Letter from Gershom Kursheedt to Isaac Leeser;January 01, 1849 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Letter from Gershom Kursheedt to Isaac Leeser;January 01, 1849

Author

Gershom Kursheedt

Contributor

Isaac Leeser

Location(s)

New Orleans

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 4 page(s) on 2 sheet(s).

Letter

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Physical Characteristics

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries

content

New Orleans Jany 1. 5609.
My revd & dear friend
I have been waiting on Mr Touro or rather in hopes of receiving his orders, to break the protracted silence which has too long ruled between us. And now anticipating early cause for writing you again I still essay to explain in part the reasons for my late neglect towards you. Heavy blows have been levelled at your humble friend since this pleasure was lastly indulged in; wrongs have borne down in unmeasured strides & at times my very spirit has failed me. But the Lord is merciful & altho' my trials have been moulded into an ordinary casting, yet an eluding faith, & resignation to what is permitted in the infinite wisdom of God, have enabled me thus far to rise superior to the machinations of the evil.
Presuming that you have heard of the treachery of my late partner who has acted like the most heartless vilain (for I consider him beyond comparison with anything that I have ever seen or heard or read of) robbing me of thousands, most inhumanly too, I hope that you have made great allowances for the lack of exhibition of that respect which had previously been my wont in my intercourse with you. Verily my good friend I have suffered but thanks to the Supreme, my national Jewish feeling has held firm midst incessant whirlwinds & storms which, each, as they arise, seemed to bring inevitable destruction to my every hope in life. You will doubtless excuse this awkward introduction to a letter which was intended to be altogether in a different strain, but, “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh” & even now a great deal remains to be done, ere I can feel safe from the fowlers snare, the accomplishment of which God in his mercy grant unto me—

With regard to congregational affairs I have little new to state. When I was about to write to you to procure some of the inside furniture &c I discovered that the ceiling of the building was so defective as to be really dangerous & after some weeks lost in convincing Mr Touro of this he acceded to my wish to have it taken down. For seven weeks past we have had incessant rains & therefore could not plaster. The appearance of the cholera (which I am happy to say is now in the decline) made workmen very scarce, & now I think we can not consecrate the building before March or April I hope ere many days that Mr Touro will tell me to order out what we require, but he is dreadfully slow & the concern has cost him so much already that he is perhaps to be excused for holding back, particularly as he gets no very low estimate of the cost of “Sepharim Bells &c &c from me. Yet all will come right in time and you must be patient as I have learned to be.
After frequent letters between M N Nathan & myself I find that he has altered some parts of the service at St Thomas, nothing of great importance, & that he desires more ecclesiastical power than is generally allowed a Hazan. I have finally written him offering him $1600 a year & a house equal to 8 or 900 more thus making his salary equivalent to 24 to 2500 a year. I offer to yield certain privileges & if possible thus to compromise his demands regarding the trifling innovations in the service. The only point that strikes me of any consequence is in his omitting the repetition of the Anudale?. All his improvements as to order regular attendence, a choir &c &c I approve
By the bye I have at last succeeded in getting the organ taken away from the church & think I shall be able to keep

it out altogether, in view of which ? making the consecration very plain.
The Right Reverent Rabbi Carillion is here offering his services & starting to ? his way I think he will find however that he has come across the wrong man in me. I am really afraid of this man's being at the head of anything, he seems to have given trouble wherever he has gone what do you know or think of him? write me as I write you this, in confidence.
All my leisure time is devoted to the interests of the congregation & still they do not seem satisfied. So help me God if I err it is from too great a desire to make everything right. You can not imagine what an incessant tax it is on me & bothered as I have been to death with my own troubles & having the labor of three men to perform in my paper I have been at times almost crazy & heartily sick of the whole concern. But please God I'll stick to it & work it into shape before I retire from office.
Now my good Sir I have fairly stolen the time required to indite this & it has been at the sacrifice of attending to other judaic matters. I wish we had a proper minister here for I am bored to death with liberal minded “Goyim” who want information & which in fact I am scarcely able to give them. I have had to day to play the “Roff” to jew & gentile & what with weddings, circumcisions, funerals &c I am ever in the go. Besides in an epidemic there are several poor of our faith who depend on me. I informed the Howard Association of this fact & stated frankly that I could only aid that society among those taken with cholera in my immediate neighborhood. Oh if I had you here how I would bother you with one half of my duties

? fit Judge Womac of Kentucky is here giving Lecture at the University & wants me to give him an explanation of all our laws. I take him to a wedding on Wednesday & then I have to edify him on the “Jurisprudence of the Jews” what a business for a pen devil like myself The worst of it is that every body here knows me to be a Jew & unfotunately I pass off for one of the enlightened & well read. Every great man that comes here by some means or other I am brought into contact with & invariably conversation turns to the nation. At all events my dear Leeser I strive to bring no disgrace & always state that I speak for myself & not for the Nation that I am very ignorant & rusty formal ? from a congregation since my 18th year. Almost every scientific man who comes here brings letters to me from some friend or acquaintance who kindly volunteers to make me know, but if they knew him I try to keep quietly in my sanctum & do my day's & night's work they would probably hesitate.
But this is an abominably egotistical letter & yet it is just such a ?ear I would naturally write to one whom I know as I do you, all I can say is write me in the same way & then we will be even.
Will you give my fondest love to my dear little Aunt when you see her. Tell her her good husband always calls for me at night on his way home & I see him constantly through the day. He is well & will be with me ere long. I have taken advantage of a holiday to write you although I have been interrupted twenty times since beginning this. My family are always anxious to hear of your good health & no less so is your devoted although lately unheard from friend
Gershom K

?ink this is very handsomely written for me—can you do as well?
? no visits to day excepting to widows & orphans. No fashionable heartless calls & I had no sweetheart to kiss on the occasion.

Identifier

LSDCBx9FF18a_8

Date

1849-01-01