The 45th annual meeting of the American Jewish Historical Society was held here yesterday at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Various papers and reports on Jews in the history of the United States and on the contemporary picture were presented by members of the society.
Refuting the assertion that Benjamin Franklin had opposed the settlement of Jews in this country, Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach, president of the society and one of the most famous book collectors in the world, quoted a letter from Franklin in 1777 in which he wrote: “I continue amazingly well and hearty for my age and hope to live to see the end of these troubles, and our country established in freedom, when it will soon become great and glorious, by being the asylum of all the oppressed in Europe, and the resort of the wealthy who love liberty from all parts of this continent, to establish themselves and families among us.”
Dr. Rosenbach was re-elected president of the society, Capt. N. Taylor Phillips of New York, Rev. Dr. David Philipson of Cincinnati, Lee M. Friedman of Boston and Prof. Jacob R. Marcus of Cincinnati were elected vice-presidents.
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