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, 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 Myer Samuel Isaacs (May 8, 1841 – May 24, 1904) was a Jewish-American lawyer and judge from New York. Life Isaacs was born on May 8, 1841, in New York City, the son of Rev. Samuel Myer Isaacs and Jane Symmonds. His paternal grandfather was ...

and Rabbi

Abram S. Isaacs Abram S. Isaacs (1851-1920) was an American rabbi, author, and professor. Isaacs received his education at the New York University, from which he was graduated in 1871. He became a Rabbi at Barnett Memorial Temple at Paterson, New Jersey. For ...

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. Rabbi Isaacs was one of the officiating clergymen at President Abraham Lincoln'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'' in 1879. He was also a founder of the United Hebrew Charities, now called Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services (1845), the Jew's Hospital, now called Mount Sinai Hospital (1852), and the Board of Delegates of American Israelites (1859).

Death

Samuel Myer Isaacs was interred in

Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Temple Emanu-el. Salem Fields is the final ...

References

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