Letter from H. I. Sabatto to Isaac Leeser;December 19, 1854 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from H. I. Sabatto to Isaac Leeser;December 19, 1854

Author

H. I. Sabatto

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Date Created

19 December 1854

Location(s)

San Francisco

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 2 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).

Letter

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3fj2b00f/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3fj2b00f

Physical Characteristics

Lined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

C O P Y
San Francisco, Dec. 19.1854.
Rev. Isaac Leeser
Dear Sir:
I received yours of late date by last steamer and conveyed the various respects to your friends as desired. Mr. Mason's Estate I regret to inform you will not pay even borrowed money & therefore you can scarcely expect pay. However I will do my utmost.
Relative to your letter about ministers let me explain. Dr. Eckman came out here on his own hook & unexpectedly. When he married me in N. O. I gave him no encouragement for I knew he would not suit our people. I then heard from Mr. Gutheim that a friend of his would probably be taken up. Dr. E. knew this, but took the chances. He was not elected here until we heard Dr. Steinberg could or would not come, for what reasons we are childishly ignorant. Dr. E. only received 26 votes, the 7 others blank. The salary of $3500 was reduced to $2000, & the term of 3 years was reduced to one. Even at these sacrifices the few who upheld him found it difficult to elect him & we had to debate & debate until eleven o'clock at night & by skill and ingenuity crowd down the opposi-tion. The sequel will prove how worthy he has repaid them their labor. I was, when I saw no other minister on hand, eager to take up the Doctor in order that as a synagogue we might have a head & a respectable one. My father, Louis, Cohn, Sam, Marx & others will attest how earnestly we labored together & fought the Doctor through.
Previous to the building of the Synagogues which exist at present we had one Shochet & each congregation paid $12.50 per month, & the butchers so much per head, making it sufficient to support a man, but lately the increase in the butcher business has been so good that our congregation determined to suspend the payment of $12.50 & of licensing two Shochtim, as the revenue proved to be by examining the butchers themselves, over two hundred and fifty dollars per month, and in case of sickness one could resume the other's position. We gave no preferences, no recommendations. We appointed Mr. Messenger & Mr. Gold-smith and allowed butchers to select their own Shochet, of the two, Mr. M. However belonging to our Synagogue and Mr. G. to the Polish. Mr. M. came to us with 3 Robolahs from Europe and superior recommendations. I myself would not vote for both until I carefully examined & found the business would support two. When we sent to Dr. Eckman to examine these men he refused to examine Mr. Messenger & sent us a long article about the necessary requisitions for Schochet, failing, however, to tell us that Mr. M. had not proved competent. We replied (Dr. Eckman was then & is now boarding at Mr. Goldsmith) that as Dr. E. wishes such a standard for Shochtim & we the trustees believed no man in California was competent to stand the test & we must have a Shochet rather than none, such as we have always had, we appointed three of our Congregation to examine the candidates, men who always examined them, previous to the arrival of Dr. Eckman in California. These men examined Mr. Messinger and pronounced him skilfull & highly competent. Mr. Gold-smith sent us a communication which evidently was dictated by the Doctor, saying in short he would not be examined by those men. Wherefore the Trustees rescinded his appointment. What was our astonishment to find Dr. E. publish a card in the morning papers nullifying the act of the Trustees, who created him, and pronouncing against us & in favor of a foreign congregation with- out our knowledge & consent & virtually injuring a man whom he did not deign to question. Dr. E. said he did not keep his Sabbaths previous to election, whereas we know it was utterly out of his power to do so as his bread depended on it. Dr. E. has been coalesced with Shochet Goldsmith & has violently opposed his own congregation. A Trustee meeting is to be held & they are the Doctors warmest supporters. I learn they intend to request the Doctor to resign. He who was so

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unpopular & was elected by such a struggle & such sacrifices has in 6 short weeks make himself outrageously inimical to the whole congregation. I hear but two opinions, one asking him to resign, the other dismissing him from his post.
In a country it was in the Doctor's province to endear himself to a warm & ardent congregation, but he has chosen the opposite. Yesterday in conversation the Doctor was advised by my father and myself to be careful of his actions that the congregation were very uneasy about the Shochet matter & his position & might censure him. He said on that subject he courted their censure & forthwith proclaimed to the world through the papers that we were all fools & knew not what we did that our Shochet was no Shochet & his Shechilah to be Terephah. (see publication).
I enclose you the publication with the notes there that seem proper. I regret this matter on the Doctor's account.
I regret to add Dr.'s statement is false in many respects, as probably his information was derived from Mr. Goldsmith.
In the first place the Doctor is not legally our Rabbi, he never was so elected.
In the second, Dr.E. never questioned Messinger, but merely listened to calummy.
In the third, he had no recourse to any expedient. The Trustees did so authorize him to appear before the three members without Mr. Messinger being aware of their action.
In the fourth, the Congregation have adopted to eat meat of no other Shochet than Messinger & we boast as religious men as any in the world, perhaps not more so.
There will be a sequel to this of which I shall keep you advised.
Upon these remarks you may be certain Dr. E. cannot be reelected at the end of the year & if you know of any competent minister who of their own accord or at your suggestion will visit San Francisco & when here will act prudently they would do well to come out.
Yrs truly
(signed) H. I. Sabatto.
Labatt

Identifier

LSDCBx2FF1_95

Date

1854-12-19