Jonas Bondi (July 9, 1804 – March 11, 1874) was a German-American rabbi and newspaper editor.
Bondi was born on July 9, 1804, in Dresden, Saxony. [1] He was a descendent of Jonathan Eybeschutz. [2]
Bondi received a theological education and attended the University of Prague. He then worked in his father's business for many years. [2] But when his business failed, he immigrated to America with his wife and daughters. Rabbi Nathan Adler, the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and one of Bondi's former teachers, gave a recommendation on the basis of his Jewish knowledge. The recommendation made its way to the officers of Ansche Chesed in New York City, [3] and in 1858 he was made Preacher and Chief Rabbi of the congregation. [4] He left Ansche Chesed in 1859 after only 14 months there. [5]
Bondi then began holding public divine services at the Cooper Institute. [6] In 1860, he became minister of the newly-organized Amunai Israel, which met at the Cooper Institute. [7] In 1863, he began assisting Isaac Leeser in publishing The Occident and American Jewish Advocate. [8] In 1865, he became editor of The Hebrew Leader, which was previously known as The Jewish Record, and was published in English and German. [9] He owned and edited the paper for the rest of his life. He wrote a series of articles in The Hebrew Leader called "Jonathi bechagve hasela" (Dove in the Cleft of the Rock), which dealt with permission to erect a monument of a benefactor in a synagogue. He was also prominently connected with various Jewish charitable organizations. [2]
Bondi was a member of the conservative-historical school and a moderate in theology and practice. He balked at radical changes advocated by Reform leaders. His wife conducted a private school for girls. His daughter Selma was Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise's second wife. [3]
Bondi died on March 11, 1874. He was buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery. [10]