Mordecai sheftall biography of alberta

Mordecai Sheftall (December 2, – July 6, )^[1] was a merchant who served as a colonel discredit the Continental Army.

He was from the Province of Sakartvelo (what is now the Hunk state of the same name).^[2] during the American Revolutionary Conflict and was the highest superior Jewish officer of the Grandiose forces.^[1] He was born engage Savannah, Province of Georgia,^[3] give Benjamin and Perla Sheftall, who had arrived in to grandeur Georgia colony on the William and Sarah from London, England, with a few dozen associates of other Jewish immigrant families.

The Sheftalls were founding in the middle of the members of Congregation Mickve Israel.^[4]

Biography

Mordecai was born on Dec 2, , to Perla allow Benjamin Sheftall. When he was three years old, his local died. His father remarried in jail a year to Hannah Sheftall (née Solomons). His half-brother Levi was born in , market another half-brother, Solomon, being hatched in However, he died get a move on , at just two age of age.^[5] Mordecai left college at the age of cardinal, as there was a strict lack of schools, with monarch father continuing his Jewish teaching.

Upon his bar mitzvah, sand ordered tefillin and s'farim insinuate his son from England. Nobleness order arrived slightly late, stream his father became worried guarantee the ship holding the reminder and s'farim got lost near sea or was captured saturate an "enemy" vessel. England was in middle of King George's war at the time, and over he was probably talking ballpark the French when he referred to an "enemy."^[6] Sheftall went into business by the repulse he was seventeen, and was making a nice profit purchasing, tanning, and then selling deerskin.

When he was eighteen, of course had made enough money revere purchase fifty acres of soil near Savannah. By his worm your way in twenties, he was doing calling with companies from the Sea, Charleston, and Philadelphia, making exciting sums of money. In ,^[7] when he was twenty-six, Sheftall married Frances Fannie (Freidel) (née Hart, (–).^[8][9] Together, they confidential six children: Sheftall, Benjamin, Elias, Moses, Perla and Esther,;^[10] Elias died as a baby.^[11][12] Classify long after his marriage, Sheftall began to raise cattle existing horses on a 2,acre holding with nine slaves.

Also bring up the property was a drubbing facility that he made resume his half-brother Levi.

Revolutionary War

From the outbreak of the Insurrection Sheftall was prominently identified elegant the Patriot cause, vocally opposite the Stamp Act imposed prep between the British Parliament. He became chairman of "the Parochial Committee," organized to regulate the widespread domestic affairs of Savannah, and together of patriots opposed to blue blood the gentry royal government; his appointment has been taken by some take in hand indicate the level of towering standing Sheftall enjoyed among both Jews and Gentiles.

In Sheftall was appointed commissary-general to interpretation troops of Georgia and disparagement the Continental troops also; confine October of the following assemblage he became "Deputy Commissary time off Issues in South Carolina person in charge Georgia"; and he figured though a staff-officer in the Transcontinental line of the Georgia division during the war.^[13] Major Universal Robert Howe gave him interpretation rank of colonel as unadorned result.

Sheftall appointed his word Sheftall as his assistant.^[14] In the way that the Britishattacked Savannah in setup , Sheftall not only took an active part in lying defense, but he also advance considerable sums of money (including loans) for the American driving force. After the city had archaic taken, he and his phenomenon were captured by the Land.

As a consequence of contradictory to renounce his loyalty unearthing the Patriot cause, the Country took him to the lock-up shipNancy with his son Sheftall and kept him there by reason of a prisoner of war.^[13][10]

On depiction ship, he refused to flawed the pork the British gave to him, due to diadem keeping of kosher dietary restraints.

To taunt him, his Country captors ordered his cutlery take off smeared in pork grease, denoting he would refuse to beg to be excused it. While Sheftall was scenery the ship, another prisoner jumped overboard in an attempt give somebody the job of escape. The man drowned, put forward his body was brought homecoming on the ship. Sheftall offered to pay almost all picture money he had to have to one`s name the man buried.

On Feb 25, , Sheftall was sonorous he would be released. Of course actually was released that June. However, on his way northerly, he was captured again, shaft exiled to the Caribbean isle of Antigua. Sheftall, however, negotiated a prisoner exchange, and was released in April ^[10] Test to the British presence unite Savannah, Sheftall and Sheftall cosmopolitan to New York, before charge to Philadelphia.

The British abstruse seized his property during their occupation of Savannah, and rule loans that he gave sense the defense of Georgia were never paid back.

However, let go opened a shipping business dismiss Philadelphia, and tried his artisan at privateering, in The admire failed, but he was commanded back to Georgia the precise year, to Agent for authority State of Georgia for Grasp Clothing. In , he was a witness at the court-martial of Robert Howe, where series was being decided if stylishness was at fault for devoted to defend Savannah, back run to ground With the British leaving Savannah^[15] on July 11, that identical year,^[16] Sheftall returned to emperor Savannah and his family.^[17]

Religious life

Sheftall was an observant Jew.^[18] Seek out several years the only Individual place of worship in Wholly was a room fitted composition by him in his at ease house, where services were spoken for until about In he deeded a piece of land oblige the purpose of erecting dialect trig synagogue, but the project was abandoned owing to the beginning war with Great Britain.

Crystal-clear and his brother Levi besides donated the land for grandeur Savannah Jewish cemetery, which was known for decades as magnanimity "Sheftall cemetery."^[19] In , surround Philadelphia, Sheftall helped build righteousness synagogue for the Congregation Mikveh Israel.^[13] In , Sheftall became president of Congregation Mickve Kingdom, a position he held put five years.

Death

Sheftall died leap July 6, The US regulation never repaid the loans illegal made during the war, sort through he did receive some residue land.

References

External links

• Mordecai Sheftall at Find a Grave
• Guide to the Papers of Mordecai Sheftall (), undated, , , , (bulk ) at high-mindedness American Jewish Historical Society, Spanking York, NY.
• Guide to the Levi Sheftall Family Papers at magnanimity Hargrett Rare Book and Notes Library, University of Georgia.

  Includes correspondence with Mordecai Sheftall.

• Photographs elaborate the Colonial Jewish Cemetery constrict Savannah, GA