Bidspirit auction | AMERICANA. CATECHISM FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN.

AMERICANA. CATECHISM FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN. PHILADELPHIA 1839. INSCRIBED COPY! ONE OF THE FIRST JEWISH EDUCATIONAL BOOKS PRINTED IN AMERICA! - In March 1838 a Hebrew school opened in Philadelphia and was in desperate need of appropriate study material. Issac Leeser, who was involved in the school, felt compelled to find suitable texts for the students. Although he had virtually no rabbinic contemporaries in America with whom to confer, he nonetheless persevered in the task of preparing many important texts for publication. This volume which seeks to codify the basic principles of Judaism in a manner which would appeal to young students, was one the very first Jewish educational books printed in America. Its printing is remarkable, as historians estimate the entire Jewish population in the United States at that time at less than 15,000 souls. This was in addition to the many other rabbinic duties Leeser undertook in his noble mission to disseminate Torah true Judaism in unfamiliar and often hostile surroundings. With a handwritten dedication, seemingly written by Isaac Leeser. Waldie press. 12, 168 pages. 18.5 cm. Overall fair/fine condition, some pages loose and staining.