Constitution and Charter of Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia, 1810-1812

To the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting. Know ye that the persons whose names are hereunto subscribed, citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having associated themselves together as a religious society and being desirous of acquiring and enjoying the powers and immunities of a corporation and body politic in law, it is hereby declared that they, the said subscribers and their successors, being citizens as foresaid be, and they are hereby created and declared to be, one body politic and corporate in law and by the name style and title of the Hebrew German Society (Rodeph Shalom) . . .

Preamble

Whereas, on the tenth day of October, in the year one thousand eight hundred and two, the German Hebrews formed themselves into a society in the city and county of Philadelphia which was denominated the Hebrew German Society, Rodeph Shalom, and whereas this society having met, as usual, in the middle days of their Passover Feast in the year one thousand eight hundred and ten, which was at the time of their yearly meeting, it was moved and seconded that the old articles of association should be abolished and to frame a new constitution or articles of association, and after due consideration on the same it was found that the former constitution or articles of association had been violated in the most part so much that it was not possible to keep any regulation and nearly past maintaining, therefore, the society have agreed after due deliberation to the following:

Articles of Association

Article 1. This society shall be denominated the Hebrew German Society, Rodeph Shalom. Prayers shall be performed according to the [Ashkenazic] German and Dutch Rules and shall not be altered.

Article 2. The officers shall consist of a president, a cashier and a junto [board] of two members. The president shall have the ruling over the congregation in the synagogue; he shall keep strict order during the time of public worship. He shall appoint the time for prayers in the synagogue; and he shall likewise have the power to let act as forereader [cantor] whom he pleases during the year; and to appoint the time and place where our Passover bread shall be baked.

Article 3. The cashier shall preside in case of the absence, death, or resignation of the president; and in case of such vacancy, it shall be filled by ballot at the succeeding meeting.

Article 4. The election for officers shall be annually in the middle days of our Easter [Passover] by ballot and no vote shall be taken by proxy; the president and cashier to serve one year; and all succeeding juntos to be elected for two years so that the junto will always be composed of a new and an old member.

Article 5. No member shall be qualified to be president unless he shall have belonged three years to this society, and be a resident of the city and county of Philadelphia at the same time, nor under the age of thirty years and a married man of unimpeachable character.

Article 6. The cashier to be qualified must be a married man of reputed good character, who has never failed in making payments, by bankruptcy or has taken the benefit of the Insolvent Act. He shall give to the president and junto his judgment bond with approved security for the monies he shall receive, and pay lawful interest for the same, but for any surplus money not amounting to one hundred dollars, he shall pay no interest, reserving the same to defray the expenses of the current year, and as soon as there shall be one thousand dollars in the cashier’s hands, then shall the money be laid out in bank stock.

Article 7. The president shall not retain more than ten dollars of the money of the congregation in his possession, but deliver it to the cashier, taking a receipt for the same, which shall be subject only to the drafts of the president and junto, or a majority of them, and the president shall in all expenditures consult the junto.

Article 8. It shall be the duty of the junto annually to settle and adjust the accounts of the president and cashier in the presence of the new officers and exhibit in writing a statement of the receipts and expenditures of the preceding year, as well as of the stock in the hands or possessions of the president and cashier.

Article 9. The member of this society shall be entitled to all privileges and honours customary in any of our synagogues.

Article 10. Each member shall subscribe annually a specific sum, not less than four dollars, one half to be paid at the end of every six months to the president who shall give a receipt for same. All offerings or donations made by a member or a subscriber during the year shall be deducted from the amount of his subscription, but no allowance shall be made to any person whose offerings or donations do not amount to the sum subscribed by him, but he shall pay fully the sum indebted. [Offerings made while the Scroll of the Law is read are free if they do not exceed the annual dues. Any offering more than the amount over the dues must be paid.]

Article 11. Any member refusing to pay his proper dues to the society at the end of the year (middle of our Passover) shall not have the right to vote in the same and any member who shall not pay his dues in two years, shall be expelled, unless such members shall be too poor, and in such case shall give information thereof to the president, stating his inability, of which the president shall make a memorandum on the subscription paper with the words “poor” opposite to the member’s name, which shall be kept private by the officers, and such poor members shall, notwithstanding, be entitled to enjoy all the immunities of other members.

Article 12. Each member shall attend meeting [services] every Friday evening and Saturday morning, and at different Holy days at our synagogue in due time, which will be appointed by the presiding office. Any member absenting himself shall pay a fine of twenty-five cents for every time he shall not attend, for which fine or fines there shall be no allowance made in settling the yearly subscription, but such money shall be paid separately, and an account of all the fines shall be kept by one of the officers in a book appropriated for that purpose. No fines shall be taken of members who are absent from the city or country of Philadelphia, likewise sickness always to be an exception.

Article 13. The members and subscribers [second-class members] shall at our respective meetings behave in a decent orderly manner, keeping their several seats or places in the synagogue, hold no discourse foreign to the duties before them during the time of public worship or service. Any member or subscriber transgressing shall for the first offense pay a fine, and shall be expelled for the second like offense. Any member suffering himself to be sued for a fine or fines shall, when sued, be expelled from the society for three months.

Article 14. Any member or subscriber, absenting himself from our meeting at our Sabbath or Holy days, shall attend any other society or congregation or keep a meeting at his house if proved, shall be expelled from our society and nevermore become a members, likewise shall not member or subscriber leave the synagogue until the prayers are over or he or they shall pay a fine of twenty-five cents. But in case a person has to go out, and requests the president for leave and it is granted such person shall not pay a fine. [If a member leaves during the service, there might not be a quorum!]

Article 15. It shall be the duty of the president or presiding officer, on report of any sick member, to make the same known with the least possible delay to the congregation, and where the necessity of the case shall require it, the presiding officers or junto shall draft two of the members, whose duty it shall be to sit up and attend such sick member all night, and the drafts shall continue every night until each member in the society shall have served a tour, and to commence again with the first members if necessary. Every member refusing to sit up and attend shall for every such neglect pay a fine of two dollars, but members may appoint substitutes in such cases out of the society. It shall not be obligatory on a member to attend where the disease is contagious.

Article 16. If a member or subscriber should die out of the city of Philadelphia and not exceeding eighty miles therefrom, the president on receiving information thereof, shall convene the congregation on the same day, to consult whether or not the deceased member or subscriber can be brought to the city for internment in our burial ground, and if decided in the affirmative, the president shall appoint two members to bring the body of the deceased to be interred, and the said two members shall receive for their services two dollars per day, independent of their expenses, which expense shall be paid out of the estate of the deceased, but if the deceased was poor the expense shall be paid out of the funds.

Article 17. The society shall receive no more than one dollar for the ground of a deceased member or subscriber, or for any one of the family of a member who is entitled to our ground, but no stranger shall be buried in our ground without authority of the president and junto.

Article 18. The officers of this society shall receive no compensation for their services. No money shall be paid at any of the extra meetings, but any expenses occurring not exceeding five dollars at each time at our half yearly meetings (namely in the month of April and September) to be paid out of the funds. [The expense went for food; burial societies held dinners.]

Article 19. Any person wishing to become a member of this society shall make application to the president and junto in writing which shall be read at the first meeting after the receipt of such petition, which shall not be acted on until the end of six months, when if he should receive by ballot a majority in his favour, and pays his entrance money, the amount of which to be determined by the president and junto, he shall then be considered as a member of this society.

Article 20. The president shall preside at all meetings, and a secretary shall be chosen to keep a correct copy of all the transactions; any member having business to offer to the society shall address and lay before the chairman such business. One member only to speak at a time, who shall not be interrupted while adhering to the subject before the society and shall be permitted to speak twice only on the same subject. Any business, by consent of a majority, shall be determined by a committee, and no subscriber shall have a right to speak or vote at any of our meetings, and all business of the congregation shall be recorded in a book for that purpose, dated, signed by the chairman and attested by the secretary.

Article 21. Any member being called to order by the president or presiding officer, and shall not accordingly come to order, shall pay a fine of one dollar, and be deprived of a vote on the business then depending. [signed] Isaac Marks, et al.