From the ARCHIVE: Newsletter Special: Sabato Morais and Henry Pereira Mendes

[David Shasha]

Friends,

 

            I recently learned about a series of articles in – of all places – The Jewish Press dealing with the great American Sephardic rabbis Sabato Morais and Henry Pereira Mendes.

 

            As would be expected, the articles are slanted to the Orthodox perspective.  But even taking this into consideration the pieces provide a wealth of critical information about these seminal figures in American Judaism.  It is a good thing indeed that Dr. Yitzchok Levine has provided us with these articles.

 

            As a supplement to these articles I present my review essay on our dear friend Arthur Kiron’s indispensable study of Sabato Morais that I strongly advise all SHU readers to purchase and read.  Ordering information is provided in the final piece in this special newsletter.

 

            Next up is the article by Arthur Kiron that introduced me to his work on Morais and the tradition of Sephardic Rabbinic Humanism in American Jewish history.  It is an exceptional contribution to our heritage and to the study of American Judaism.

 

            Marc Saperstein recently published an extraordinary piece in the Huffington Post connecting Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address with Sabato Morais.  It is a rare and very welcome discussion that places the Sephardic Jewish tradition in its larger historical context.

 

            We end with a piece that I did earlier this year on resources to study Sephardic history and culture.  The extensive list of books provides information for those who wish to explore the subject of Morais and Henry Pereira Mendes more thoroughly.

 

 

 

David Shasha

 

 

 

 

Sabato Morais: Forgotten Advocate of Orthodoxy (Part 1)

By: Dr. Yitzchok Levine

 

Sabato Morais: Forgotten Advocate of Orthodoxy (Part 2)

By: Dr. Yitzchok Levine

 

Reverend Henry Pereira Mendes: Orthodox Stalwart (Part 1)

By: Dr. Yitzchok Levine

 

Reverend Henry Pereira Mendes: Man of Chesed (Part 2)

By: Dr. Yitzchok Levine

 

Reverend Henry Pereira Mendes: Safeguarding Orthodoxy (Part 3)

By: Dr. Yitzchok Levine

 

The Philadelphia Experiment: Finding Levantine Humanism in Sabato Morais’ America

By: David Shasha

 

Varieties of Haskalah: Sabato Morais’ Program of Sephardic Rabbinic Humanism in Victorian America

By: Arthur Kiron

 

‘Four Score and Seven Years Ago’: A Jewish Connection

By: Marc Saperstein

 

Important Book Resources for Sephardic Studies

By: David Shasha