Inquiry Regarding the Conversion of a Gentile Woman in New Orleans

Description

Letter from Benjamin W. Cohen, secretary of the Congregation "Shanarai Chased" in New Orleans, to Isaac Leeser in Philadelphia. Cohen seeks Leeser's opinion on a case involving a woman engaged to an Israelite. The woman's parents are a Christian man and a Christian woman, but she was raised believing herself to be Jewish. Cohen questions whether she needs to undergo conversion rites and mentions that some local Israelites disagree, citing a rabbi in Baltimore who thinks the rites are unnecessary. Cohen expresses concern about the lack of clear guidelines for such cases, fearing confusion if intermarriage with non-Jews is not carefully regulated. The letter contains Hebrew phrases.

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