CONTEMPORARY MATTERS OF HOMELAND SECURITY,
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND OTHER MUSINGS
Selected Letters of Reverend Dr. David de Sola Pool (1885-1970)
Developed and Curated by Shelomo Alfassa
An Exhibition at the Center for Jewish History in New York City | On Display Summer 2012 - Summer 2014
A 'petit exhibition' developed and curated by Sephardic historian Shelomo Alfassa, was created for public display at the world famous Center for Jewish History. starting Monday July 16, 2012. Created by the American Sephardi Federation (ASF), 'Selected Letters of Reverend Dr. David de Sola Pool (1885 - 1970), Twentieth Century American Jewish Leader,' highlights a collection of eclectic papers of Dr. David de Sola Pool.
Not only was Dr. Pool the rabbi of New York's famous Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, home to Congregation Shearith Israel, America's very first Jewish congregation (founded in 1654); but he was also president of various Jewish communal organizations during the twentieth century. Tremendously respected across the world and in the United States, this British-born and German-educated scholar was frequently referred to as the 'chief rabbi' of the Sephardic Jews in America, although he never held such a title.
The exhibition, created by Shelomo Alfassa, contains a selection of fascinating letters, telegrams and other ephemera, demonstrating the wide breadth of focus that Dr. Pool involved himself with during his active years of service, as a rabbi, Jewish community leader, author, and humble thinker, from 1907-1970. The exhibition is composed of selected documents from the following collections that are contained in the archives of the National Sephardic Library of the American Sephardi Federation: Union of Sephardic Congregations; Central Sephardic Community of America; and the Papers of Abraham and Irma Lopes Cardozo.