Rebecca Valverde Gomes was a woman from the Jewish community of Barbados who left her husband, and began living with another man, Mr. Costello. When her child was born, the Jewish community chose not to perform birth rights, not only marking the child as a child of illegitimate union (mamzer,) who who is forbidden to marry non-mamzers from within the community, but refusing to perform circumcision so as to prevent any future union with orthodox Jews. Below is a selection from a meeting of the council of elders (Mahamad) discussing what action is to be taken about the birth of Rebecca’s child.
English 303: Jews Across the Americas
Spring 2021
Hi Hunter! I really enjoyed this blog post; it does a really great job of recounting Gomes’s predicament and detailing the impact a situation like this would have on the Jewish community. I really appreciated that you defined important terms in your H5P as well as the implications of having a child out of wedlock. I was really surprised and intrigued by this reading, primarily because I didn’t anticipate that the consequences of having an illegitimate child would fall on the child themselves. The fact that intermarriage with mamzers was actively discouraged seems to put blame upon a child who quite literally had no say in their conception! Super compelling– well done!
This was super helpful to accompany the reading–your definitions and expansions on terms and concepts helped me focus on the main ideas of the letter. Thanks so much for your work!
I agree with Caitlin. Reading about how children conceived out of wedlock were punished for their parents indiscretion definitely surprised me. Additionally, I found it intriguing that the consequences were meant to last several generations. I appreciated how Hunter highlighted the dramatic use of the word “disgrace” in the text. When I read the piece, I noticed how Gomes’ child was framed almost as a public or community burden. Many of the consequences laid out by the Mahamad appear as an attempt to push her out of the community. However, given that Jewish identity cannot be revoked, I am curious how these punishments served the Jewish community. Hunter’s additional note remarking that they held numerous court proceedings with regard to the matter makes me wonder how court proceedings may set an example for other members of the community of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
I love that you noted the “highfalutin” tone of the Mahamad in the minutes (e.g. “high culpable”). This sort of rhetoric is all over the synagogue minutes and the letters they wrote to the local newspapers. There is a way in which their rhetoric puts her at a further distance from them–as if they were wearing gloves to touch something nasty. This is very much in keeping with notions of manhood during this era, so it is also strongly gendered. Great comments and info!
best,
Laura
Hi Hunter!
Your H5P is super helpful in better understanding the texts references and terms – it helped me a ton! This text made me wonder about the significance minutes of these meetings have on our understanding of this community’s history.
-Jesse
Hi Hunter,
I found your contextual information to be very helpful! I appreciate that your notes in the H5P includes both explanations of terms like “Hazan,” commentary on grammatical particulars, and even more subjective notes like that on the word “disgrace” being “loaded, highly condemnatory language.” Your selection of text is well-defined and serves to bolster your points well.
Take care, and see you soon!
Rafi