Papers > Religion > Jews in Newport Rhode Island in the 18th Century The Fight for Equal Rights
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Jews in Newport Rhode Island in the 18th Century The Fight for Equal Rights
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In the 18th century, the United States had a small but significant Jewish community. Some of those Jews settled in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City), but others, went to Rhode Island seeking freedom from persecution. They settled in the port-town of Newport and after some hardship, were finally able to be open with their Judaism. Their economic prosperity even enticed Jews form New York City to move there in 1740. The Jewish community in Newport was so prosperous that it was able to establish the Touro Synagogue in 1763, the oldest existing Jewish house of worship in the nation. The Jews of Newport, Rhode Island were able to achieve great economic and social prosperity only after being freed from oppression for the first time in the history of the Sephardic people.
By the 16th century a number of those Iberian’s who crossed the Atlantic to the New World were Jews. However the Jews of Spain and Portugal could not openly practice their Judaism even on the American continents. ... Those communities were created by descendents of those fleeing the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions (which began in 1480) which first pushed Sephardic Jews into the New World. ... In 1654 the Portuguese took Pernambuco and the Jews could not escape the rage of the inquisition so once again they were forced to flee.
Part of them left for North America, who’s East coast was the arena for the fight between the French, English, Dutch, Spanish and even Swedish colonizers. ... The governor of New Holland, Peter Stuyvesant had a hostile disposition with respect to the Jews and attempted to receive permission from the Dutch West-Indian company, which belonged to the colony, for their expulsions. The evidence presented to the Council of Directors of the Dutch West-India Company in September 1654, emphasized the fact that the Jews, who lost property as a of being robbed by pirates, can prove to be a problem for the church which would be forced to carry the burden of such poor people:
…the arrived Jews almost everyone would desire to remain here, but, knowing that they are quite atrocious to the local magistrates and to people most devoted to you; that the diocese also fears that as a result of their present impoverishment they can become a burden in the advancing winter; for the good of this weak and recently developing place, we consider it useful to be necessary for them in a friendly manner to leave us. ... The petition it was indicated the difficulties and the losses, particularly the loss of the colony in Brazil, suffered by the Portuguese Jews. It was also indicated that residence and trade by Jews in the colonies was allowed by England (in Barbados) and France (on the islands of Martinique, St.
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Paper Information
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Title: Jews in Newport Rhode Island in the 18th Century The Fight for Equal Rights
Words: 2237
Rating: None
Pages: 8.9
submitted by: dubski
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