 It is estimated that in 1775, the city of Philadelphia had a population of approximately 35,000 of whom 300 were Jewish.Mikveh Israel counted among its members revolutionary patriots including Jonas Phillips, the Gratz family, and Haym Solomon who financed the war.Gershom Mendes Seixas (1745-1816) was minister of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan when the British occupied New York City during the Revolutionary War in 1776.