Minhag (1843)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   From THE OCCIDENT, AND AMERICAN JEWISH ADVOCATE, April 1843, pg. 98:

   For the information of our European friends we will merely state that in the greater part of, if not all, the German Synagogues in this country, the Portuguese manner of having the Hazan placed on the _Beema_, instead of before the _Hechal_, has been adopted; the new Synagogue does conform in this to the older ones.  This deviation from the European Minhag is doubtless owing to the fact that it is not long since the Portuguese was the only one prevalent in America...

(The revised OED has 1880 for "minhag"?...This is one of a few really great publications that I'm going through today.  Stay tuned--ed.)