Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

June 19, 2025

The Jewish Veteran Who Became One of Antebellum America’s Most Generous Men

Judah Touro’s quiet philanthropy.

Founded in 1971, New York City’s Touro College—now Touro University—has satellite campuses in Europe, Israel, and across the U.S., and its student body extends beyond its original Orthodox base. It was named for Isaac Touro, a colonial-era rabbi, and his son Judah (1775–1854), who served in the war of 1812 and was wounded in the Battle of New Orleans. Hillel Kuttler writes of the latter:

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