Drei Jahre in Amerika

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Between 1859 and 1862, Israel Joseph Benjamin Jr. (1818-1864), an orthodox Jew from Hanover, traveled along the North-West Coast, acquiring ethnographical artefacts. Parts of his collection, gathered in Victoria, British Columbia, ended up in the Lower Saxon State Museum in Hanover. His name and travel account remained largely unknown, likely due to the private nature of his endeavor; his journey was self-published in 1862. Benjamin spent three years in the USA, primarily investigating the living conditions of Jews in North America. In August 1860, he arrived in San Francisco via Panama and traveled to Oregon and Vancouver. He later journeyed overland to Salt Lake City, where he studied the Mormons, eventually reaching St. Louis in 1861. His quest led him to the North-West Coast, where he sought the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, believing they might be among the local indigenous peoples. After careful study, he concluded they were not the people he sought. Nevertheless, he produced a valuable work that offers contemporary observations and descriptions of the lives of native peoples, particularly the Haida Gwaii.