Letter from Leopold Jaroslawski to Isaac Leeser;October 18, 1852 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from Leopold Jaroslawski to Isaac Leeser;October 18, 1852

Author

Leopold Jaroslawski

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Date Created

18 October 1852

Location(s)

Pittsburgh

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 4 page(s).

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p38w38n7s/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p38w38n7s

Physical Characteristics

Unlined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

Pittsburg Octr 18th 1852.
Rev. Mr. Isaac Leeser
Philadelphia.
Dear Sir!
Since Mr. Marcusson has honored me with the perusal of the contents of your letter, I take the liberty to say, that we need not at all be surprised at the false assertions of Bonahan or any of his colleagues in the fabrication of falshoods in regard to their pretended invasion into Judaism. The knowledge I have obtained on various occasions of men of their stamp, has taught me sufficiently that protes-tantic jesuitism is existing to a great extent, among a class of man who render the name of a society for the purpose of ameliorating the condition of the jews send many idlers abroad, among them a few renegades from our holy religion, who are to lazy to work for an honest living. (We can easily spare them as the prophet says Hebrew). These men are ever ready and so very eager to bounce upon every word uttered by an unsuspecting man especially when he happens not to be familiar with the language, to construe this to their purpose, than to publish it with so many embellishments and fabulus ideas of their own begetting, as to make it very interesting to the ear of their bigotted emploiers. A matter of fact only lately occurred to miself, will serve to illustrate the above. As man calling himself Avery from New York state and travelling

as he stated for the above named society, called on me and after having taken the trouble twice to converse with him on religion, he felt so fully defeated, that although he promised to call again, he never did so. I saw him walking the streets frequently after that, and I was told by the minister of the fifth presbiterian church*, that he preached the Sunday following our arguments at his church, were he stated, that he visited some of the jews in this city, that he found them very intelligent, and that he entertained great hopes soon to bring them to the knowledge of divine truth. He has not even been listened to what his mission was, by any other jew in this city, and as to the truth of the effects of my arguments, as above said I will bring christians who were present at the time to tes-tify to the same. This and similar facts with what I know of Mr. M. up to this day, leads me to suppose that those Sharks after paying him what they had agreed upon, to compensate his soils in giving them hebrew lessons, they ende-vor to represent this as a bribe to induce the above said Gentln to change his religion. Now miself and many others here will prove that he regards money to little ever to fall a victim to such a snare. I have ascertained that he has instructed those men for nearly four months every day except Saturday & Sunday—for the small pittance of 70 Dollars, and now it appears, since they full well knew that their stupid minds would not pick up sufficient hebrew an equevalence for their so much spoken of ?, they had a more jesuitic aim in view in regard to Mr M. but since they did not succeed, they try to revenge

themselves, by proclaiming to the world the flattering hope of the conversion of a Rabby.
The position of these men, and especially that of Mr Bonahan is actually very deplorable. The latter gentln although I have no personal knowledge of, I still have received such a description of his character by a very eminent christian a Gentln of great learning and thorough knowledge to guarrantee my supposition, that we may rely as much on his assertions, as on those of any other Hebrew.
What most surprised me was that, Mr. M. condescended even to take the least notice of the slanderous productions of a parcel of man, who for money collected or almost-extorted, from the blind industrious portion of the community, pretend to undertake, to ameliorate the condition of a nation, who because being least, had ever to submit to all sorts of persecutions; at the same time losing intirely sight of the great defects existing among their own people. Considering them cristians, because they curse & swear by the name of Crist. Who needs conversion? Surely no man of sense! Besides can pecuniary inducements convert a man? She will say no! Then why did these men of Montgomery promiz him such a glorious future of indolence and opulence, if he would only to consent to stay with them, by which means they supposed to produce a rupture between him and his people? Why bring those by Mr. M. so hard earned paltry 70 Dollars so emphatically into consideration. For my part I am so well aquainted with these petty manoevers such as invitations to prayer meetings, and other apparent brotherly

treatments and even lies to effect their purpose. But not every body can comprehend their motives.
Let us cast a look into the dissensions of their own churches where nothing but love is taught but not prac-tised, with plenty of brothers and sisters on their tongue but none in their hearts, and then look at the ? friendly face of the missionary, and we cannot mistake the hipocrite.
Their attempt to injure Mr Ms character as a Rabby is to bottomless, to cause him any fear.
I would refer him to Deut. 7.17.18.
If my time as a business man would only permit me I could tell many things which have come under my notice, as well in this country as in england.
I hope the above will suffice at present, and I think that the public may be benefitted by reading the words of Alether.
I hope Mr Leeser that you may grant it a space in your valuable paper as far as you may consider proper. The truth of all I said I can establish by living wittnesses, and as Mr. Marcusson has not sufficient power of the English language, I thought to do no more than my duty in defending him against Hebrew. This latter expression I have also used above, since I know they consider it the greatest insult.
Yours Sir very respectfuly
L. Jaroslawski

Identifier

LSDCBx1FF9_69

Date

1852-10-18