Isaac Leeser
Born in Westphalia, Isaac Leeser immigrated to the United States in 1824 and became a pioneering figure in American Judaism and a staunch advocate for religious freedom. He was an author, educator, translator, publisher, founder of the first Jewish Publication Society, editor of America’s first monthly Jewish periodical (The Occident and American Jewish Advocate), and cantor at Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia. Leeser was an observant Jew who opposed religious reform, yet sought to unify the American Jewish community. He popularized English-language sermons and created the first complete Hebrew Bible translation for American Jews.
Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator
Primary Source
Catechism for Jewish Children: Designed as a Religious Manual for House and School
Primary Source
The Claims of the Jews to an Equality of Rights
Related Guide
Haskalah and Pedagogy, 1750–1880
The first maskilim ransacked both Jewish and European tradition to find new platforms for creating and transmitting the Jewish cultural ideals they conceived. Jews enlisted diverse literary genres to call for social, educational, and economic change.
Related Guide
Political Life and Thought, 1750–1880
Jews debated all sides of the major political issues of their day. Some welcomed the idea of equality, whereas others feared the loss of their religious-institutional distinctiveness.