Samuel Valentine
Clifford Street
A president of the Hebrew Benevolent Society
Several Jews lived on this short street in the early 1800s. Among them was Samuel Valentine (1794–1868), who sided with the traditionalist members of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim when they withdrew in 1840 to form Shearit Israel, where he became treasurer. He later served as president of the Hebrew Benevolent Society, reporting on the large number of poor and newly arrived immigrants who applied for help. Rebecca DeLaMotta Canter (1786–1873), widow of Emanuel Canter (1766–1829), was a neighbor. A few years later, she was running a school on nearby King Street.
Hebrew Benevolent Society seal