Isaac Leeser. Circular.

In this rare Circular Rev. Isaac Leeser outlines the problems facing the Jews of America, especially in regard to the education of youth. He calls for a convention of congregational delegates from across the country to form a broad-based union in order to work together for the benefit of American Jewry as a whole. Significantly, Leeser notes the Circular was issued under the combined auspices of himself as well as both Rev. Dr. Isaac Mayer Wise and Dr. Max Lilienthal. Indeed Wise so advocated for this convention he immediately came to New York upon its publication and preached at Lilienthal’s pulpit the following Sabbath to an overflowing synagogue with Isaac Leeser in attendance.  Leeser subsequently translated the sermon into English and printed it in the next issue of the Occident. <<This is the only collaboration between Leeser, Wise and Lilienthal.>> Rapidly however their relationship fell apart as they realized that the Orthodox and Reform could not set aside doctrinal differences. Leeser had long dreamed of a congregational union of American Jews, uniting both the Orthodox and Reform streams of Judaism. Leeser met Wise in 1847 and finally found in him someone who shared a vision of such a union in order to preserve and build Judaism in America. In response to detractors who objected to the idea of forming such a union Leeser wrote in the Occident (Vol. VI, no. 12) that the sole aim was to “unite Israelites on the broad platform of our religion, and to draw them by means of education and a proper spiritual guidance to the safe fold of obedience to whatever the Lord has taught.” He reassured his readers that the union would not involve itself in partisan positions in relation to Reform. Wise writes in his memoirs he foresaw that “Judaism would have no future in America unless mighty upheavals, accompanied by constructive action” were taken. Wise records that both he and Leeser saw the first meeting of congregations in and of itself to be a productive start in resolving the ailments of American Judaism. Leeser and Wise originally expected to attract twenty congregations, however only eight signed up. Under the influence of Rabbi Abraham Rice many Orthodox Jews refused to join due to an aversion to the Reform movement. By the end of 1849 both Leeser and Wise realized their initiative had failed. Subsequently articles in both the Occident and the Asmonean sought to assign blame for the failure of this bold venture. See Lance J. Sussman, Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism, pp. 169-70; Sefton D. Temkin, Isaac Mayer Wise: Shaping American Judaism, p. 55; Jacob Rader Marcus, Memoirs of American Jews 1775-1865: Isaac Mayer Wise, pp. 111-15.