Samuel Hyman Cohen's Account of Chinese Jewry and Missionary Life in 19th Century China

Description

Letter from Samuel Hyman Cohen of Auburn, Placer County, California, to Isaac Leeser, editor of the Occident, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cohen describes his experiences in China, where he encountered Chinese Jews in Shanghai and Kaifeng. He discusses difficulties in obtaining permission to travel inland to meet with the Chinese Jewish community, and details his interactions with various missionaries and merchants in Shanghai. Cohen also shares information about the Jewish community in California, including his involvement in establishing a Jewish burial ground and a temporary synagogue in San Francisco. The letter is written in English and is eight pages in length.

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