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=== Architecture ===
=== 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>
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>
[[File:Spanish-Portuguese Jewish youth honoring Jewish-American veterans of their community.jpg|left|thumb|Spanish-Portuguese Jewish youth place flags on the graves of fallen Jewish veterans at the [[First Shearith Israel Graveyard]] during Memorial Day 2026.]]


=== Memorial Day ===
=== Memorial Day ===

Revision as of 17:53, 4 June 2026

Template:Short description Template:Draft topics Template:AfC topic Template:AfC submission Template:AfC submission Template:Infobox ethnic group

Spanish-Portuguese Jews or simply S&P are the oldest Jewish community in the United States.[1][2]

The community has been instrumental in not just Jewish-American history, but American history as a whole.[3][4][5]

History

Template:Further

Gomez Mill House in Newburgh, NY, USA. One of the earliest known residences of a Jew in the future United States of America.

The first Jews to arrive in North America were 23 Sephardim fleeing the Portuguese conquest of Dutch Brazil in 1654.[6][7]

Culture, traditions, and customs

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.[8] 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".[9] 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.[10][11] However, Bendigamos is believed to have originated among the S&P community of Bordeaux, France and originally was sung in French.[12]

Clerical terminology

Hazzanim in the S&P rite are given the title of "Reverend". For much of the community's history in America, communities were led by hazzanim who were not ordained rabbis.[13]

Dress

R' Henry Pereira Mendes wearing the traditional robes of Spanish-Portuguese clergy.[14][15]

Traditionally, Spanish-Portuguese clerical attire consists of canonical robes, a top hat, and/or tricorn depending on the specific community and occasion.[16]

Silk prayer shawl

The traditional material used in the production of tallitot (prayer shawls) in Spanish-Portuguese communities in the United States, as well as others, is silk. It is theorized that the material contributed to the unique S&P way of donning the shawl.[17][18][19]

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.[20]

Thanksgiving service

Congregation Shearith Israel has been conducting Thanksgiving services since President George Washington first instituted the holiday in 1789.[21][22][23]

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.[24]

Spanish-Portuguese Jewish youth place flags on the graves of fallen Jewish veterans at the First Shearith Israel Graveyard during Memorial Day 2026.

Memorial Day

Every year, Shearith Israel hosts a Memorial Day ceremony in honor of veteran members of the community, notably those who perished during the American Revolutionary War.[25] The event is attended by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York color guard.[26]

Cuisine

Spanish-Portuguese cuisine in colonial America largely mirrored that of their fellow colonists, albeit with alterations to follow the laws of kashrut. Commonly eaten foods included corn, beans, fish, preserved fruit, preserved vegetables, and pickled vegetables.[27]

Halakhic approach

Though there is no uniquely Spanish-Portuguese approach to halakha, historically the predominant stream of Judaism in the community has been rationalist and Maimonidean. Kabbalah is also notably absent from the S&P rite.[28]

Modern communities

Historical communities

Institutions and organizations

Theological

Historical

Philanthropic and charitable

Political

Educational

Namesakes

Publications

Media

Notable individuals

See also

Template:Sephardic Jews topics

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. ↑ U, Sephardic (2023-05-29). "The Sephardic Jews in the American Revolutionary War: Contributions to Independence" (in en-US). https://sephardicu.com/sephardic-history/the-sephardic-jews-in-the-american-revolutionary-war-contributions-to-independence/. 
  4. ↑ Gottlieb, Jack. "The Blogs: The Surprising Story of George Washington, Sephardic Jews and Ashdod, Israel" (in en-US). https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-surprising-story-of-george-washington-sephardic-jews-and-ashdod-israel/. 
  5. ↑ "Sephardi Women in the United States | moreshet.net" (in he-IL). 2015-03-03. https://sephardimoreshet.net/2015/03/03/ratatouille-pizza-gluten-free/. 
  6. ↑ "Jews in Colonial New York" (in en). https://www.philipsemanorhall.com/blog/jews-in-colonial-new-york. 
  7. ↑ "The New York Historical" (in en). https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/new-yorks-first-jews-came-from-brazil. 
  8. ↑ "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. 
  9. ↑ 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. 
  10. ↑ "London Sephardi Music - Bendigamos" (in en-US). https://sites.google.com/site/londonsephardimusic/table-songs/bendigamos. 
  11. ↑ "Bendigamos | jewishmusic" (in en). https://jewish-music.huji.ac.il/en/node/23713. 
  12. ↑ "London Sephardi Music - Bendigamos" (in en-US). https://sites.google.com/site/londonsephardimusic/table-songs/bendigamos. 
  13. ↑ 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/. 
  14. ↑ e, e (2016-05-19). "Kedoshim and Canonicals 5776" (in en-GB). https://www.sephardi.org.uk/kedoshim-and-canonicals/. 
  15. ↑ "‘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/. 
  16. ↑ "Our tradition" (in en-US). https://www.esnoga.com/en/traditions/. 
  17. ↑ Somekh, Simone (2018-12-11). "This $500 Pure Silk Tallit Is Produced In An Italian Village — Alongside Hermes Scarves" (in en). https://forward.com/life/415714/this-500-pure-silk-tallit-is-produced-in-a-village-in-northern-italy/. 
  18. ↑ "Silk Tallit - Jewish Tradition" (in en). https://talleddiseta.com/. 
  19. ↑ shalommorris (2017-06-23). "Shelah – The Western Sephardic Talet" (in en). https://shalommorris.com/2017/06/23/shelah-the-western-sephardic-talet/. 
  20. ↑ "Our Minhag | Congregation Shearith Israel- Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue" (in en). 2022-05-19. https://www.shearithisrael.org/about/our-minhag/. 
  21. ↑ "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/. 
  22. ↑ 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/. 
  23. ↑ 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/. 
  24. ↑ Perelis, Ronnie (2019). "Jewish sacred architecture in the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora". https://repository.yu.edu/items/cc20b67e-6bac-43ca-b267-208a8510cfd4. 
  25. ↑ "Memorial Day | Congregation Shearith Israel - Manhattan Orthodox Synagogue" (in en). 2022-05-31. https://www.shearithisrael.org/programs/holidays/memorial-day/. 
  26. ↑ "Color Guard" (in en-US). https://www.sonsoftherevolution.org/color-guard. 
  27. ↑ Hausman, Judith (2016-02-25). "Foodways of Colonial Sephardim in the Hudson Valley" (in en-US). https://hvmag.com/life-style/news/foodways-of-colonial-sephardim-in-the-hudson-valley/. 
  28. ↑ Howard••, Aaron. "Jewish Herald-Voice". https://jhvonline.com/the-legacy-of-spanishportuguese-jewry-p934-89.htm. 
  29. ↑ "Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue (U.S. National Park Service)" (in en). https://www.nps.gov/places/kahal-kadosh-beth-elohim-synagogue.htm. 
  30. ↑ "Touro Synagogue" (in en-US). http://tourosynagogue.com/about-us/ourhistory/. 
  31. ↑ "History of CMI - Congregation Mickve Israel". https://www.mickveisrael.org/history-of-cmi.html. 
  32. ↑ "The Touro Synagogue - Newport, RI" (in en-US). 2025-05-28. https://www.thetourosynagogue.org/. 
  33. ↑ "Our Historic Synagogue" (in en-US). https://synagogue.vi/our-historic-synagogue/. 
  34. ↑ "History - Congregation Beth Ahabah". https://www.bethahabah.org/heritage/history/. 
  35. ↑ "History of JTS - Jewish Theological Seminary" (in en-US). 2015-09-29. https://www.jtsa.edu/history-of-jts/. 
  36. ↑ 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/. 
  37. ↑ 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. 
  38. ↑ "About Us | jewishideas.org". https://www.jewishideas.org/about-us. 
  39. ↑ "Rabbi Marc Angel - MJHI" (in en-US). https://manhattanjewish.org/2023_hall_of_fame/rabbi-marc-angel/index.htm. 
  40. ↑ "Gomez Mill House: An American Treasure". https://www.gomez.org/about.html. 
  41. ↑ "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. 
  42. ↑ by. "Meir Soloveichik" (in en). https://www.tabletmag.com/contributors/meir-soloveichik. 
  43. ↑ "The Meaning of Trump’s $10 Million Grant to a Jewish Nonprofit" (in en). https://jewishcurrents.org/the-meaning-of-trumps-10-million-grant-to-a-jewish-nonprofit. 
  44. ↑ "Sephardic Programs" (in en). https://www.yu.edu/JLL/Sephardic. 
  45. ↑ "About Us | The Ḥabura" (in en). https://www.thehabura.com/about. 
  46. ↑ Martinez, Nicole (2014-06-29). "First Trailer for Mini-Series of Acclaimed 'The Book of Negroes'" (in en-US). https://www.abhmuseum.org/first-trailer-for-mini-series-of-acclaimed-the-book-of-negroes/. 
  47. ↑ "Moses Ezekiel" (in en). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/moses-ezekiel. 
  48. ↑ 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/. 
  49. ↑ "RABBI SHALOM MORRIS" (in en-GB). https://www.sephardi.org.uk/about/rabbis/rabbi-shalom-morris/. 

Category:American people of Portuguese-Jewish descent Category:American people of Spanish-Jewish descent Category:Sephardi Jewish culture by country Category:Sephardi Jewish culture Category:Sephardi Jews Category:Sephardi Jews by nationality

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