Letter from [?] Emanuel to Isaac Leeser;March 16, 1854

Title: Letter from [?] Emanuel to Isaac Leeser;March 16, 1854
Author: [?] Emanuel
Contributor: Isaac Leeser
Date Created: 16 March 1854
Location(s): San Francisco; Philadelphia
Format: Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).
Type: Letter
Language(s): English
Has Format: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3nv1w/manifest.json
Link to Colenda: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3nv1w
Physical Characteristics: Unlined Paper; Manuscript
Is Part Of: Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Isaac Leeser Collection
content: San Francisco March 16, '54
Reverend Sir
We address you upon a subject, the selection of a minister for the German Congregation of San Francisco upon which, we desire to elicit your assistance as the superior advantages acquired by your position places you within reach of all the attendant facts of any importance.
We send you an advertise-ment for insertion & take the Liberty of referring to you which you can omit in the columns of your Occident if you deem we have no right to intrude upon your privacy & claim your assistance in our cause—
Its tone much will inform you generally of our want but particularly bear in mind we are a young, an honest energetic, frank congregation & we I might add somewhat tinctured of the moderate reforms of the age & desire to select a minister compatible with these views. With these ideas we offered the Revd J K Gutheim this position but circumstances well known to you prevented his acceptance. He would be a true model of what we desire to obtain

We write these facts & others as a committee appointed for that purpose to correspond with you & you may use such as in your judgment, you deem proper for an Editorial notice on the subject.
We are far removed from the seat of similar applications with a lazy & uncertain communication between us & necessarily must leave the matter in the hands of some one who like yourself well understands our want & can refer us some excellent person—
We do not want an old man if we can avoid it, for we conceive that there will not be the Harmony existing as between congregation & a young minister of about 35 years of age, whose youth will blend him to the errors of his young flock.
Should the minister please us he will undoubtedly be elected for life as soon as his first term expires, we want an English Scholar by all means, but one conversant with German also will suit us better—
The people here are very liberal & have contributed in a fortnight about $20,000 to erect a brick synagogue on

a lot in one of our principal street in size 65 ft x 1376 feet.
We have about two Hundred families one half of whom belong to our synagogue & many promising young men who will do much to increase the community. There are about 50 children & a number of them who would attend school in the basement of the proposed synagogue—
Our attendants are many at divine service, considering our officiating Hazon & we never have less than 25 or 30 present.
The building is to be a handsome Gothic brick structure & to be paid for fully out of our funds so that we may have it unencumbered—
We have again of members to our synagogue of about 33 per cent in the last six months & now number about 100 contributing members.
A minister would be necessarily exposed to heavy expenses & could not possibly subsist upon less than $40 a week, were he to supply himself amply with necessaries. Of course he could curtail these expenses but it would not suit the people to have a penurious minister.

The perquisites are $10 for a marriage of which he might reckon upon 2 a month at least. For school children &c in proportion & when teaching the Parassah &c.
Will you please inform us very privately concerning the applicants as to their abilities, qualifications characters & should you wish your name kept secret in the correspondence we shall do so. Let us hear from you if you desire any further information in the subject & we will forthwith furnish it.
We will pay the expenses here of any minister recommended by you as fully competent & extremely praise worthy, in case he should be elected to the probationary term by the congregation
We have the Honor to be
Yrs Every Respy.
? Emanuel
? Labatt
Ann
To the Reverend
Isaac Leeser
Philadelphia
Identifier: LSKAP0009
Date: 1854-03-16

Part of Letter from [?] Emanuel to Isaac Leeser;March 16, 1854

[?] Emanuel, “Letter from [?] Emanuel to Isaac Leeser;March 16, 1854”, 1854-03-16, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/66364