George Jacobs. Catechism for Elementary Instruction in the Hebrew Faith.

In the preface Jacobs writes: “This work… is now published under the kind auspices of the Rev. Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia.” Born in Jamaica, George Jacobs (1834-94) came to the United States at the age of 20 and settled in Richmond, Virginia, where he studied for the rabbinate. He was ordained in 1857 and in 1869 succeeded Isaac Lesser as rabbi of Congregation Beth El Emeth in Philadelphia. He was among the founders of the the Jewish Publication Society, the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) in Philadelphia and active among a host of the city’s many other social and communal committees.