The Hays family was the first Jewish family to settle in Westchester County, arriving in New Rochelle during the latter part of the 17th century. Eventually members of the family moved to Bedford and Mount Pleasant, where they became prominent members of the community. These two documents relate to the Kosher slaughter of animals, with Jacob Solis, a relative of the Hays family, certifying in 1813 that Benjamin Hays is qualified under Jewish law to kill “clean beasts or fowls,” and a diagram explaining the manner in which the animals are to be killed.

This record is also associated with:
City of New Rochelle