Philanthropic Activities
Levy became wealthy by investing in New York City's burgeoning real estate market, and used his wealth to support many philanthropic endeavors. Many of these were in support of Jewish-American life. He served as the first president of the Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, DC. In 1854 he sponsored the new Jewish seminary of the Bnai Jeshurun Educational Institute in New York.
In 1833, the City of New York gave him the Key to the City after he presented the city with a copy of a statue of Thomas Jefferson. Levy had commissioned it in Paris by the noted sculptor David d'Angers. Levy was cited for his "character, patriotism and public spirit."
Levy is buried in Beth Olom Cemetery, Brooklyn, associated with the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.
Read more about this topic: Uriah P. Levy
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“Both gossip and joking are intrinsically valuable activities. Both are essentially social activities that strengthen interpersonal bonds—we do not tell jokes and gossip to ourselves. As popular activities that evade social restrictions, they often refer to topics that are inaccessible to serious public discussion. Gossip and joking often appear together: when we gossip we usually tell jokes and when we are joking we often gossip as well.”
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