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The first Jews to arrive in North America were 23 [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardim]] fleeing the Portuguese conquest of [[Dutch Brazil]] in 1654.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jews in Colonial New York |url=https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/blog/jews-in-colonial-new-york |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=www.philipsemanorhall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The New York Historical |url=https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/new-yorks-first-jews-came-from-brazil |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=www.nyhistory.org |language=en}}</ref>
The first Jews to arrive in North America were 23 [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardim]] fleeing the Portuguese conquest of [[Dutch Brazil]] in 1654.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jews in Colonial New York |url=https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/blog/jews-in-colonial-new-york |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=www.philipsemanorhall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The New York Historical |url=https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/new-yorks-first-jews-came-from-brazil |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=www.nyhistory.org |language=en}}</ref>


== Customs ==
== Culture, traditions, and customs ==
[[File:Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes.jpg|thumb|247x247px|R' Henry Pereira Mendes wearing the traditional robes of Spanish-Portuguese clergy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=e |first=e |date=2016-05-19 |title=Kedoshim and Canonicals 5776 |url=https://www.sephardi.org.uk/kedoshim-and-canonicals/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=S and P Sephardi Community |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=‘A Most Beloved Part of Our Service’:The Slow Procession to the Ark in a Sephardic Synagogue – Covering Religion |url=https://coveringreligion.org/2023/03/06/a-most-beloved-part-of-our-servicethe-slow-procession-to-the-ark-in-a-sephardic-synagogue/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=coveringreligion.org}}</ref>]]
[[File:Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes.jpg|thumb|247x247px|R' Henry Pereira Mendes wearing the traditional robes of Spanish-Portuguese clergy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=e |first=e |date=2016-05-19 |title=Kedoshim and Canonicals 5776 |url=https://www.sephardi.org.uk/kedoshim-and-canonicals/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=S and P Sephardi Community |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=‘A Most Beloved Part of Our Service’:The Slow Procession to the Ark in a Sephardic Synagogue – Covering Religion |url=https://coveringreligion.org/2023/03/06/a-most-beloved-part-of-our-servicethe-slow-procession-to-the-ark-in-a-sephardic-synagogue/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=coveringreligion.org}}</ref>]]


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=== Traditionalism ===
=== Traditionalism ===
Spanish-Portuguese communities place a heavy emphasis on the preservation of Western Sephardic liturgical customs and religious traditions, despite the fact that Spanish-Portuguese communities in the US have always included [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazim]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-19 |title=Our Minhag {{!}} Congregation Shearith Israel- Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue |url=https://www.shearithisrael.org/about/our-minhag/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |language=en}}</ref>
Spanish-Portuguese communities place a heavy emphasis on the preservation of Western Sephardic liturgical customs and religious traditions, despite the fact that Spanish-Portuguese communities in the US have always included [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazim]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-19 |title=Our Minhag {{!}} Congregation Shearith Israel- Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue |url=https://www.shearithisrael.org/about/our-minhag/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Thanksgiving service ===
Congregation Shearith Israel has been conducting [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] services since President [[George Washington]] first instituted the holiday in 1789.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-31 |title=Thanksgiving at Shearith Israel {{!}} Congregation Shearith Israel - Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue |url=https://www.shearithisrael.org/programs/holidays/thanksgiving-at-shearith-israel/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeffren |first=Tamar |date=2024-11-22 |title=Trustees of Congregation Shearith Israel Regarding Thanksgiving Day, 1847 |url=https://ajhs.org/trustees-of-congregation-shearith-israel-regarding-thanksgiving-day-1847/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=American Jewish Historical Society |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gilson |first=Grace |date=2025-11-28 |title=Oldest Jewish congregation in US launches Manhattan kosher food pantry on Thanksgiving |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/oldest-jewish-congregation-in-us-launches-manhatten-kosher-food-pantry-on-thanksgiving/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |work=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref>
=== Architecture ===
Traditionally, Spanish-Portuguese synagogue architecture was based off of older structures, such as the [[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)|Portuguese Synagogue]] of Amsterdam and the [[Old Synagogue of Livorno|Great Synagogue of Livorno]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perelis |first=Ronnie |date=2019 |title=Jewish sacred architecture in the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora |url=https://repository.yu.edu/items/cc20b67e-6bac-43ca-b267-208a8510cfd4 |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=repository.yu.edu}}</ref>


== Modern communities ==
== Modern communities ==

Revision as of 17:41, 20 May 2026

Template:Short description Template:Draft topics Template:AfC topic Template:AfC submission Template:AfC submission

Spanish-Portuguese Jews are the oldest Jewish community in the United States.[1][2]

History

Template:Further The first Jews to arrive in North America were 23 Sephardim fleeing the Portuguese conquest of Dutch Brazil in 1654.[3][4]

Culture, traditions, and customs

R' Henry Pereira Mendes wearing the traditional robes of Spanish-Portuguese clergy.[5][6]

Language

Despite the name, most Spanish-Portuguese in the United States do not speak Spanish nor Portuguese, and any vestiges of either language remain only in the Hebrew pronunciation and traditional liturgy.[7] An example, Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, a notable Spanish-Portuguese lawyer and traditionalist, "confessed in 1937 that" after centuries in British North America, "his family preserved neither the Spanish language nor Iberian cultural traditions".[8] His ancestors had lived in England, the British colonies, and the United States since the 17th century.

Some Spanish table songs, most famously Bendigamos, are still sung by many Spanish-Portuguese.[9][10]

Dress

Traditionally, Spanish-Portuguese clerical attire consists of canonical robes, a top hat, and/or tricorn depending on the specific community and occasion.[11]

Traditionalism

Spanish-Portuguese communities place a heavy emphasis on the preservation of Western Sephardic liturgical customs and religious traditions, despite the fact that Spanish-Portuguese communities in the US have always included Ashkenazim.[12]

Thanksgiving service

Congregation Shearith Israel has been conducting Thanksgiving services since President George Washington first instituted the holiday in 1789.[13][14][15]

Architecture

Traditionally, Spanish-Portuguese synagogue architecture was based off of older structures, such as the Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam and the Great Synagogue of Livorno.[16]

Modern communities

Historical communities

Institutions and organizations

Notable individuals

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Introduction: Origins of the American Jewish Community" (in en). https://jwa.org/article/introduction-origins-of-american-jewish-community. 
  2. ↑ "Congregational History | Congregation Shearith Israel- Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue" (in en). 2022-05-19. https://www.shearithisrael.org/about/our-history/congregational-history/. 
  3. ↑ "Jews in Colonial New York" (in en). https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/blog/jews-in-colonial-new-york. 
  4. ↑ "The New York Historical" (in en). https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/new-yorks-first-jews-came-from-brazil. 
  5. ↑ e, e (2016-05-19). "Kedoshim and Canonicals 5776" (in en-GB). https://www.sephardi.org.uk/kedoshim-and-canonicals/. 
  6. ↑ "‘A Most Beloved Part of Our Service’:The Slow Procession to the Ark in a Sephardic Synagogue – Covering Religion". https://coveringreligion.org/2023/03/06/a-most-beloved-part-of-our-servicethe-slow-procession-to-the-ark-in-a-sephardic-synagogue/. 
  7. ↑ "Shearith Israel, Oldest Synagogue Here, Rich with Hoary Memories" (in en-US). https://www.jta.org/archive/shearith-israel-oldest-synagogue-here-rich-with-hoary-memories. 
  8. ↑ Aviva Ben-Ur (2009). Sephardic Jews in America: A Diasporic History. New York: NYU Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-8147-8632-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=JZQwMhgF8VkC&pg=PA86. Retrieved on 2016-02-19. 
  9. ↑ "London Sephardi Music - Bendigamos" (in en-US). https://sites.google.com/site/londonsephardimusic/table-songs/bendigamos. 
  10. ↑ "Bendigamos | jewishmusic" (in en). https://jewish-music.huji.ac.il/en/node/23713. 
  11. ↑ "Our tradition" (in en-US). https://www.esnoga.com/en/traditions/. 
  12. ↑ "Our Minhag | Congregation Shearith Israel- Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue" (in en). 2022-05-19. https://www.shearithisrael.org/about/our-minhag/. 
  13. ↑ "Thanksgiving at Shearith Israel | Congregation Shearith Israel - Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue" (in en). 2022-05-31. https://www.shearithisrael.org/programs/holidays/thanksgiving-at-shearith-israel/. 
  14. ↑ Zeffren, Tamar (2024-11-22). "Trustees of Congregation Shearith Israel Regarding Thanksgiving Day, 1847" (in en-US). https://ajhs.org/trustees-of-congregation-shearith-israel-regarding-thanksgiving-day-1847/. 
  15. ↑ Gilson, Grace (2025-11-28). "Oldest Jewish congregation in US launches Manhattan kosher food pantry on Thanksgiving" (in en-US). The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. https://www.timesofisrael.com/oldest-jewish-congregation-in-us-launches-manhatten-kosher-food-pantry-on-thanksgiving/. 
  16. ↑ Perelis, Ronnie (2019). "Jewish sacred architecture in the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora". https://repository.yu.edu/items/cc20b67e-6bac-43ca-b267-208a8510cfd4. 
  17. ↑ "Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue (U.S. National Park Service)" (in en). https://www.nps.gov/places/kahal-kadosh-beth-elohim-synagogue.htm. 
  18. ↑ "Touro Synagogue" (in en-US). http://tourosynagogue.com/about-us/ourhistory/. 
  19. ↑ "History of CMI - Congregation Mickve Israel". https://www.mickveisrael.org/history-of-cmi.html. 
  20. ↑ "The Touro Synagogue - Newport, RI" (in en-US). 2025-05-28. https://www.thetourosynagogue.org/. 
  21. ↑ "Our Historic Synagogue" (in en-US). https://synagogue.vi/our-historic-synagogue/. 
  22. ↑ "History of JTS - Jewish Theological Seminary" (in en-US). 2015-09-29. https://www.jtsa.edu/history-of-jts/. 
  23. ↑ Levine, Dr Yitzchok (2013-09-11). "Reverend Henry Pereira Mendes: Orthodox Stalwart (Part I)" (in en-US). https://www.ou.org/life/community/reverend-henry-pereira-mendes-orthodox-stalwart-part/. 
  24. ↑ Markovitz, Eugene (1966). "Henry Pereira Mendes: Architect of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America". American Jewish Historical Quarterly 55 (3): 364–384. ISSN 0002-9068. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23875623. 
  25. ↑ "Fiftieth Anniversary of the "Hebra Hased Va Amet" Hebrew Benevolent Society." (in en-US). The New York Times. 1852-11-12. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/1852/11/12/archives/fiftieth-anniversary-of-the-hebra-hased-va-amet-hebrew-benevolent.html. 
  26. ↑ "Gomez Mill House: An American Treasure". https://www.gomez.org/about.html. 
  27. ↑ Staff, ToI (2023-10-12). "Sgt. First Class Yosef Malachi Guedalia, 22: ‘A very gentle, sweet person’" (in en-US). The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. https://www.timesofisrael.com/sgt-first-class-yosef-malachi-guedalia-22-a-very-gentle-sweet-person/. 
  28. ↑ "RABBI SHALOM MORRIS" (in en-GB). https://www.sephardi.org.uk/about/rabbis/rabbi-shalom-morris/. 
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