Mordecai Sheftall

Mordecai Sheftall was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Jewish British immigrants. Like his father before him, he was a merchant and an observant Jew. For several years the congregation of Mickve Israel held services in his home, as plans to build a proper synagogue for the congregation were stalled with the advent of the American Revolution. During the war he was the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the American army. Near the end of the conflict, he was captured and imprisoned by the British; he survived and remained a notable member of the American Jewish community.