Haym Salomon - Patriot & Benefactor
Supporting the Revolution
Haym Salomon used his own credit to sustain Revolutionary War operations. He provided interest-free and below-market-rate loans to financially struggling Continental Congress members, including James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. He also made gifts to impoverished men he believed were unsung Revolutionary War heroes, such as Bodo Otto, a Continental Army surgeon. Salomon’s generosity enabled Otto to rebuild his medical practice.
Salomon used his personal credit to guarantee the Continental Congress’s debt. When he died on January 5, 1785, at the age of 44, the Congress’s indebtedness was virtually worthless. Unable to collect what he was owed, Salomon left his wife, Rachel, and his four children penniless. Due to their financial hardship, Salomon was buried without a marker.
Fighting for Religious Equality
An advocate for religious liberty, Salomon became a founding member of Philadelphia’s Mikveh Israel, now the nation’s oldest active Jewish congregation. Salomon made the largest individual donation toward constructing the synagogue’s main building, which opened in 1782.
Congregation Mikveh Israel c. 1850
In 1783, along with Mikveh Israel Rabbi Gershom Mendes Seixas, Salomon petitioned the Pennsylvania Council of Censors to repeal a provision of the state’s constitution requiring public officials to affirm belief in the divine origin of both the Old and New Testaments (i.e., the Christian Bible), thus effectively barring Jews from holding public office. In 1790, Pennsylvania adopted a new constitution that removed the requirement, opening the opportunity for Jews to hold elected and appointed public offices.
Haym Salomon - Patriot & Benefactor
Supporting the Revolution
Haym Salomon used his own credit to sustain Revolutionary War operations. He provided interest-free and below-market-rate loans to financially struggling Continental Congress members, including James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. He also made gifts to impoverished men he believed were unsung Revolutionary War heroes, such as Bodo Otto, a Continental Army surgeon. Salomon’s generosity enabled Otto to rebuild his medical practice.
Salomon used his personal credit to guarantee the Continental Congress’s debt. When he died on January 5, 1785, at the age of 44, the Congress’s indebtedness was virtually worthless. Unable to collect what he was owed, Salomon left his wife, Rachel, and his four children penniless. Due to their financial hardship, Salomon was buried without a marker.
Fighting for Religious Equality
Congregation Mikveh Israel c. 1850
An advocate for religious liberty, Salomon became a founding member of Philadelphia’s Mikveh Israel, now the nation’s oldest active Jewish congregation. Salomon made the largest individual donation toward constructing the synagogue’s main building, which opened in 1782.
In 1783, along with Mikveh Israel Rabbi Gershom Mendes Seixas, Salomon petitioned the Pennsylvania Council of Censors to repeal a provision of the state’s constitution requiring public officials to affirm belief in the divine origin of both the Old and New Testaments (i.e., the Christian Bible), thus effectively barring Jews from holding public office. In 1790, Pennsylvania adopted a new constitution that removed the requirement, opening the opportunity for Jews to hold elected and appointed public offices.