Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/349

311 to find their

Augury

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

311 way

to

brews in America,"

Augusta (Markens, "The HeIt

p. 113).

has a congregation,

Children of Israel, organized in 1850. The religious services were originally held in a hall, where the Sunday-school children also received their instruction. The first rabbi was Rev. H. S. Jacobs, who held that position from 1860 to 1865. During the Civil war many Israelites from Charleston came to Augusta, thus considerably increasing the members of the congregation. During that time a cemetery was acquired and a benevolent society formed.

Henry S. Jacobs was called to New Orleans, and was succeeded by Rev. Fisher-Fux, 1869. Rev. A. Blum was called to the pulpit, and he succeeded in

Augusti

Adas Jeschurun; this synagogue is on Tenth and Greene streets. Prominent Israelites of Augusta have been Samuel Levy, who was judge of the probate court from 1866 to 1877; Isaac Levy, who held the position of sheriff for many years; Hon. Adolph Brand, who called



was a member of the Georgia legislature. The Jewish population of Augusta numbers about 600 in a total of 47,000. The Israelites are mostly merchants, but there are some cotton brokers and lawyers. a. A. Bm.

AUGUSTI, FRIEDRICH ALBRECHT (origJoshua ben Abraham Herschel) German

inally



author; born at Frankfort-on-the-Oder in 1691 died He received the usual at Eschberge May 13, 1782. Jewish education of that time. According to a biography, printed anonymously during his lifetime and probably inspired b}r him, he left home very young in the company of a meshullah, or collector of alms for the poor of Palestine of the name of Yekutiel, intending to accompany him to the Holy Land. While on the way Augusti was taken captive by Tatar robbers and sold as a slave in Turkey. He was ransomed and set free at Smyrna by a wealthy Jew from Podolia, and went to Poland, spending several years in Pintzov, which is now in the government of Kielce, in Russian Poland. Here the Jews and Socinians lived on terms of intimate friendship, and through them young Augusti became acquainted with secular knowledge,

especially Latin, an uncommon accomplishment for a Jew in Poland at that time. He visited Cracow and Prague, and, returning to Frankfort, started from there on a journey to Italy. While living in Sondershausen in 1720, he was maltreated by a gang of robbers that broke into the house in which

Synagogue

at Augusta, Ga.

(From a photograph.)

Until then the servgetting a permanent building. ices were strictly orthodox, a mixture of the Portuguese and Ashkenazic rites. In the fall of 1870 the synagogue was completed and dedicated by its minFamily pews were introduced, an organ and ister. mixed choir took the place of the old chanting, the Jastrow prayer-book was adopted, and the Sun-

day-school placed on a modern footing. Rev. Levinson was minister, 1871-76; E. S. Levy, 1876-86; Leo Reich, 1886-87. In 1887 A. Blum was recalled, but remained only one year. J. H. M. Chumaceiro was minister from 1888-94 the present rabbi is J.

Feuerlicht.

The congregation

has, besides the benevolent so-

ciety, a ladies' aid society, and a Sunday-school with five teachers, attended (1900) by fifty pupils. There is also a Russian Polish congregation in Augusta,

he resided, and was found apparently lifeless on He recovered, however, the following morning. and during his convalescence became acquainted with a clergyman of that place, who succeeded in converting him to Christianity. With much pomp and ceremony Augusti was baptized on Christmas day, 1723, in the presence of the duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and other notables, and soon after began to study theology at the Seminary of Gotha. In 1727 he went to Jena and afterward to LeipHe was appointed assistant professor at the sic.

Gymnasium of Gotha in 1729, and in 1734 became minister of the parish of Eschberge, in which position he remained until his death. The famous theologian Johann Christian Wilhelm Augusti

was

his

Augusti published several works in Latin and German, of which " Das Geheimniss des Sambathian " (The Mystery of the Sambathian), the fabulous river mentioned in Talmudic literature, which casts stones during six days of the week and rests on Saturday, is probably the most curious. His work on the Karaites, mentioned by Fiirst in his "Geschichte des Karaerthums," vol. Hi. 66, 67, of which the full title is " Griindliche Nachrichten

von den Karaiten, Ihre Glaubens-Lehren, Sitten und Kirchen-Gebrauche " (Erfurt, 1752), is full of Bauminaccuracies and extravagant statements. garten, in his "Nachrichten von Mcrkwiirdigen