Compendium of the Order of the Burial Service, and Rules for the Mourners … New York: S.H. Jackson, 1827

22 leaves (8 1/4 x 4 3/4 in.; 210 x 125 mm). Printed in both Hebrew and English; ff. 3/3-18/18, pp. 1-12. Lightly browned and stained; title page strengthened at gutter. Later black morocco, titles gilt.

Isaac Phillips Jr.--his inscription on flyleaf.

Goldman 35; Singerman 0447.

The burial society of Congregation Shearith Israel of New York, Hebrah Hased V’amet, was founded in 1802 and is the oldest existing Jewish philanthropic society in New York. In addition to the general rules for preparing the dead for burial and the actual burial service, the Compendium contains the text of the vidui (confession) to be recited on one’s deathbead, as well as laws and customs pertaining to Jewish mourning. According to legend, two Shearith Israel congregants happened upon a funeral procession proceeding toward potter's field. Upon learning that the deceased was a Jew, they arranged for his interment in the congregation's cemetery. The Hebrah was founded soon after, with Gershom Mendes Seixas, the congregation’s minister, as its leader. The 1827 Compendium served the society until a new edition was published in 1910.