Letter from L. Elias to Isaac Leeser;September 21, 1852 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from L. Elias to Isaac Leeser;September 21, 1852

Author

L. Elias

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Location(s)

Columbia

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 3 page(s) on 3 sheet(s).

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Physical Characteristics

Unlined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Isaac Leeser Collection

content

Columbia S. C., Sept 21, '52
Rev. Lesser Esq. Philadelphia
Dear Sir,
I herewith take the liberty to turn to you with the request to send me the Occident of which you are the editor. At the same time I want to tell you of the condition in which our Community finds itself. We have a Hazan here. But, as you know, we have no Shohet. Never-theless I have occasionally found a seal "Kosher" on the meat. With regard to this I have naturally spoken frequently. The "Yehudin" here are, however, such ignoramuses that they are perfectly content if they see a seal on the meat, and do not bother to know who put attached it, whether a man who knows anything about slaughtering or not, whether he has legal permission Kaballa to slaughter, or not. To them these things do not matter. But it is

2
wrong of a man who has no Kaballa and knows nothing of Shehita, to act as Shohet for a community. It is even worse for a man who wants to live as a Jew and is in this way deprived of the op-portunity. For when we want to obtain a pious Jew as Shohet, he can find no welcome here, since people say "we obtain our meat properly slaughtered and have no need for a shohet."
You must, therefore, agree with me that a man such as this cannot be called a Jew. For whatever he may do for himself, to slaughter for a community and to hang a seal on the meat so that it might be sold as kosher, is not the work of an upright Jew. Such action is hypocrisy and pious swindle, as you must agree.
That is why I turned to you, and am sending you one of the seals which I be removed from the meat only this

3
morning when I was in the market. I hope some good will come of your making this matter public.
I shall be in Philadelphia in a few weeks, and shall at the same time purchase several holiday prayer books from you of which I have need.
In the hope that this letter will find you in good health, and that you will send me the Occident, I remain Your devoted friend,
L. Elias
Please send the Occident beginning with Rosh ha-Shana

Identifier

LSKAP_NC-22

Date

1852-09-21