A Portrait of Solomon Etting

A Pioneer for American Jewry

Solomon Etting (1764-1847), a respected leader of Baltimore's colonial Jewish community, was one of the earliest pioneers for Jewish rights in America. In 1797, he and Bernard Gratz petitioned the Maryland Assembly to grant equal rights to Jews, particularly to remove the law that required swearing a Christian oath in order to take office, which essentially barred Jews from accepting a government position at even the lowest level. Their petition was rejected, but they did not give up. They petitioned annually for twenty-nine years until they finally prevailed in 1826 with the passing of "The Jew Bill." That same year, Etting and Jacob Cohen were elected to the City Council; Etting later became the president of the Baltimore City Council.