Adopt an Ancestor
Preserving the Past. Honoring Their Legacy. Protecting Our Future.
Congregation Mikveh Israel invites you to become a steward of American Jewish history through our Adopt an Ancestor initiative, a special fundraising program dedicated to the preservation and continued care of our historic cemetery at Eighth and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia.
Established in 1740, this sacred burial ground is among the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the United States and serves as the final resting place of remarkable individuals whose lives helped shape the history of Philadelphia, the Jewish community, and the American nation.
Through Adopt an Ancestor, you can honor these extraordinary individuals while directly supporting the preservation, maintenance, and restoration of this irreplaceable historic landmark.
Every month, we will introduce additional ancestors, sharing their stories, celebrating their accomplishments, and offering new opportunities to connect with the remarkable history preserved within our cemetery walls.
Adopt an ancestor today and help ensure that their stories, their contributions, and their legacies endure for generations to come.
History is our inheritance. Its preservation is our responsibility.
Haym Salomon (1740–1785)
Patriot, Financier, and Champion of American Independence
Haym Salomon was a Polish-born Jewish patriot and financier whose contributions played an important role in supporting the American Revolution. After immigrating to New York in 1775, he became involved in the revolutionary cause and was imprisoned by the British for his activities. Later settling in Philadelphia, Salomon helped raise desperately needed funds for the Continental Congress and assisted prominent figures, including James Madison, with personal loans. A founding member of Congregation Mikveh Israel, Salomon was also a passionate advocate for religious liberty and the rights of Jewish Americans. Despite his considerable contributions to the struggle for independence, he died in financial difficulty in 1785. He is buried in Mikveh Israel’s historic cemetery at Eighth and Spruce Streets, where his legacy of patriotism, generosity, and service to the nation endures.