The Neve Shalom Synagogue serves as a space of refuge and great importance for the Jewish (mainly Ashkenazi) community in Paramaribo, Suriname. Originally constructed in 1719, this synagogue was meant to serve as a replacement for the Joden Savanne settlement, a thriving plantation that established Suriname as a successful agricultural colony before the French invasion of 1712. It was largely recognized as being the main place for Jews in Suriname to worship. The Neve Shalom Synagogue was especially significant during the Inquisition, serving as a religious space and sanctuary for Jews who were afraid to publicly embrace their faith, namely Marranos, or those who had been forced to convert to Catholicism. One thing that I notice about Neve Shalom’s architecture is that it is similar to that of a typical house; perhaps this is related to the Jewish community’s need to remain inconspicuous in the eyes of the Inquisition.

When examining the interior of Neve Shalom, it becomes apparent that much of the synagogue is constructed out of beautifully done woodwork. Neve Shalom was renovated and repaired many times during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with one from 1854 being largely responsible for how the synagogue looks in present time. Suriname’s dedication to protecting and preserving such a significant religious structure is just another example of the Jewish community’s steadfast commitment to their faith.

Sources:

Leibman, Laura. “Jewish Atlantic World .” Rdc.reed.edu, rdc.reed.edu/c/jewishatl/home/.

Shields, Jacqueline. Suriname Virtual Jewish History Tour, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/suriname-virtual-jewish-history-tour.

“Suriname Synagogues.” Suriname Jewish Life, 2020, www.surinamejewishcommunity.com/synagogues.

Looking for a summer gig? The English department has a list of paid opportunities.

The Jewish Women’s Archive is also looking for summer interns to do remote work in Jewish women’s history. This would be a great pair for the The Summer Opportunity Fellowship Award (SOFA), which provides funding for a student to pursue academic work with a mentor at another institution/organization for up to 10 weeks over the summer. The purpose of this program is to expose Reed students to new environments and opportunities not available on campus. This program is intended as a learning experience for the student and mentorship should be at the forefront of the project. All majors are eligible. Student stipend is $5,600 for Summer 2021. Application deadline is March 3 at 12noon.  If you are interested in this, email me to start a conversation as I am on the board of the JWA and can connect you with the right people both at Reed and at the JWA!

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.

Israel de Lieben was born in Bohemia, which is now a part of the Czech Republic. Sometime prior to 1774, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where he became a certified kosher butcher. He was also one of the founders of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, which is a subset of the Freemasons. He died in 1807.

The Coming Street Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina was established in 1762, making it the oldest Jewish cemetery in the American South. The cemetery is owned by the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue. It contains over 600 grave markers, most of which are from the late 18th century and the early 19th century.

Sources

“Coming Street Cemetery (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 17 May 2019, www.nps.gov/places/coming-street-cemetery.htm.

“Frequently Asked Questions.” Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., U.S.A., Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, 20 Nov. 2018, scottishrite.org/about/questions/.

Keyser, Samuel Bar Isaac. “Samuel Bar Isaac Keyser Kabbalah.” Collection: Samuel Bar Isaac Keyser Kabbalah | The Center for Jewish History ArchivesSpace, Center for Jewish History, archives.cjh.org/repositories/3/resources/2713.

Link to the Manuscript I mentioned today in class. Here is the calendar page:

This page is on #170 in the manuscript if you want it higher resolution or to be able to zoom.

“Luis de Carvajal the Younger (ca. 1567-1596), was the nephew of Luis de Carvajal y de Ia Cueva, the governor of Leon, Mexico. The Carvajals are the best known conversos (“New Christians”) in colonial Mexico, largely owing to Luis the Younger’s testimony at his trial before the Inquisition in 1595. He denounced more than 120 individuals as crypto-Jews–people who secretly practiced their old faith while publicly purporting to follow another faith–including members of his own family. He and many of his family were burned at the stake in 1596. These three bound documents, recently recovered after going missing from the National Archive of Mexico more than seventy-five years ago, are believed to be the only extant writings by a Jew in Mexico during the Spanish colonial period. They include Carvajal’s autobiography (written under the pseudonym Joseph Lumbroso), the principles of the faith, the Ten Commandments, and a prayer manual drawn from the Old Testament.” — brochure published for exhibition “The First Jewish Americans” at the New-York Historical Society (October 2016-March 2017).

The following excerpt is from Pioneers of Pauroma. It is an excerpt from the retelling of a journey made by Jews from Middelburg traveling to a beach located on the Wild Coast.

In this text, the author mentions that while on their journey the jewish travelers observed what they reference as “the event of Tisabeab”.  Tisabeab, or better known in hebrew as ט׳ באב/Tisha b’Av, is the 9th of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar. As to explain why the voyagers did wait until the following evening to drink the water they collected, this is a date that is observed by Jews as a day of fast, commemorating/mourning the destruction of both the First and Second Temple. Like all days and holidays in Judaism, the observing begins on an evening and ends on either the following evening (or the evening of however long that holiday/date is traditionally observed). The author also references that they did not drink the water on Tisabeab because they compared their situation to a story about Moses. I believe this reference has a sort of double entendre, first comparing the Jewish travelers to Moses, therefore comparing the Americas to the Promised Land and implying its great level of significance to them. The other interesting part of this reference is that Moses was led to Israel but could not enter it because of a dispute with God about providing water to the Israelites, further highlighting the water play/aspect of this scenario for the travelers and using the reasoning that they do not want to repeat the mistake Moses made so they can enter their new promised land (Carribean/South American coast). This travel-author’s references and language further suggests the influence and extent that their religious faith had on their journey and its personal meaning to the concept of finding their promised land/home.

The passage below is from ‘Voyage to Pauroma’, a text in which a pair of Jews who journeyed to colonize America in the 17th century recount their journey. In this passage, they detail the frustrations related to disembarking borne from a conflict between the Captain’s schedule and religious restriction. I have added expandable commentary to several sections that seem most relevant for comprehension and discussion.