A protest that “Haym Salomon, the greatest Jewish patriot of America and one of the founders of the Republic,” has no statue in Philadelphia where he helped finance the Revolution, was made by Rabbi William H. Fineshriber, at Temple Keneseth Israel this week.
Dr. Fineshriber urged that the city’s synagogues unite “to perpetuate Salomon’s memory.” No institution bears his name, said Dr. Fineshriber, and Congress has failed to pass legislation reimbursing Salomon’s descendants for the money he advanced to the Government, yet every congressional committee that has reported on the matter has declared the claim just.
“If he had been a general on a horse, waving his sword and killing people, it would have been easy to have him honored,” said Rabbi Fineshriber. “But he was only a financier. He gave only his money and his life. What would the Allies have done if the United States had not loaned them—if you can call it a loan—$10,000,000,000?
“There are innumerable other men in our history who were the equals of Washington and Lincoln who are forgotten— others even more forceful. Haym Salomon is a man who ought to be known as one of the great heroes and martyrs of America.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
