the "unsurpassed catholicity of spirit" manifested by Jesse Seligman's
"bequests without regard to religion or nationality." Among the
beneficiaries of his concluding bounty were numbered no less than
thirty-six different non-Jewish institutions, the aggregate of these
legacies amounting to a very large sum. Unsurpassed as was this breadth
of liberality, it was by no means the first time when a Jew gave signal
evidence of the supreme catholicity of Judaism and the Jewish spirit.
Adverting but passingly to the story of Hyam Salomon's liberality,
we may stop to remember that Judah Touro, whose patriotism had been
attested with his blood in the defense of New Orleans, in 1815, left in
his last will and testament in 1854, an example of catholic munificence
unequalled before his time and unsurpassed since. Over and above the
various bequests made by him to Jewish institutions in different cities
of the Union, he left amounts averaging $5000 to fourteen charitable
institutions under the control of various Christian denominations,
besides $80,000 to the municipality of New Orleans for the poor of
that city, and $10,000 to the city of Newport, R. I., for a public
improvement. This latter formed the nucleus of the public park of that
city, which has commemorated in its "Touro Avenue" the public spirit
of this Jewish citizen, who has yet another memorial on Bunker Hill
monument, to the erection of which he so largely contributed.[28]
Michael Reese, of San Francisco, who died in 1878, bequeathed amounts
aggregating $70,000 to a number of non-Jewish charities, besides
$50,000 to the University of California, and left provisions which
eventuated in the establishment of the non-sectarian Michael Reese
Hospital of Chicago. Rosenna Osterman, of Galveston, and Isidor Dyer,
of the same city, divided their estates among charitable institutions
without distinction of creed.
* * * * *
Miss Ellen Phillips, of Philadelphia, whose long and useful life,
constantly devoted to the cause of charity, closed on February 2,
1891, after aiding the cause to which she was devoted by her unceasing
munificence during her lifetime, bequeathed the bulk of her property
to various charitable institutions. She left the large collection
of paintings and statuary which she inherited from her brother, the
late Henry M. Phillips, to the Commissioners of Fairmount Park, as an
addition to the collections in Memorial Hall, and divided a very large
sum of money among numerous charities, naming ten different non-Jewish
institutions among her beneficiaries.
* * * * *
The will of Dr. J. D. Berndt, of Pittsburg, Pa., divides a considerable
estate almost equally between Jewish and non-Jewish institutions, over
twenty of the latter class being named, and the residuary estate of
nearly $35,000 is equally divided between the American Hebrew College
of Cincinnati and Carnegie Library of Pittsburg.
* * * * *
Simon Muhr, of Philadelphia, whose untimely death in February, 1895,
was mourned by Jew and Gentile alike, after making certain personal
bequests and devoting a fund of $10,000 for the support of scholarships
in the University of Pennsylvania, left the residue of his large estate
to be divided into three parts, one part to be allotted among Jewish
charities, one part among non-Jewish charities, and the third part for
the improvement of the public school system of Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia _Times_ concluded an editorial reference to the death
of Simon Muhr as follows:
"It was his broad and simple tolerance, his unfailing charity
of heart as well as hand, his willingness and even eagerness to
take personal trouble, not only to relieve distress, but to right
wrong, and to defend the victim of oppression, however humble or
disreputable, that gave Simon Muhr a peculiar position in the
community and a peculiar usefulness. He was an example in this way
to many a professing Christian, whose reading of the parable leads
him only to condemn the priest and the Levite, and not to imitate
the Good Samaritan."
The instances of Jewish citizenship and catholicity here cited are but
the more prominent examples of that spirit. Only less conspicuous,
but with equal breadth and depth of feeling are many more that would
likewise point a moral for us all.
FOOTNOTES:
[26] The appointment of Mr. Peixotto to the Roumanian Consulate was
initiated and brought about by Hon. Simon Wolf, who afterwards made a
tour among the lodges of the Order of B'nai B'rith for the purpose of
raising funds to strengthen the Consul's position at Bucharest and to
enable him to more effectively exert his influence in behalf of the
persecuted Roumanian Jews.
In this connection mention may well and properly be made of Mr.
Wolf's untiring efforts, both in his early home in Ohio and later in
Washington, in behalf of the Union cause. The movements organized by
Mr. Wolf in Washington for the systematic aid of the sick and wounded
in the numerous hospitals then established in and about Washington
gained for him the recognition of the Government and the friendship
of General Grant. In this work Mr. Wolf enlisted the support of the
mass of the Jewish citizens of the District and especially the active
co-operation of the women of the Jewish community. General Grant,
when he became President, appointed Mr. Wolf Recorder of the City of
Washington and he was subsequently appointed by President Garfield
to the mission at Cairo as Diplomatic Agent and Consul General in
Egypt.--EDITOR.
[27] See Marken's "The Hebrews in America," New York, 1888; Judge
Charles P. Daly's "Settlement of the Jews in North America," edited
by Max J. Kohler, New York, 1893; "History of the Jews of Boston and
New England," by A. G. Daniels, Boston, 1892; "Eminent Israelites of
the 19th Century," by Henry S. Morais, Philadelphia, 1880; "The Jews
of Philadelphia," by the same author, Philadelphia, 1894, and the
publications of the American Jewish Historical Society.
[28] See pages 63-4.
JEWS IN LATIN AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS.
The preceding pages have dealt with various aspects of Jewish influence
in Anglo-Saxon America, and we have yet to consider the extent of that
influence in the Latin American settlements. Here in this Western
Hemisphere, where the Jew has sought an asylum from the historic
oppressions and repressions of Old World prejudices, and where, in the
very year that saw him expelled from Spain a new future was opened for
him and all humanity, here the Jew has been at the fore from the very
landing of Columbus to the present day.[29]
In the following pages is presented a review of Jewish activity and
influence in the South American Colonies and the West Indies, which
has been collated for this volume by Mr. George Alexander Kohut. His
careful studies and scientific investigations in this hitherto almost
untrodden field of historical research have resulted in the development
of many highly interesting facts, and his work affords a most welcome
contribution to our general subject. It will be found to command very
justly the space accorded to it.
FOOTNOTES:
[29] See Dr. M. Kayserling's "Christopher Columbus and the
Participation of the Jews in the Spanish and Portuguese Discoveries."
Translated from the German by Charles Gross, Ph. D., Assistant
Professor of History in Harvard College. New York, 1894.
SKETCHES OF JEWISH LOYALTY, BRAVERY AND PATRIOTISM IN THE SOUTH
AMERICAN COLONIES AND THE WEST INDIES.
BY GEORGE ALEXANDER KOHUT, New York City.
I
SERVICES RENDERED TO THE DUTCH BY THE JEWS OF BRAZIL (1623-44).
In 1624, when the Dutch conquered Brazil, several Jews, desirous of
joining their co-believers in the newly acquired Dutch dominions, where
our brethren flourished for many decades previously in the guise of New
Christians or Marranos, enlisted in the Hollandish fleet as volunteers.
Encouraged by this show of patriotism on the part of their newly
arrived co-religionists, who, under the reign of the United Provinces,
enjoyed all the blessings of peace and equality, many _Nuevos
Christianos_ openly renounced their sham faith and re-avowed Judaism,
happy once more to breathe the air of freedom without suffering
persecution. It is said that the Jewish soldiers in the navy displayed
so much zeal and courage in the taking possession of Brazil that the
government protected them ever after.[30] Even before putting to sea,
remarks a French historian of Brazil,[31] the Dutch admirals obtained
much useful information concerning the political situation of Brazil,
from the Israelites there settled, and who were all eager to remain, or
rather, to pass over to the Dutch, whose liberal spirit and religious
tolerance seemed much more inviting to them than the cruel sceptre
of Spain or Portugal. This is furthermore corroborated by another
(English) writer, Mr. Robert G. Watson, in his excellent work: _Spanish
and Portuguese South America during the Colonial Period_ (London,
1884), Vol. II, p. 1, where we read: "The religious intolerance from
which the Dutch had themselves so terribly suffered at the hands of
their Spanish rulers had taught them to be tolerant in such matters
towards others, _and to this circumstance they were now (1623-24)
indebted for much valuable information respecting Brazil, which they
received from the Jews who had taken refuge amongst them_."
It is apparent from these and other items to be mentioned later that
the Jews rendered not only military and naval service to the Dutch in
their struggle against Portugal in Brazil, but diplomatic counsel of
no little weight, by means of which Holland could conquer the American
possessions and establish herself most firmly there. The inhabitants
of Brazil at about that time (1623-38) were not very yielding. In fact
R. Southey, the reliable and painstaking historian, says[32] that "The
Portuguese were held in subjection only by fear, but many Portuguese
Jews from Holland had taken their abode in a country where they could
speak their own language as well as enjoy their own religion. _These
were excellent subjects_; they exercised the charitable industry of
their original nation secure of enjoying its fruits under a free
government." The Dutch, upon taking possession of Brazil, issued a
proclamation, no doubt with a view of attracting the Jews, whose
accession would prove beneficial to the interests of the government,
whereby they offered full possession of their property, and freedom
of worship to all such as would submit. Amongst those who were thus
brought under Dutch rule were _two hundred Jews_. (cf. Watson, _l. c._,
II, p. 2.) This liberal charter of religious freedom lasted as long as
the Dutch supremacy until the Portuguese re-conquest of Brazil in 1654,
with more or less privileges, according to the whim of the public whose
dictates even the government had to obey, as we may see from what took
place in 1638, as recorded by Southey (_l. c._, Vol. I, p. 566): "Some
of the Portuguese-Brazilians also, gladly throwing off the mask which
they had so long been compelled to wear, joined their brethren in the
synagogue. The open joy with which they now celebrated their ceremonies
attracted too much notice; it excited horror in Catholics, and _even
the Dutch themselves_, less liberal than their laws, pretended that the
toleration of Holland did not extend to Brazil; the senate conceded
to, and perhaps partook of the popular feeling, and hence arose the
edict, by which the Jews were ordered to perform their rites more in
private."[33]
Under Count Maurice's gentle reign our co-religionists lived in
peace and they appear to have benefited by this temporary respite
and acquired much wealth, for we find on record a petition from the
Jews of Mauritsstad, dated May 1, 1642, offering an annual present
of 3000 florins to Count Maurice if he would be induced to remain as
their Governor in Brazil.[34] In 1642, at the urgent invitation of
their co-religionists (cf. Koenen, _l. c._, p. 278), 600 Jews, headed
by Moses Raphael de Aguilar and Ishac Aboab de Fonseca, came from
Amsterdam[35] and formed a prosperous colony in Recife, which gave
promise of glorious development, had not the wars between Holland
and Portugal, in which our brethren took noble part, destroyed their
hopes. In 1642, it must be noted, they again were permitted to worship
publicly, a privilege which did not remain unrewarded, for we soon hear
of certain state services rendered by the Jews in 1644 and later, when
many mean conspiracies against the government were afoot, concocted,
no doubt by the Portuguese under Dutch rule. Watson (_Spanish and
Portuguese South America_, etc., London, 1884, Vol. II, p. 47) says:
"At length, however, the time came when his (the chief conspirator's,
Fernandes) practices could no longer be ignored by the government, _who
were set on their guard chiefly by the Jews_. These are certainly not
to be blamed for wishing a continuance of the _status quo_; since, in
the event of an outbreak, they were certain to be plundered by both
parties with complete impartiality; whilst, in the event of victory
on the part of the Portuguese, they had before them the image of the
fiendish agents of the Inquisition," which, as we have elsewhere
shown,[36] they had good reason to fear. We read later (_l. c._, p. 48)
that Fernandes could not be captured and summoned troops. Many obeyed
the call and fell upon such Dutchmen and Jews as happened to be within
their reach.
The loyalty of the Jews in the matter of revealing the various
state conspiracies is thus alluded to by Pieter Marinus Netscher in
his admirable work _Les Hollandais au Brésil_, (La Haye, 1853), p.
145: "Fortunately, national and religious fanaticism did not smother
the sentiments of humanity and justice in the hearts of all the
conspirators. Two Portuguese [Jews?] Sebastian Carvalho and Fernando
Vale, with _five Jews_, fearing that their lives and fortunes were
at stake, resolved to disclose the secret of the plot to the Grand
Council.[37] Another conspiracy was brought to light and denounced
to the government by a Jew named _Moise Accoignes_, who, against
his will, was forced to become an accessory to the plot.[38] He is
no doubt alluded to by Prof. H. Graetz, who, in his _History of the
Jews_ (English version, Philadelphia, 1895, Vol. IV, p. 693. Jewish
Publication Society of America) writes: "Of course, the Brazilian Jews
enjoyed perfect equality of rights with other citizens, _for they
rendered the Dutch essential services as advisers and warriors_. When
the native Portuguese, who bore the yoke of the Dutch impatiently,
formed a conspiracy to get rid of the Dutch authorities at a banquet
in the capital, and attack the colony bereft of government [?], _a
Jew gave warning, and_ _saved the colony from certain destruction._"
Southey, whom at the present writing we are unable to consult, (cf. his
_History of Brazil_, Vol. II, pp. 60-70), and Koenen, also chronicle
the timely intervention of a faithful Israelite,[39] who, at the risk
of his life, for the conspirators would not have scrupled to put him
out of the way, informed the authorities of the impending calamity to
the state.
We also know that a Jew in Lisbon proved instrumental in intercepting
some official papers in reference to the revolt in Brazil.[40]
The execution of one, Jacob Rabbi, an agent of Holland, who must have
been a Jew, is mentioned by Netscher in the following terms: "... The
cause of this desertion [from the Portuguese troops?] was that the
Lieutenant-Colonel, Garstman, had been sufficiently impolitic to put to
death (in 1645 or 1646?) for a real or supposed crime, a certain Jacob
Rabbi, German by birth, of a ferocious character. He had lived for many
years among the savages as agent of the Hollandish government."[41]
It is evident that the Dutch Government and especially the Governor,
Count Maurice de Nassau, was not backward in appreciating the services
of the Jews. An ordinance from the States-General reads:
"... The persons, goods and rights of the Jews in Brazil are taken
under the special protection of the Government, because of the fidelity
and courage which that nation had on every occasion displayed toward
the said Government."[42]
II.
BRAVE DEFENSE OF THE JEWS IN BRAZIL IN 1645-1646.
The best evidence of Jewish loyalty to their lenient Dutch rulers was
given at a time when the Hollandish Government was contending with the
Portuguese for the possession of Brazil. The numerous conspiracies
years previous were only a foretaste of what followed and when at last,
in the year 1645, war actually broke out, our co-religionists lost no
time in siding with their generous patrons, regardless of consequences.
Among those that distinguished themselves for their noble patriotism
and whose co-operation in behalf of the needy and distressed won all
hearts, was a wealthy Israelite, Abraham Coen by name, whose fame is
recognized in the following verses written in his honor by one of
the greatest Portuguese Jewish poets of Holland, Don Miguel Levi de
Barrios, who visited Cayenne[43] in 1660 and remained there until 1662:
_Abraham Coen en el Brasil remoto_
del principe Mauricio halló el agrado
prospero y noble, y oy del Rey Empireo
goço la luz en ideal palacio.
_Cerco al Brasil el luso balicoso
en nueve años continuos, que empeçaron
en el de mil seiscientos y quarenta
y cinco, contra el valeroso Holandio._
Y en todos con magnanima grandeza
el grande Abraham Coen sustento à quantos
Judios y Cristianos de su auxilio
en la miseria atroz necesitaron.
_Entonces los Señoras del Supremo
Consejo sobre el Pueblo Brasiliano
vieron del fiel Coen la piedad grande._[44]
Dr. Hahn informs us that "in the perilous times of 1645 and 1648 great
services were rendered to the government by the Portuguese family of
Cohen in furnishing ammunition and provisions."[45]
The Portuguese besieged Recife, near Pernambuco, which boasted of
a large Jewish population (among them several fine scholars: David
Senior Coronel, Dr. Abraham de Mercado, Jahacob Mucate, Ishac Castanho
and others)[46] and the inhabitants thus deprived of every possible
communication, endured much suffering. The Jews, encouraged by their
learned and eloquent Rabbi Isaac Aboab, the friend of Menasse ben
Israel, bore their tribulations bravely, and though almost famished for
want of nourishment, defended the fort with such remarkable skill and
heroism, as to evoke the praise and gratitude of the Government. Had
it not been for the dauntless resistance offered by them, the garrison
would have been compelled to surrender.
Aboab commemorated his thrilling experiences of war in the
introductory chapter of his Hebrew version of Abraham Cohen Herrera's
_Porta Coeli_ (Sha'ar Ha'shamayîm) which he began to translate in
June, 1655 (22nd of Siwan 5415). Besides this, he wrote nine years
before (anno 1646) a poetical account of the siege in a work entitled
_Secher Rab;[47] Prayers and Confessions and Supplications, which were
composed for appealing to God in his trouble and in the distress of
the Congregation, when the troops of Portugal overwhelmed them during
their sojourn in Brazil in the year 5406 [1646]. And I have caused the
wonderful works of God to be remembered in songs and praises, when
he released them from the hands of their enemies._ It is written in
Hebrew. The Ms. is still extant in Amsterdam, in possession of the
"Arbol de las Vidas" Theological Society.[48] The part played by the
Jews in the defense of the colony is described by eminent Jewish and
Christian historians.[49] Dr. Kayserling's and Prof. Graetz's accounts
are worth citing _in extenso_. The former, who is engaged in copying
this earliest specimens of American Jewish literature, the work of
Isaac Aboab, for the American Jewish Historical Society, writes as
follows: "Aboab became _Chacham_ (Chief) of the congregation in
Recife, which would have become one of the largest and richest, had
it not been hindered in its development by the disturbances of war;
it was dissolved after a short existence. The new settlers enjoyed
tranquility only for a few years, for already in 1645 the sanguinary
struggles, for the possession of the colony, between the Portuguese
and the Hollanders began. The Jews stood faithfully on the side of the
Hollanders, who had granted them perfect equality, and distinguished
themselves by courage and heroism, as well as by succor to the
distressed. During the war Abraham Coen, a rich and high-minded man of
Amsterdam, who was in great favor with Duke Moritz of Nassau, supported
Jews and Christians in such a magnanimous way that the Supreme Council
of the Brazilian people looked with admiration at the great work of
mercy. Isaac Aboab faithfully discharged the duties of his office; he
ordered days of fasting and prayer, and his fiery speeches encouraged
his co-religionists to perseverance and devotion. It was a fierce
struggle of nine years which brought much suffering on the Jews.
Recife was besieged and the garrison decimated by hunger. 'Many of the
Jewish immigrants were killed by the enemy, many died of hunger. The
remainder were exposed to death from similar causes. Those who had been
accustomed to delicacies were glad to be able to satisfy their hunger
with dry bread; soon they could not obtain even this; they were in want
of everything, and were preserved alive as by a miracle.'"
Prof. Graetz, still more explicit, writes to the following effect: "In
1646, when open war broke out between the Portuguese and the Dutch,
and the garrison of Recife, exhausted by famine, was on the point of
surrendering unconditionally, the Jews encouraged the governor to brave
resistance. A fanatical war of race and religion between the Portuguese
and the Dutch devastated fair Brazil, and a famine ensued. The Jews
vied with the Dutch in suffering and bravery. Isaac Aboab, the Chacham
of the Brazil community, paints the suffering of the war, which he
himself endured, in lurid colors: 'Volumes would not suffice to relate
our miseries. The enemy spread over field and wood, seeking here for
booty and there for life. Many of us died, sword in hand, others from
want; they now rest in cold earth. We survivors were exposed to death
in every form; those accustomed to luxuries were glad to seize mouldy
bread to stay their hunger.'
"At last, the States-General were compelled by European wars to
surrender the colony to the Portuguese. The devoted zeal of the
Jews for the political welfare of the Dutch was a firm band, never
afterwards dissolved, between them and the Republic. The toleration and
equal position of Jews in the Netherlands were ensured forever."
Southey relates (_History of Brazil_, Vol. II, p. 241; _apud_ Koenen's
_Geschiedenis_, p. 281), that when the Dutch in Recife were besieged
the second time,[50] the Jews manifested much courage and bravery in
its defense. One of the Pintos (Jewish stock also in Surinam, where
Isaac Pinto, a member of this family, likewise displayed zeal and
heroism in resisting the enemy), is said to have manned the fort _Dos
Affrogados_ single handed, until, overwhelmed by superior force, he was
compelled to surrender.
"In the wars of the Dutch against the Spaniards," says Dr. A. Hahn,
"one of the Pintos was killed at his post while bravely defending one
of the fortresses." His death is nowhere else recorded, however.[51]
The supremacy of the United Provinces now came to an end in America.
On the 23d of January, 1654, Recife, together with the neighboring
cities of Mauritsstad, Parayba, Itamarica, Seara, and other Hollandish
possessions, was ceded to the Portuguese conquerors, with the condition
that a general amnesty be granted. (Koenen, _l. c._, p. 282). Although,
as Netscher[52] remarks, this stipulation was agreed upon, and the
Jews, who were loyal supporters of Holland, were promised every
consideration, the Portuguese governor, heeding the treacherous advice
of jealous persons, ordered the Jews to quit Brazil at once. It must be
admitted, in justice to Portugal, that he treated them kindly, inasmuch
as he placed at their disposal sixteen vessels to carry them and their
property anywhere they chose, and furnished them with passports and
safeguards. Thus after a residence of several decades, Aboab, Aguilar,
the Nassys, Pereiras, the Mezas, Abraham de Castro, Josua Sarfati, both
surnamed _el Brasil_,[53] returned to Amsterdam, and many others went
to New York, where they formed the nucleus of a prosperous colony. They
arrived in safety, although one of their vessels, attacked by pirates,
was rescued by the French and escorted to New Holland.[54]
III.
SAMUEL NASSY OF SURINAM.