Newspapers

Did you know that there were also Jewish newspapers in early America? Two of the most important were the Jewish Messenger and The Occident and American Jewish Advocate. Both papers were Orthodox. They were created to help American Jews feel part of the larger Jewish diaspora, instill pride, and to combat the rise of the Reform movement. Newspapers were an important way early American Jews learned about what Jews were doing in other port towns. Rabbis Isaac, for example, published updates from other communities such as this report on Jewish education from Mrs. J. Finsi in Barbados. Newspapers also were a way to find out what Jewish goods were available, such as these advertisements from the Jewish Messenger:

The Occident and American Jewish Advocate was created by Rabbi Isaac Leeser of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia and was printed between 1843 – 1869. Before 1859 it came out once a month, and then became a weekly newspaper for two years. It was always in English. You can read issues for free either from the Jewish-American History Documentation Foundation or the National Library of Israel. In addition to updates from Jewish communities around the world, the newspaper had articles on tradition and historical information.

The Jewish Messenger was created by Rabbi Samuel Myer Isaacs in New York in 1857. Isaacs was born in the Netherlands, but raised in England. He came to the United States to be the Rabbi of the Ashkenazi Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, but by 1853 was the Rabbi of the break away congregation Shaaray Tefila on Wooster Street. His newspaper was in English and came out once a week. It contained articles by the Rabbi, news from abroad, and even advertisements for local Jewish resources. You will notice that even though they were orthodox, both Rabbi Isaacs and Leeser called themselves “Reverend” or “Rev.” for short, unlike earlier leaders who had called themselves the Hazan or Hakham.

Sadly Rabbi Isaac’s newspaper is not available for free online. Below, however, is a sample issue from the first year the newspaper was in business. Pick one page and read the articles. Or check out the advertisements on the last page. Who seems to be Rabbi Issac’s audience? What are his values? What articles does he offer that may have been particularly of interest to women? To see more pages, hover over the bottom of the page and click through the pdf.

Jewish-Messenger-1857-3

Newspapers can also help us understand where Jews lived and worked in a city. Using advertisements on the final page of above issue of the Jewish Messenger, complete the list of the addresses below.

Now place the business on this map of early New York. Do you notice any patterns about where the Jewish businesses and synagogues are located?

Interested in learning more about other Jewish newspapers? Check out the incredible collection at the National Library of Israel.

In addition to newspapers that were specifically aimed at Jews, several Jewish men in New York became involved in the general newspaper trade. One of the first newspapers in the Bronx was created by Mathias Lopez, a Jew born in Barbados and educated at Shearith Israel. His West-Chester Patriot started in 1813, but didn’t last for long. In contrast, his classmate Mordecai Manuel Noah was editor of the National Advocate, a prominent New York newspaper, for many years. Both Mathias and Mordecai were also involved in the early theater in New York and Philadelphia.