Jacob Ezekiel (June 28, 1812 – May 16, 1899) was an American merchant and leader of the Jewish community in antebellum Richmond, Virginia.
In Richmond, on June 10, 1835,[8][9] he married Catherine Myers Castro (February 28, 1819 – July 11, 1891),[10] a Sephardic Jew born in Amsterdam, Holland,[11] who came to the United States only four years previously, at the age of twelve.
[9] Shortly after his arrival he was elected Secretary of Richmond's first synagogue, Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome, "The Congregation of the House of Peace", which was Sephardic.
[3]: 129 (According to obituaries, Workum was "a model citizen" and "a liberal donor" to the Hebrew Union College; "his private benefactions were large".
[citation needed] Seat of the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Appalachian Mountains, in number of Jews it was second only to New York City.
Finally, efforts were underway to create a Jewish university, including a rabbinical school; Hebrew Union College opened in 1875.
The Manischevitz Company, which automated the manufacture of matzos and made them square, came slightly later, in 1888, and in 1889 the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
[29] After moving to Cincinnati, Ezekiel became Secretary of the Board and Treasurer of Hebrew Union College, the new institution, fulfilling the functions of registrar, from its inception almost until his death.
He became a member of the Kahal Kadosh Bene (or Benai) Israel, whose rabbi was Max Lilienthal, "Corresponding Editor" of The Israelite.
His goodness made itself intuitively felt; and he had not even to speak, for his purity of heart and sincerity of mind seemed fairly to beam from his eyes.
There may have been better men than Jacob Ezekiel, I presume he had his share of human frailties; but, I have never yet met another who could so impress the hallowing influence which true goodness inspires.
[31]The American Jewish Archives, in Cincinnati, contains "Correspondence and scrapbooks covering the activities of Jacob Ezekiel and family.
Correspondents include Isaac M. Wise, Marcus Jastrow, Frederick De Sola Mendes, and Henry Berkowitz.