The Records of the Earliest Jewish Community in the New World
- Subtitle: [None]
- Author: Arnold Wiznitzer
- Publisher: American Jewish Historical Society, – 108 pp.
- LOC Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/54002217
- Availability: out of print and very expensive; recommend finding in a library
Review
This book focuses on a manuscript in seventeenth century Portuguese that once belonged to the Livraria Ets Haim of KK Talmud Torah in Amsterdam. First described in 1929 by J. S. da Silva Rosa, it is the original minute book of the Portuguese Jewish community of Recife and Mauricia, Brazil, which flourished between 1630 and 1654. Many scholars before Wiznitzer relied on mistakes that were made by da Silva Rosa and others in their presentations of the document, and Wiznitzer's goal is to correct these errors and offer a critical interpretation of the newly refurbished text.
The manuscript is one of the oldest treasures of Jewish history in the New World, both because Recife was the first and largest community in the Western Hemisphere until its demise in 1654, and because 23 survivors from this group went on to found the first Jewish community in North America, in the city of Nieuw Amsterdam. It offers a wealth of information on the operation, values, and disputes of this early community, and Wiznitzer does an excellent job of making these themes accessible and interesting to the reader.
The book is divided into two parts: the first offers a new interpretation of the Minute Book itself and the historical context that formed it, while the second offers a word-for-word translation of the entire text, including the 171 legible signatures appended to it.
The manuscript is one of the oldest treasures of Jewish history in the New World, both because Recife was the first and largest community in the Western Hemisphere until its demise in 1654, and because 23 survivors from this group went on to found the first Jewish community in North America, in the city of Nieuw Amsterdam. It offers a wealth of information on the operation, values, and disputes of this early community, and Wiznitzer does an excellent job of making these themes accessible and interesting to the reader.
The book is divided into two parts: the first offers a new interpretation of the Minute Book itself and the historical context that formed it, while the second offers a word-for-word translation of the entire text, including the 171 legible signatures appended to it.
Contents
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Introduction
The plenary meeting of 1648 Membership in the community Central control by congregation Zur Israel Election of officers and functionaries & their duties Religious services and education Social welfare Finances Justice and enforcement of the law Minutes of the Meetings of the Mahamad (1649-1653) The Members of the Brazilian Jewish Community (1648-1653) The Synagogue and Cemetery in Recife (1630-1654) Translation of the Minute Book (1648-1653) Glossary Index |
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8 11 12 13 17 26 28 32 36 45 53 58 92 101 |
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