The Dubuque pioneers founded a Jewish
congregation in 1862, and for a time it was a
vigorous element among the rest of the Iowa
Jewries. The first religious services conducted
in Dubuque were held during the Passover of
1862, Mr. A. Levi being the projector of the
movement, and that community could pride itself
on being the first one in this state to have
bought a Sepher Torah. The Levi's and several
other prominent pioneers were the leaders of the
short lived congregation. It lasted for about
seven years and had the good fortune of engaging
worthy ministers. Among the three gentlemen who
guided the spiritual welfare of the Dubuque
congregation was Rabbi H.J. Messing, who
subsequently had a golden career in St. Louis,
Mo. Since 1869, the Dubuque pioneers held
services during many holiday seasons and have
managed to give their children as much knowledge
of Judaism as their fathers and teachers had
instilled in themselves.
In wealth and esteem the Dubuque Jewish pioneers
stand second to none of the Iowa Jewries, and
from among their children there arose none to
discredit their fathers and mothers.
During the flow of immigration a score of
families landed in Dubuque and, as it has been
the mission of the Russian Jews in all other
towns where they have a sufficient number, they
have organized a congregation and named it
Knesseth Israel (1894). At the lapse of a few
years their number increased so that they could
count twenty males above thirteen years of age —
a sufficient number to establish two Mynionim —
and being from different sections of Russia and
Poland they deemed it best to have two
congregations, two schooltim and two sets of
officers. The name of the second K'hilah
suggests a lack of police force in the oldest
Iowa city, and, more than that, it is the most
unique name among the 760 Jewish congregations
of the United States and Canada, for it is: "The
Jewish Protection Club." An orthodox Rabbi, who
recently was called upon by the Dubuque Jewry to
get things in shape among the Schochtin,
however, claims, that the latter congregation
needs that name for its protection against the
more numerous Knesseth Israel.
The foundation of everything good which this
state was to derive from the brain and muscle of
its Jewish pioneers was laid prior to the Civil
War; for, almost every name which was destined
to become illustrious in the history of the Iowa
Jews was to be found in some obscure nook among
the small merchants or even among the
hard-working peddlers. The Jew in this state has
witnessed the upbuilding of every important city
and with his thriftiness and ingenious
commercial spirit he might justly be called the
founder of commerce in Iowa. The large
department stores, the great wholesale houses,
the vast sums of money invested in manufacturing
merchandise, made the cities in Iowa what they
are, that is the finest in all the states beyond
the Missouri river, and surely the Jew was at
the front of Iowa's commercial enterprises from
the very day Dubuque was founded and opened for
civilization.
The following are Jews living in Dubuque prior
to the Civil War:
|
A. Levi |
Lead Miner |
|
Abraham Grunwald |
Clothing |
|
James Levy |
Dry Goods |
|
Moses Leppman |
Clothing |
|
L. & B. Rauh |
Clothing and
Furnishing |
|
I.D. Weil |
Clothing |
|
Charles Brezinsky |
General Store |
|
|
|
|
Mr. B.M. Samuels,
of Dubuque, another
pioneer of that old
city, was elected to
serve the town as
alderman, and in the
same year S. Lesser came
to Dubuque and
established himself as a
physician and surgeon.
Possibly the latter was
the first Jewish doctor
in this state.
[transcribers note: the
dates are not given for
Mr. Samuels or Dr.
Lesser in the book "Jews
of Iowa", but the
"History of Dubuque
County, Iowa", 1880,
states that Ben M.
Samuels was there by
1854 and Dr. Lesser came
in 1876.] |
| |
Alexander
Levi
Among the pioneers of Iowa and the
first Jewish settler in
Iowa, was Alexander
Levi. He landed,
together with many other
pioneers, on the first
day of August, 1833. Mr.
Levi was born in France
March 13, 1809, and his
ancestry was traced back
to a most noble family
of Spanish Jews, who,
during the expulsion,
fled to Portugal and
thence to France. He
opened a grocery in the
newly organized village,
which was named Dubuque,
and whatever
cheerfulness there was
about the dreary little
place was in his store.
There the miners came
and met together, and
there were many scenes
of early Iowa politics
lined out. It also
appears that he knew how
to appreciate the value
of advertising a
business, for in the
first Iowa newspaper,
the "Dubuque Visitor,"
May 11, 1836, an ad
telling what he had for
sale is found. In 1837,
Mr. Levi became the
first foreigner to be
naturalized in Iowa. So
far as it could be
ascertained, Mr. Levi
enjoyed the most
remarkable distinction
in the history of the
Jews of America, for it
is not on record whether
or not any other Jew had
the fortune of being the
first citizen of any
other state in the
Union.
About 1843 an incident
of uncommon significance
came to pass in Dubuque,
and the details thereof
throw much light on the
life of the early Jewish
settlers. Mr. Sol. Kuh,
an old settler of this
state and now (1903) a
resident of Sioux Falls,
S.D., who knew Mr. Levi,
is still able to recount
the whole incident and
speaks very
enthusiastically of it.
A certain Jewish
merchant, said to have
come from Alsace, but
whose name cannot be
learned despite many
efforts, settled
down in Dubuque a few
years after Mr. Levi
did; and, as he was
still single, a
courtship between him
and a highly cultured
Gentile lady, who was
respected in society and
very prominent in church
circles, sprang forth,
and it ended in a
marriage between the
two. The wedding
(this certainly was the
first marriage of a Jew
in Iowa) was the talk of
the town for many
months, and all the
staunch church members
were delighted indeed to
have added to their |
 |
number such a worthy
convert. A year
elapsed and the couple
still continued to be
the center of attraction
for the best class of
society folk in Dubuque,
for their doors were
thrown widely open for
all kinds of social
doings. Mr. Levi, though
friends with all and a
single man himself,
politely declined every
invitation, beginning
with the urgent request
to attend the marriage
ceremony, which was
solemnized in a church,
but he made no comment
whatever.
But the couple had
enjoyed more than their
share of temporal
happiness during such
comparatively short
time, and, either
because of miscalculated
economy or reckless
lavishness, the new
church member had to
resort to something very
disagreeable to the
pious in order to save
himself from a crisis of
financial distress; for,
on a certain day he was
discovered packing up
some goods belonging to
his creditors with
intentions to ship it
across the Mississippi.
The creditors took
action against him, and
he was compelled to face
serious charges, which
was certainly a
discredit to him; and
his entire host of new
friends cared very
little about the result,
for when he was placed
in the county jail none
cared to aid him in the
least.
A few days after, two
preachers came to "see"
Mr. Levi, who was,
during those days, the
most unconcerned person
in the whole community.
The founder of the Iowa
Jewry had nothing out of
the ordinary to tell to
the representatives of
the gospel so long as
they confined the
interview to innocent
talk, but when they told
him that they "never
thought the Jew would
prove so tricky, that
they now believed some
of the horrible tales
told about the Jews and
that henceforth they
would look out," he
replied in the following
words, which speak
volumes for the
sentiments of the Jewish
pioneers regarding
assimilation.
Said Mr. Levi: "You have
undoubtedly considered
the Jew a very good man,
else a prominent church
lady would have refused
to entertain and accept
a proposal from him; you
have certainly been of
the opinion that he was
free from all bad
habits, else you would
not have accepted him as
a member in your church;
you have, I presume,
considered him one of
the best sons of Israel,
else your joy of getting
him across the gulf
would not have been as
great; you have, as you
know, thought him to be
a gentleman of
refinement and good
standing, else you would
not have frequented his
house and suffered
yourselves to attend so
many of the functions
given by him. Now, how
comes it, that
continuing for but one
year as a member of your
church, he is no longer
a gentleman, no longer
honest, no longer
successful and no longer
fit tc be either Jew or
Gentile? That he was a
good man prior thereto
cannot be questioned,
since he has been
honest, successful and
upright so long as he
continued to be a Jew,
so long as I could claim
him as a brother in
exile, so long as the
conduct of his orthodox
parents still appealed
to his sympathy. Does it
not, therefore, appear
most strange to you that
such a good man shall
fall so low in such a
brief period? The truth
is this: Till the last
minute the Jews could
yet claim him as theirs,
till the last minute he
yet claimed to belong to
them, he was that which
he was destined to be,
that which he was born
for, and, therefore,
cared not, to change the
tranquility of his life
— and as such, continued
to be a credit to his
people and a benefit to
organized society. But
the minute he joined
you, the minute your
environments pulled him
out of his root, the
minute he lost his
originality, he was
compelled to please a
society, a church and a
woman whom he did not
understand and who could
be contented with
anything but his
Jewishness. Thus he was
no longer responsible
for his deeds as a Jew.
Hence, in this case you
are the defendants, and
all the more honor for
those Jews who continue
as such."
| |
|
 |
In the year 1846, the few Jews of Iowa could boast of having a worthy officeholder in the city of Dubuque, and he was none other than the esteemed Mr. Levi. He was honored by his fellow citizens, with whom he struggled together from the very minute the foundation of Iowa was laid. They chose him as their justice of the peace. In the following year, Mr. Levi went on a visit to his native land, and returning, he surprised his friends by bringing along a charming bride. He married a distant cousin of his named Miss Minette Levi, who was also a native of France and as faithful a Jewess as he was a faithful Jew.
In 1848, a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Levi, whom they named Eliza. She was the first Jewish child born on Iowa soil; but, unfortunately, she was an invalid most of her days and died in 1873. Their other children were Selina (wife of James Levi); Gustave (Gus), a deaf mute; Emile and Eugene.
Mr. A. Levi was honored by the citizens of Dubuque till the day of his death, and when he breathed his last, a universal sorrow was expressed by every one who ever came in contact with him. He died Friday evening, March 31, 1893, and his funeral was one of the largest ever witnessed by the citizens' of Dubuque. Many Masonic representatives from various sections of the state came to pay their last respects to their honored brother who was no more, and Rabbi Messing of Chicago, a friend of the deceased, conducted the services and delivered the funeral oration. His wife Minette died in
March, 1907. |
Alexander Levi, said to
have been the first
citizen naturalized in
Iowa, died at his home
in Dubuque, March 31st,
1893, aged 84 years. He
had been a citizen of
Dubuque since 1833, and
was the last of the
charter members of the
first Masonic Lodge
formed in that
placeAbout 1843 an
incident of uncommon
significance came to
pass in Dubuque, and the
details thereof throw
much light on the life
of the early Jewish
settlers. Mr. Sol. Kuh,
an old settler of this
state and now (1903) a
resident of Sioux Falls,
S.D., who knew Mr. Levi,
is still able to recount
the whole incident and
speaks very
enthusiastically of it.
A certain Jewish
merchant, said to have
come from Alsace, but
whose name cannot be
learned despite many
efforts, settled down in
Dubuque a few years
after Mr. Levi did; and,
as he was still single,
a courtship between him
and a highly cultured
Gentile lady, who was
respected in society and
very prominent in church
circles, sprang forth,
and it ended in a
marriage between the
two. The wedding (this
certainly was the first
marriage of a Jew in
Iowa) was the talk of
the town for many
months, and all the
staunch church members
were delighted indeed to
have added to their
number such a worthy
convert. A year elapsed
and the couple still
continued to be the
center of attraction for
the best class of
society folk in Dubuque,
for their doors were
thrown widely open for
all kinds of social
doings. Mr. Levi, though
friends with all and a
single man himself,
politely declined every
invitation, beginning
with the urgent request
to attend the marriage
ceremony, which was
solemnized in a church,
but he made no comment
whatever.
But the couple had
enjoyed more than their
share of temporal
happiness during such
comparatively short
time, and, either
because of miscalculated
economy or reckless
lavishness, the new
church member had to
resort to something very
disagreeable to the
pious in order to save
himself from a crisis of
financial distress; for,
on a certain day he was
discovered packing up
some goods belonging to
his creditors with
intentions to ship it
across the Mississippi.
The creditors took
action against him, and
he was compelled to face
serious charges, which
was certainly a
discredit to him; and
his entire host of new
friends cared very
little about the result,
for when he was placed
in the county jail none
cared to aid him in the
least.
A few days after, two
preachers came to "see"
Mr. Levi, who was,
during those days, the
most unconcerned person
in the whole community.
The founder of the Iowa
Jewry had nothing out of
the ordinary to tell to
the representatives of
the gospel so long as
they confined the
interview to innocent
talk, but when they told
him that they "never
thought the Jew would
prove so tricky, that
they now believed some
of the horrible tales
told about the Jews and
that henceforth they
would look out," he
replied in the following
words, which speak
volumes for the
sentiments of the Jewish
pioneers regarding
assimilation.
Said Mr. Levi: "You have
undoubtedly considered
the Jew a very good man,
else a prominent church
lady would have refused
to entertain and accept
a proposal from him; you
have certainly been of
the opinion that he was
free from all bad
habits, else you would
not have accepted him as
a member in your church;
you have, I presume,
considered him one of
the best sons of Israel,
else your joy of getting
him across the gulf
would not have been as
great; you have, as you
know, thought him to be
a gentleman of
refinement and good
standing, else you would
not have frequented his
house and suffered
yourselves to attend so
many of the functions
given by him. Now, how
comes it, that
continuing for but one
year as a member of your
church, he is no longer
a gentleman, no longer
honest, no longer
successful and no longer
fit tc be either Jew or
Gentile? That he was a
good man prior thereto
cannot be questioned,
since he has been
honest, successful and
upright so long as he
continued to be a Jew,
so long as I could claim
him as a brother in
exile, so long as the
conduct of his orthodox
parents still appealed
to his sympathy. Does it
not, therefore, appear
most strange to you that
such a good man shall
fall so low in such a
brief period? The truth
is this: Till the last
minute the Jews could
yet claim him as theirs,
till the last minute he
yet claimed to belong to
them, he was that which
he was destined to be,
that which he was born
for, and, therefore,
cared not, to change the
tranquility of his life
— and as such, continued
to be a credit to his
people and a benefit to
organized society. But
the minute he joined
you, the minute your
environments pulled him
out of his root, the
minute he lost his
originality, he was
compelled to please a
society, a church and a
woman whom he did not
understand and who could
be contented with
anything but his
Jewishness. Thus he was
no longer responsible
for his deeds as a Jew.
Hence, in this case you
are the defendants, and
all the more honor for
those Jews who continue
as such."
In the year 1846, the
few Jews of Iowa could
boast of having a worthy
officeholder in the city
of Dubuque, and he was
none other than the
esteemed Mr. Levi. He
was honored by his
fellow citizens, with
whom he struggled
together from the very
minute the foundation of
Iowa was laid. They
chose him as their
justice of the peace. In
the following year, Mr.
Levi went on a visit to
his native land, and
returning, he surprised
his friends by bringing
along a charming bride.
He married a distant
cousin of his named Miss
Minette Levi, who was
also a native of France
and as faithful a Jewess
as he was a faithful
Jew.
In 1848, a daughter was
born to Mr. and Mrs.
Levi, whom they named
Eliza. She was the first
Jewish child born on
Iowa soil; but,
unfortunately, she was
an invalid most of her
days and died in 1873.
Their other children
were Selina (wife of
James Levi); Gustave
(Gus), a deaf mute;
Emile and Eugene.
Mr. A. Levi was honored
by the citizens of
Dubuque till the day of
his death, and when he
breathed his last, a
universal sorrow was
expressed by every one
who ever came in contact
with him. He died Friday
evening, March 31, 1893,
and his funeral was one
of the largest ever
witnessed by the
citizens' of Dubuque.
Many Masonic
representatives from
various sections of the
state came to pay their
last respects to their
honored brother who was
no more, and Rabbi
Messing of Chicago, a
friend of the deceased,
conducted the services
and delivered the
funeral oration. His
wife Minette died in
March, 1907.
Alexander Levi, said to
have been the first
citizen naturalized in
Iowa, died at his home
in Dubuque, March 31st,
1893, aged 84 years. He
had been a citizen of
Dubuque since 1833, and
was the last of the
charter members of the
first Masonic Lodge
formed in that place.
|
|
*** ~~~ *** |
|
|
James Levi
Mr. James
Levi is an
Iowa pioneer
himself and
is one of
the
wealthiest
Jewish
merchants of
Iowa. He was
both the
nephew and
son-in-law
of Alexander
Levi.
| The present Mrs. James Levi, Selina, of Dubuque, who is also the daughter of the founder of the Iowa Jewry, holds the record of being the oldest living Jewish lady born in Iowa. (December 10, 1855.) She has inherited her father's staunch principles in Judaism and is one of the foremost ladies of Dubuque. In writing about the condition of Judaism in this country Mrs. Levi greatly bewails the lack of interest among the young American Jews in Judaism. "I have always instilled Judaism in my children the same as my papa had in me," reads one sentence of Mrs. Levi's communication. "But," she continues, "God hath punished me greatly; my son Jesse, twenty years old, a student in the University of Chicago for two years and a great violinist, went out swimming with my consent, but came home no more. Among those who have sent condolence was a personal letter from Dr. Harpert the president of the University of Chicago." |
 |
"My mother is
eighty-four years old
now (1904); she was well
up to Jesse's death, but
is almost broken down
now." |
| |
|
*** ~~~ *** |
| |
C.W.
Schrieber
In 1851, another pioneer of considerable merit came to Iowa,
but he was at first less
fortunate than the
others mentioned in
these pages. He was Mr.
C.W. Schrieber, later of
the firm of Schrieber
and Strinsky of Dubuque,
who were the first junk
dealers of the Jewish
people in Iowa. Mr.
Schrieber was a peddler
for many years, and it
is probable that he was
the first Jew to have
penetrated the region
where a few years after
flourished the Jewish
community of McGregor.
It appears that he was a
remarkable man among all
the Jewish pioneers,
particularly so because
of his physical
strength.
C.W. Schreiber became a
wealthy iron dealer in
Dubuque, and as a
middle-aged man, left
every other care behind
him and enlisted in
Company C,
Twenty-Seventh Infantry.
He saw actual war and
came out victorious
during many engagements,
but was wounded during
the battle of Pleasant
Hill. |
| |
~
source: The Jews of
Iowa; by Rabbi Simon
Glazer, 1904;
Dubuque-related info.
extracted from pages
158-160, 169-170,
175-179, 183, 199, 205,
217 & 310-312
~ source: History of
Dubuque county, Iowa;
Western Historical Co.,
1880; pg 838
~ source: Northwestern
Reporter, Vol 136, 1912,
pg 697-698
~ source: Iowa
Historical Record;
Volume IX, No 3, July
1893; pg 527
~ extracted and
transcribed by S.
Ferrall for Dubuque co.
IAGenWeb |
|
Dubuque
County IAGenWeb