Anno Regni Georgii II. Regis Magnae Britanniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicesimo Sexto / An Act to Permit Persons Professing The Jewish Religion, To Be Naturalized By Parliament. London: Thomas Baskett (Printer to the King), 1753. English.
A printed document – the law of naturalization legislated in England in 1753 permitting Jews born out of England to be naturalized without taking a Christian oath.
In spite of the fact that this law was approved by the Parliament it aroused opposition among the English public, right after the legislation, and many considered it an insult to Christianity. In view of the extreme controversy, the law was revoked one year later. The Christian oath as a condition for naturalization was finally cancelled only in 1826.
[6] pp (numbered: [406]-410), 33 cm. Good condition. Small tears at margins of leaves.

Two works written in defense of Judaism by the scholar and Hebraist David Levi. Published by the author, London, late 18th century. English and some Hebrew.
In 1786, the English minister Joseph Priestley published a series of letters calling upon the Jews to abandon their faith and convert to Christianity. In response, David Levi (1742-1801), an unknown hatter and scholar from London, published a long letter seeking to refute Priestley's claims. The letter gave rise to an extensive debate in which several prominent thinkers from England and the United States participated. Following this, Levi decided to publish a methodical treatise, in three volumes, on scripture and prophecy. Offered here are first-edition copies of both works.
1. Letters to Dr. Priestly, in Answer to Those He Addressed to The Jews, printed by the author, London, 1787.
[3], 99, [1] pp. Approx. 19 cm. Good condition. Some stains and blemishes (mostly to first and last leaves). Ink stamps on title page. New binding and endpapers. Slightly worn binding.
2. Dissertations on the Prophecies of The Old Testament. Three volumes (no other volumes were printed), printed by David Levi, London, [1793?]-1800.
The first and third volumes are not in NLI.
Vol. I: XLV, [3], 310 pp; vol. II: IV [2], 332, 2 pp; Vol. III: IV, [2], 266 pp. Approx. 20.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains, creases and damage. Some tears at margins of first and last leaves. A number of leaves are detached or partly detached. Open tears (one large) to title page of Vol. II and an open tear to one leaf of Vol. III. Notes on the title page of of Vol. II. Two of the spines are missing. All three books lack front bindings. The rear bindings are detached.

Handwritten note, request for payment of debt sent to Jacob Cohen in Richmond, Virginia, by Solomon Etting and Joseph Simon. Lancaster (Pennsylvania), November 1785. English.
Handwritten note attesting to business ties between a number of prominent figures among American Jews in the 18th century: "Please pay unto Mr. Barnard Gratz on order seventeen shillings & six pence it being a book debt appearing against you from Nov. 1780 – agreeable to the Dipreciation".
The note is signed by Solomon Etting, "for Joseph Simon". Appearing in the lower left corner is the name of the addressee, Jacob Cohen of Richmond, Virginia.
During the period when the note was written, the Jewish community in the United States was extremely small: at the end of the 18th century, only about 2,000 Jews lived in the United States.
Solomon Etting (1764-1847), whose signature appears on the note, was a merchant, politician and activist for the rights of American Jews. At the age of 18 he became the first American shochet (traditional Jewish slaughterer). He worked for many years to advance a bill that would allow Maryland Jews to hold public office. The "Jew Bill" was finally ratified in 1826, following which Etting served as a member of the Baltimore city council. Etting's first wife was the daughter of Joseph Simon and his second wife was the daughter of Barnard Gratz.
Joseph Simon (1712-1804) was a merchant and the leader of the Jewish community in Lancaster. Simon engaged in trade with the Native Americans and contributed significantly to the development of Pennsylvania. During the American War of Independence he provided weapons and merchandise to the Continental Army – the unified command of the thirteen American colonies fighting Britain during the war.
Barnard Gratz (1738-1801), born in Lagendorf, Germany, immigrated to the U.S. in 1754 and settled in Philadelphia. Together with his brother Michael he engaged in trade, among others with the Native Americans, providing the United States government with Native American goods. The Gratz brothers formed trade routes between New Orleans and Quebec, and, as the political climate improved, also traded in the vicinity of Pennsylvania, Illinois and Kentucky. Their signatures appear, among others, on the Non-Importation Resolution from 1765 – a resolution against the importation of goods from Britain, declared in protest of the Stamp Act imposed by the British parliament on the American colonies that same year. About a decade later the Gratz brothers also provided supplies to the Continental Army. Barnard Gratz was the first leader of the Mikveh Israel congregation in Philadelphia.
The note's addressee is possibly the merchant Jacob I. Cohen (1744-1823), one of the first settlers of Richmond, Virginia and the founder of the company Cohen & Isaacs.
9X16.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks and creases. Stains. Tears to margins and along one of the folding lines.

Message of the President of the United States, Transmitting, in compliance with resolutions of the House, information relative to discriminations in Switzerland against citizens of the United States of the Hebrew persuasion. [Washington, 1860]. English.
"Message of the President of the United States", official publication from the 36th US Congress – a collection of documents and letters to and from official representatives, delegates and ministers in the U.S. and Switzerland discussing the issue of the discrimination of Jewish U.S. citizens in Switzerland. The documents and letters were collected by order of American President James Buchanan and presented to the House of Representatives in April 1860.
In 1850 the U.S. and Switzerland had signed a commercial treaty which included a paragraph prohibiting American Jews from engaging in trade in Switzerland (at the time Swiss Jews had not yet been granted equal rights). The treaty incited outrage among American Jews, and many of them were involved in the attempt to amend or abrogate it.
101 pp (without cover or binding), 23 cm. Good condition. A few stains. Strips of paper and cloth and pasting marks on the booklet's spine.
Singerman 1691.