Quest for Identity, Rights and Standing: The Jews of Early New York
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| Venue: | H2G, 20488 West Dixie Highway, Aventura, FL 33180 |
Howard Rock, Professor Emeritus in the FIU History Dept., will speak on the topic, “Quest for Identity, Rights and Standing: The Jews of Early New York,” at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, March 11, 2009.
New York City (and before that New Amsterdam), was the site of the earliest settlement of Jews in what would become the United States. Its synagogue, Shearith Israel, was the only synagogue in the the thirteen colonies for almost fifty years. The Jew of Dutch New Amsterdam and then New York strived for equal rights with other citizens as they also fought to fit into colonial society. The struggle for equal rights and the struggle against assimilation took place at the same time. For a small community of 250 to successfully remain took enormous efforts and would create the roots for a much greater Jewish community in years to come.
Howard B. Rock taught at Florida International University for thirty-five years until 2008. He has written or edited five books including Artisans of the New Republic: The Tradesmen of New York in the Age of Jefferson (NYU Press) and Cityscapes: A History of New York in Images (Columbia University Press). He is currently working on a history of the Jews of New York City to the Civil War to be published by NYU Press as part of a trilogy on the history of the Jews of New York. This talk is part of that work. The talk will take place at H2G, 20488 West Dixie Highway, Aventura, FL 33180.
Free and open to the public, this lecture is part of the “Judaism 101” series, co-sponsored with H2G. Call 305-692-8775 or visit www.h2gonline.org for more info.
