Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/543

495 THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

495

a certain Miguel Nunez, a Marano in Cuba; and sonif aullinritics incline to the opinion that the first considiralile settlement of Jews in New Amsterdam euiiic from that island. Barbados: Jews settled in Barbados as early as KJ'JS; lint ilic lirst detiuite information relates to the year 1001, when certain traders petitioned the kiiij; "to permit them to live and trade in Barbados and Surinam. As early as 1004 reference is made to

a Jew, named 8enor Abraham Israel de Pisa, w ho found gold in the island. Another person of nearh' the same name, Isaac Israel de Piso, fell under the king'.s displeasure in .March, 100,"), owing to his failInlOGSJews ure to find the expected goldmines.

In 1071 are mentioned as owners of sugar-works. Jloses Pereyra was made a free denizen and in 107:i the Jews began an agitation for recognition of their rights as citizens. On Feb. IS, 1074, Privileges a law was passed granting them the privilege of taking the oath upon the as to Taking five books of Jloses; and in January, Oath. 1675. a favorable response was made by the Assendily to their petition for In 1070 Govthe extension of their trade privileges. ernor Sir .Tonathan Atkins reported that there were about 30 Jewish families of Dutch extraction from On Oct. 'i'.K 107".l. Jacob Senior arrived at Brazil. Barbados. In the year loso, according to a contemjiorary document, there were .54 adult Jews and 182 children, residing in and about the town of St. Jlichaels. These Jews owned a large nund)er of slaves. In 1679 a few of the Barbados Jews eiuigrated 3 to

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and

Surinam. According to the census of 1891 there were 21 Jewish families on the island. Jamaica Jews probably settled hero in considcralili' numbers in the second half of the sixteenth

London,

2 to Jamaica,

1

to



century.

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The lirst Jews six in number who were introduced into Jamaica under British government in 1603. came on the ship "Great Guest," Captain Bernard. In December, 1071, Governor Lynch reported to Lord Arlington that the king could have no more .Meanwhile jietithan the Jews. merchants against them were considered by

protitJlble subjects

tions of

the recjuest being that the Jews the king's council be restricted to wholesale trade, which pro])osilion the coimcil rejected. In 1700 the Jews presented to Sir William Beeston, governor-in-chief of Jamaica, a petition asking for exemption from special taxes, and reciting other grievances. The trade between London and Jamaica was principally in Ji'wish hands; and by 17")(l about 21KI Jews resideil and had been naturalized in that island.

One

of

tli(^

known

best

literary

men

(if

Jamaica was

Daniel Israel Lupez, who translated the Psalms into Spanish. At the jiresent day there is a flourishing Jewish community in Jamaica.

Leeward Islands: On Aug. 31, 1094, an act wa.s pas.sed tc pnveiit Jews from engrossing comninditiis im]>iirted into the Leeward Islands, which act was ii'pealed in 1701 an indication that there must have l)eriiiiMs

there.

Of Porto Rico nothing is known concerning any early Jewish .s<>ttlement. In recent years, since thi' .Spanish American war, Jews liave inimignit<'d thither; and there is now a flourishing Porto Rico



coUL'regation.

in England and Its ReNot without great iiUeresi is thr iiilimalc ciinniclidn between. ierican history and the rc'sctlleineiil of Ji'ws in Kngland. .ccor(ling to Lucien Wolf, " -Vmerican history really played

The Resettlement

lation to America:

America

a very considerable part in bringing about the return of the Jews to England." It was in America that

A

religious liberty won its lirst victory. Jewish traveler,. tonio de Montezinos, was fidly perin the American Indians he had found the Lost Ten Tribes a belief w Inch has had an extraordinary vitality. He related this story to Jlanasseh ben Israel; and his narrative made a profound impression. This fact accorded with Aborigines the view of the times, that the dispersion was complete except for one parand

suaded that

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Lost Ten

tieular land. England; and Manasseh argued that if the Jews would return to England, the Jlessiah would come. This view ho promulgated in his work, "The Hope

Tribes.

of Israel." The notion that the American aborigines were the Lost Ten Tribes has played an important part among Americanists. Besides those named above, it was lu'ld by Roldan, Garcia, Thorowgood, Adair, and Lord Kingsborougli; and, though without important adherents among students of the American aborigines, it is still discussed as a theory to be considered. It seems not imlikely that some of the members of the Crypto Jewish commimitj' in London, prior to the Restoration, came from the Aiuerican continent. United States The greatest prosperity and the largest population reached by any nation on the American conliMcnt have been attained by the United States; it is not surprising, therefore, that it now contains a larger nmnber of Jews than any country

in tlu^

world save Russia and

.ustria.

About forty years after the settlement of New Amsterdam Jews commenced to arrive there. They

made their way to all of the original thirteen colonies; and by the time of the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, they had in several communities reached honorable positions in commerce

gradually

and

in society. Jlost of the early colonists in North America were of Sephardic stock, and came from Brazil, West Indies. Portugal, and Holland. At a Early later date some came from England. Colonists Yet German and Polish Jews came to Mainly America mvich earlier than is usually Sephardic. supjiosed. Some of these .settled in

Pennsylvania,

New

York. Maryland,

Virginia, and South Carolina in the earliest Colonial period. The Seidiardim, however at this time constituting the larger nutnber tisually organized the congregations; and the fact of the early inunigraliou of Ashkenazic Jews has thus been lost sight of by most writers. German Jews seem even to have been among tin- martyrs of the Inquisition in Mexico. York :' By a letter written .Vpril 4, lO.IS, from .Vnistrrdain by the director u( the West India Company to the governor and council of New Netherlands, it appears that Jews were on the musterrolls of soldiers and siulors sent out to the colony, and that they engaged to serve for a term of one .s early as 10.").") there were both Portuguese year. and German Jews in the colony. The first .Jewish settler in New Amsterdam whose name has been hande<l down was Jacob Barsimson, who arrived on Nov. 9, 10.54, in the ship " Pear Tree" He was followed First Jewish in thesjime year by a party of 23, who arrived in the bark ".St. Catarina." Settlers, It is gi-nendly assumed that they came from Brazil, allhoughit isidso held that they started from soiiu' part of tlu' West Indies, most likely CuIni; ami some hail, inuiueslionably, spent a longer or a shorter lime in Jamaica. They were received in an unfrietidly fashion by StuyvesanI, the Dutch

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