the succeeding decades. In the fall of 18 19 the English Jews in Cincinnati held the first Jewish services in the West, and on January 4, 1824, a meeting of the resident Jews of Cincinnati was held at the home of Morris Moses when steps w^ere taken to organize a congregation, and on the i8th day of January, 1824, the congregation Bene Israel (Children of Israel) was organized "According to the form and mode of worship of the Polish- German Jews." Between 1838 and 1840 there were in and about Cincinnati a number of young, energetic German Jews who were not in sympathy with the English congregation Bene Israel. Dur- ing the year 1840 they met and decided to organ- ize an independent congregation which they named Bene Yeshurun (Children of Yeshurun). Their -'"C-UA' ISAAC M. WISE AET. 35 Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 155 first place of worship was in a residence on Third Street between Sycamore and Broadway; and on February 28, 1842, they received a charter from the State. The history of this congregation during its early years was similar to that of many other German Jewish organizations at that time. Fre- quent meetings were held, but the business trans- acted was of minor importance. The congrega- tion soon increased in numbers, and in 1844 decided to build a synagogue, and the following year pur- chased for that purpose a lot on Lodge Street, a small narrow street, practically an alley. In 1845 the congregation refused to unite with congrega- tion Bene Israel. The corner-stone of the new synagogue was laid in 1846, and in 1847 the con- gregation elected the Rev. James K. Gutheim, lecturer and reader, at a salary of $500 per annum. The congregation became more active after the arrival of Rev. Mr. Gutheim. He introduced some reforms, among which was the establishment of a choir. In 1848 he asked the board of trustees to appoint a committee to prepare a permanent ritual or order of worship. The committee was ap- pointed and submitted a report prepared by Rev. Mr. Gutheim, recommending the adoption of new rules relating to decorum during the services, and the omission of certain portions of the Prayer 156 Isaac Mayer Wise Book. As the board of trustees could not agree with the committee, the report was referred to the general meeting of the congregation which adopted part of the report. The new synagogue was dedicated on September 22, 1848. At this time the congregation had 134 members. Soon after the dedication the ultra- orthodox members of the congregation began to oppose Rev. Mr. Gutheim because of his reform tendencies, and in 1849 he resigned and was suc- ceeded by Rev. Mr. H. A. Henry, an Englishman. Mr. Henry was strictly orthodox in his views, and through his influence the reform movement began by Gutheim received a serious setback. Rev. Mr. Henry was a scholar and a writer and he intro- duced the custom of preaching every Sabbath and on holidays. In September, 1850, he was re- elected at a salary of $800 per annum, but re- signed the following July. On October 4, 1851, Rev. A. Rosenfeld of the orthodox Portuguese congregation of Charleston, S. C., was elected cantor, lecturer, and superintendent of the school at a salary of $1000. He was a fluent preacher, a good cantor, and an able teacher, but was strictly orthodox. In 1852 he was re-elected for three years at a salary of Si 500. About this time he was bitterly attacked, not only by the Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 157 members of his own congregation, but by the members of congregation Bene Israel, and ridicu- lous charges against him were published in the Occident. Notwithstanding the confidence ex- pressed in him by his own congregation he re- signed in 1853. Many of the leading members of the congrega- tion visited New York frequently, and while there they heard of Rabbi Wise of Albany; others had read of him in the Occident. Isaac Leeser, the editor of the Occident, visited Cincinnati, and in the April number of 1852, published a report of his visit. In the issue of June, 1852, there is a com- munication from Cincinnati written by Henry Mack, a prominent member of the congregation, from which it appears that at this time there were four congregations in Cincinnati: Congregation Bene Israel, consisting of one hundred and seventy members; Congregation Bene Yeshurun, one hun- dred and eighty members; Congregation of Bro- therly Love, eighty members, and a newly organ- ized Polish congregation. Mr. Mack in his communication gives a good description of the work of the Talmud Yelodim Institute, a day-school which was organized at his suggestion by the Bene Yeshurun congregation in 1849: "That Talmud Yelodim Institute bids 158 Isaac Mayer Wise fair to become one of the best schools in the country," he writes. "We employ at present three male and a female teacher, all able instruc- tors and classical scholars, who teach all branches belonging to a thorough English education. Ger- man and Hebrew languages, religious and vocal music. We are the only congregation in this city in whose synagogue sermons in the vernacular are delivered." In September, 1853, this con- gregation, notwithstanding its previous ortho- dox proclivities, invited Dr. Wise, of Albany, the leading reform rabbi in America, to become its minister and superintendent of its school, and in October it unanimously elected him for life at a salary of $1500 per annum. In his letter dated Albany, October 31, 1853, acknowledging his election. Wise wrote: "Being in possession of your favour of the twenty-eighth instant, I repeat what I have informed you by telegraph, that I accept the office. I shall be in Cincinnati in December as I promised, and will enter upon my duties on the first of May, next. I promise nothing, but shall honestly attempt to give satisfaction to the K. K. Bene Yeshurun and to deserve that unconditional confidence which that honourable body has been pleased to put in me. The intelligence and the pious will for which Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 159 your congregation is reputed promise that we shall soon succeed to elevate it to a model congregation for the whole West and South, to maintain and defend the honour of our sacred faith against all religious sects." Wise arrived in Cincinnati at the end of the following April and immediately took charge of the congregation and the school. The Lodge Street synagogue at that time was without organ and choir, and was quite orthodox. The members observed the first and second days of each holiday, and worshipped with covered heads. There was no confirmation of children, and the ritual was German. During the first year of Wise's occu- pancy of the pulpit he was the only Jewish preacher in the entire West. His audiences were large and composed of members of the other congregations, and of many visitors from the West and South whom business brought to Cincinnati. Wise was most fortunate in finding so many able, earnest, and willing young men in his congregation who assisted him in his progressive work. Most of the young Germans of Cincinnati came from Bavaria, Wurttemberg, and Baden, and had been influenced by the reform movement in Germany, and especially by Rabbi Leopold Stein of Burgkun- stadt and Frankfort. The president of the con- i6o Isaac Mayer Wise gregation at the time of Wise's election was Marcus Fechheimer, a man of education, tact, and force. He realized Wise's ability and aided him in all his undertakings. Within a few weeks after Dr. Wise's arrival the president announced the aboli- tion of the Piutim, the liturgical poems, part of the ritual, and soon thereafter the sale of the Mitz- woth was abolished. Thus two reforms which Wise had introduced in Albany after a struggle were adopted without any effort on his part. The rabbi wished to establish a choir, but owing to the fact that the congregation had spent several hundred dollars in previous years for that purpose without success, this effort on his part was not accomplished so easily. However, he invited many young men and women to assist him, and within a few months a choir was being trained. In March, 1855, the congregation decided to en- large its seating capacity, build a choir gallery, and install an organ. At first the suggestion of an organ was opposed by the more orthodox, but as the question was decided by so overwhelming a majority this opposition faded away. The reno- vated synagogue was re-dedicated with appro- priate services on August 24, 1855. The choir, with three exceptions, was composed of volunteers. In 1856 two non- Jewish professionals were added Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun i6i to the choir. This innovation of having Christians take part in the divine service caused a sensation at the time, but today is quite common in all temples. Wise at this time was the only rabbi in Cincin- nati, and his sermons became so popular that the older congregation, Bene Israel, which was without a minister, was losing ground. To prevent a dis- solution, the congregation at a general meeting held November 5, 1854, adopted the following resolutions : "That rabbi of Bene Yeshurun congregation is hereby elected for life rabbi of Bene Israel con- gregation with the understanding that he is to preach alternately in both synagogues, and to dis- charge rabbinical functions in both congregations. "That the Bene Israel congregation proceed at once to build a school, and said rabbi is elected superintendent of this school. "That the Bene Israel congregation contribute as much as the Bene Yeshurun congregation toward the salary of the rabbi. " Heretofore Bene Israel congregation had been very orthodox, and among its leaders were bitter detractors of Wise. "A committee of fifty came to my house at midnight," he writes,^ "to apprise ' Reminiscences, p, 277. II 1 62 Isaac Mayer Wise me of the action of the congregation. Joy reigned unconfined. It was a fairly won battle, a victory for the cause of progress in Judaism, for the Bene Israel congregation was looked upon as the mother congregation of Western Jewry, and as the camp of simon pure orthodoxy." However, Wise's congregation would not consent to the proposition, nor was this action at all surprising in the light of its history. Bene Yeshurun had been organized by German Jews who had withdrawn from Bene Israel, which was controlled by English Jews who used the Polish-German Minhag form of worship ; whereas the former used the German form; then, again, there had always existed a most jealous rivalry between the two congregations. Ridicu- lous charges against Rev. Mr. Rosenfeld were preferred by some members of the Bene Israel, and in the Occident of April, 1853,' there is a letter from Marcus Fechheimer, president of Bene Yeshurun, in which he states: "You must know that ever since our congregation was organ- ized up to the present day there has been a jealous feeling manifested toward us by a certain cHque composed of members of Bene Israel. They put all kinds of obstructions in our way, called the congregation by nicknames, and contrived every- ' Vol. xi., p. 66. Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 163 thing in their power to prevent our advancement. What seemed to provoke them most is that our congregation has always striven to obtain for their pulpit men of learning and oratorical powers and high moral standing. " Happily, Rabbi Wise was able to allay this antagonistic and jealous feeling. While he could not become the regular rabbi of Bene Israel con- gregation without the consent of his own con- gregation, nevertheless he performed temporarily all the rabbinical functions and preached there every Saturday afternoon. He continued in this capacity until May, 1855, when with his consent and to his great satisfaction his friend Rev. Dr. Max Lilienthal was elected rabbi of Bene Israel congregation. The congregation presented to Dr. Wise a set of laudatory resolutions, and a handsome silver fruit basket in recognition of his services. With the advent of Rabbi Lilienthal, in June, 1855, began a most remarkable friendship between him and Wise, which was to last until LiHenthal's death in 1882. Never before and never since in the history of American Judaism did two rabbis live in the same city on such a footing. They were associated in every movement for the advancement of the condition of the Jews and Judaism. In 1858 the congregation Adath 164 Isaac Mayer Wise Israel of Louisville, Kentucky, without success, requested Wise's congregation to permit him to preach in Louisville once a month. The congre- gation Bene Yeshurun, though it would not con- sent to share the services of its rabbi with another congregation, began at once to give him most loyal and enthusiastic support in every reform he advocated, and in all his plans for the advance- ment of American Judaism, his paper, his college, and his ritual. In September, 1855, the congre- gation at Wise's suggestion elected two delegates to the Cleveland Rabbinical Conference, called by him for the purpose of forming a union among the Israelites, preparing a uniform ritual, and the establishment of a rabbinical college. One of the results of this conference was the preparation of an American ritual, the Minhag America, the work of Rabbis Wise, Kalisch, and Rothenheim, a committee appointed at the Cleveland confer- ence. In September, 1857, congregation Bene Yeshurun adopted this ritual which was gradually accepted by the majority of reform congregations in the South and West. In 1866 Dr. Wise pre- pared a second part of this Minhag America which was used for the New Year and Day of Atone- ment Services. As a part of the service on the Eve of the Day of Atonement, Dr. Wise introduced Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 165 a beautiful "Memorial Service" for those mem- bers of the congregation who had died during the previous year. This service, though written in English and German, was always read in German. The German version was beautiful, full of senti- ment and poetry. The theme, "Immortality of the Soul," always moved the congregation. Wise in all his writings probably never again reached the high note struck in this effort. It was mainly composed on his way from Albany to Cincinnati, in 1854. ^^ ^^is Reminisce?ices^ he gives the following account: "At noon I sat down in the corner of the station at Columbus and wrote as follows: 'I am troubled with anxious forebodings, now that I approach my new home which I shall reach in a few hours. I cannot pierce the veil of the future, God wills that I should not. Wherefore this fear? Is it the echo of the past or a magical voice from the future? O, Lord God, Thou alone knowest. ' Many of my readers may recognize that the thoughts and feelings entertained by me at this time appear in the introduction to the memorial service, but they do not know that the principal passages were written on the train between Columbus and Cin- cinnati in April, 1854." ' P. 254. i66 Isaac Mayer Wise In 1888 and 1890 new rituals for Friday night and Saturday morning were introduced. The important changes consisted in reading a greater portion of the service in EngHsh and permitting the congregation to participate more in the service. In 1894 t^^6 Union Prayer Book, the work of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, was adopted, and Wise, free from any jealousy, urged his congregation to be the first to accept this new ritual. The congregation, however, refused to omit the beautiful memorial service (Seelenfeier) on Yom Kippur Eve, which was read in German until 1 90 1, when an acceptable English transla- tion made by the late Bernhard Bettmann was adopted. This English translation, which pre- serves very well the spirit of the original German, is still used. The orthodox congregations observe two holi- days, the second day being the rabbinical, "Second Holy Day." These were observed because it was thought that when in ancient days the messengers were sent out to notify the people of the date that the message might not have been received in time to celebrate the first day. In modern times the reform, rabbis felt no such mistake could be made, as these dates were astronomically fixed, and Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 167 therefore advocated the aboHtion of the second holy day. In October, 1859, congregation Bene Yeshiirun aboHshed the observance of all second holidays with the exception of the second day of New Year, the observance of which was not dis- continued until 1873. In that year the orthodox custom of worshipping with covered heads was likewise abolished. During the years 1854 to i860 the congregation steadily increased in membership and influence, and it soon became evident that the Lodge Street synagogue was too small, and furthermore that the neighbourhood was not conducive to congrega- tional work. At the annual meeting of i860 a committee was appointed to investigate the ques- tion of building a new temple. But owing to the outbreak of the Civil War nothing was accom- plished at that time. In 1863 many of the leading and wealthy members of both Bene Yeshurun and Bene Israel thought it advisable to build a large and handsome temple, the pulpit of which should be occupied by Drs. Wise and Lilienthal, the former to lecture in English and the latter in German. Wise, upon being requested by his con- gregation to give his opinion of this project, said: "I will not leave congregation Bene Yeshurun. The honour of Judaism in Cincinnati and through- 1 68 Isaac Mayer Wise out the West requires that Bene Yeshurun, hitherto the banner bearer of reform and progress on this side of the Alleghenies, should come out of Lodge Street into the broad dayHght of a better locaHty. Still, if the congregation believes that the time has not yet come for such an enterprise I "will patiently wait with you. If some of our wealthy members leave us I will stay with you even if my salary by necessity must be reduced one half." This outspoken and unequivocal stand effectually disposed of the project to establish a "temple congregation," The congregation shortly thereafter unani- mously decided to build a new temple, and at an enthusiastic meeting $40,000 was subscribed, com- mittees were appointed, and in May, 1863, the pres- ent site, 132 by 100 feet at the south-east corner of Eighth and Plum streets, was purchased, and three years later, August 24, 1866, the new temple was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. The total cost of the structure was $263,525. This temple is at present one of the handsomest ex- amples of Moorish architecture in America, and at the time of its dedication was one of the largest Jewish temples in the country. In 1858 a cantor was elected, and whenever there was a vacancy that office was filled by one Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 169 of the congregation's most active members, Mr. Solomon Levi. In 1866, Wise proposed the introduction of Friday night lectures on religious-philosophical or religious-historical subjects, and in 1867 he began to deliver these lectures, many of which were afterwards published in book form. The most noteworthy of these are, "The Cosmic God," "Ju- daism and Christianity" — " Their Agreements and Disagreements," "Jesus, The Apostles and Paul," " A Defence of Judaism versus Proselytizing Christianity," "The Ethics of Judaism," and " Israel, Its Place in History." In a communica- tion to the New York Jewish Times, ^ Dr. Lilienthal, writing of Wise's lectures on Jesus of Nazareth, said: "The lectures will every- where be listened to with great undivided in- terest. They are a bold and ingenious movement at the time when the Ecumenical Council tries to lead the whole world back into the times of super- natural wonders and bigoted darkness of the Middle Ages. "What during the evening I liked best was the applause given by the Christian part of the audi- ence. I sat by the side of the Honourable John (sic) — a misprint undoubtedly for Wm. S. Groesbeck, ^Vol. IV., No. 45, 1870. 170 Isaac Mayer Wise the lawyer who so brilHantly defended Andrew Johnson during the impeachment trial. ' I do not subscribe to all that the doctor says, ' he remarked to me, 'I do not believe as he believes. But it is one of the most interesting lectures I have listened to for many years. It is a grand and excellent effort and I wonder why the whole bar does not attend. I shall not miss any one of them. They are an intellectual treat indeed.' . . . Protes- tant ministers were present, and though, of course, differing from Dr. Wise's opinion, were highly pleased." This Friday night service with its lecture became a very important institution and the example so successfully inaugurated by Wise was followed by many congregations throughout the country, and today is much in vogue in the small cities. Wise's purpose in introducing this Friday night lecture was twofold: (i) To attract his congregation to the temple in the days when the strict observance of the Sabbath was waning, and thus prevent the introduction of Sunday Services; and, (2) To give instruction in Jewish history and philosophy to the less devout audiences. It was not intended to supplant the sermon which was always delivered at the Sabbath service and on holidays. Writing of those Friday night lectures in the Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 171 Israelite,'^ November 16, 1899, the beginning of his last course of lectures, he says: "There was danger of the Sabbath being forgotten; working- men and business men could no longer attend services. This was one of the reasons why we in 1865 started and advocated a Sabbath with sermons and an instructive lecture at a convenient hour on Friday evenings primarily for those people who claim not to be in condition to attend divine services on the Sabbath day. This in- novation crossed the ocean and was introduced in Berlin, Vienna, and elsewhere, after it had been adopted by a hundred and more congregations in America, and saved the Sabbath in most of them. ... It is a reassurance that the true Sabbath day will not be forgotten in Israel." The congregation lo3^ally supported Wise in all his efforts for reform, and in every movement he undertook for the purpose of establishing union, college, and conference. As early as 1848, before Wise came to Cincinnati, the congregation had voted to send delegates to the Philadelphia meet- ing called by him; in 1855 it sent two delegates to the conference held at Cleveland, and in the same year gave active support to the Zion College^ project. In 1867 the congregation voted $300 ' Vol. xlvi., No. 20. ' See infra, p. 260. 172 Isaac Mayer Wise toward the establishment of a rabbinical college, and in 1 87 1 it pledged its support for the establish- ment of a union; in 1873 the congregation, at the suggestion of its president, M. Loth, invited the sister congregations of Cincinnati to join in a call to all Western and South-western congrega- tions to meet in Cincinnati in July, 1873, ^o form a union. This effort was successful. The congregation had always espoused the cause of the education of the young. At a general meeting of the congregation held in December 26, 1848, Henry Mack advocated the necessity of establishing a school for the purpose of educating the young in English as well as in Hebrew and religious subjects, and in 1849 a school called "The Talmud Yelodim Institute" was organized. The school was held in the vestry rooms of the synagogue, and was opened with two teachers. In 1856 the school had increased so rapidly that a separate school building was erected on Lodge Street adjoining the synagogue. This school had good teachers and laudatory reports of the work were printed in the Occident. Reference has already been made to Wise's letter of 1853 In which he expressed the hope that the Talmud Yelodim Institute would develop into a Hebrew College. The Institute remained a day-school Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 173 of five classes until 1868, when, owing to the excellent public school system of Cincinnati, there was no further need for its existence except as a religious school. In 1868 it became the Sabbath school of the congregation and continued its separate corporate existence under the presi- dency of Abraham J. Friedlander and Jacob Ottenheimer until 1914. Today it is the largest Jewish Sabbath school in Cincinnati, and instruc- tion is given the Jewish children free of charge, and in the school conducted at the temple none of the pupils are the children of members of the congre- gation. All their children attend the school in Avondale which was erected in 1904 by the con- gregation, and which is now known as "Wise Center." In 1858, after the congregation had refused the request of the Louisville congregation to permit Wise to officiate there once a month, it increased his salary to $2000 per annum. From time to time thereafter his salary was increased, and in 1873 he was receiving $4000 per annum. During the years 1870 to 1873, while Wise was putting forth every effort for the establishment of the union and the college, he was being opposed continually by the Eastern rabbis and the Eastern Jewish papers. In August of that year, despite 174 Isaac Mayer Wise the violent and abusive opposition of these rabbis and the Eastern Jewish press, Wise was unani- mously elected rabbi of congregation Anshe Chesed of New York for life at an annual salary of $8000 given an insurance policy of $7500, and promised an annuity of $1500 in case of disability. He accepted the offer without consulting his own congregation and immediately tendered his resig- nation. This action was received with astonish- ment and consternation. Wise was undoubtedly influenced by the thought that he was being neglected by his own congregation, that the ful- filment of his cherished hopes would be sooner realized in the East. He had been sorely tried by the vicious attacks made upon him by the radical reformers Einhorn and Hirsch and their organs, and thought the best answer to their cowardly attacks was to go into their very midst. ^ In the Israelite of August 18, 1873, ^re- ferring to his election, he wrote: "It is the first time in the annals of Jev/ish history in America that such an offer has been made to a rabbi. This brings the Minhag America permanently to New York and decides forever the value of all the protests and newspaper quarrels which were spread so profusely during the past two ' See infra, page 292. ' Vol. xxi., No. 7. Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 175 years." Congregation Bene Yeshurun, however, would not accept his resignation and referred it to a special committee of which his most intimate and loyal friends and supporters were members. This committee consisted of Bernhard Bettmann, chairman, Henry Mack, M. Loth, B. Simon, Sol. Friedman, Sol. Levi, and W. Rosenfeld. The committee reported that it had several interviews with Dr. Wise, who stated that while labouring under erroneous impressions as to the relations existing between himself and the congregation he had accepted a call to New York, and that he regretted that he had done so, but that he had been unable to get a release. The committee recommended that his salary be increased to $6000 per annum and an allowance be made for house rent. This action was unanimously ap- proved, as well as the following resolutions written by B. Bettmann: "We hold that as no congrega- tion has a right to remove from office for a trivial cause a Rabbi who has faithfully and conscien- tiously performed his duties, so no Rabbi, except for the promotion of a great principle, has a right to leave his congregation so long as it unanimously claims his services, insists upon his continuance in office for life, and provides properly for him and his family." The resolutions, after reciting that 176 Isaac Mayer Wise Anshe Chesed had made several efforts to induce Wise to accept a call, succeeded in getting his promise of an acceptance without notice to or consent of his own congregation, read: "Thereby violating the comity which should mark the course of one congregation toward another; and, "Whereas, we have nevertheless without pre- judice and actuated by an earnest desire to do justice to all parties concerned carefully examined all the facts in this case and can sincerely and honestly declare that we should consider the loss of our rabbi a sad bereavement, yet we should not hesitate one moment to sacrifice our personal feelings on the altar of our sacred common cause were we fully convinced that the interests of Judaism or the reverend gentleman, himself, could be promoted by the proposed change; and, "Whereas, from a full knowledge of all the cir- cumstances we are satisfied that such is not the case, and that on the contrary the departure of Dr. Wise at this time would especially be a great loss and perhaps a permanent injury to the young and rising congregations of the West, many of which sprang into existence through his influence, and almost all of which look upon him as their guide and teacher, demanding a closer proximity to them than this removal would make possible, Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 177 and consequently his remaining with his congrega- tion which for nearly a quarter of a century has stood by him as one man, and has invariably and joyfully supported him in his successful endeavours to elevate the cause of Judaism in this country, and may therefore justly claim for itself a little more than ordinary consideration at his hands; "Be It Therefore Resolved, That reminding the Rev. Dr. Wise of his solemn promise given to us twenty years ago that he would devote the rest of his life to the furtherance of the holy cause of Israel as our rabbi and in our midst, a promise of which under the present circumstances we cannot and will not absolve him, we respectfully but firmly decline to accept his resignation; 'Resolved, That we respectfully and earnestly request Congregation Anshe Chesed to yield for the above reasons what they consider their newly acquired rights to our older and more firmly estab- lished ones. "^ The congregation finally succeeded in inducing Anshe Chesed congregation to release Wise. /This was the only disagreement^ from 1854 to ; ' Israelite, vol. xxi., 14, Oct. 3, 1873. ' On September 5, 1863, the Hamilton County Oliio Democratic Convention nominated Rabbi Wise as one of its three candidates for the Ohio State Senate. The Cincinnati Commercial, com- menting on this nomination, said that it was doubtful whether 178 Isaac Mayer Wise 1900 between Wise and his congregation, which on every possible occasion showed its appreciation for its beloved rabbi. In June, 1869, Dr. Wise celebrated his silver wedding, and in honour of that event congratula- tory resolutions were adopted and a five thousand dollar mortgage on his country home paid. In April, 1879, the congregation celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of Dr. Wise's incum- bency and presented to the Hebrew Union College his life-size oil portrait, which is today in the Board of Governors' rooms. His editorial in the Israelite on this occasion is a valuable contribution to his biography. In the April 25, 1879, issue, under the head "Twenty-five Years," he writes^: "It was twenty-five years ago today that the editor of the American Israelite preached his Rabbi Wise would accept the nomination which was made to attract the Jewish vote. Immediately after the nomination, the Boards of the Congregation and the Sabbath School "politely but emphatically" requested Dr. Wise, as his services to the Congregation were indispensable, to decline the nomination. In complying with this request Dr. Wise wrote that he was without political aspirations and only an humble citizen. "My sincere attachment to this country and the government is well known . . . God will save the Union, the Constitution, Hberty, justice for all without my active co-operation." — Cincinnati Daily Commercial, vol. xxiv., Sept. 7 and li, 1863. ' Vol. xxiii.. No. 17. Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 179 introductory sermon in the Lodge Street syna- gogue before K. K. B. Y. and numerous outsiders and visitors. What a change has come over American Israel since that time. There was then no Hebrew congregation west of the IMississippi ; none west of Cincinnati except St. Louis; none west or north of Chicago except a nucleus of a congregation in Milwaukee; none south of Louis- ville except New Orleans; none in all the South except Richmond, Va., Charleston, Savannah, and Augusta, Ga. Judaism was limited to the few cities of Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buf- falo, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore; small congregations in Washington, Boston, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut; then there were also congregations in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Louis- ville, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, New Or- leans, with a beginning at Mobile. There was no synagogue and no congregation outside of these cities. . . . With a change of principle in Bene Yeshurun congregation of Cincinnati a new era commenced in the American Judaism — the era of synagogal reform all over the land, with the establishment of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and Hebrew Union College, the second chapter of our history begins. "What we had personally to do with these epochs i8o Isaac Mayer Wise and the intermediate transitions we leave to the fu- ture historian and the all-seeing eye of God. We know that about two hundred of our sermons, lec- tures, and addresses have appeared in print, have been delivered in all parts of the United States be- tween New York and San Francisco, and were cir- culated in hundreds of public journals as no other rabbi's were in any country. The influence which this may have exercised together with the weekly exertions of the American Israelite and the books we have written, we have no means of ascertaining. "The position of American Israel has changed entirely in the past twenty-five years. The Jewish religion stands now before the enlightened portion of the community as the most intelligent and the most liberal religious system. . . . We are no longer pitied, hunted, or converted by bigoted sectarians; all the new-fangled creeds pass by us unnoticed; atheism, nihilism, and the so-called free religionism make no impression in our ranks ; we are as solid a line here and now as we have been in the days of hard-shell orthodoxy; simply because Judaism has been reformed in form and essence as its spirit demands to correspond with the spirit and tastes of this age and this country so that the religious Jew can also be a citizen of a free country, a member of society, and a reasoner Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun i8i upon the very height of modern thought. This is the field in which we have done some work in the last twenty-five years, because God has given us both the pen and the pulpit, the English language and a boundless enthusiasm and a con- gregation to back us and support us under all circumstances and to encourage us in all possible ways and manners. "The last, however, was this: When the Per- sonal God question had been agitated we sided with the philosophical standpoint. Some of our very godly colleagues were aroused against us in the wrath of the righteous. The president of our congregation was rather inclined to orthodoxy in general and it was known that he was orthodox. He happened to be in New York when one of our most prominent opponents (Einhorn) came to him and tried to impress him with the benevolent idea that we ought to be removed from rabbinical office on account of our ungodly theology. He tried rather hard, and the president came home to tell the story (not to us) which had the effect of crowding our place of worship Sabbath after Sabbath with men and women who came merely to make a demonstration (as we were afterwards told). When The Jewish Times "^ made the most ' A New York weekly. 1 82 Isaac Mayer Wise damaging attacks on us we were most popular at home and abroad. When The Jewish Mes- senger '^ most fiercely decried us as a heretic and innovator, we possessed the unlimited confidence at home and abroad as an enthusiastic defender and expounder of Judaism. Nobody will believe that this was a personal favour on the part of our friends and patrons; it was the spirit of self- reflection, progress, and generosity which nothing could arrest, nothing could turn against him who treasiu-ed and cultivated it. It is an acknowledged fact now that the lofty standpoint taken where faith and reason, religion and science do not collide has secured to Judaism the high position which it now occupies in the estimation of the most ad- vanced thinkers of our country, and that the keynotes struck on our part concerning Jesus, the Apostles, and Paul have overcome a vast amount of prejudices and hostile feelings which did exist between Jews and Gentiles. We look upon each other in quite a different light from what we did twenty-five years ago. "We had no trouble in Cincinnati where most all were our friends, and those few, very few indeed, who were not, did not speak loud enough to be heard. ' A New York Weekly, Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 183 "With the introduction of the Minhag America we considered the question of synagogue reform closed. We knew very well that all other neces- sary reforms would follow without trouble, as they actually did, and that there must remain a balance of orthodox people to have things their own way until their children will change it. The Friday evening service and lecture, now an in- stitution all over the country, was at once adopted by many congregations as an antidote against Sunday services on the one hand and as a sub- stitute for Sabbath morning services, which many could not attend, on the other hand. We had little trouble with the orthodox side of the house. Our troubles were abroad and with the reform_ers. First there was a party which had a peculiar idol, viz., the apotheosis of reform. They made of Judaism a reform and were continually nega- tive. To abolish this and that was religion, to scold the orthodox was called preaching. We had great trouble with that party to convince it that reform is a handmaid and must serve the purpose of elevating Judaism and endearing it to its votaries; that the preacher must be positive, must teach and edify, win and give satisfaction to the yearnings of the heart. Then came hostility to the Hebrew and the Talmud which were bound to 184 Isaac Mayer Wise be overcome in behalf of Judaism which must have and preserve its literature or go under in the vast majority of its opponents. Then came the attempt to Germanize the American synagogue, which we could not support as young America would speak English in spite of all theology and the synagogue must be no foreigner in this country. Then came the personal attacks for which we never cared. We looked upon it as funny article. Then came the bitter denunciations of the union and the college schemes, and a dozen other episodes all of which are overcome, thank heaven, and the whole aspect has been changed. This is another and better time than it was twenty-five years ago. The Jew is proud of his history, faith, and position in society. The synagogue is modernized and respected. Judaism is a badge of honour, its teachers, organs, and votaries command attention and respect. Things have changed, and we thank God that we have lived to see it. "This is a new country. Everything therein is young, energetic, and thriving. This is a free country in which intellectual fruits ripen fast. In a few years when forty or fifty graduates of the Hebrew Union College will stand at the head of the synagogues Judaism will be an American institu- tion, its spirit and influence will be widely felt, Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 185 and its future will be different from its past. It will be furnished within and will be prepared in spirit far outside of its own boundaries. It will be perpetually the reformatory element, the harbinger of truth and light, and its votaries will increase by the thousands among the most intelli- gent portions of the country. The foundation is laid, the house must be built. The artisans are preparing themselves for the rebuilding of Israel's sanctuary on the American soil." In April, 1889, occurred the seventieth anniver- sary of Wise's birth, a gala celebration took place in the Plum Street Temple on April 6, under the auspices of that congregation, all the sister con- gregations and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. On that occasion congratulatory addresses were made by the president of the temple, M. J. Mack, by the children of the children of the Talmud Yelodim Institute, by Rev. David Philip- son on behalf of congregation Bene Israel, and Bernhard Bettmann representing the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which organiza- tion presented Dr. Wise with a deed to the prop- erty No, 615 Mound Street, piu-chased for $14,500, and the library of which was furnished by the alumni of Hebrew Union College. In this house Dr. Wise spent the last decade of his life. Julius 1 86 Isaac Mayer Wise Freiberg spoke for the Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College, Rev. Dr. Israel Aaron on behalf of the alumni of the college, the Hon. James D. Cox, president of the University of Cincinnati, brought greetings from that institu- tion, of whose board of directors Dr. Wise was a member; and Charles S. Levi spoke for the stu- dents of the Hebrew Union College. The orator of the day was Rev. Joseph Krauskopf of congre- gation Keneseth Israel of Philadelphia. Besides these addresses. Dr. Wise received hundreds of telegrams, letters, addresses, and handsome gifts from individuals, congregations, and other organ- izations throughout the land. In March, 1899, the Central Conference of American Rabbis held a special session in Cincin- nati to commemorate the eightieth birthday of its founder and president. On Tuesday, March 13, 1899, the principal ceremonies were held in the Plum Street Temple. On that occasion the con- gregation presented Dr. Wise with a bronze bust sculptured by Sir Moses Ezekiel, of Rome, a Cincinnatian, which, after his death, his family presented to the Hebrew Union College; the Tal- mud Yelodim Institute presented a scroll of laws with silver shield, plates, and ornaments, and a miniature ark; the Conference a gavel of ivory and Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 187 gold, and the leading congregations throughout the country gave gifts of silver cups, vases, and il- luminated resolutions. On the following night a large banquet was held in honour of the event, and when Wise was called upon, near midnight, to respond he said that he had been guilty of many foolish things in his life, but never of making a speech after eleven o'clock p.m. None present will forget his words of thanks so fervently and eloquently spoken, in which he ventured the prophecy that within a short time the whole world would recognize Judaism and its truth and doc- trines and accept them. Without the encouragement and support of the congregation Bene Yeshurun and its leading members. Wise would never have been able to carry his many plans to a successful conclusion. The liberal policy of the congregation, its willing- ness at all times to grant him leave of absence to travel throughout the length and breadth of the land in interest of reform, of the Union and the College, and the adoption by the congregation of all measures proposed by Wise made the congre- gation famous throughout the country. In 1889 the office of cantor was abolished and that of assistant rabbi created, as the congregation desired to relieve Wise of some of his rabbinical 1 88 Isaac Mayer Wise functions. The first assistant was Rabbi Charles S. Levi, now of Milwaukee, who served until 1898, when the present rabbi, Rev. Dr. Louis Grossmann, was called from Detroit. After the election of an assistant Dr. Wise preached on alternate Satur- days. To the very end he was active, and on the Sabbath morning of the day he was stricken he preached a powerful sermon to a large congrega- tion on the text, "May the Lord Bless Thee and Keep Thee; May the Lord let His Countenance shine upon Thee and be Gracious to Thee; May the Lord lift up His Countenance to Thee and grant Thee Peace." Wise on every occasion gave due credit to Bene Yeshurun for its work and assistance. In his sermon preached in October, 1893, the fiftieth anniversary of his installation as rabbi, he said': "What we have done, you and I, in these fifty years is now a matter of .history, well known to you and need not be repeated here. I feel the necessity, however, to make known to you and all what is not so well known. All the controversies and conflicts through which I have passed, all the mental combats in which I was involved, occurred outside of the congregation, outside of Cincinnati even. In the congregation I have ' Israelite, vol. xl., No. 17. Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 189 lived and worked in profound peace and undis- turbed harmony, in mutual respect and the kind- est feelings. There are few congregations in the land in which such pleasant relations between the congregation and the minister have been so uni- formly sustained so long a time. It seems some- times that we were made for one another. When I came here you, as a congregation, were twelve years old, I, as a rabbi, eleven years, and so we have lived our best years together." Isaac Mayer Wise was pre-eminently a rabbi. Notwithstanding his great achievements as an editor and organizer, and an educator, he occupies a niche in the Hall of Fame of great preachers. His first sermon in America, the dedication sermon at New Haven in August, 1846, already impressed his hearers, and in his thirty-first year, in 1850, Isaac Leeser had spoken of him as a great orator and a man who had to be reckoned with. He was master of the German language as well as of the English, and his success in the pulpit was in the. main due to his simplicity of speech, his splendid delivery, his logical powers of expression, and above all to the fact that he always took a text for his sermon and his funeral addresses and adhered to it. He was never sensational, and firmly believed that politics had no place in the 190 Isaac Mayer Wise pulpit. He never spoke on the fads of the day. Writing in the September 21, 1899, Israelite,'- he says : "For the benefit of the young preachers we state here that the text of the sermons — we never preach without a text from the Bible — were mostly taken from the Book of Psalms which is inexhaustible in the richest and most sublime treasures in theology and ethics. . . . Speak- ing to the young men, we would say, never preach a sermon without a text from the Bible, a text containing the theme which you can elaborate. The text is the best proof in support of your argu- ment. A sermon without a text is an argument without a proof. ' ' Judaism, its doctrines and truths, were upper- most in his mind when he preached, and he was always expounding the word of God with vigour and sincerity. Wise, tested by his own definition of what a rabbi should be, certainly was every inch a rabbi. In the Israelite of November 10, 1876,- he wrote: "He must first and foremost be a Jew with heart and soul thoroughly and enthusiastically, a man in whom there is no guile; a teacher who never loses his patience, truthful and reliable as a rock, ' Vol. xlvi., No. 12. * Vol. xxvii., No, 19. Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 191 and benevolent as the palm in the wilderness. The audience must be convinced that whatever this man in the pulpit says is certainly true to the best of his knowledge, and that he does as he teaches. This is a man's moral weight, it is the magnet to attract. JMen who preach for a salary, live to make money, and see in wealth the object of existence, may be honest, but they are poor preachers, as inefficient as those who preach one thing and do another. ... A rabbi must be a master of Jewish literature and history or he is a fraud. ... A rabbi of this age must be a classical and scientific scholar and a pleasant orator, or he is useless to his congregation. . . . The rabbi must speak and preach in the language of the country in which he Hves, hence the American rabbi must teach, speak, and preach in English to the young, else they will not understand him. The rabbi must know, and feel the wants of his congregation, he must understand old and young, and they must understand him. The rabbi must stand as high, and, if possible, a little higher morally, intellectually, and scholastically than the best of his members ; he must be an authority .... He must not be made by the office he holds, he must make the office respected and honoured. He must love his office and his congregation and 192 Isaac Mayer Wise not the wealth of the individual members thereof. 'For the lips of the priest must guard knowledge and the Law is asked from his mouth for he is a messenger of the Lord of Hosts.'" When Wise came to Cincinnati, in 1854, to take charge of Bene Yeshurun it was a moderate orthodox congregation of 180 members, wor- shipping in a small unattractive synagogue located on a narrow street in an unattractive part of the city. The congregation was without choir or organ, used an old style ritual, the services were conducted on alternate Sabbaths in English and German, and a greater portion in Hebrew, two days were observed each holiday, the men of the con- gregation worshipped with covered heads, and there were no confirmation services. At the time of his death the congregation, now nearly four hundred in number, had adopted all the leading reforms advocated by him. The congregation had one of the handsomest temples in the country, situated in a prominent part of the city, a large choir and fine organ. All vestige of orthodoxy had disappeared. The men worshipped with uncovered heads, the second holiday had been abolished, an American ritual had replaced the German one. The services were conducted in English and the Hebrew portion of the ritual was Rabbi of Bene Yeshurun 193 greatly abridged, and for many years the con- firmation services for which Dr. Wise had prepared a special ritual had been a feature. From an unknown synagogue through Wise's influence and work Bene Yeshurun became the leading reform temple of the United States which for nearly forty years had been not only what he strove to make it, "a m.odel congregation for the whole West and South, " but for the whole country, East as well as West, North as well as South. 13 CHAPTER XI THE EDITOR OF THE 'ISRAELITE*' The day of personal journalism has passed, but in the middle of the last century, the personal note in journalism was still heard and editorial writers moulded public opinion. Chief among these in the secular press were Horace Greeley and his Tribune; in the cause of humanity, William Lloyd Garrison and his Liberator; and later, Godkin and the Nation, Dana and the Sun, Watterson and the Courier -Journal, Raymond and the New York Times, Bowles and the Springfield Republican, exerted great influence. In the Jewish religious world Isaac Mayer Wise and his Israelite became a great force for the advancement of Reform Judaism. Wise while in Albany had written for Leeser's Occident, a monthly pubHshed at Philadelphia, and for Lyon's Asmonean, a weekly printed in New York. Before leaving Albany, in April, 1854, he had secured promises from his friends to assist him if 194 The Editor of the " IsraeUte " 195 he published a paper, and on his way he stopped at Syracuse and Rochester and canvassed those cities for subscribers. Within a month after his arrival in Cincinnati he was busily engaged in devising ways and means to publish a Jewish weekly. When the Israelite was founded in 1854 there was no Jewish journal published west of the Alleghenies, and compara- tively few Jews in this section could read English. The desire to make money therefore did not induce Wise, who was without means and had a family dependent upon his small salary, to embark upon so hazardous an enterprise. The only Jewish weekly in English in the country was the Asmo- 7iean of New York, for which Wise had written. But this paper was not a journal in the true sense of the word. It was a small paper and contained very little, if any, literary matter. The Occident, on the other hand, was a monthly, and its col- umns contained sermons and correspondence from different sections of the country, but it could not be classed as a journal nor as a magazine of any consequence at this time. Wise in liis Reminiscences'- gives the following account of the founding of the Israelite: "As early as the month of May, 1854, I began ' Page 251. 196 Isaac Mayer Wise to take steps towards establishing a Jewish weekly. I wrote very many letters and received very glowing promises, which, however, were never kept. Contributions of all kinds were promised, but they were never received; yet I went con- fidently to work and wrote matter which I in- tended to make use of later. Fortunately I wrote very readily, and possessed rare facility in the use of the English language; hence I could com- mit to writing very quickly thoughts which may have occupied my mind many days. Writing itself was mere play after I had thought out a theme. "At the end of May, I began to look for some merciful individual who would be so amiable as to publish a Jewish weekly under my direction; but such a one was not to be found, and I began to admire the good sound sense of all the disciples of Faust and Gutenberg. There was no one among the Jews who had any idea of printing or publish- ing; therefore I could not expect any one of them to undertake this very risky venture. Christian publishers declared bluntly that a few Jews could not insure the success of any paper. I did not relish the thought of borrowing money so soon after my arrival in Cincinnati, particularly as my debt in Albany was not yet liquidated. I did not The Editor of the "Israehte" 197 know what to do. Finally I came across a vision- ary, Dr. Schmidt, the owner of the German evening paper, The Republican, and of quite a large printing establishment on Third Street, in the very heart of the business district of Cincinnati. Dr. Schmidt accepted my promise that I would make good all losses at the end of the first year. Steps were now taken to have the Israelite appear at the beginning of July. Having given orders that I did not wish to be disturbed, I locked myself in my room from two o'clock in the afternoon till four in the morning, and wrote a prospectus. What should I say to the public, what suppress, was a leading question. I stood before the burn- ing thornbush and struggled with myself. Con- viction, conscience, duty, were ranged against policy. I had to decide one way or the other. If I used my talents and my position in a politic way I would soon become rich, and nothing could prevent me from entering upon and pursuing successfully a brilliant career. But if I remained true to my convictions, the bent of my nature, then I must be ready to renounce wealth, honours, recognition, and love; I must be ready to serve the cause for the love of truth. ... I struggled very hard that night until I reached the following decision: Come what may and how it may, I will 198 Isaac Mayer Wise not swerve a hair's breadth from my convictions. Either I will build up a Judaism suited to the age and breathing the atmosphere of American free- dom, or I will be buried beneath the ruins of the old Judaism. I do not wish to be rich nor hon- oured, nor recognized, nor beloved. I will do my duty. I will remain true to my conviction. "Then I wrote the prospectus — short, concise, clear, and fearless. I promised Judaism a sharp weapon. I promised progress, enlightenment, spiritual striving, a fearless organ. The prospec- tus was printed, distributed, and mailed by the following afternoon." "prospectus of the 'ISRAELITE.'^ "On July 15 (1854) will be issued the first number of the Israelite, a weekly paper devoted to the interests of the Jewish community, in which Jewish history, poetry, literature, religion, politi- cal and social position, and the affairs of the schools, congregation, and institutions will be freely discussed and commented upon. "A journal having as interesting an object in view as the discussion of affairs, past and present, of the Hebrew people will doubtless be welcomed ' Israelite, vol. i., No. I. The Editor of the ** Israelite" 199 by every friend of literature; it will be especially sought after by every Jew who is desirous of having liis time-honoured faith defended from the numerous attacks made on it and the scandals uttered against it by those fanatics who least com- prehend its merits (merits that ages of cruel politi- cal and ecclesiastical persecutions have fruitlessly striven to misrepresent and keep in abeyance). "The paper will be under the editorial super- vision of the undersigned, aided by an efficient corps of assistants, and arrangements have been made with able correspondents for an early pub- lication of every transaction in Europe and America of interest to the Jewish public. The columns of the paper will moreover be open for the free, open, and fair discussion of every topic tending to elevate the Hebrew religion and liter- ature, but no article will be inserted known to contain personalities. The object of the journal being to advance, to enlighten, to improve, all its efforts and all its means must be used to that end solely. " Much can be presented through the medium of such a paper as the Israelite proposes to be, and the hope is entertained that the children of the Mosaic faith, widely scattered as they are through this vast continent, may learn in the pages of this 200 Isaac Mayer Wise journal more of their revered faith, more of the piety of the martyrs who have suffered in its defence, more of the biography of its sages, its rabbins, its prophets, and its commentators, be awakened to a sense of their mission, know and feel its glorious tendency, and be thus taught to know themselves and to be drawn nearer and nearer in communion with their Creator." The Reminiscences continue : "I have often thought how little conception the general reader has of the emotions which sway a poet or author while engaged in literary composi- tion ; how little they imagine that sometimes every line has surged forth from an overcharged heart, and every word is a crystallized tear. These poor litterateurs, victims of careless humanity, pour out their heart's blood on the altar of historical progress in order to furnish this one matter for entertainment and pastime, and that one for execration and persecution. If all goes well the hungry poet is fed, though his heart be breaking the while. I have often been surprised that they do not all write — write bitterly — like Heine. Only that which is deeply felt can produce a deep effect, and that which is deeply felt is fed by the heart's blood. I have often experienced this, but why it is so I know not. The Editor of the ''Israelite" 201 "The prospectus was well received in Cincin- nati for the most part. Naturally, only a few friends were enthusiastic. The replies from the country were few, and still fewer from other cities. The indifference was greater than the objection to reform. Shortly thereafter I visited with Dr. Rosenfeld, a friend in IMadison, Indiana, where about ten Jewish families lived, to whom I gave the prospectus. Seven of them declared they could not read English; one said that a Jewish paper was a useless commodity, and two sub- scribed. Several days later I visited Louisville for the first time. I found there a well organized congregation with a beautiful synagogue. Mr. Gotthelf was preacher and chazan. I delivered two public addresses there. I was admired by the public, and made a number of very warm friends. My prospectus was received coldly, except by the few friends of reformed tendencies, who were very enthusiastic. At the end of June w^e had about five hundred subscribers for the Israelite, and began to print and mail one thousand copies. The first number appeared on the sixth of July.^ It contained the beginning of a novel, 'The Con- ' The first number was dated July 15, 1854, which was evidently an error as that was a Saturday. It should probably have been July 14th, as the second number was dated July 21. 202 Isaac Mayer Wise vert,' a poem, news, leading articles, my Fourth- of-July oration, an opening article on the institu- tions of Cincinnati, and miscellanea. As a matter of course, everyone in Cincinnati had to see the paper whose motto was 'Let there be light,' which was to voyage through the world bearing the name of Israel. " I knew full well that every beginning is difficult ; but I had no idea that the establishment of a Jewish weekly would prove as difficult as it did. Three things particularly were wanting, viz., confidence in the editor; secondly, writers; thirdly, readers. The secular press took scarcely any notice of 'the little Jewish paper,' as some called it. Abroad the paper was unknown, and no one even mentioned it, except the Allgemeine Zeitiing des Judenthums, which noticed it in its news columns. All this neither angered nor surprised me; for I have never cared whether I was men- tioned, praised, or blamed; besides I knew very well that my paper would have to be simple and popular; for I wanted to write for the people, i. e., for my people. This would not give scholars any reason for particular admiration. I was convinced that I could not count on the support of the press. "A number of friends had promised me original The Editor of the "Israelite" 203 contributions and translations; but when the campaign was ready to be opened, I found myself without an army. Aly sorriest embarrassment lay in the fact that I had announced Jewish novels in the prospectus, and could not obtain any. I wished to reawaken the slumbering patriotism by Jewish stories, and thus overcome the indifference. I had an object, therefore, in desiring novels; but, despite all promises, I had none. I had no choice but to write novels in the sweat of my brow. During the first year I wrote two, 'The Convert' and 'The Shoemaker's Family,' the latter with a historical background. These as- sisted the paper greatly. How did I write my novels ? I wrote the required chapter every week, but no sooner than I had to. The first pages were set up while the last were being written. On one occasion I was in a sorr}^ plight; I had made two maidens fall in love with one and the same char- acter, and I had to get rid of one of them. I was in sore straits. How was I to get rid of a lovelorn female? I had no experience in such things, and yet I wanted to dispose of her decently, roman- tically, and effectively. I therefore had the poor thing become insane, and the unhappy creature jump from a window during the conflagration of the Ghetto of Frankfort and thus meet her death. 204 Isaac Mayer Wise The poor creature was greatly mourned and wept for the following Saturday, and all the tears fell upon my burdened conscience. The most serious feature of the whole matter was that my wife made sport of me every Thursday evening, and declared stoutly that I had forgotten entirely how to enact a lover's part. "A still greater difficulty lay in procuring read- ers. It was very hard to obtain such. No one was used to reading a Jewish paper. My personal friends read the paper and sought to circulate it; but their number was, sad to say, very small. I received frequently communications of the follow- ing import from the country: 'We are not Jews. We do not need a Jewish paper. We do not wish to be known as Jews. There is no honour in being a Jew. I have nothing to do with Jews. ' . . . The fact is, that very few could read English, and the fewest of these wanted to be known as Jews. Frivolity and indifference were the order of the day, and in the cities atheism and hatred of all religion were rampant among the Germans. This was the case in Cincinnati, particularly under the segis of the Freeman's Hall. It did not profit me to have attacked, scourged, and finally routed atheism with all the weapons at my command ; for it took time to accomplish this. The mass was The Editor of the "Israelite" 205 large and unapproachable, and my arguments were slow in convincing a foolish, misguided, and semi- cultured class of people who repeat, parrot-like, whatever happens to be the fad of the hour. " The Israelite was in every way a true organ published in the interest of Israel, and during nearly a half century under the editorship of Wise the paper was the fearless champion of the Jew, the zealous defender of his civil as well as religious rights, and the staunch advocate of his cause. Without the advocacy of the Israelite, without the watchfulness of its intrepid editor, and without his constant and persistent appeals, protests, and demands in behalf of the American Jew, the Jew today would not have reached the position he enjoys in this country. From the establishment of the paper to the death of its founder and editor, a brave fight was made by the Israelite for the Jew; it always insisted upon the fundamental truth of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, and at all times insisted vehemently that the underlying principles of this government, the separation of church and state, be adhered to, and that in the domain of politics no discrimination be made against citizens because of their religion. While in Albany Wise had frequently written 2o6 Isaac Mayer Wise to the Asmonean protesting against the common practice of government officials characterizing this country as a Christian Nation. He had also objected strenuously to the discrimination against the Jews on account of their religion. He continued this policy in the Israelite, and on many different occasions when the rights of the Jews were ignored or denied, as in Thanksgiving proclamations, the Swiss Treaty, the reading of the Bible in the public schools, the infamous Grant Order No. ii, the enactment of laws de- claring certain Christian religious days public holidays, the addresses of public officials in public assemblies, the attempt to amend the United States Constitution by inserting a religious clause, and the Russian Treaty and Passport question, the Israelite immediately called attention to the denial of rights, to the abuse of the Jew, and demanded redress and fair treatment, and pro- claimed to the world that in free America the Jew was the equal of his neighbour and entitled to the enjoyment of equal political rights. The Israelite began its criticism of Thanksgiving proclamations, on account of their sectarian form, in its first volume. In the issue of December 15, 1854,' there is a long editorial reviewing the pro- ' Vol. i., No. 23. The Editor of the ''Israelite" 207 clamations issued in the previous months and those of Governors Seymour, of New York; Washburn, of Massachusetts; Baker, of New Hampshire; Bryce, of Vermont, and Hopkins, of Maine, are singled out because of their Christian tone and illiberal and narrow views. Probably the editor of the Israelite had no warmer and closer friend than Salmon P. Chase, who, in January, 1856, entered upon his first term as Governor of Ohio. In 1855, Chase was one of the speakers at the opening of Zion College, an institution established by Wise to educate min- isters, and on several occasions he advised Dr. Wise that it would be much better for him to attach himself to the rising Republican party — then the party of progress and reform — than to work for a religious idea in a narrow circle. Yet this friend- ship did not prevent the Israelite from protesting in unmistakable words when Governor Chase, in issuing his Thanksgiving proclamation in the fall of 1856, used this language: "In conformity with a custom sanctioned by Legislative Resolves, commended by the practice of my predecessors in the executive office, and in itself highly becoming a Christian people, I, Salmon P. Chase," etc. In the issue of November 14, 1856,' this docu- ' Vol. iii., No. 19. 2o8 Isaac Mayer Wise ment is called illiberal and the following extracts from an editorial show the attitude of the Israelite toward the State: "The Governor addresses him- self to a Christian people, but he ought to know that the people of Ohio are neither Christian nor Jewish; they are a free and independent people. "Next the Governor desires us to thank God 'for the mercies of redemption and the hopes of immortality. ' Fall upon your knees, Jews, deists, infidels, and atheists, and thank God that Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross to redeem the people of Ohio, as His Excellency, the Governor, decrees. On the whole, we do not see by what right the Governor of Ohio assumes the prerogative of exer- cising a religious authority. This is, to say the least, unrepublican and inconsistent with the con- stitution of the State .... "In conclusion, however, we must say, in justice to the Governor, that we do not believe this docu- ment to have been examined closely by him. He considered it immaterial and unimportant and cared little what his secretary wrote. So do we care little about the whole matter. We merely dislike to see sectarian views grafted on the people." Governor Chase, in answer to a letter of inquiry from Dr. Lilienthal, wrote: "I look for the coming The Editor of the "Israelite" 209 of a day when the icy barriers created between brethren of the same great family by religious differences will dissolve and disappear under the fervid rays of truth. Our creeds are many, our Father is one. " Commenting on this letter in the Israelite of November 21, 1856,' the editor said: "The cor- respondence before us can be considered a private matter and no more. A state paper, however, is a public and official document filed among the historical records of the State and becomes a part of our history; hence the insult offered in such a document to any portion of the community can- not be eradicated by a private letter. We know and fully appreciate the sentiments of the Hon. S. P. Chase, but in this case we have nothing to do with him; the Governor of Ohio stands accused. . . . We are honestly tired of protesting every year against the illiberal and unconstitutional proclamations." This was the beginning of a series of protests against the illiberal tendency of the times; against the frequent efforts to amend the Constitution of the United States by adopting an amendment expressly recognizing Christianity, and against all laws, State and Federal, that in any way abridged ' Vol. iii., No. 20. 14 2IO Isaac Mayer Wise the rights and privileges of the Jews or offended them in the exercise of their religion. It is unnecessary to refer to every protest on these subjects; however, a careful reading of its editorial pages during the years 1 854-1 900 dis- closes that the Israelite^ with its accustomed vigilance, called attention to every fanatical and sectarian act, and contained criticisms directed against Sunday or Blue Laws, the Federal and State acts declaring such Christian festivals as Christmas, New Year's Day, and Good Friday public holidays, the various attempts at Christian- izing the Constitution, and the effort to prevent any but Christian chaplains in the Union army during the rebellion. The importance of these topics justifies the following quotations from an editorial in the Israelite of January 24, 1873,^ which is typical of the series that appeared on this question : " Ohio will have a Constitutional Convention. Her constitution will be re-shaped, to be the basis of legislation for the next twenty years. Look out in time. Plenty of obnoxious clauses will turn up and post festum complaints come too late. It is necessary that some prominent Israelites be sent into that convention so that complaints be ' Vol. XX., No. 31. The Editor of the **IsraeHte" 211 not necessary on our part. We call the attention of our friends to this point, especially of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, etc., to be on the lookout on this subject. "We want free schools and free colleges without any sort of religion in them. We want equal rights for all. We want State institutions purged of sectarianism. Wanting this, as we do, have your men there to do it. " During the campaign of 1876 the Israelite urged the defeat of Col. Barnes, Republican candidate from Hamilton County, because he had supported a petition to Christianize the Ohio constitution, and during October of that year the Toledo Blade severely criticized the attitude of the Israelite. There are two very strong editorial answers to the Blade, one in the issue of October 20, 1876, the other October 27^: "We have protested fifteen years since against the insolence of poHticians and their violations of constitutional provisions. When Congress ex- cluded the Jews and the Catholics from the chaplaincy in the United States army, we protested, although none in the Congress would listen ex- cept Mr. Vallandigham, of Ohio. When General Grant's insolent order No. 11 appeared, expelling ' Israelite, vol. xxvii., Nos. i6 and 17. 212 Isaac Mayer Wise the Jews from his department, we protested, al- though none in Congress except Mr. Pendleton, of Ohio, and Governor Powell, of Kentucl^o\. 8°. v. i, p. 12-31.) Discussion of the essay, the argument of which was orally delivered by the author at the conference of the Rabbinical Literary Association July 14, 1880, on p. 74-79.— Reprinted in: Selected Writings (1900), p. 125-152. 42. Rosh Hashanah. [Sermon.] {In: American Jewish Pulpit. Cincinnati, 1881. 8°. p. 127-137.) 43. Men More Instructive than Words. (Sketch of a Hanukah sermon.) {Same. p. 185-189.) 44. Hebrew Monotheism. A dedication sermon. {Same. p. 199-208.) 45. The Main Lesson of Israel's Sanctuary. [Sermon.] {Same. p. 209-218.) 46. The Fourth of July. [Sermon.] {Same. p. 219-226.) 47. The Word of God. A Sabbath nahamoo sermon. {Same. p. 227-234.) 48. The Massorah and the Massoretic Text. {Hebrew Review. Cincinnati, 1881-82. 8°. v. 2, p. 107-117.) Reads: "To be continued"; no more appeared. 49. Reminiscences [of Max Lilienthal]. {Same. p. 184-190.) Anonymously. 50. A Sketch of Judaism in America. {American Jews' An- nual. Cincinnati, 1884. 8°. p. 37-55.) 51. American Judaism. A record of American Judaism from the year 5645 a.m. {Same. 1885, 4 1.) 52. Adolph Huebsch, Biographic. (In: Huebsch, Adolph — A memorial. New York, 1885. 8°. p. i.-xiii.) 4c8 Writings of Isaac Mayer Wise 53. A Record of American Judaism for a.m. 5646. (American Jews' Annual. Cincinnati, 1886. 8°. p. 52-68.) 54. American Judaism. Its record from New Year 5646 A.M. to December, 1887. {Same. 1888, p. 35-47.) 55. Presidential Addresses delivered at the Central Con- ference of American Rabbis. Year Books C. C. A. R., 1891-1899. (v. I, pp. 11-21; V. 2, pp. 6-11; V. 3, pp. I-io; V. 4, pp. 24-29; pp. 67-76; V. 5, pp. 6-n; v. 6, pp. II-19; V. 7, pp. vi.-xiii.; v. 8, pp. 8-16; v. 9, pp. 22- 31.) Several items condensed by author of book. 56. The Ethics of Judaism. (In: Judaism at the World's Parliament of Religions. Cincinnati, iSg^^. 8°. p. 99- 106.) 57. Introduction to a bibliography of the Jewish periodical press. {Same. p. 402-409.) See also note of No. 27. 58. Introduction. [I. Reading of Scriptures. II. Expound- ing Scriptures. III. The IMaggid and Darshon. IV. The Retrogression. V. The Sermon in America.] (In: Central Conference of American Rabbis. — Sermons by American Rabbis. Chicago, 1896. 8°. p. vii.-xiv.) 59. Freedom, Justice, and Fidelity. A Passover sermon. {Same. p. 180-188.) 60. Genius in History and the History of Genius. A lecture delivered in St. Louis. {Same. p. 200-216.) 61. Zionism. {[Hebrew] [Union] [College] Journal. Cincinnati, 1899-1900. 8°. V. 4, p. 45-47.) 62. A Jewish State Impossible. An article in the New York Times on Zionism. Sept. 8, 1897. INDEX Aaron, Israel, i86, 199, 306 Adler, Henry, 277 Adler, Samuel, 38, 255, 274, 287, 339 Albany, 42, 44, 52, 57, 58 passim American Hebrew, 309 American Israelite, see Israelite American Jewish Prayer Book, see Minhag America Anshe Chesed Congregation of New York, 174, 176-177 Anshe Emeth Congregation, Albany, 58, 108, no, 122, 123, 124, 149 Anspachcr, A., 373-379 Asmonean, The, 7, 86, 98, lor, 106, 128, 138, 148, 150 passim Austria, decrees against Jews, 3-4 B Bene B'rith Lodge, 146, 272, 287, 361 Bene Israel Congregation, 154, 161, 185 Bene Yeshurun Congregation, 143, 144, 153-193 passim Berkowitz, Henry, 299, 306, 313 Bemheim, Mrs. Henry, 147, 380 Bernheim, Isaac W., 300-301 Beth Din, 29, 62, 65 Beth El Congregation, Albany, 58, 102-108, 124 Beth Elohim Congregation, Charleston, 47, 96, 97, 326 Bettmann, Bemhard, 175, 185, 298, 314 Bible in Public Schools, 246- 249 Bijur, Martin, 221 Bloch & Company, 333 Bloch, Edward, 38, 150 Bloch, Herman, 30, 38 Bloch, Joseph, 38 Bloch, Theresa, 38, 379, 380 Bohemia, condition of Jews, 3-7; education, 11-16; family life, 16-20 "Bohemia, Recollections of," 7-21 Bondi, Jonah, 380 Bondi, Selma, 380, 381 Bowles, Samuel, 194 Buchanan, James, 222 Cass, Lewis, 217 Central Conference of Ameri- can Rabbis, 43, 186, 322- 354; issues uniform prayer- book, 335; opposes Zionism, 352; celebrates eightieth anniversary of Dr. Wise, 353; Memorial Meeting, 353; resolutions on death of Wise, 353-354 Charleston, S. C., 46, 96 Chase, Salmon P., 207, 212, 261 Choir, introduction of mixed, 63 409 410 Index Cincinnati, 43, 44, 58, 146- 147. 153 passim Cleveland Rabbinical Con- ference, 171, 323-330 Cohen, M. J., 221, 224 College for Ministers, 135-138 College Hill, 319, 381 Cooper, J. Fenimore, 40 Cox, James D., 186 D Dana, Chas. A., 194 Dean, Amos, 68, 109 Deborah, Die, 43, 217, 252- 254. 357 Dubois, John V., 229 Durmaul, 22-25 E Eckman, Rev. Mr., 120 Einhorn, David, 38, 174, 255, 274, 287, 290-292, 315, 326, 370-371 Elder, Henry, 377 Ellinger, M., 305 Eppinger, Solomon, 298 Evarts, Wm. M., 227 Ezekiel, Sir Moses, 186, 382 Familiantenrecht, 6, 37 Fay, Theodore S., 222-225 Fechheimer, Marcus, 147, 162 Felsenheld, Rev. Mr., 62,64,80 Felsenthal, B., 304, 313 Fillmore, Millard, 112 Fischel, Moses, 27 Francis H. of Austria, 5 Frankel, Zacharias, 8, 38 Freiberg, Julius, 186, 280 French National Assembly, i Freund, Samuel, 20, 31 Friday Night Services and Lectures, 1 69-1 71 Friedlander, A. J., 173 Garrison, Wm. Lloyd, 194, 395 Geiger, Abraham, 38, 39, 41 Godkin, E. L., 194 Goodhart, J. H., 144, 145 Gootman, Mr., 216, 217 Gottheil, G., 305, 313 Graduates, Hebrew Union College, 312, 313 Graetz, H., i, 35 Grafenried, 30, 38, 379 Grant Order, No. 11, 2ii, 228- 235 Grant, U. S., 211, 228-235 Greeley, Horace, 42, 142, 194, 237 Groesbeck, Wm. S., 169 Grossmann, Louis, 26, 188, 299, 313, 393 Gutheim, James K., 155, 156, 313 H Har Sinai Congregation, 47, 112, 326 Hebrew Union College, 43, 294-321; opening of College, 298; first faculty, 298; first graduation of rabbis, 305 Heller, Max, 299, 313 Henry, H. A., 156 Herzberg, Philip, 221 Hirsch, Emil G., 304, 370 Hirsch, Samuel, 34, 174, 255, 287, 290-292, 304, 313 History of the Israelitish Na- tion, 138-143 Holdheim, Samuel, 38, 39 Huebsch, A., 255, 277, 304 Isaacs, A. S., 304 Isaacs, S. M., 80 Israelite, The, 23, 33, 34, 42, 43f 174, 178, 194-256 ^oiiJW Jacobs, George, 304 Jastrow, M., 287, 313 Jenikau, 9, 28, 29 Jerusalem, Leopold, 29-30 Jewish immigration, 46, 47 Jewish Sisterhoods, 366 Index 411 Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, 309-310 Jewish Times of New York, 169, 181, 275, 278 Jews, disabilities of, 6; condi- tion in America, 59-62, 76; early settlement in Cincin- nati, 153-155 Joseph II. of Austria, 3-7; Decree of Toleration, 4 K Kafka, Aaron, 37 Kalisch I., 254, 324-325. 332 Know-Nothing party, 240- Kohler, Kaufman, 304, 306, 320-321, 371 Kohler, Max J., 244-245 Kohlmeyer, Rev, Mr., 62, 64, 80 Koref, Moses, 28 Kornfeld, Aaron, 20, 28, 29 Korsosky, Caroline, 23 Kossuth, Louis, 126 Krauskopf, Joseph, 186, 299, 306, 313. 319 Landsberg, Max, 352 Lee, Richard Henry, 40 Leeser, Isaac, 66, 71, 72, 76, 77, 81, 92, 93, III, 136, 157, 194, 244, 324 Leopold, Louis F., 221, 224 Letters of I. M. Wise, 342, 373-379, 385 Levi, Chas. S., 186, 188, 387 Levy, Lipman, 280 Lewi, Joseph, 89, 90 Library Hebrew Union College, 301 LiHenthal, Max, 47, 48-52, 62- 64, 80, 83, 92, 123, 145, 163, 169, 208, 231, 254, 274, 277, 298, 312, 324, 330-331, 377, 389 Lincoln, Abraham, 212, 231, 246 Loth, M., 279 Lyon, Robert, 86, 194 M McMicken, Andrew, 294 McMicken College, 295 Mack, Henry, 157, 172 Mack, M. J., 185, 360 Mann, Dudley, 216 Mannheimer, Isaac Noah, 31 Marcy, Wm. L., 216 Maria Theresa, 3-4 May, Mrs. Albert J., 381 May, Emily, 380 May, Max B., 385 Mayer, M., 304 Memorial Service, 165 Mendelssohn, Moses, i, 14 Mendes, F. De Sola, 304 Mendes, H. Pereira, 347 Merzbacher, Leo, 47, 51, 80, 265, 324-325 Messenger Jewish, 182 Mielziner, Moses, 301, 317- 319, 352 Miller, M. R., 72 Milwaukee Meeting C. C. A. R-, 343 Minhag America, 58, 62, 65, 66, 174, 325, 388 Minor vs. Board of Education, 249 note Mohr, Aaron, 378 Molony, Helen Wise, 380 Montreal Meeting C. C. A. R., 343 Morais, S., 287, 302, 304 Morris, J. N., 233 Mortara case, 271, note Moses, A., 304 N New Haven, 51-52 New Haven Palladium, 52 New York, 42, 45 passim New York Board of Delegates, 271 New York Times, 284-286 412 Index o Occident, the, 65, 71, 72, 77, 78, 80, 81, 1 13-120 passim Ochs, Mrs. Adolph S., 380, 383 Oko, A. S., 389 Origin of Christianity, 130, 390 Ottenheimer, Jacob, 173 Padua, 22-23 Pendleton, Geo. H., 212, 232 Personal God controversy, 278-279 Philadelphia Conference of Rabbis, 333 Philippson, Ludwig, 38, 39, 42 Philipson, David, 26, 185, 252- 254, 299, 306, 393 Pittsburgh Conference of Rabbis, 336 Plum St. Temple, see Bene Yeshurun Posnanski, Gustav, 47, 96, 97 Prague, 9, 26, 28, 29 Pronaos to Holy Writ, 315 Purcell, John B., 377 R Rabbinical Conferences, in Ger- many, 38; in America, 321, 354; Cleveland, 323-330; Philadelphia, 333; Cincin- nati, 336; Pittsburgh, 336; Central Conference of Amer- ican Rabbis, 336-354 Radnitz, 32, 39, 41 Raphall, M. J., 92, 93, 97, loi, 244 Rappaport, Solomon Judah, 20, 30, 31, 32, 34 Reminiscences of I. M. Wise, 35, 45, 49, 54. 58, 67, 252- 254 passim Rice, A., loi Riesser, Gabriel, 34, 35, 36 Rosenau, Wm., 313 Rosenfeld, A., 156, 157, 162 Rosenstraus, H., 227 Rosen wald, Julius, 300 Rothenhcim, Rev. Mr., 254, 325, 332 Russia and the Jews, 226- 227 Sachs, Michael, 34, 42 Samfield, Max, 304, 352 Schiff, Jacob H., 300 Schmidt, Dr., 197 Seward, Wm. H., 42, 95, 142 Silverman, Joseph, 299, 313 Sonnenschein, S. H,, 254, 298, 304 Sopher, Moses, 31 Spanier, Louis, 99, lOl, 102, 104, 106, 107 Stein, Leopold, 38, 39, 42, 159 Steingrub, 23 Stix, Wm., 342 Stolz, Joseph, 299, 313, 387 Switzerland and the Jews, 127, 213-226 Szold, B., 304, 313 Taft, Wm. H., 227 Talmud Yelodim Institute, 144, 146, 157, 172, 186, 259 passim Taylor, Zachary, 95 Temple Congregation, 168 Temple Emanuel, 47, 51, 326 Temple Emanuel Theological Association, 272 Teweless, Rabbi, 31 Thanksgiving proclamations, criticisms of, 206-209 U Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 43, 257-293 Union of Israelites, call for, 74-83 Union Prayer Book, 335 University of Cincinnati, 294, 390 Index 413 Vickers, Thos. F., 377 Voorsanger, Jacob, 374 W Walter, J. D,, 50 Washington, 93, 95, 112 Wassersuppen, 30 Watterson, Henry, 194 Webster, Daniel, 95, 112 Werthheimstein, Herr von, 31 Wilson, Henry, 212, 238-239 Wise Center, 173 Wise, Elsie C, 381 Wise, Emily, 38 Wise, Harry, 380 Wise, Helen, 380 Wise, Iphigene M., 380 Wise, Isaac M., recollections of Bohemia, 7-21; ancestry, 22-23; description of his mother, 24; birth, 24; educa- tion, 25-30; becomes a tutor, 29, 30; becomes a teacher, 30; receives rabbinical de- gree, 31; rabbi at Radnitz, 32; inaugural sermon, 32, 33, 40; early influences, 33- 36, 40-41; marriage, 37; emigrates to America, 40- 43; arrival in New York, 42 ; opens a school, 46; dedicates New Haven synagogue, 52; changes spelling of name, 52; at Syracuse, 53-54; elected rabbi at Albany, 54-57 ; description of sermon, 54-56; beginnings of reform, 62-64; organizes a mixed choir, 63; prepares new rit- ual,64; controversy with Lee- ser, 67; studies English, 67; opposes proselytizing mis- sionaries, 68-72; writes for the Occident, 72; issues call for Union of Israelites, 74- 83 ; influenced by revolutions of 1848, 74-76; re-elected at Albany, 84; studies law, 85; organize* German Literary Society, 85; illness, 88-89; dissension in congregation, 90; trip South, 90-93; visitj Washington, 93-95; attends Senate debates on 1850 Compromise, 93-95; invited to Charleston, S. C, 96; preaches there, 97; denies belief in Personal Messiah and bodily resurrection, 97; elected rabbi at Charleston and resigns at Albany, 98; declines Charleston pulpit, 99; re-elected at Albany, 99; answers attacks in the As- monean, loo-ioi; dissen- sions in Albany congrega- tion, 102; charges preferred against him, 102-105; public disturbance in congregation, 105-106; leaves Beth El congregation and becomes rabbi of new congregation Anshe Emeth, 108-109; first trip in interest of new con- gregation, 111-112; Leeser's opinion of his oratory, 1 1 1 ; writes important articles for the Occident, 1 13-120; severs his connection with the Occident, 120; officiates as Chaplain of New York Senate, 120; his prayer in N. Y. Senate, 120-12 i; introduces family pews, 122; also confirmation of boys and girls, 123; attends dedi- cation of United Albany Congregations, 124; Secre- tary of Albany Kossuth Society, 126; protests against Switzerland's treatment of Jews, 127; becomes editor of the Asmonean, 128; con- tributions to this paper, 129-138; publishes History of Israelitish Nation, 138- 143; unfavourable criticism of book, 143; elected rabbi Bene Yeshurun, Cincinnati, 414 Index Wise, Isaac M. — Continued 144-145; resigns at Albany, 146; visits Cincinnati, 146- 147; farewell sermon in Albany, 149; arrival in Cin- cinnati, 151 ; reforms in Bene Yeshurun, Cincinnati, 160; organizes choir, 1 60 ; officiates in Bene Israel, 161; elected rabbi of Bene Israel, 161; offered position at Louis- ville, 164; prepares second part of ritual, 164; declines to join movement for new Temple congregation, 168; introduces Friday night ser- vices, 169-170; organizes Zion College, 171; elected rabbi Anshe Chesed, New York, 174; resigns at Cin- cinnati, 174; congregation refuses to accept resignation, 174-177; silver wedding, 178; nominated for State Senator, 177, note; celebra- tion of twenty-fifth anni- versary as rabbi at Cincin- nati, 178-185; seventieth birthday celebration, 185; eightieth birthday celebra- tion, 186; last sermon, 188; characteristics in pulpit, 189, 190; his definition of a rabbi, 190-191; changes in Bene Yeshurun, 192-193; founds the Israelite, 195; story of founding, 195-205; prospectus, 198-200; pro- tests against Christianizing the government, 206-209; protests against Switzerland, 213-222; elected Chairman of Baltimore Protest Meet- ing, 221; visits Washington, 221; criticizes Russia, 226- 227; protests against Grant Order No. 11, 228-235; criticizes Senator Wilson of Massachusetts, 238-239; to Know-Nothingism, 239-243; opposed to Jewish vote, 240; his political views, 243; his attitude during the war, 243-246; eulogy on Lincoln, 246; opposes reading of Bible in Cincinnati public schools, 246-249; his travels in behalf of Judaism, 251; his editorial work, 250-252; founds Die Deborah, a Ger- man weekly, 252; Reminis- cences of Wise, 252-254; importance of Israelite and Deborah, 254-256; organizes Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 257-293; gives reasons for previous failures of union, 281-284; travels in behalf of union and college, 287-290; es- tablishment of Hebrew Union College at Cincinnati, 295; elected its first Presi- dent, 295; his views on importance of the position, 295-297; travels in interest of the college, 303 ; appoints a Board of Examiners, 303- 304; attends Pittsburgh Con- ference of Rabbis, 306-309; offers to retire as President of the college, 310-31 1; serves gratuitously as Presi- dent and Professor, 311; his relation to the students, 312; last official report, 314; addresses to students, 315- 317; comments on Cleveland Conference, 326-330; _ pre- pares an American ritual, 330-335; attends rabbinical conferences, 335-336; Presi- dent Pittsburgh Conference, 336; predicts a permanent conference, 336; suggests or- ganization of new conference, 337-338; elected President Central Conference, 339 ; represents conference at World's Parliament of Re- ligions, 341; letter on same, 342-343; opposes Zionism, Index 415 Wise, Isaac M. — Continued 343-353; refuses to advocate Jews separately celebrating Columbus Day, 347-348 ; personal activities, 355-370; no disciplinarian, 356; nurn- ber of congregations dedi- cated, 357-358; suggests establishment of Jewish Orphan Asylum, 358 ; charter member of be- nevolent organizations, 360; opinion of secret orders, 36 1 ; opposed to sumptuary legislation, 362; views on liquor question, 362-363 ; on woman in synagogue, 363-366; on organized charity, 366 ; charitable, 366 ; impractical in money mat- ters, 367; treatment of op- ponents, 369-371; letters, 373-377; views on Mosaic dietary laws, 378; family life, 379-380; marriages and children, 379-380; his coun- try life, 382-383; method of work, 383; personal charac- teristics, 384-385 ; member of Teachers Examiners Board and University Board, 389-390; his last sermon, 391; death and funeral, 391- 395; monument, 393 Wise, Isaac M., Jr., 381 Wise, Isaac M., Endowment Fund, 319 Wise, Isaiah, 22-25 Wise, Isidor, 380 Wise, Jonah B., 300, 381 Wise, Julius, 144, 380 Wise, Laura, 89 Wise, Leo, son I. M. Wise, 90, 227, 380 Wise, Leo, father I. M. Wise, 23,24 Wise, Leo, great-grandfather I. M. Wise, 22-24 Wise, Regina, 23, 381 Wise, Samuel, 23 Wolfenstein, S., 302, 304 Women and the synagogue, 149, 363 Wood, Bradford H., 67, 109 Works of Isaac M. Wise, see Appendix Zepin, George, 363 Zion College, 171, 260-261,267 Zionism, 343-353 Zimdorf, S., 304 HOME USE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT MAIN LIBRARY This book is due on tlie last date stamped below. 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-3405. 6-month loans may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk. Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date. ALL BOOKS ARE SUBJECT TO RECALL 7 DAYS AFTER DATE CHECKED OUT. i5?i; t i^ Scr J /fys" :;;0. ^Jl^ fci li LD21 — A-40»n-12,'74 (S2700D) General Library University of California Berlteley ^^1^' ^m:^^ r^^ >v 392361 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY ^ *. ^ ' J „ : • .. ^l^