Benjamin Dias was the maternal great grandfather of Grace Aguilar. Dias was "...a merchant of Portuguese origin, who came from Jamaica to England, where he spent the latter part of his life, and where, in fact, these important letters were written." Early in the book, Benjamin Dias proclaims, "From this ' circumstance, and many others, I conclude that the writers of the New Testament could not be under the infallible guidance of G-d; neither do I find that they published or gave out their writings as such..."

Leeser founded the first Jewish Publication Society of America and brought many important works to the attention of the American Jewish community. He published the first Hebrew primer for children (1838), the first complete English translation of the Sephardic prayer book (1848), the first complete English translation of the Ashkenazi prayer book (1848), and numerous textbooks for children. He founded the first Hebrew high school (1849), the first Jewish representative and defense organization in 1859 (the Board of Delegates of American Israelites), Maimonides College, and the first American Jewish rabbinical school in 1867. His major literary achievement was the first American translation of the Bible, a work that took him 17 years to complete, and was published in 1845. This became the standard American Jewish translation of the Bible until the new Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917. Poverty and the fact that his congregation did not appreciate his many activities on the national scene clouded R. Leeser’s later years. Toward the end of his life, his friends formed a congregation, Beth El Emeth, for him. R. Leeser was a traditionalist who did much to stem the tide of Reform. Although he was identified with the Sephardic community his influence affected the entire community and he laid the foundations for many of the key institutions of present-day Jewish life. His contributions to every area of Jewish culture and religion made him a major builder of American Judaism.