Letter from Josephus Justus Belinfante to Isaac Leeser;September 17, 1850

Title: Letter from Josephus Justus Belinfante to Isaac Leeser;September 17, 1850
Author: Josephus Justus Belinfante
Contributor: Isaac Leeser
Date Created: 17 September 1850
Location(s): The Hague; Philadelphia
Format: Letter. 3 page(s).
Type: Letter
Language(s): English
Has Format: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3hx1698q/manifest.json
Link to Colenda: https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3hx1698q
Physical Characteristics: Unlined Paper; Manuscript
Is Part Of: The Dropsie College Isaac Leeser Collection at the Penn Libraries
content: To the Reverend
Isaac Leeser
Minister of the Portug.
Congregation at Philadelphia.
The Hague, the 17 Sept. 1850.
Reverend Sir,
Some years since I have had the pleasure to receive by application of Dr. Davids, at Amsterdam, from your hands the cadeau of two valuable works, your Discourses and the Elements of Mos.Faith, and I did not neglect to present to you my warm thanks for this token of appreciation of the Yaavbacker?, of which I was one of the editor. I never heard any tiding since from you Reverend Sir, but never cease to read the said works and wished to have occassions to renew my thanks admitting the possibility you did not receive my former letters.
Now that occassion presents itself by the departure of the American Minister, Mr. Davezac, who will be so kind to remit to you Rev. Sir, this letter, which I am so bold to write in a language which you writes with classical purity and elegance; and which I understands as much to admire your force of saying and your constant application to your elevate task. I have been in the occasion last day to admire that constancy the more, by some members of the Occident, M. Laushery, merchand of this town, recently returned from the United States, has given me to send, with some num.'s also of the Asmonean. From those publications

I have had the great pleasure to perceive, the Jewish life, is awaken in the other side of the Atlantic, and truly I believe that by the nature of your institutions, by the great outwanderings from Europe and by the development commerce and discoveries have to be recently, the prospects of the Jews in America are of the highest signification, in a moral and mate-rial view both. Why the Isrealites may not taken their part in the great movement of this century, ? did in the 17?, principally on the soil of liberty and colonisation, agriculture and commerce, you live upon?
I taken the liberty to present to you, Rev. Sir, 2 numbers of a publication of a Israel Society established since two years in the Netherlands, or prove properly in Holland, the country where the Jews enjoyed the most true liberty and happiness, generaly speaking, after the Union, and that you wl? have seen probably by your going to the States.
The said Society promises to be a useful tie to unite the orthodox and liberal amongst our people in this country; and I am glad to tell you several Rabbies of the most unflinching orthodoxy and liberals of the most decided color, have given finally the hand eventually to erect a bond of unity for promoting the moral in material interests of the Jews in this country. You will find the origin and prospects of this society in the 1st number, and some valuable papers and particulars on account of the Jews in Holl. and elsewhere in this periodical, that, after a long interruption, had taken in now the place of the yearbooken?.—I will not conceal to you, Rev. Sir, that I am the autor of the paper, in Nr. 2, on the Portuguese and German Jews in Holland, that I did written

to make some more ? between the two rites, and that I have had the great pleasure to see well received by the Portuguese as well as by the Germans. The union of both I believe will be of great profit for the sake of our religion, but it is the work of time, it must not be precipitated. I flatter myself you will find in this historical view of the matter some particular unknown, deserving the attention of the American Jews particularly.
I transmit you in the same time an ?, the traditions with notes, of Mr. Anspachs brochure, edited in France some years ago: le Croyant Israelite.
If there is an occasion for a regular change of your Occident, the Asmonean, the publication of your American Is. society for diffusing knowledge, etc. with the publications of our society, I hope you wil be so kind to promote that object: the ties between the American Israel.s and the Dutch will be by that way united more closely and it will be to the benefit of both parts.
I cannot help ending with an other demand, somewhat particular. From the list of subscribers to your valuable Discourses, I saw confirmated what I did known en vague before, that some members of my family are residing at Kingstown, Jamaica; if it is possible and do not give to much trouble to you, will you have the kindness to give me some information thereupon?—I am wholy to your disposition for your interests, eventually, in this country, and I hope to receive speedily some answer from your highly estimated pen. May Providence continue you, Reverend Sir, long in good health to perform long time to come the task you have fulfilled since twenty years already on the other side of the Ocean for the good of Israel, Amen.
Your humble servant
H. Belinfante.
Identifier: LSDCBx1FF7_22
Date: 1850-09-17

Part of Letter from Josephus Justus Belinfante to Isaac Leeser;September 17, 1850

Josephus Justus Belinfante, “Letter from Josephus Justus Belinfante to Isaac Leeser;September 17, 1850”, 1850-09-17, Isaac Leeser Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/leeser/item/69533