Abraham Pereira Mendes
Rev. Abraham Pereira Mendes | |
---|---|
Personal | |
Born | 1825-02-9 |
Died | 1893-4-18 |
Religion | Judaism |
Spouse | Eliza Meldola de Sola |
Children | Henry Pereira Mendes (1852–1937), Frederick de Sola Mendes (1850–1927), David de Sola Mendes (1860–1932) |
Parent(s) | Isaac Pereira Mendes (1794-1876), Rebecca Campos (1795-1830) |
Occupation | • Rabbi |
Position | Rabbi |
Synagogue | Montego Bay, Jamaica; Birmingham, England; Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island |
Abraham Pereira Mendes (February 9, 1825 in Kingston, Jamaica โ April 18, 1893 in New York City) was a Jamaican rabbi and educator. He served in Jamaica, England, and the USA.
He was the first master of the Beth Limud School of Kingston, but resigned in order to prepare in
He returned to Jamaica and became for a short time assistant to the Rev. Isaac Lopez, minister of the Kingston Sephardic congregation, but was soon called from that position to be the minister of the Montego Bay community. There he stayed until his wife's failing health compelled him, in 1851, to return to her milder native climate. Mendes was then elected minister and preacher in the Birmingham (Eng.) congregation, and remained there until 1858, when he moved to London, became head of the Neveh Zedek for six years, and established Northwick College, a school for Jewish youth in Maida Hill. He continued meanwhile his ministerial duties and literary labors, and on the death of Haham Artom acted as preacher and dayan for the Sephardic community of London.
In 1883, he was called to the ministry at the historic Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, by the guardian Congregation Shearith Israel of New York and continued as its minister until his death ten years later.
He was the first among the
Two of Mendes's sons, Frederick de Sola Mendes and Henry Pereira Mendes, became prominent American rabbis in the late nineteenth century.
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cyrus Adler; H. Pereira Mendes; Joseph Jacobs & Frank H. Vizetelly (1901โ1906). "Mendes". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.