A Jewish Odyssey: How New york’s first jews

came from Brazil and helped build the city

Presentation: Isabella Vitoria de Farias Ramalho and Lucas de Araujo Rosa
Report: Luciana Santos Pereira - 170017087

My classmates Isabella and Lucas start their presentation by showing us an index of

the subjects they will talk about, which were organized in a timeline since the inquisition in
the Iberic peninsula, through the Jewish population’s time in Brazil’s Northwest region, and
finally their arrival and settlement in former New Amsterdam.

As Isabella states at the beginning of their presentation, the history of Jewish

migration is not often remembered or taught outside of Jewish communities, most likely due
to religious prejudice and a long history of persecution. This persecution is noted in the
presentation, which starts in the 13th century and targeted groups of people of different
religions that Christianity, prominently those of Jewish and Muslim faith. Many were forced to
convert to avoid trials and punishments but still practiced Judaism in secret. Most of the
Jewish population relocated to the Netherlands to safeguard their practices.

The communities left in the Iberian peninsula were incentivized and at times forced
to migrate to Brazil as punishment for not following Christian religion. Some Dutch families
migrated as well, but the group’s explanation was not clear as to which groups migrated for
what reasons. There, their political and financial potential stimulated Maurício de Nassau to
establish a religious tolerance stance in arguing that peaceful coexistence would be
profitable both politically and economically.

However, the political landscape shifted as Nassau was deposed and the
Netherlands demanded payment for debts created in Pernambuco. As the region was sold to
Portugal, the Jewish people were forced to leave the city in three months and 23 men,
women and children moved to New Amsterdam, a Dutch colony that seized their
possessions upon arrival and held them in their ship while the governor of the city considered
their presence there. Finally, one of the passengers of the ship sued the city for excessive
taxing and started their lives in future New York as more Jewish families moved there.

A highlight of the presentation was the attention to details like architecture and
demographic numbers. Showing the map of New York overlayed on top of New Amsterdam’s
was a very didactic way of showing how influential precious colonists were in shaping the
cityscape and especially the financial district. The traditional Dutch wall protecting the city
from British invasions was transformed into today's Wall Street, which is now the financial
heart of New York City and a point of reference on trade and commerce for the country.
Isabela and Lucas also highlight how fundamental Jewish business owners were to building
the financial district and funding the growth and modernization of the city despite constant
persecution and prejudice.

Finally, the presenters cite several monuments, buildings, and historical sites
dedicated to the Jewish heritage and contributions in New York. Isabela also shares her own
experience with Jewish erasure in the city when, on a visit to New York, her tour guide could
not answer her questions about it. They also recommended some of the sources used to
back their research, including a book on the cultural and social significance of Brazilian jews
on New York’s formation by Daniela Levy.

This topic piqued my interest as it represents a facet of my project on contemporary

America and immigration. In their timeline, Isabela and Lucas did an overview of the
persecution suffered by Jewish people in Europe and the Americas as a minority group, who
could be considered refugees by today’s standards. The seminar also brings to the forefront
of the debate the hardships and punishments these people had to go through purely due to
religious prejudice, a trait commonly seen in this group’s history. This is very similar to the
experiences Vítor and I gathered in our research about the contemporary immigrant
experience; many of the immigrant minorities living nowadays in the US are harassed,
persecuted, or actively hunted for their nationality, religion, or skin color. A group’s perceived
collection of traits, or its stereotype, is a defining factor in society’s attitude at large towards
them; the Jewish communities’ image as a rich minority seems to have justified even further
aggression towards them, to such a degree that antisemitic representations are
commonplace in modern media.

Isabela and Lucas’ seminar was very enlightening about the Jewish culture and
community’s impact both on Brazilian territory and on the growing city in Manhattan. The
presenters’ attention to details, like the presence of pau-brasil saplings on the first Jewish
ship on New Amsterdam’s harbor, and to accurate demographic numbers, such as Jewish
population percentage in relation to each city cited, brought credibility to their analysis. In
sum, their seminar highlighted Jewish influences on the cityscape, in the architecture, and in
the food culture of New York which is seen and felt until this day, and their contributions’
erasure is a lesson on how carefully one must look at history to see minority groups’
footprints on today’s culture.