Kaddish for Lincoln

The Feb. 11 article on Abraham Lincoln and the Jews was well-presented. However, it left out one unusual fact: After his assassination, many of the northern synagogues took it on themselves to say Kaddish for President Lincoln. In many synagogues, black crepe was posted to remind congregants of the mourning. The crepe was removed on Purim 1866, at the end of 11 months of mourning. This is mentioned in Bertram Korn’s book “American Jewry and the Civil War.” I am unaware of any other non-Jew for whom the Jewish Community said Kaddish.

It is interesting that the Jews of the North during the Civil War and the Lincoln presidency regarded Lincoln “as one of us.”

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