Isaac Leeser and Slavery: A Match Made in Richmond

Abstract

Isaac Leeser and Slavery:A Match Made in Richmond1 David Weinfeld (bio) In October 1850, The Occident and American Jewish Advocate published an article titled "Judaism and its Principles." The piece was written by Isaac Leeser (1806–68), founder and editor of the newspaper and former hazan of Philadelphia's Congregation Mikveh Israel. The article reflected the breadth and depth of Leeser's Jewish knowledge. Leeser was a prolific writer, translator, publisher of Jewish works, and, despite being a staunch traditionalist, innovator in his efforts to reach and teach American Jews. In the article, Leeser contrasted the certainty of revelation with the unreliability of reason. "What one man calls reasonable another may … style absurd; or what is perfectly consonant with the notions generally prevailing this year that is the current spirit of the age, may fall within the next twelve months beneath the axe of some sharpwitted critic."2 As an example of ethical uncertainty Leeser suggested "the institution of slavery." He noted that many Southern slave owners had once pronounced slavery "the greatest curse under which they labored," while most Northerners approached the institution "with a great degree of indifference." As Northern "abhorrence of slaveholding has increased," however, Southern ideas have undergone a "corresponding mutation" such that even women "advocate the state of bondage as the happiest for the African race." Slavery was viewed as a "patriarchal" institution, "promotive of mutual blessing to the master and servant." Leeser pointed to the curious phrase, "the blessings of slavery," to demonstrate the difficulty in making moral sense of the problem. He concluded with a paean to ethical relativism: "Both Southerners and Northerners are equally sincere in their views that the one loves as ardently as the other detests the presence of negro bondmen."3 By equating pro- and anti-slavery [End Page 231] positions, Leeser seemed to avoid taking sides on this contentious issue, claiming that both were legitimate opinions. In fact, however, Leeser's sympathies lay with Southern slave masters. He believed slavery to be a positive, uplifting institution for African Americans, whom he deemed inferior to whites. Such views were common in the United States, especially in the South but even to some extent in the North, among Jews and non-Jews alike. What made Leeser unique was his implicit view, reflected in his published writing, that racialized chattel slavery was particularly beneficial to American Jews, as it proved that Jews belonged to the white racial category. Some historians have positioned Leeser as publicly nonpartisan on the subjects of slavery and the war, a stance reinforced by his insistence that Jewish clergy and journalists avoid political content when they wrote for his newspaper. Bertram Korn asserts Leeser's "genuine and sincere neutrality" during the Civil War. Lance J. Sussman's excellent biography similarly refers to Leeser's "silence about the war and slavery." According to Sussman, his "position on slavery was no secret," although he "declined to speak or write at length about the topic."4 Further, Sussman notes that, like New York rabbi Morris Raphall, Leeser believed that the Bible sanctioned slavery, although he "disagreed with Raphall's assertion that 'the negro race [was consigned] to bondage through Noah's cursing Canaan."' For Sussman, this disagreement means that, "at least in theory," Leeser "rejected racism as the basis for slavery," which he viewed "solely as an economic and legal institution."5 But Leeser's writings in The Occident in fact demonstrate a different position. First, neutrality on the war meant de facto support for the status quo—namely, the persistence of slavery in the United States. Second and more important, the tone of Leeser's writings on slavery and abolitionism convey support for the former and antipathy toward the latter.6 A study of Leeser's written work, with a focus on the terms "Negro" and "slavery," shows that Leeser's sympathy for slavery was [End Page 232] rooted in his belief in the inferiority of African Americans and their fundamental weak-mindedness, servility, and barbarity. This article argues that Leeser's pro-slavery stance was more rooted in anti-Black racism than previous historians have suggested. It points to some likely sources of Leeser's embrace...