Rev. I.L. Leucht. Home and School. A Sermon Preached…At the Rampart Street Synagogue.

Born in Darmstadt, Germany, Rev. I. L. Leucht (1844-1914) came to America in 1864. He was appointed rabbi of the Shaarei Chessed congregation in New Orleans, before it merged to become the city’s Touro Synagogue. Under Leucht’s leadership the synagogue further adopted the innovations of Reform Judaism that his predecessor, Rabbi James Gutheim had introduced: The second-day observance of Festivals was dropped, Sabbath morning services was abbreviated to “last not longer than one hour including the sermon,” worship was permitted with or without covered heads, depending on how long one had been a member. Leucht was active across New Orleans, establishing strong ecumenical ties to the non-Jewish community, where he served as both president of the Louisiana Red Cross and on the State Commission of Prisons and Asylums. The present scarce pamphlet is a heartfelt plea to support the Jewish educational framework of New Orleans.