Israel Baer Kursheedt

Israel Baer Kursheedt (April 6, 1766 – April 30, 1852) was a German-born Jewish-American merchant, broker, and communal leader.

Life Kursheedt was born on April 6, 1766 in Singhofen, Germany. His father died when he was young, after which his mother took him to the village of Kursheidt, near Königswinter. He later took his surname, Kursheedt, from the village.

Economic conditions were not great in New York City during that time, and in 1812 he moved to Richmond, Virginia with his family. They went by stagecoach and his Hebrew library and Masonic paraphernalia went by ship, but the ship carrying his property was captured due to the ongoing War of 1812. Everything was returned to him years later with the help of a fellow Freemason. In Richmond, he helped reorganize and enlarge Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome and officiated as Reader. During that time, he became acquainted with Thomas Jefferson and Isaac Leesser. He returned to New York City with his family in 1824. In 1825, a group of Ashkenazic Jews, who by then made up a majority of Shearith Israel for a century, grew tired of the rigidly Sephardic rituals of the congregation. When their petition to hold separate services was denied, they seceded and established their own synagogue, B'nai Jeshurun. Kursheedt, despite Rabbi Seixas being his friend and father-in-law, joined the new congregation. In 1834, he organized the Hebrath Terumath Hakodesh, a charity dedicated to helping the Jewish community in Palestine. In 1840, when American Jews organized to protest the Damascus Affair, he was elected chairman of the action committee and wrote to President Martin Van Buren to request the American consul in Alexandria use his influence to obtain a fair trial for the accused Syrian Jews. He also served as president of the Hebrew Mutual Benefit Society.

In 1804, Kursheedt married Sarah Abigail Seixas, daughter of Rabbi Gershom Mendes Seixas. They had four sons and five daughters,

Kursheedt died at home on April 30, 1852. Rabbi Samuel Myer Isaacs delivered the eulogy. He was buried in the Shearith Israel section of Beth Olam Cemetery.