(AMERICAN JUDAICA).

30th March

v.p

1858

Group of eight hand-written letters. Acknowledgments of honorary memberships in Baltimore's Sephardic congregation from leading personalities in England, France and the Caribbean: Nathan Adler, Chief Rabbi of England; Haim Guedalla, London; Salomon Ullman, Chief Rabbi of France; Major Aron Wolff, St. Thomas, West Indies, etc

Provenance: J.G. Bell - Sir Thomas Phillipps - H.P. Kraus

In 1858, Solomon Nunes Carvalho and Samuel Etting spearheaded in Baltimore the formation of a Sephardic congregation, Beth Israel. Carvalho (of Portuguese origin) grew up in the Portuguese Beth Elohim synagogue of Charleston and in later years achieved national fame as an artist and photographer of the Far West, attached to Colonel John Charles Fremont's famous expedition. Etting, a native Baltimorean (of German extraction), was a scion of Baltimore's first Jewish family (which for reasons of class distinction held aloof from their fellow Aschkenazim). In his capacity as President of the nascent congregation, Etting extended honorary memberships to persons of note, hoping thereby to raise funds for the projected congregation. Unfortunately, the scheme failed to materialize contributions. One historian summed up this short-lived chapter in Baltimore Jewish history: "Etting hoped that his European and Caribbean honorees would respond with contributions, especially the Montefiores and Rothschilds, but regretably, not a franc or farthing was forthcoming. After two years of its existence, Beth Israel closed its doors; the Torah on loan returned to the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. Even the offer of its minister Reverend Jacob de Isaacs Mendes de Solla to officiate gratuitously, could not avail. Solla departed September 30, 1858 to minister at Beth Jahacob, Montego Bay, Jamaica." See I. H. Sharfman, The First Rabbi - Origins of Conflict between Orthodox & Reform: Jewish Polemic Warfare in pre-Civil War America (1988) p. 651). See ibid., pp. 647-648; JE, Vol. II, pp. 479-80