News Items

Philadelphia.—At the annual meeting of the United Hebrew Beneficent Society, held October 1st, the following persons were elected to serve for the current year: A. L. Hart, President; J. A. Phillips, <<417>>Vice-President; J. L. Moss, Treasurer; Z. A. Davis, Secretary; A. Hart, M. Arnold, A. S. Wolf, M. Cauffman, Isaac Leeser, Joseph Newhouse, H. Van Beil, and Isadore Binswanger, Managers.—At the election for officers of the society “Mercy and Truth,” held on the 2d of October, the following persons were elected to serve for the current year: Henry Marcus, President; Joseph J. Harvy, Vice-President; Moses M. Engel, Treasurer, Isaac Meyers, Isaac Cohen, Michael Asher and Joseph Levi, Committee; David A. Phillips, Secretary and Messenger; Dr. P. De Young, Physician, and Robert Killduff, Apothecary.

Baltimore.—Mr. Leon Dyer, in consequence of the impaired state of his health, declined a re-election as President of the old Congregation of Baltimore, worshipping in Lloyd Street. The congregation in parting with their former presiding officer, adopted suitable resolutions of thanks and expressive of their regret in losing one who has done so much to promote the welfare of the body over which he has presided for several years past; and we cannot do otherwise than add our acknowledgment for the efforts Mr. Dyer has made to establish order and decorum in Synagogue; and we hope that during his contemplated absence his health may be thoroughly restored. At the subsequent election held on October 2d, the following persons were elected officers for the current year: Abraham Rosenfeld, President; A. Rider, Treasurer, and Solomon Tuhn, J. Wallfish, and Louis Frank, Managers.

Albany.—At the late examination of the school under the charge of Dr. Wise, which resulted to the satisfaction of the public, several boys distinguished themselves in showing an intimate acquaintance with the book of Proverbs, and several girls equally so in the Pentateuch, in which scarcely a passage is said to be unknown to them. This by the by, is the right way of reforming, by teaching the Hebrew language to all, so that every Israelite, by being acquainted with the language of his forefathers, may be able to pray in it understandingly, and thus be excited to devotion by the words which he utters before Him who dwells on high. We also learn that the choir of the Synagogue Beth El is progressing fast to a great degree of perfection, and the service is conducted, as it should be, on the old Jewish platform, nevertheless, with solemnity and edification. The good style of conducting the worship attracts many to the Synagogue, and our correspondent adds, that he hopes that better motives may afterwards induce them to attend.

Cincinnati.—The new Synagogue of the congregation B’nai Jeshurun, was duly consecrated on the 22d of September last. The <<418>>building itself is said to be the finest of the kind in this country, the West Indies, or England, as we are assured by our correspondent, who has travelled extensively in all these countries; and though we may allow something for the natural gratification he feels in the success of a movement in which he was one of the first, there is no question that it has few equals if any superiors among us in this country, and it speaks well for the zeal and liberality of originally a handful of Israelites, who joined themselves together to erect a suitable place for worshipping the Most High, the only Synagogue then existing in their city not being large enough to hold all the worshippers who desired to unite in prayer. A novel spectacle was exhibited at the consecration, nothing less than a procession of about three hundred persons, Israelites and Christians, walking from the room where the congregation formerly worshipped to the new Synagogue, to convey thither the books of the law, to be deposited in the ark built for their reception. The procession was preceded by a band of music; this was followed by three little girls, dressed in white with wreaths of flowers; the one in the centre bore on a velvet cushion, suspended from her neck by ribands, a key; then came a canopy borne by four young men, under which were three gentlemen bearing the laws; then followed the Rev. James K. Guthreim, the minister of the congregation, supported by the other ministers in the place, the rear being composed of the members, and Israelites of other congregations, besides Christians. The whole was under the superintendence of Messrs. Mordecai Levi and Jacob Elsas. The ceremonies of the consecration were as usual, and the minister delivered an address, but we have received no sketch of it; yet we cannot doubt that it was very effective. The officers of the congregation elected on the evening of October 3d, are: S. Friedman, Parnass; A. Aub, Gabah Zedokah; Wolf Frost, Gabah Beth Chaim; L. Friedman, Treasurer; Jacob Elsas, A. Goodhart, Daniel Wolf, and Henry Franklin, Trustees; and Henry Mack, Jr., Secretary. The number of members is one hundred and sixty, and increasing. The congregation is ruled by the board of trustees, and officers; and when it becomes proper to alter, make or amend any law, there are six sub-trustees, who are elected annually to represent the congregation, which only meets once a year to elect officers, and fix the salaries.

Augusta, Georgia.—We are pleased to learn that the small community of Israelites in Augusta continues its organization. The late holydays were duly celebrated, and the Synagogue was well attended. Mr. Philip S. Jacobs of Columbus, S. C., officiated in connexion with Mr. S. Levy the stated Reader of the Congregation. A happy circum<<419>>stance attended the festivals this year, as some who had not observed them before now joined themselves to the faithful. We hope the progress may continue, and increase to bring forth good fruits.

Charleston.—The Congregation Beth Elohim will soon receive among them, as we are told, from Germany, a gentleman answering to the requisites expected of him in the advertisement which we inserted last winter. We would gladly give his name if we had received it officially. We therefore wait till the gentleman has arrived, without venturing to rely entirely on mere verbal reports, which possibly might lead us into a mistake.

New Congregations.—The Israelites at Fort Wayne, Indiana, are about organizing themselves into a congregation, and we hope with a prospect of permanency. We shall give particulars when received.—The Jews in Newark, New Jersey, have also lately organized themselves for public worship, and consecrated—we hope merely as a temporary place, as we trust that they soon will be numerous enough to erect a permanent abode for the law of God—a small upper room in a school-house in Harrison Street, on Friday evening the 22d of September. As our readers may be curious to know how Christian religious papers view the remnant of Israel, we extract from the Sabbath Recorder the letter which appeared in the New York Observer:—

“Newark, N. J., Sept. 23d, 1848.

“I was invited last evening to attend the opening of a new place of worship for the Jews in this city. The place was a small upper room in a schoolhouse in Harrison Street, not capable of holding more than fifty persons, about half that number being present, of whom perhaps half were Jews.

“Mournful indeed it was to see these children of Israel, in their blindness and hardness of heart, here gathered, a little remnant, unnoticed and unknown, meeting in this obscure corner to worship the God of Abraham, and with no knowledge of the way to him through Christ.

“The High Priest, carrying the law in a scroll upon his shoulders, and followed by several who officiated as priests, walked in procession around the room, chaunting Hebrew passages from the Psalms of David, and now and then ejaculating brief but earnest prayers. Each priest took his turn in heading this procession, and leading the service, which seemed to be sad and painful, as if they mourned the absence of the glory that should shine in the courts of the Lord.

“One of them named a text from the history of Solomon’s dedicatory service of the temple, and proceeded to make a discourse in English and in German; but his brethren became impatient, and desired him to desist, which he did after speaking a few minutes.

“The procession was then renewed, and after prayer and singing, the law was deposited in a closet before which the veil was hung, and the services were brought to a close.

“When will the eyes of this people be opened to see the King in his glory?”

In “The High Priest” our readers will recognise the officiating Hazan, and as for the mournful looks of the audience, we fancy that <<420>>the writer’s wishes were fathers to his thoughts. On the contrary, we expect there was strong joy marked on the countenances of the few faithful who had united to consecrate the humble room as a sanctuary of the Lord, that they had been permitted to assemble and to call on his name in an assembly of the righteous. We regret, to, be sure, that a person should be interrupted when about to address the audience; but we expect there is some misstatement in it, as all consecration arrangements are generally made beforehand, even in the smallest bodies. Perhaps the writer’s jaundiced eye and ear deceived him as to facts; at all events we can give him one consolation, that the handful of Jews before him that evening will be long before they will even think of seeing with his eyes, as their very assembling proves that they mean to remain true to the God of Israel and his law.

Europe.—The emancipation of the Jews in various states is progressing; though it had not yet been pronounced universally through Germany at late accounts. Several Jewish deputies were elected for the Austrian and Prussian Diets, in addition to those who were chosen for the German Parliament in Frankfort. Dr. Fishhoff was appointed President of the Austrian Diet, if we understand aright a paragraph in the Orient. The celebrated preacher, Dr. Isaac Noah Mannheimer of Vienna, is also a member; he sits for Brody in Gallicia, and was appointed Vice President at the first meeting of the house. Another delegate is Dr. Goldmark. A writer in the Orient remarks it as singular, that a Jew is President of an assembly in a city where a relative, should he come to see him, has to pay a personal Jew-tax for the privilege of sojourning there a few days. Such are some of the inconsistencies of the present state of Austria, which we hope may soon yield to more sensible counsels. In Berlin, Dr. Koch and Dr. John Jacobi are prominent members of the Diet, and the former had well nigh been appointed minister of public worship, only that the change from a total exclusion from all office to that of superintendent of church affairs was too great, even in the democratic changes of the present year. But office-holding is no object, so only that no exclusion is permitted. We would gladly give more information, if the European papers would only give us particulars; but they deal too much in generalities to be transcribed by us.

Jerusalem.—The number of Israelites having greatly increased in the holy city, they have been induced to enlarge and rebuild the Synagogue Beth El, and we have received an appeal from the chiefs of the congregation for aid. Rabbi Jechiel Cohen is again in this country, and any funds transmitted through him will be duly appropriated.