Virtually visit Congregation Shearith Israel, commonly known as the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, the first Jewish congregation in North America founded in 1654.
Join Janet R. Kirchheimer, a licensed NYC Tour Guide and long-time member of the synagogue, to learn about the founding of the congregation, the Spanish Inquisition, pirates, and the struggles with Peter Stuyvesant.
Hear about the Jews efforts to create a community, as well as contributions by members to American Jewish history, from Asser Levy to Gershom Mendes Seixas, Emma Lazarus and more. Janet will also discuss other members who were founders of important institutions such as Columbia University, Yeshiva University, and the New York Stock Exchange.
Although we won’t have the opportunity to physically enter this majestic landmark building with its inspiring sanctuary and Tiffany stained-glass windows, this virtual experience will allow you to chance to see its beauty and hear its story! This is a Zoom talk not to be missed!
When you purchase your ticket, you will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite with the link to join this talk on Zoom.
Tickets are a minimum of $5 each or for a donation of $10 or $18.
This virtual event is limited to 100 registrants.
**************IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PURCHASE THE BOOK********* ***Remnant of Israel: A Portrait of America’s First Jewish Congregation - Shearith Israel by Rabbi Marc Angel
In September 1654, twenty-three Jewish refugees from Recife, Brazil arrived in the Dutch colonial town of New Amsterdam, (now New York) aboard the St. Charles, a French warship. Despite strong protests by Peter Stuyvesant, then the local governor, the Dutch West India Company ordered that this small group be allowed to stay in New Amsterdam, where they formed the first Jewish congregation in North America, calling themselves Shearith Jacob, or Remnant of Jacob, and later changing the name to Shearith Israel .
This 192 -page book, published to mark Shearith Israel's 350th anniversary, tells the stories as well as the history of the congregation, explaining its origins, its rituals and its traditions. It talks about figures such as Rev. Gershom Mendes Seixas, an incorporator of Columbia College and prominent patriot during the American Revolution; Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy, a hero in the War of 1812 who later saved Thomas Jefferson's Monticello from ruin; Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Nathan Cardozo; Emma Lazarus, whose poem is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty; and Maude Nathan, active in the women's suffrage movement.
The book is profusely illustrated (89 in color and 53 in black and white) with portraits, historical documents and ritual objects. There are beautiful views of the Little Synagogue, now part of the present building on Central Park West at 70th Street, which incorporates furnishings from the congregation's 1730 synagogue on Mill Street, as well as of the recently restored main sanctuary, with its stained glass and interior design by Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The price is $50, which includes shipping and handling and can be purchased at:
https://www.nycjewishtours.org/donate (please note on the paypal form that the donation is for the book.)