No more Pharaohs?
Using nothing more than a warm meal, a safe roof, and a radical commitment to Jewish justice, August and Henrietta Bondi turned their home in Greeley, Kansas into a refuge where runaway slaves knew they could find rest, shelter, and food.
Born Anshl Mendel Bondi in 1833 in Vienna, August moved in 1848 to the Midwest. Shocked by the treatment of slaves, he began working tirelessly against slavery, and later fought in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was wounded in battle, but survived.
When hearing about President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, he wrote in his diary:
“No more Pharaohs and no more slaves.”
Faced with institutional evil, August & Henrietta Bondi had the moral clarity not to explain away the horrors of slavery as so many around them did. They stepped out of the comfort of majority opinion, willing to take on significant risks to help the vulnerable, the ‘other.’
As we mark America’s 250th birthday, their legacy inspires us to confront the injustices of our own time and to challenge the modern-day Pharaohs who deny others their dignity, freedom, and humanity.
The Bondis taught us that living a Torah life isn’t just about what we do inside our homes and synagogues, but how we find the courage to pursue tzedek—justice—just as fiercely as they did. Let us continue their vital work today.
Happy Fourth of July and Shabbat Shalom.
