DAR Record for Ancestor A101643

Gershom was known as "the patriot rabbi" and was the spiritual leader of Shearith Israel during the American Revolution. According to Birmingham, "During the war, he closed his synagogue in New York and moved the congregation to Philadelphia rather than ask his flock to pray for George III." He assisted at George Washington's presidential inauguration.

(from S. Birmingham, _The Grandees_)

See the Jewish Virtual Library entry at http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/Seixas.html for article about Gershom, and an entry on the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, at http://www.amuseum.org/jahf/virtour/page5.html#seixas. See also the article SEIXAS in jewishencyclopedia.com and in http://www.fau.edu/library/brody2.htm.

Elkay bore 15 of Gershom's children; Hannah bore 11 children.