As I did not understand a word except now and then an Amen or Hallelujah,my attention was directed to the haste with which they covered their heads with their hats as soon as the prayers began
Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), one of America’s Founding Fathers, distinguished himself as a Philadelphia physician, medical educator, and pioneer in psychiatry. His prominence extended beyond the field of medicine; he was an enthusiastic patriot and politician, holding the position of surgeon general at the military hospital for the Middle Department of the Continental Army, as well as being a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, he played a crucial role in Pennsylvania’s ratification of the Constitution in 1788.
Dr. Rush championed such causes as abolition of slavery, women’s education, prison reform, and free public education. Dr. Rush’s work for these causes brought him into diverse social circles, including that of Jewish Philadelphia, where he met Jonas Phillips.
Patriarch of one of America’s most prominent Jewish families of the 18th and 19th centuries, Jonas Phillips (1736–1803) grew up in Frankfurt and moved to the colonies in 1756. As a successful merchant and patriot in New York City, he left for Philadelphia when the British took over New York. While residing in Philadelphia, he was one of the founders of Congregation Mikvah Israel.
His wife Rebecca (1746–1831) was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Rev. David Mendez and María (Tziporah) Machado, who had both been born in Portugal to longstanding Marrano families. Rebecca’s parents settled in New York, where David Mendez Machado served as minister of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.
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