Jews and the American Revolution(this ended up being longer than planned, but it is interesting and well worth the time)War is expensive, and in the 1770s when the colonists declared their independance they knew that a war was imminent against the well established and well equipped British army. But their fledgling government, which wasnt really a govt yet, did not have enough funds to cover the war expenses. At the time there was a prominent wealthy Jewish businessman by the name of Haim Solomon who was all in favor of the new country which promised freedom of religion. He funded a major part of the war effort, and
it is thanks to him that we Jews have a safe haven here. Imagine, a fellow Jew, buddies with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. You dont hear much about it in the history books. Last year I visited Philadelphia which was extremely interesting if you like history. Haim Solomon was also one of the founders of the oldest shul in Phili, which I visited, it is still up and running. He sadly died penniless, the new US govt never paid back his loans. He is buried near the shul.
another interesting thing I saw in the shul - when they decided to built a shul, after having held minyanim in various houses for a while, they were making apeals (some things never change!) Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to pledge money - a generous amount (i forget exactly, something like $8 which was equivalent to $500.00 today) because he believed that everyone should be able to worship the way he wants . You can see the "sign up sheet" with his signature there.
Also interesting is the Touro synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island which is the oldest shul in america, also still up and running. We davened there. George Washington visited the congregation there and you can see where he sat. After GW was elected the first president of the new country, the Jews of Newport were concerned that the idea of freedom of religion might be forgotten once there was a real govt. They wrote a letter to the new president and he wrote back a beautiful letter (in his own handwriting) assuring his Jewish constituents that the new govt does not sanction any kind of anti semitism and they can rest assured that they have the right to practice their religion in peace. A copy of this letter is hanging there in the shul. It is quite fascinating.
Another story I have read about a young boy who left Poland to come to America. His parents gave him a menora as a parting gift. He was a soldier in the Revolution. During the infamous terribly harsh winter the troops were waiting out the weather in Valley Forge, hungry and having a hard time of it. On chanuka, this boy took out his menora to light it late at night, because he was afraid his fellow soldiers would not take to it well- he was worried about anti semitism. The General George Washington came by and spoke to him for a few minutes, and the soldier explained that the menora was a symbol of triumph of light against dark, the few against the many, etc. After the war the boy settled in New York. One night there was a knock at his door, and to his surprise, it was George Washington. He told him that when he spoke to him that night by the menora, he was feeling very low and depressed about the war, and the boys words uplifted him and gave him the strength to continue. He had tracked him down, and presented him with a medal.
So you see, the fourth of July is for us to celebrate, since our people were there, and involved.
