https://web.archive.org/web/20150927062428/https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1210&context=curejMasonry was one of the
few fraternal organizations open to Jews and their canon, which was consistent with
Jewish beliefs and actually incorporated Jewish symbols and figures, allowed Jews to feel
comfortable joining without sacrificing their beliefs and culture.
The Jewish religion had the ancient roots that the
Freemasons were seeking and, like the Puritans who sought legitimacy through Jewish
converts, felt that the presence of Jews in their organization legitimized and gave weight
to their use of Old Testament biblical figures in their canon.
Although Masonry may have helped Jews become
more elite, Jews were already some of the richest men in the country and the connections
that other Masons made with them could only help economically
4 While there had only been three degrees in
Masonry, the Scottish Rite innovation initially introduced 25 degrees and would
eventually have 33. This contrasted with the York Rite which retained the original three
degrees, but had three distinct subsections that contained three or four additional degrees
which could be obtained.35 While the York Rite would find great popularity in America,
the Scottish Rite was very popular among Jews
In addition, the Jews who arrived in America tended to be wealthy and well
connected. Through their many expulsions and the financial jobs that they were often
legally limited to in Europe, Jews had accrued a number of contacts across European
countries which gave them an advantage in business and trade.
Meanwhile, in Holland,
Jews were not given full rights, but were allowed to practice their religion freely, and set
up successful merchant and trading companies with the connections that they had made
throughout their history of expulsion.11 This helped make Amsterdam one of the
wealthiest cities of the seventeenth century, when the Dutch West Indies Company formed in 1621, Amsterdam Jews flocked to it, eventually representing ten percent of its
wealth.
One example of this is the acceptance of Moses Michael Hays into the
Massachusetts Lodge in Boston in November 1782. That December he was elected Master16, a position which he served in for three years, and then became the “Most
Worshipful Grand Master” from 1788 to 1793.17 To be fair, Hays was already an
established Mason by the late 1700s and had been the Deputy Inspector General for
Masonry for North America
Hays is often considered the father of the Scottish Rite in
America as he was appointed the Deputy Inspector General for the West Indies and North
America by a Scottish Rite patent.20 Thus, because he started King David's Lodge, it is
not a stretch to believe that this lodge adopted the degree system of the Scottish Rite.
This may have been prejudice
(although it is unlikely considering that, under British rule, New York Jews were the only
ones with the right to vote and hold office, a right that was affirmed by the independent
state in 1777)
In addition, this would, at least partially, explain why the Jewish membership
decreased over time because, after the end of the war, many of these Jews moved back to
their original communities. This is part of what helped spread Scottish Rite Masonry
through the colonies and is a reasonable explanation for why Jewish membership had
drastically decreased in the Lodge of Perfection by 1788
These interactions can be seen in events such as the Gentile funding of Mikveh
Israel, and even in the willingness of President Washington to support the Jewish
community in Newport. Clearly, if the President of the United States was responding to
this group, they were seen to have some significance.
Moses Michael Hays is often considered one of the most important American
Masons and the most important Jew in American Freemasonry. He is credited with
spreading the Sublime, or Scottish Rite across America
