Rabbi David Abraham Jessurun Cardozo (March 29, 1896 – August 31, 1972) was a Dutch-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

Rabbi who served as assistant minister of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City, the oldest synagogue in the United States and was the first rabbi to conduct

High Holidays The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

services in Spain since the

Alhambra Decree The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492, by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ( Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Arag ...

of 1492 expelled Jews from that country. Albert Einstein and others letter

Cardozo was born in Amsterdam on March 29, 1896, to Abraham Jessurun Cardozo and Marie Serlui. He attended the Sephardic Seminary there and Jews' College in London, as well as the University of Amsterdam and the University of London.Staff
"RABBI CARDOZO DIES; A SEPHARDIC LEADER"
'' The New York Times'', September 5, 1972. Accessed January 27, 2009. Rabbi Cardozo was spiritual leader of the

Montefiore synagogue The Montefiore Synagogue is the former private synagogue of Sir Moses Montefiore. It is an 1833, Grade II* listed building in Ramsgate, Kent, England. The synagogue and mausoleum are cared for and maintained by the Montefiore Endowment. The ...

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

from 1929 to 1936.Staff
"GETS PHILADELPHIA POST; Dr. D. A. J. Cardozo, Aide of Dr. de Sola Pool, Accepts Call "
'' The New York Times'', September 5, 1943. Accessed January 27, 2009. In 1948, '' The New York Times'' published a letter signed by Rabbi Cardozo and two dozen prominent Jewish figures including

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was born ...

and Albert Einstein, which criticized the Herut party, described as an outgrowth of the Irgun which the letter called "a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine" and criticized a visit to the United States by its leader,

Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'' (); pl, Menachem Begin (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ''Menakhem Volfovich Begin''; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. B ...

. Rabbi Cardozo came to the United States to assist Rabbi David de Sola Pool from 1936 to 1943 at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue on the Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Cardozo was selected in September 1943 to succeed Rabbi Abraham A. Newman at Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. He later served as Rabbi of Sephardic Jewish centers in the Bronx and Queens. Invited to Spain in 1953 to lead services for

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

and Yom Kippur, Rabbi Cardozo was able to conduct prayer services and stated that he had no difficulty in bringing Hebrew prayer books into the country or of arranging the use of the facilities of the ballroom of a major new hotel. The services he led, reaching out to the 400 Spanish-speaking Jews in Madrid, were the first there since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.Staff
"BALLET TEAM SKIPS IRON CURTAIN CALL; Dancers Who Fled Via Berlin Subway Are Among 1,145 to Arrive Here on Dutch Ship"
'' The New York Times'', November 14, 1953. Accessed January 27, 2009. Rabbi Cardozo expressed his belief that the government of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

was showing a "more friendly" approach to the Jews of Spain, noting that permission had been granted by the Spanish government to construct a synagogue in Barcelona."RABBI'S VIEW OF SPAIN; Cardozo Finds Franco Regime 'More Friendly' to Jews "
'' The New York Times'', December 18, 1953. Accessed January 27, 2009. Rabbi Cardozo died at age 76 on August 31, 1972, and was survived by a brother and sister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardozo, Jessurun 1896 births 1972 deaths Dutch Orthodox rabbis Orthodox rabbis from New York City Dutch expatriates in the United Kingdom Dutch emigrants to the United States Dutch Sephardi Jews University of Amsterdam alumni Alumni of the London School of Jewish Studies Rabbis from Amsterdam Sephardi rabbis 20th-century American rabbis