Bonhams is to offer two newspaper clippings dating to 1790 that document George Washington's visit to a synagogue.
The rare clippings will sell as a single lot with an estimate of $80,000-100,000 at the December 10 Judaica Auction.
 Washington felt strongly that the US should remain free from religious persecution |
Washington visited the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island in the August of 1790 and was met by Moses Seixas - an official of the local Jewish community who welcomed him.
On his return to the White House, Washington penned his now famous "Touro letter" to the Jewish community in Newport, which is the source of his quote: "To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance".
It is considered to be one of the defining examples of Washington's belief in the separation of church and state.
The clippings are taken from the Gazette of the United States, printed in Philadelphia, with one dating to September 11, 1790 and the other to September 15, 1790.
They transcribe Seixas' welcome speech and Washington's response, along with a description of the president's tour of the city.
Just three other copies of the September 11 paper are known to exist.
We have a rare 1768 Mountain Road Lottery ticket signed by George Washington, one year before he first presented legislation to the Virginia Assembly to ban the importation of goods from Britain.
The auction will also feature a range of rare Judaic items, including Harvest in Gallillee, a painting by Romanian born Israeli painter Rueven Rubin that features a valuation of $100,000-150,000.
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