Letter from Henry Illowy to Isaac Leeser;October 24, 1863 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from Henry Illowy to Isaac Leeser;October 24, 1863

Author

Henry Illowy

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Location(s)

New Orleans

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 6 page(s) on 3 sheet(s).

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Hebrew

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p38k75p01/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p38k75p01

Physical Characteristics

Lined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Isaac Leeser Collection

content

New Orleans October 24th/63.
To Revd. Isaac Lesser
Editor “Occident”
Philadelphia
Revd. Sir!
Excuse my giving vent to painful feeling which I can not restrain any longer. Can a son be silent when he sees his father slighted by one whose respect and admiration he deserves? Remember Revd Sir, how often my venerable father appeared before the bar of public opinion to advocate and defend you against the rude at=tacks of Dr. Wise & Co.! Remember how often my father proclaimed you in all the Jewish periodicals as the only faithful advocate of true Judaism, as the restorer of our Religion and Gonfalonier? of truth in this country! But you have not a single word to say in his favor, when his enemies try to slander him by false and unfounded reports. You asked some time ago, for the reasons of his leaving New Orleans, and I gave you pure wine, the pure truth, without the least admixture of untruth: what did you however write about it? You only heaped slander upon slander; you wrote, “you received a communication in favor of Dr. Illowy, but you have no trust in it”, this is the essence, if not the words of your report. You have no trust in my father's good character, (may I presume Revd Sir to inquire, what is the cause of this doubt) though you had already been informed by the Secretary of the Cong in Cincinnati, that in spite of the malicious report

published in the Deborah, my father was unanimously, not one voice dissenting, elected, and not by vote but by acclamation. Why not one voice against him? Why so most honorably elected, Because the people in Cincinnati heard from most trustworthy men from New Orleans, that my father resigned his situa=tion for the only reason, that he would not sell his conscience for money.
You read the remarks of Revd. Isaacs; still you doubted. It was not unknown to you that the friends of my father in New Orleans had presented him when leaving this City with a most costly silver pitcher and waiter; still you doubted, ignoring all these evidences. You know my father since fifteen years, you know him firm as a rock; he never changed or altered his principles from fear of losing or for the sake of making money as your friends in Hartford, Rochester and other places have done. No! My father fears nothing, he has his trust in God, and when he trust=fully gave up his situation and my Dear mother lamented what will we do now, he said with King David Hebrew Hebrew.
Your remarks in the last number of the Occident did not hurt neither me (though I felt bad) nor my honored fa=ther; thank God, he stands above the level of all his enemies neither did they give you any credit for them your best friends blamed you and laughed at you saying: “Mr Lesser is afraid of spoiling his game with either party, especially with Gutheim though he is an Hebrew; would Lesser be with twenty years younger he would yet become the advocate of reform.
Let me ask you Mr Lesser, you congratulated Hartford

to the successful election of mayor, Rochester of Grinsburg? St Louis of Vidaver, though you know all these formen well, that they are men Hebrew Hebrew; still you flattered these men, promised the world a great future which judaism had to expect from them, and how much good the respective congregations will derive from the activity of these Rabbis. You knew Vidaver better than any man in St. Louis, still you recommended him as an Hebrew. He is a strict orthodox You had to advocate him. Send your ears to St. Louis and you will hear what he is; a religion maker and a Hebrew he was long ago for he fulfilled the word Hebrew.
How much had you to say and how much good did you promise that the Cong. of San Francisco had to expect, when they elected Cohen, who was well known as a Hebrew; but you had nothing, not a single word to say when Dr. Illowy was elected by the Cong. in Cincinnati, and not alone that, but in the secretary's report published in your paper, you malignantly left out the word “unanimously”. You will find it in the “Messenger and Israelite,” and your remark on an other page was more slander than praise, it was such a praise as slanders bestow, Hebrew
Thank God my father is too well known in the old and new word as to stand in need of the praise of any american journalist.
Yes my dear Sir, if you had something to say against my father, you would be immediately at hand to condemn him or to kindle the flame of discord against him.
When my father had the courage to declare a rich Hebrew you forgot yourself and dared set up your judgement against him.

Still my father did not use the expression which Wise used several times against you and Isaacs; my father is too pious, too honorable and too much of a gentleman. It was satisfaction enough for him if five learned Rabbies, the greatest men in, and the lights of, Israel, Seligman Bamberger of Würzburg, Dr Hinsch, Franfort, Dr Lehman Mainz Dr Tilchenfeld Düsseldorf, and Dr Hildesheimer Eisenstadt all of them, like one voice, came out spontaneously, without being called upon, and approved the action of my father in the most laudable terms.
When my father wrote against the manufactory of Hebrew, who dared come out against him, with argument founded not upon Hebrew, but upon “COMMON SENSE”—Isaac Lesser”. Just as if my father would be a thorn in your eye because he can say with Elijah Hebrew; because he is the only Ortho=dox Rabby in this country you would like to see him pushed aside. Oh! great righteousness!—
Believe me Sir, that I am convinced that my worthy father whom I expect home every day would not approve of my letter, for when he sent you just before leaving N. O. your $20.00, I told him to write you the cause of his leaving N. O. since you once remarked that you would like to know it, he answered, I do not wish to be heralded as Hebrew let the world think every one just as he pleases. I however can not see the man, who pretends to be the advocate, the champion of Orthodoxy, play a false game, recommend Hebrew to orthodox Congs. As if you would not know them better.
How great was your joy and hope when Cohen went to San Francisco, but you are stricken with blindness and deafness

when you should come out with the truth. I confess it, that when my father wrote us last week from Cincinnati; that Dr. Wise, when seeing that the people in Cincinnati rush from all the Synagogues to hear him and that the crowd in his synagogue is so great every Sabbath that many must remain in the vestibule for want of room withing and that his (Wise's) reports were declared, by the most respectable men of this city who passed through there, as contrary to the truth he began to make friendship with him and invited him to assist him (Dr. Wise) in performing the marriage ceremonies at the wedding of his daughter which will take place on the 1st. inst. and which invitation was accepted by my father should he be present in Cincinnati, that I thought at first of bringing this letter to your notice through the columns of the Israelite, but knowing that my father would disapprove it, for he never likes to come out publicly against any one, if it is only Hebrew and not for the sake of religion, therefore I took this method and speak to you like man to man.
Hoping that you may be able to answer satisfactorily all these questions
I remain Revd Sir
your most obedient Servt.
Henrry Illowy

Identifier

LSKAP0229

Date

1863-10-24