Rare Early Printing of G. Washington's Letter to Hebrew Congregation 

An issue of Thomas's Massachusetts Spy: Or, The Worcester Gazette, Vol. XIX, No. 900, 4pp, untrimmed margins, 11" x 17.75”, Worcester, July 1, 1790.  A 3" x 4.5" portion of the back leaf has been replaced with a reproduction from an identical issue, printed on period paper and laid in to restore this issue to completeness. Expected wear includes dampstaining; toning and scattered foxing; a few small areas of paper loss; else, in very good plus condition. An unrepaired copy of this issue sold at Sotheby's in 2014 for $68,750.

This is a very significant newspaper. The first column on the back page contains the "Address from the Hebrew Congregation of the city of Savannah, in Georgia, to the President of the United States" signed in type by Congregation President Levi Sheftal (1730-1809). On behalf of the Hebrew Congregation, Sheftal wrote to congratulate George Washington on assuming the Presidency, and testifies to their confidence in Washington's "integrity and unblemished virtue". Sheftal addressed the subject of religious toleration and thanked President Washington for his support of such tolerance, "Your unexampled liberality and extensive philanthropy have dispelled the cloud of bigotry and superstition..." The Hebrew Congregation of Savannah, Georgia was the first Jewish community to address the newly elected President of the United States.

Immediately following is the President's response, "The Answer to the Hebrew Congregation of the City of Savannah", signed in type as "G. Washington". In part, "I thank you, with great sincerity, for your congratulations on my appointment to the office which I have the honour to hold by the unanimous choice of my fellow citizens...May the same wonder working Diety, who, long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian oppressors, planted them in the promised land - whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an Independent Nation - still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven, and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people, whose God is Jehovah!"

The balance of this issue has some fine content as well, including a back page Act of Congress "to prescribe the mode to which the publick Acts, Records, and Judicial Proceedings in each State shall be authenticated so as to take effect in every other State." Signed in type by George Washington as President, John Adams as Vice President and President of the Senate, and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State.

With much more news and advertisements of the day.

The Massachusetts Spy, later subtitled The Worcester Gazette, was a newspaper published by Isaiah Thomas (1749-1831) in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, under threat from the "Boston Tories", Thomas moved the presses to Worcester, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Spy was a heavily political weekly paper that was constantly on the verge of being suppressed by the Royalist government, from the time of its establishment in 1770 to 1776, during the runup to the American Revolution. The newspaper’s motto,“The Liberty of the Press is Essential to the Security of Freedom”, appears on the masthead in English, French, Greek and Latin. Also appearing on the masthead is a single Hebrew word, which translated to English, means "liberty", or "freedom".

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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