Samuel Myer Isaacs (January 4, 1804 - May 19, 1878) was a Dutch-born American educator, philanthropist and rabbi. He was the second Jewish spiritual leader in the United States to teach in English instead of Hebrew or German.

Early life and education

Rabbi Isaacs, born in

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Stadsfries dialects, Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Fri ...

, was raised and educated in Great Britain. His service as Principal of the Neveh Zedek orphan asylum in London brought him to the attention of B'nai Jeshurun in New York, and in spite of his lack of rabbinical credentials, they requested him to lead their congregation. Isaacs's children were lawyer and judge Myer S. Isaacs and Rabbi Abram S. Isaacs.

Career

Rabbi Isaacs arrived in New York City in 1839. He was rabbi at B'nai Jeshurun from that time until around 1845, when a schism split the congregation in two. He left with the newly formed

Temple Shaaray Tefila Temple Shaaray Tefila ( – ''Gates of Prayer'') is a traditionally oriented Reform synagogue located at 250 East 79th Street (at the corner of 2nd Avenue) on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York City. The synagogue was founded in 184 ...

. Rabbi Isaacs was one of the officiating clergymen at President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's funeral. In 1857, he founded the newspaper ''The Jewish Messenger'', of which he was editor from 1867 to 1878. The newspaper merged with ''

The American Hebrew ''The American Hebrew'' was a weekly Jewish magazine published in New York City. History It began publication on November 21, 1879, in New York City. It was founded by Frederick de Sola Mendes and its publisher was Philip Cowen. The weekly's ...

'' in 1879. He was also a founder of the United Hebrew Charities, now called

Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (the Jewish Board) is one of the United States' largest nonprofit mental health and social service agencies, and New York State's largest social services nonprofit. Its services are non-secta ...

(1845), the Jew's Hospital, now called Mount Sinai Hospital (1852), and the

Board of Delegates of American Israelites The Board of Delegates of American Israelites was the first Jewish civil and political rights organization in the United States, modeled after the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The organization was established in 1859 with headquarters in Ne ...

(1859).

Death

Samuel Myer Isaacs was interred in Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaacs, Samuel Myer 1804 births 1878 deaths Orthodox rabbis from New York City 19th-century American rabbis