By all accounts, Richard Morgenstern is the keeper of George Washington’s letter to the Jews of Newport, R.I., but he has shown no interest in sharing it with the world. The letter — in which the first president of the United States vowed that the fledgling nation would give “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance” — has assumed mythic proportions since it was written 231 years ago.

But ever since the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, where the letter was displayed, moved to smaller quarters in 2002, this vital historical document has been locked away in an art storage facility in Maryland.

Officially, the letter is owned by the Morris Morgenstern Foundation, which is run by Richard’s nonagenarian father, Frank. But museum officials who have negotiated with the family say that Richard, an enigmatic and secretive figure, controls where the artifact is kept. Current and former leaders of B’nai B’rith say they have urged the younger Morgenstern to lend the letter to other institutions, such as the Library of Congress and the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, but he has turned down all requests.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Morgenstern Foundation’s accountant, Paul Goodnough, says the family is very private. Richard Morgenstern, who has homes in Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Fla., has declined all interview requests. When contacted by telephone, his father would only say, “I don’t care to comment,” and then he hung up the phone.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount