Valor & Virtue
The Jewish American Military Historical Society
Created & written by: S.P. Yudin
Illustrated by: Abel Garcia
Lettered & designed by: Amal Desai
Edited by: Al Rudis
This comic was made possible by a very generous donation from Alan Yudin and from Irv and Nancy Chase
by a Gordon Lentzner Community Grant from Jewish Long Beach and sponsorship from Jewish War Veterans Post 603 San Fernando Valley
Jewish Colonial America
The arrival of Jews in North America is debated. Some believe Columbus had conversos (Jewish converts) among his crew, and a recent DNA study suggests Columbus himself may have had Jewish ancestry.
The first documented Jew in the American colonies was Elias Legardo, an indentured servant who arrived in Jamestown in 1621 aboard the HMS Abigail to teach grape cultivation. Joachim Gans, a metallurgist, may have arrived earlier in 1585 with the ill-fated Roanoke colony. In 1649, Solomon Franco, a Sephardic Jew from Holland, briefly settled in Boston before being ordered to leave.
The first Jew known to settle permanently was Jacob Barsimson, who arrived in New Amsterdam (later New York) on August 22,1964
Early Jewish communities formed in New Amsterdam, Newport, Philadelphia, Charles Town (Present day Charlston), and Savannah, drawn by religious tolerance and bustling ports. Colonies like Rhode Island, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia were more accepting, while Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, and Maryland remained restrictive until just before the Revolution. Many Jews also moved inland as traders and suppliers.
