Jessurun Cardozo
Encyclopedia
Rabbi David Abraham Jessurun Cardozo (March 29, 1896 – August 31, 1972) was a Dutch
-born American
Sephardic 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 services in Spain since the Alhambra Decree
of 1492 expelled Jews from that country.
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
. Rabbi Cardozo was spiritual leader of the Montefiore synagogue
in Ramsgate
from 1929 to 1936.
In 1948, The New York Times
published a letter signed by Rabbi Cardozo and two dozen prominent Jewish figures including Hannah Arendt
and Albert Einstein
, which criticized the Herut
party, described as an outgrowth of the Irgun
which the letter called a "a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine" and criticized a visit to the United States by its leader, Menachem Begin
.
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
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. Rabbi Cardozo expressed his belief that the government of Francisco Franco
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 Cardozo died at age 76 on August 31, 1972 and was survived by a brother and sister.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Sephardic Rabbi who served as assistant minister of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue
Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the oldest synagogue in the United States
Oldest synagogues in the United States
The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
and was the first rabbi to conduct High Holidays services in Spain since the Alhambra Decree
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
of 1492 expelled Jews from that country.
Cardozo was born in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
on March 29, 1896 to Abraham Jessurun Cardozo and Marie Serlui. He attended the Sephardic Seminary there and Jews' College in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, as well as the University of Amsterdam and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Rabbi Cardozo was spiritual leader of the Montefiore synagogue
Montefiore synagogue
The Montefiore Synagogue was the private synagogue of Sir Moses Montefiore. It is an 1833, Grade II* listed building in Ramsgate, Kent, England.-History:The synagogue was in the European tradition of great men having private chapels on their estates...
in Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
from 1929 to 1936.
In 1948, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
published a letter signed by Rabbi Cardozo and two dozen prominent Jewish figures including Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
and Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, which criticized the Herut
Herut
Herut was the major right-wing political party in Israel from the 1940s until its formal merger into Likud in 1988, and an adherent of Revisionist Zionism.-History:...
party, described as an outgrowth of the Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
which the letter called a "a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine" and criticized a visit to the United States by its leader, Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
.
Rabbi Cardozo came to the United States to assist Rabbi David de Sola Pool
David de Sola Pool
David de Sola Pool was an American rabbi and writer.-Early life and education:He was born in London, England, and later received his rabbinic ordination from the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary, located in Berlin, Germany.-Career:In 1907, de Sola Pool was invited to become the minister of...
from 1936 to 1943 at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. 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
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
.
Invited to Spain in 1953 to lead services for Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
and Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
, 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
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, were the first there since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Rabbi Cardozo expressed his belief that the government of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
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
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
Rabbi Cardozo died at age 76 on August 31, 1972 and was survived by a brother and sister.