11 August 2004

ISFSP marks the 350th anniversary of the first Jewish immigrant to
arrive in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam in what is today New York City.

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August 22, 2004 will mark the 350th anniversary of the first Jewish immigrant to arrive in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam in what is today New York City. The International Society for Sephardic Progress would like to honor the memory of this fellow Sephardic Jew, a pioneer.

On a summer day in 1654, a wooden hull ship named the Peartree docked in the port of New Amsterdam, in a slip which sits in lower Manhattan where Wall Street is today. Having departed the Dutch colony of Recife, Brazil on July 8, Jacob Barsimon, a Sephardic Jew, stepped on solid ground that day and became the first of many Jews who would organize what would later become the first Jewish community in the United States. Although it's been said Barsimon might have been sent by the Jewish community in Recife to start a Jewish colony, the evidence is not clear. What is known, is that Barsimon was employed by the Dutch East India Company, which was a trading and colonizing company for the Dutch.

Sephardic Jews had been scattered throughout Europe and Asia since they were expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15th century because of the Inquisition. The choice was either renounce Judaism and accept Christianity, or be expelled. However, while Spain allowed most Jews to leave, Portugal later made it illegal to depart. Still, Jews such as Barsimon found a way to escape, fleeing for the safety of Amsterdam, as well as Dutch Brazil; others fled to the Turkish Ottoman Empire. In January of 1654, Holland lost Brazil to the Portuguese navy, leaving the Jews to once again uproot and find a new home. At the time, the Inquisition in Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and other countries was furiously pursuing Jews; trials, resulting in burnings at the stake, were a frequent occurrence. Shelomo Alfassa, executive director of the ISFSP stated:

"Barsimon was a true survivor, a hero we don't know much about, but yet can honor him for what he stood for. The man was able to free himself from the grasp of the Portuguese Inquistion, refusing to relinquish his Judaism, in a time and place where many simply gave up and converted."

Barsimon, twenty-three Jews who came the following month, and more who came the following year, started the first Jewish congregation known as Shearith Israel (Remnant of Israel), a congregation which is still in existence today. Although they faced some anti-Semitism initially, the Dutch colony offered these refugees shelter, and safe place to start a new life in safety.

On this 350th anniversary of the arrival of the first Jewish immigrant to New Amsterdam, the International Society for Sephardic Progress would like to honor the memory of Jacob Barsimon, a man who risked his life traversing many countries in treacherous times because he refused to give up his religion. May the memory of Jacob Barsimon be for a Blessing.

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The International Society for Sephardic Progress (ISFSP) is a Jewish agency developed to serve the Sephardic community--the descendants of the Jews of historic Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Levant who share both common religious and cultural bonds. Although based in the United States, the ISFSP is an advocacy organization representing Sephardim internationally. The ISFSP also functions to produce high quality Jewish educational projects which will educate the public on the rich Sephardic Jewish communities, past and present.

The ISFSP is a a non-profit organization.