The address was contained in the July 1, 1790 issue of the Massachusetts Spy: Or, The Worcester Gazette, and was a response to an address made a year earlier by the Hebrew Congregation of Savannah, Georgia.
Made by Levi Sheftall, the community was the first in the newly established United States to thank America's first president for his outspoken support of religious tolerance.
In response, Washington wrote: "I thank you with great sincerity for your congratulations on my appointment to the office which I have the honor to hold by the unanimous choice of my fellow-citizens, and especially the expressions you are pleased to use in testifying the confidence that is reposed in me by your congregations...
"I rejoice that a spirit of liberality and philanthropy is much more prevalent than it formerly was among the enlightened nations of the earth, and that your brethren will benefit thereby in proportion as it shall become still more extensive; happily the people of the United States have in many instances exhibited examples worthy of imitation, the salutary influence of which will doubtless extend much farther if gratefully enjoying those blessings of peace which (under the favor of heaven) have been attained by fortitude in war, they shall conduct themselves with reverence to the Deity and charity toward their fellow-creatures.
"May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivered the Hebrews from their Egyptian oppressors, planted them in a promised land - whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent nation - still continue to water them with the dews of heaven and make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah."
The statement is in good condition and initial bidding by Nate D. Sanders Auctions begins at $18,000 but will likely go higher. By comparison, an unrestored issue of this issue that was sold by Sotheby's in 2014 went in the end for $68,750.
Washington was a known supporter of religious freedom and famously had considerable support from the Jewish community in the 13 colonies. In fact, the fight for religious freedom was an important part of the war.
The Jewish aspect of the war was widely documented, with congregations in New York, Newport, Philadelphia and Savannah playing important roles. One notable story was that of Haym Salomon, a wealthy Jew who, at the end of the revolution, essentially financed the rest of the war.
In recognition of their efforts, Washington famously wrote a letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, which remains the oldest synagogue in the US – though the oldest congregation is Shareith Israel in New York City. In it, Washington promised a separation between church and state, as well as freedom of religion, stating that the US government will give “to bigotry no sanction [and] to persecution no assistance.
“May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants," he wrote: "while every one [sic] shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
What is also notable about the item being auctioned off by Nate D. Sanders is that it was a response to a statement made by Levi Sheftall. The Sheftalls were among one of the most notable families in the Savannah Jewish community, consisting largely of Sephardi Jews from Britain, and were in fact among its founding members. Levi's half-brother, Mordecai Sheftall, even served in the Continental Army as a colonel, and was the highest ranking Jew in the army.
In January 2020, the Raab Collection auctioned off some water-stained diary pages recovered from the body of pastor Rev. Moses Allen, a Continental soldier who was captured by the British army near Savannah in the winter of 1778. The documents extensively detailed Mordecai Sheftall, who was captured alongside him. Both were persecuted by the British for their religious faiths, and were taken aboard the prison ship Nancy.
Allen drowned trying to escape, but Sheftall had offered to pay the ship's captain to let him bury the pastor. But the captain denied this request. Sheftall died in 1797and is buried in the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery in Savannah.
“It is a privilege to carry such a powerful and evocative reminder that there are those who stood in the face of tyranny to stand up for religious freedom,” said Nathan Raab, historian and principal of the Raab Collection.