Dr. Walter Jonah Judah was one of the first Jewish people to enroll in a New York state medical school. He attended King’s College, which is now Columbia University, from 1794 to 1798. Throughout the mid to late 1790s, the deadly yellow fever epidemic devastated the east coast. Judah, despite not yet completed medical school, joined the efforts to help those who fell ill. Unfortunately, he died in New York City, NY, at age 20 from “that which he had sought to assuage.”
He is buried in the First Shearith Israel Graveyard, also known as the Chatham Square Cemetery. It is located in Lower Manhattan in the Chinatown district and is the oldest remaining Jewish cemetery in New York City. Along with Walter Judah, Revolutionary War veterans are also buried there, and an annual Memorial Day celebration is held at the burial ground.
Sources:
“America’s First Jewish Congregation.” Congregation Shearith Israel, Chatham Square Cemetery.
Cohen, Theodore. “Walter Jonas Judah and New York’s 1798 Yellow Fever Epidemic.” American Jewish Archives, 1996.
French, Mary. “First Shearith Israel Cemetery.” New York City Cemetery Project, 1 Dec. 2010.
Pool, David De Sola. Portraits Etched in Stone; Early Jewish Settlers, 1682-1831. New York: Columbia University Press, 1953.
Sonia–
I am glad that the Walter Judah stone worked out for you! I am curious what you think the significance of this etching is? I love your interactivity and how it points us to key aspects of the scene! Thank you for connecting this stone to which cemetery it belongs in. If you could put in a link to the source for the images that would be great. It is this book:
Pool, David De Sola. Portraits Etched in Stone; Early Jewish Settlers, 1682-1831. New York: Columbia University Press, 1953.
I also added a hotlink to your personal page to this post. Let me know if you need me to show you how to do that!
Nice work!
best,
Laura