The first settlement of Jewish families arrived in New Amsterdam following the succumbing of the Dutch government’s brief hold of Brazil, and the return of Portuguese control of the colony. Facing persecution under the Portuguese Inquisition, 23 Jews sought out New Amsterdam, arriving in September of 1654. 

Just weeks after their arrival, Director-General Peter Stuyvesant sought to expel the group from New Amsterdam, claiming that they would become a burden on the community and vehemently invoking anti-Semitic tropes to declare the developing colony unwelcome to Jewish settlers. This sentiment was not shared by the Dutch West India Company, however, who blocked Stuyvesant’s order and allowed the settlers to remain. The European Jewish community had long sought refuge in the Netherlands, where they had gained significant freedoms and rights under the Dutch policy of religious tolerance, and had in turn invested in the republic’s colonial endeavors. The authority in Amsterdam therefore granted leave to remain, under the condition that the Jewish community provide for themselves financially, and not rely on the colony for support. 

Despite the approval of the West India Company, the social and economic position of these first families remained precarious. Extant documents record instances of individuals like Salvador Dandrada, Asser Levy, and Jacob Barsimson being blocked from buying property, engaging in trade, or being penalized for not complying with Christian doctrine. Nevertheless, there is evidence of an emerging policy of religious toleration and co-existence in the historical record, and the Jewish population of New Amsterdam continued to grow over the 1650s. They founded the Congregation Shearith Israel, and the remains of their community burial ground can be found in downtown Manhattan. 

Like the Flushing Remonstrance, the presence of this early Jewish settlement provides a window into the active negotiation of the character of the New Netherlands, constituting an important episode in the process of defining its commitment to globality and toleration.

Sources

Howard, Ronald. “First Jewish Settlers in North America.” EBSCO Research Starter, 2022. 

Wikipedia. “Jews in New Amsterdam.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_in_New_Amsterdam.

Further Resources

Gurock, Jeffrey S., ed. The Colonial and National Periods, 1654-1820. Vol. 1 in American Jewish History. New York: Routledge, 1998. 

Oppenheim, Samuel. The Early History of the Jews in New York, 1654-1664. New York: American Jewish Historical Society, 1909.

Phillipse Manor Hall Virtual Wing. “Jews in Colonial New York.” https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/blog/jews-in-colonial-new-york.