432 



JEWS. 



tions occasionally with a minister.' Mann- 

 heim's Hebrew Grammar was recommended 

 as a suitable text -book for Sabbath-schools, 

 the general use of which would effect con- 

 formity in instruction. A committee was ap- 

 pointed to inquire into the feasibility of estab- 

 lishing an agricultural college in some Western 

 State, for the special purpose of introducing 

 agricultural pursuits among the Israelites of 

 the United States. A committee was appoint- 

 ed to cooperate with the Board of Delegates 

 of American Israelites in collecting statistics 

 concerning the Hebrews in America. The ef- 

 forts of the American- Jewish Publication So- 

 ciety to spread the knowledge of Hebrew lit- 

 erature were approved. 



The delegates of fifteen congregations of Is- 

 raelites of New York, Baltimore, Md., Chicago, 

 III, Philadelphia, Pa., Brooklyn, N. Y., New- 

 ark, N. J., and Wilkesbarre, Pa., met during 

 the summer in the city of New York, to form 

 an organization for the foundation and main- 

 tenance of a Jewish institution of learning, and 

 the perpetuation and propagation of Jewish 

 ideas. Mr. Lewis May was chosen president. 

 A plan of union was agreed upon. Eesolu- 

 tions were adopted recognizing it as the duty 

 of every congregation and every sincere Israel- 

 ite to contribute toward the support and main- 

 tenance of an institution for the support and 

 propagation of Jewish science and literature. 

 The establishment of a Hebrew Theological 

 Seminary Association was determined upon, 

 the object of which should be to encourage 

 and foster the study and knowledge of the 

 Hebrew language "through congregational and 

 general free schools, and such other institu- 

 tions as may be determined by the authority 

 to be created." The scope of the institution 

 was defined in another resolution to the effect 

 that the highest department of it " should con- 

 sist of the endowment of a chair or chairs in 

 connection with an institution where the gen- 

 eral sciences are taught, or, if feasible in the 

 future, of an independent theological school 

 with the necessary chairs of instruction, in 

 which instruction shall be given in the higher 

 branches of Hebrew science ; such department 

 to be, in the strict sense of the term, a theo- 

 logical seminary." It was agreed that as soon 

 as the congregations should have signified their 

 adhesion to the plan of union of the Associa- 

 tion, and the scheme for establishing the the- 

 ological seminary, the Seminary Association 

 should be incorporated and organized. A 

 committee was appointed to lay the subject 

 before all the Jewish congregations in the 

 United States. 



The Board of Relief of the United Hebrew 

 Charities reported that their receipts for the 

 year ending May 1, 1876, had been $42,495. 95, 

 and their expenditures $39,075.71. 



The twelfth annual meeting of the Hebrew 

 Free-School Association of New York City 

 was held December 3d. The report stated 

 that the Association had on its rolls the names 



of 580 members and three life-members. The 

 total receipts for the year had been $6,146.28, 

 and the total expenditures $6,156.57. The 

 Association was indebted upward of $1,000, 

 against which it had assets valued at $15,400. 

 Four afternoon and evening schools were in 

 operation, and were attended by 439 boys and 

 141 girls, in all 580 scholars, of from six to 

 thirteen years of age. The branches taught 

 were Hebrew spelling and reading, translation 

 of prayers and of part of the Pentateuch, Bib- 

 lical history, religion, and the first rudiments 

 in grammar. 



The annual meeting of the Hebrew Home for 

 the Aged of New York City was held Decem- 

 ber 3d. The report stated that the institution 

 was free from debt, and that its available assets 

 had been increased to $23,214.29. The receipts 

 for the year ending December 1st had been 

 $21,084.25. The institution had been removed 

 during the year from its old building to one of 

 larger capacity. This with other unusual out- 

 lays had caused an increase of expenditure, 

 bringing the whole amount up to $18,492.24, 

 which had been promptly met. Eelief had 

 been afforded in 255 cases of confinement. 

 The number of new admissions to the Home 

 had been 21, and the average number of in- 

 mates had been upward of 70 for every day 

 of the year. 



The first semi-annual report of the Universal 

 Israelitish Alliance for 1876 showed that the 

 income of the Alliance for the preceding six 

 months had amounted to 90,378 francs, and 

 that its expenditures had been 81,145 francs. 

 Gifts to the amount of 86,460 francs were held 

 by the Alliance, in addition to a gift of 1,000,- 



000 francs made by Baron Hirsch, which was 

 administered separately, its income being de- 

 voted exclusively to the Jews of Turkey. The 

 agricultural school at Jaffa, Syria, had forty 

 pupils and four orphans under special guardian- 

 ship. The teaching staff had been increased, 

 and the school had received marks of public 

 favor. The receipts of the school for the year 

 had been 21,500 francs, and the ordinary ex- 

 penditure in its behalf 31,300 francs. Extraor- 

 dinary expenditures had been incurred for fresh 



1 lantation, drainage, the erection of additional 

 buildings, etc., to the amount of 17,000 francs. 

 The preparatory school established at Paris 

 was attended by sixteen pupils. Instruction 

 in Arabic had been added for those who in 

 tended to become teachers in the East. The 

 Alliance had four schools at Constantinople, 

 which were superintended by the local alliance. 

 The schools in Morocco were conducted with 

 activity ; that at Mogadorehad had to contend 

 against embarrassments. The school at Wid- 

 din had received a visit from the Bulgarian 

 bishop, who had left a gift for the poor pupils. 

 The report gave a view of the condition of the 

 Jews in various countries. Of the Jews in 

 Turkey there were 700 families in Bosnia 

 and ten families in the Herzegovina. They had 

 not as yet had to suffer any acts of violence. 



