Shangarai Chasset (Shaarei Chesed) was a nineteenth-century

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Orthodox (and later

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

) synagogue.

History

Shangarai Chasset was founded in New Orleans on December 20, 1827,Emily Ford, Barry Stiefel (2012. ''The Jews of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta: A History of Life and Community Along the Bayou'',

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American Publishing, publisher of neighborhood, local history, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the ...

, Chapter 2. and chartered by the Louisiana legislature on March 27, 1828 by Jacob Solis. The synagogue’s members were primarily of Sephardic Portuguese background. Around the same time the synagogue was founded, a related benevolent society was established with the same name, "Shaare Chessed," (the first interment therein was that of a Hyam Harris on June 28, 1828). Though

Judah Touro Judah Touro (June 16, 1775 – January 18, 1854) was an American businessman and philanthropist. Early life and career Touro's father Isaac Touro of Holland was chosen as the hazzan at the Touro Synagogue in 1762, a Portuguese Sephardic congr ...

was not initially interested in the congregation, he eventually gave generously to it. The congregation constructed a synagogue building in 1845 on Rampart Street between St. Louis and Conti Streets, the first permanent synagogue building in Louisiana. A plaque remains at the site.Shangarai Chasset: Gates of Mercy Synagogue

Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer historical society. The society locates sites of American and Jewish historical interest and importance. It works with local community org ...

,''www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org''. Accessed August 29, 2019. By 1846, the Jewish population had become more French and German because of the migration of Jews from Alsace-Lorraine. As a result, a Sephardic businessman, Gershom Kursheedt, convinced Judah Touro to establish a new Sephardic synagogue which he did on the corner of Bourbon St. and Canal St. The new congregation was called Nefutsoth Judah, Dispersed of Judah. By 1881, the two congregations couldn't exist separately and re-united under the name of ''The Gates of Mercy of the Dispersed of Judah''. Eventually the congregation was called Touro Synagogue in honor of their mutual benefactor, but the name wasn't changed until 1937. Far from established

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

communities, the congregation’s membership attempted to create a semblance of Jewish life and community in the new territory opened to them as part of the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

. Upon its founding, most Jewish people were reportedly indifferent and not affiliated with the synagogue. Of those affiliated with the congregation, their level of observance was minimal.

Jacob Rader Marcus Jacob Rader Marcus (March 5, 1896 –14 November 1995) was a scholar of Jewish history and a Reform rabbi. Biography Born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, United States into a traditional Jewish family and raised in Homestead, Pennsylvani ...

, a noted historian, comments that the lack of affiliation to the synagogue may have in part resulted in many of the Jewish men in the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of th ...

taking non-Jewish wives and having non-Jewish children. However, the high intermarriage rate did not preclude the congregation from appointing men with gentile wives to leadership positions in the synagogue. Despite shortcomings in their religious observance, their love of their religion, and service to their community was nonetheless noteworthy, as it paved the way for future generations of Jewish life in New Orleans.

Synagogue leadership

Some of the rabbis to lead the congregation were considered the greatest rabbis in their era. Among them: * Manis Jacobs (1828–1839) * Albert "Roley" Marks (1839–1845) : Eli Evans in ''The Provincials'' writes that Marks was a "fake rabbi..." and a "ludicrous but likable part-time comic actor and fireman." It appears that Marks was appointed to lead the congregation primarily due to his ability to lead services. Historians Jonathan Sarna and

noted in various works that during that era most U.S. "rabbis" were not ordained; calling him a fake may have been too strong a critique of his pastoral abilities. Nonetheless, he is usually noted negatively, as sources cite that Marks was known to run out of services to assist his fire brigade, was not particularly careful with kosher laws or observance of

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

, and was married to a

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woman. Multiple sources including Evans cite a story about an incident in synagogue in which he argued with a congregant displeased with his conduct, during the High Holiday services. (Although not cited elsewhere, it is possible that the congregant objected to Marks' being appointed to lead the services, as

halachic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...

sources recommend a respectable individual represent the congregation for High Holiday services.) In response to the congregant, Marks reportedly "banged on the podium and screamed" unpleasantries at the congregant, asserting his "... right to pray!" : Marks appears to have died sometime around 1850. Sources differ about his burial, but again, neither were favorable from a traditional Jewish standpoint. Some record the story that the rabbi’s widow, a Catholic, was restrained only with difficulty from putting a crucifix in (or on) his grave. Other sources cite that he returned to the northeast before his death, living in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Upon news of her father falling gravely ill, Marks’ daughter, Sarah Marks Stockton, living in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

had him baptized by her Episcopalian minister. His grave is located in Princeton, New Jersey. * Ferdinand Hirsch (1845–?) * Dr.

Hermann Kohlmeyer Hermann Kohlmeyer (1814 – 1883) was an American rabbi in charge of Congregation Shangarai Chasset in New Orleans, Louisiana. On January 17, 1847, the synagogue board unanimously elected Kohlmeyer to serve as its leader. In the edition of T ...

(1847–1850) * James Koppel Gutheim (1850–1853, 1865–1868) * Joseph Levin, (1855–1859) : December, 1855: Reverend Jos. Levin is elected Rabbi. ''One Hundredth Anniversary of Touro Synagogue, 1828–1928'' * Solomon Jacob (also referred to as Jacobs), (1859–1860) : A native of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, Jacob was the rabbi and cantor through his death in 1860. Jacob also published a Jewish newspaper called the ''Cornerstone'' until his death. : The

Occident The Occident is a term for the West, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Western world. It is the antonym of ''Orient'', the Eastern world. In English, it has largely fallen into disuse. The term ''occidental'' is often used to ...

notes a rabbi with a similar name as having been a leader of the Ashkenazi Jewish community in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

in various editions, (August 1846 and January and February 1851 to name a few) and it is possible that this was the same individual. The community members that later approached Rabbi Jacob's successor, Rabbi Illowy to determine the kosher status of the

Muscovy duck The Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') is a large duck native to the Americas, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. Small wild and feral breeding populations have established themselves in the United Sta ...

, cited that the duck had been ruled to be a kosher bird by the rabbinic authorities in Jamaica. : In the "One Hundredth Anniversary of Touro Synagogue, 1828–1928", it is noted that in August, 1860, "Rev. Solomon Jacobs dies. Burial conducted by Rev. Herman Kohlmeyer." * Dr.

Yissochar Dov Bernard Illowy Rabbi Dr. Bernard (Yissochar Dov) Illowy (born 1814 in Kolín, Bohemia – d. June 22, 1871 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was a rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism in the United States. Biography Illowy descended from a family of religious scholars; ...

(1861–1865) *

Isaac Leucht Isaac Leucht (1844 in Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany – 1916 in New Orleans, Louisiana) was a Reform Rabbi and communal leader in New Orleans. He was the last rabbi of '' Congregation Shangarai Chasset'' before it merged with Congregation ''Nefutzot ...

(1868–1872, 1879–1881, when congregation merged with the ''Nefutzot Yehudah'')

References

* Benjamin, Israel Joseph. ''Three Years in America, 1859-1862''. (Arno Press 1975). . * Evans, Eli N. ''The Provincials''. (Atheneum 1973) * Hill, Samuel S. ''On Jordan's Stormy Banks: Religion in the South: a Southern Exposure'' (Mercer University Press 1983) * Kahn, Catherine C. and Lachoff, Irwin. ''The Jewish Community of New Orleans''. (Arcadia Publishing 2005) * Rader Marcus, Jacob. ''United States Jewry, 1776-1985'' (Wayne State University Press 1989) * Rader Marcus, Jacob. ''The Dynamics of American Jewish History: Jacob Rader Marcus's Essays on American Jewry'' (UPNE 2004) {{ISBN, 1-58465-343-4 * Wiernick, Peter ''History of the Jews in America: From the Period of the Discovery of the New World to the Present'' (The Jewish Press Publishing Company 1912) Alsatian-Jewish culture in the United States French-American culture in Louisiana German-American culture in Louisiana Synagogues in New Orleans Religious organizations established in 1827 1827 establishments in Louisiana Religious buildings and structures in New Orleans Portuguese-Jewish culture in the United States Sephardi Jewish culture in the United States Sephardi synagogues Synagogues completed in 1845

History

Synagogue leadership

See also

References