There was a small Jewish presence in the United States. I have visited the Truro Synagogue in Newport, Road Island, the oldest synagogue in the United States, dating back to the mid-18th century. Among the merchant/congregants was:
Aaron Lopez.- Merchant King Who Kept The Revolutionary Army Supplied
by Seymour "Sy" Brody
Aaron Lopez was a major factor in the Colonies' ability to continue to revolt against the British in their quest for freedom. He is said to have owned, whole or in part, 30 transoceanic ships and more than 100 coastal vessels that became an important delivery arm for supplying sorely needed supplies to the Revolutionary Army.
Despite the pressure put on his ships by the British to prevent them from supplying the Colonial Army, his ships managed to deliver the materials needed for the Revolution.
Lopez was a power in Newport, Rhode Island, for years, when the port city was described as a shipping center that "New York can never hope to rival." One of the reasons for this was Rhode Island's great religious liberalism, which attracted a substantial community of well-educated and able Jews, the most affluent in the Colonies.
Lopez, who was bom in Portugal in 1731 and died in Newport in 1782, was one of the most outstanding Jews. He was described by Ezra Styles, Christian pastor and president of Yale, as "a merchant of first eminence; for honor and extent of commerce probably surpassed by no merchant in America." Newport's shipping industry was most important to young America's growing strength and power that enabled it to revolt.
Lopez was also recognized as a promoter of friendly relations between the faiths. He was respected by Christians and Jews alike, and no ship ever left his dock on either's Sabbath, Lopez personally laid the cornerstone of Touro Synagogue in Newport, which is now a Federal Shrine.
In strong sympathy with the Revolutionary patriots, Lopez fled Newport when the British attacked. Although Newport was ruined in the war, he did attempt to return when peace was won, but he was killed in an accident on the way.
fau.edu
Some other notable Jews of the period:
Jews both fought in and helped finance the Revolutionary War. The war was right in their front yard! Among them, one Abraham Solomon, in the Battle of Bunker Hill with the 21st Regiment from Gloucester. On July 31, 1776, Frances Salvador, a plantation owner from South Carolina, was killed in a British incited Indian skirmish. He was the first Jew killed in the Revolutionary War.
Legend has it that George Washington appealed for funds to financier Haym Salomon on Yom Kippur. Salomon, it is said, suspended services in the synagogue upon learning of the desperate request, secured pledges from congregants and then proceeded with observances. Salomon was later imprisoned by the British in New York, he secured his release by translating German documents, but later was again arrested for spying and fortunately succeeded in escaping to Philadelphia. He was not Sephardic, but married into a Sephardic family. Born in Lissa, Poland, in 1740, Salomon spent several years moving around western Europe and England, developing fluency in several languages that served him well for the remainder of his life. Reaching New York City in 1772, he swiftly established himself as a successful merchant and dealer in foreign securities. Striking up an acquaintance with Alexander MacDougall, leader of the New York Sons of Liberty, Salomon became active in the patriot cause. When war broke out in 1776, Salomon got a contract to supply American troops in central New York. In 1777, he married Rachel Franks, whose brother Isaac was a lieutenant colonel on George Washington's staff. Their ketubah resides at the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History in New York. He later served as a member of he governing council of Philadelphia's Congregation Mikveh Israel, a synagogue of the Spanish-Portuguese rite.
There, with the help of friends, he became active in a security house and made a considerable fortune. He was highly patriotic and helped Robert Morris, who was in charge of the government's financing, to raise money to conduct the war. He loaned much money of his own and, probably due to his imprisonment and active participation in the war, he died at an early age, before the government had made restitution on his loans. He was a martyr to the cause of liberty and American independence.
Most of the New York Jews were Patriots during the Revolutionary War. The few Loyalists were the Nathans, Hendrickses, and a part of the Gomez family. Col. Isaac Franks and Maj. David Franks served in the Continental Army with honor and distinction from New York. Among other Jewish officers of distinction in the Revolutionary War were Major Benjamin Nones, Capt. Jacob de la Motta, and Capt. Jacob de Leon, who were attached to Baron de Kalb's staff at the battle of Camden, South Carolina. When the huge and brave general of German origin was wounded mortally from a half a dozen wounds and deserted by most of his troops, it was these three Jewish officers who, at the risk of their own lives, carried him off the battlefield.
The three Pinto brothers of New Haven left Connecticut to fight for American independence. Some of the families involved with the cause were the Ascostes, the Benjamins, the Cardozos, the Cordobas, the Gomezes, the Hendrickses, the Levys, the Mendozas, the Nathans, the Pintos, and Rabbi Sexias. The Americans were always thankful to the Jewish people. Here a letter sent to the Sephardic synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island by President George Washington. In it Washington uses a few words written by Rabbi Isaac Sarfati (1454) of Istanbul. Words originally meant to tell the Jews of the world about the peacefulness he had found in Turkey.
--Gentlemen
While I received, with much satisfaction your address, replete with expressions of affection and esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you, that I shall always retain a grateful rememberance of the cordial welcome come I experienced in my visit to Newport from all classes of Citizens.
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy, a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience, and immunities of citizenship.
May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths and make us all in our own several vocations useful there, and in his own due time and way, everlastingly happy.
G. Washington
Another member of the congregation was Haym Levy, probably a descendent of Asher Levy, the pioneer emigrant known as "the battling butcher of New Amsterdam." Haym Levy was an honest and successful merchant. He was one of the great fur dealers of the time. It was in his store that John Jacob Astor learned the fur business. During the Revolution, he retired to Philadelphia. He was a true Patriot and a friend of the United States. Rabbi Seixas, Gomez, and Levy were buried in the Jewish burying ground hounded by Oliver, Madison, and James Streets, within the new Bowery. New York graveyards or cities of the dead have not been untouchable or sacred from the hands of time or the foot of progress. About 1830, congregation Shearth Israel moved to Crosby Street near Spring Street, and thirty years later it again moved to a synagogue near the northwest corner of 19th Street and Fifth Avenue.
A 1779 British invasion through Georgia towards the Carolinas eventually proved to be a major quagmire for the British commanders. British troops were unprepared for new tactics used by American rebels, who fought small, delaying skirmishes, retreated, and then would turn to fight again. British General Cornwallis fought his way along the eastern edge of America, but was unable to achieve a knock-out blow.
Regrouping in the Chesapeake region, Cornwallis planned to await fresh supplies and troops sent across the ocean from England. Without his knowledge, however, Washington had left the safety of New York and marched his forces south where a trap was laid for the British general. While in the French West Indies, French Admiral de Grasse had notified Washington of his fleet's availability, which Washington accepted, and so the French sailed for Yorktown, on the Chesapeake coast. With Washington advancing from the north, and a French army under the French Comte de Rochambeau to the south, the British faced 16,000 troops, while they could muster only 7,000. Cornwallis desperately hoped to be evacuated by sea, but before the Royal Navy could arrive, the French fleet sailed into position. Cornwallis was forced to surrender his entire command, the largest British army in America. The date was October 19, 1781.
Sporadic fighting continued after Cornwallis surrendered in 1781. In March 1782, the British prime minister was replaced. Colonial negotiators began to assemble in Paris. Congress had given Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams instructions not to negotiate without the aid of the French, but these three men did not follow their orders. The French were eager to see their European rivals defeated, but also had hopes of keeping the Americans weakened, which would aid the Spanish, another French ally, with its own interests in North America. America would also serve as a strong overseas market and continual ally. The American delegates secretly opened negotiations with the British, and a temporary treaty was reached in 1782, but the final treaty came a year later. The new treaty recognized the colonies as being independent from British rule and established a normalization of relations that would lead eventually to a strong relationship of trust and coexistence.
The American army under George Washington marched into New York on November 25, 1783, King's College was renamed Columbia University. Rabbi Seixas of Congregation Shearith Israel was named as one of the trustees as he was very highly regarded by everyone. Mario Gomez was a much respected real estate man and money lender. The Daily Gazette contained his obituary as follows: "He was religious, hospitable, humane and generous and a staunch friend of freedom as was evidenced by his relinquishing a very considerable property and residing among the friends of the Revolution during the late war.
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