Highly active in New Orleans Jewish community affairs.

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/28/2005

GERSHOM KURSHEEDT (1815-1862). With his prodding, he and the famous Judah Touro formed Portuguese the Jewish synagogue "The Dispersed of Judah" and employed Moses N. Nathan as rabbi. (Kursheedt later was executor of Judah Touro's estate.) A most remarkable, lengthy, neatly penned letter by TWO important individuals, informing that "Dispersed of Judah" New Orleans congregation. Four lengthy pages. FIRST TWO PAGES entirely in the hand of and fully signed BY RABBI MOSES M. NATHAN (who had earlier led the Jewish congregations in Jamaica, Curacao and St. Thomas, Virgin Is). To Isaac Leeser from New Orleans October 1, 5611 (1851). Nathan copies in his own hand the Contract between himself and that congregation. The contract remained in effect as long as "…the services required of him, so long as his behavior shall not be regarded and considered as unbecoming a minister of the Jewish congregation" and other specifics he is to carry out, including conducting services in English and that he "…shall perform no religious service or ceremony out of the synagogue for any member or any other person without written orders from the Board." Then follows a note (also copied in Nathan's hand) written by the secretary of the congregation regarding Judah Touro's "donation of the synagogue" and how charges might be brought against the minister for any wrongdoing. Following that is Nathan's letter of October 1, 1851 to Leeser mentioning he is sending that copy of the contract herewith and "you know me too well to suppose that I should have accepted any engagement under the dictatorial order of 'sign or resign.' Nor would our mutual friend Gershom Kursheedt have allowed himself to be the medium of such communication. The provision [about] the preaching was not my own act. In the contract drawn up by G. K. I was to preach whenever the presid't called on me. However safe I might have been with the article so worded…it might have been made a vehicle of annoyance under a presid't inimical to me and therefore rejected it. The resolution of the congregation is fair and reasonable and prevents the body from condemning me unheard…I must either be acquitted or removed; there is no middle course." (And more of his complaint as to how action is being taken against him.) "The universal feeling of indignation pervades the Jews in the city at the shameful treatment of your late congregation towards you. My advise to you is do not embark in a weekly paper. It will not pay. Go into business, if not in the north, then at the south. Doff the gown which you have honored for 20 years. It will reflect no disgrace on you to engage in business. Either as a rev'd or a plain 'Mr.' you can serve your people." THE LAST FULL PAGE ENTIRELY IN THE HAND OF GERSHOM KURSHEEDT with his signature; from New Orleans that same day, Oct. 1, 5611 (1851) to Leeser. He writes: "…I hope what is set forth in the annexed page, all of which I endorse, [by M. N. Nathan] will satisfy you and your friends that certain expressions have been attributed to me which I never uttered. The constitution and By-Laws of the congregation are those I exhibited to you when in Phila. although they are now about to be altered. Recollect that in our laws there is no mention made of a Hazan, therefore the resolution given in the preceding page was necessary to enable me to enter into contract with Mr. Nathan. The course pursued toward you by a portion of your congregation meets with the universal censure of our people here and to my certain knowledge it is severely commented upon in many parts of the Union. Never mind, friend Leeser, your good acts will outline the memory of your persecution. It is the faith of the good to have enemies. I hope always to have some unfriendly acquaintances. They do us good. There are men who delight in bringing their superiors down to their level. But they rarely succeed." Showing aging, but all easily readable. Few tiny tatters or tears, but not affecting any wording and only on extreme edges lower right and bottom margin. Nothing could better reflect the discontent and resentment in which Nathan, Kursheedt and even Leeser were then mired then this significant document.

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