Messianism, Secrecy and Mysticism: A New Interpretation of Early American Jewish Life

417 Pages·2013·37.753 MB·English

by  Laura Arnold Leibman

The most innovative, ambitious and important study of Early American M Winner of the 2012 National Jewish Book Awardin the category of American
Jewry to appear in the last forty years. Jewish Studies and the AJS Jordan Schnitzer Book Awardin the category of
Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of e Cultural Studies and Media Studies
s
American Jewish History, Brandeis University s
Messianism, Secrecy
i
a
With rich insight and incomparable historicism, this book describes Judaism
n
in the colonial period … Threading her cultural analysis with intellectual
i
history and religious acumen, Leibman authors a powerful revision to his- s and Mysticism
m
toriography, and an insightful contribution to studies in material culture.
Kathryn Lofton, Yale University ,
S
An essential book recovering the founding Jewish contribution to the e
c A New Interpretation of Early
intellectual history of the Americas.
r
David S. Shields, University of South Carolina e American Jewish Life
c
M
essianism, Secrecy and Mysticism offers a newapproach to the study y

of Jews in the New World and overturns accepted wisdom on a range a
of subjects. It focuses on the objects of everyday life Jews used and created, n
such as ritual baths, food, gravestones, portraits and furniture, as well as the d

synagogue. By uncoveringthese objects and exposing the common culture of M
the Jewish Atlantic World, the bookprovides a new understanding of a crucial
y
era in Jewish and American history.
s
Messianism and secrecy were two keys to this shared culture. The Jews t
i
of the Atlantic World believed that the physical and spiritual could – and c
would – be united through the Messiah. They were deeply messianic and i
s
their belief permeated their visual and religiousethos. m
This ground-breaking study offers new insights about the origins of Jewish
American messianism and helps readers better understand messianism in
contemporary American society. L
a
u
r
a
Laura Arnold Leibman is Associate Professor of English and Humanities A
at Reed College. r
n
o
l
d
Cover image: Joan Blaeu’s Nova et accuratissima totius terrarum orbis tabula
L
(Amsterdam 1664). Courtesy of Library of Congress, g3200 ct0002707. e
i
b
m
VALLENTINE MITCHELL ISBN 978 0 85303 843 6
a
n
Middlesex House 920 NE 58th Avenue
29/45 High Street Suite 300
Edgware, Middlesex Portland, OR 97213-3786
HA8 7UU, UK USA
Laura Arnold Leibman
VALLENTINE
MITCHELL www.vmbooks.com VALLENTINE
MITCHELL
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page i
Messianism, Secrecy and Mysticism
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page ii
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page iii
Messianism, Secrecy
and Mysticism
A New Interpretation of Early
American Jewish Life
Laura Arnold Leibman
VALLENTINEMITCHELL
LONDONandPORTLAND,OR
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 1:18 pm Page iv
Firstpublishedin2012byVallentineMitchell
MiddlesexHouse 920NE58thAvenue,Suite300
29/45HighStreet,Edgware, Portland,Oregon,
MiddlesexHA87UU,UK 97213-3786, USA
www.vmbooks.com
Copyright©2012LauraArnoldLeibman
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
Leibman,LauraArnold.
Messianism,secrecyandmysticism:anewinterpretationof
earlyAmericanJewishlife.
1.Jews--UnitedStates--History--17thcentury.2.Jews--
UnitedStates--History--18thcentury.3.Jews--Material
culture--UnitedStates--History.4.Messianism--United
States--History.
I.Title
305.8'924'073'09032-dc23
ISBN:9780853038337
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Acatalogrecordhasbeenappliedfor
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinor
introducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,
electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwisewithoutthepriorwritten
permissionofthepublisherofthisbook.
PrintedandBoundbyCPIGroup(UK)Ltd,CroydonCR04YY
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page v
Contents
ListofIllustrations vii
ListofTables xiii
Acknowledgements xv
TransliterationsandNames xvii
ListofAbbreviations xix
Timeline xxi
Introduction 1
1. FriendlyPiranhas 25
2. NewJerusalem 57
3. BlackJews 83
4. TheWorld-To-Come 123
5. SoulFood 181
6. FromHolyLandtoNewEnglandCanaan 211
7. TheSecretLivesofMen 235
Conclusion 281
Appendix 313
Glossary 317
SelectBibliography 331
Index 369
v
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page vi
This book is dedicated to Eric, Lyla and Noah,
who have taught me more about Jewish families than
I ever thought I would be privileged to know.
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page vii
Illustrations
1. ‘A New House’, from Tobias Kohen’s Ma’aseh Tobiah
(Venice,1707),p.106a.CourtesyoftheLibraryofCongress,
Washington,DC,HebraicSection. 4
2. MapoftheJewishAtlanticWorldandkeyplacesintheJewish
Mediterranean, adapted from Joan Blaeu’s Nova et accura-
tissima totius terrarum orbis tabula (Amsterdam, 1664).
CourtesyofLibraryofCongress,g3200ct0002707. 6
3. Portrait of Moses Levy (ca 1720), painting by Gerardus
DuyckinckI.CourtesyofMuseumoftheCityofNewYork,
bequestofAlphonseH.Kursheedt,1936. 8
4. Frontispiece to Tikkun keriah (Amsterdam, 1666), featuring
ShabbetaiẒevienthronedastheMessiah.CourtesyofLibrary
ofCongress,Washington,DC,HebraicSection. 12
5. BottompanelofreplicaofgravestoneofElijahNahamiasde
Crasto (1692) from Bet Ḥayyim Blenheim, Curaçao, now at
Mikvé Israel Synagogue Complex, Willemstad. Photograph
bytheauthor,2008. 15
6. EngravingofAmsterdamMikveh,drawnbyP.Wagenaarand
engravedbyC.PhilipsJacobsz,1783.Author’scollection. 29
7. Excavated and restored Great Synagogue Mikveh (1671),
Amsterdam. Photograph by Peter Lange, 2006. Courtesy of
thecollectionoftheJewishHistoricalMuseum,Amsterdam. 39
8. KahalKadoshẒurIsraelMikveh(1636–54),inRecife,Brazil.
Photograph by and courtesy of Joan Glanz Rimmon, Los
Angeles,2006. 42
9. Nidhe Israel Mikveh (ca 1650s), in Bridgetown, Barbados.
PhotographbyandcourtesyofStevanJ.Arnold,2010. 44
vii
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page viii
Illustrations
10. NevehShalomMikvehbuilding(ca1719,renovated1830)in
Paramaribo,Suriname.Photographbytheauthor,2008. 46
11. Mikvé Israel Mikveh (1728) in Willemstad, Curaçao.
Photographbytheauthor,2008. 49
12. SamuelKing,EzraStiles(1771).CourtesyofYaleUniversity
ArtGallery,NewHaven,CT. 58
13. JohnEvelyn’splanforrebuildingLondon(1666),withSefirot
and paths labeled. Courtesy of the Bodleian Library,
University of Oxford, Lib. Shelfmark (E) C 17:70 London
1165. 61
14. LeondeTemplo’sdrawingofthe‘TempelSalomonis’(1665).
CourtesyoftheBodleianLibrary,UniversityofOxford,Lib.
Shelfmark4°R81(1)Th. 64
15. PortugueseSynagogueinAmsterdam(1675).Photographby
theauthor,2009. 65
16. The Divine Proportion of 37:100. Courtesy of John
Wilkinson, From Synagogue to Church: The Traditional
Design: Its Beginning, its Definition, its End (New York:
RoutledgeCurzon,2002),p.82,Figure6.14. 66
17. Proportion at Bevis Marks (1702)..Courtesy of Wilkinson,
FromSynagoguetoChurch,p.107,Figure11.7. 68
18. Neo-SolomonicOrder.Diagrambytheauthor. 69
19. Touro Synagogue, Newport RI. Photograph by the author,
2007. 70
20. Map of Jewish Newport by the author, based on William
Faden’s1777APlanoftheTownofNewportinRhodeIsland
Surveyed by Charles Blaskowitz, engraved and publish’d by
Willm.Faden[Map](London:1777),MapCollections1500–
2004, American Memory, Library of Congress, 14 August
2007.DataregardinghousesfromBernardKusinitz’s‘Jewish
Homes Colonial Period’, Newport Land Evidence, 1700–79
(NHS), Newport Land Evidence, 1780–1810 (NCH),
NewportProbateRecords,1779–1810(NCH),and‘Mapsof
Lots on Easton’s Point’, Land Evidence, Newport, 1725
(NHS). 71
21. HABS drawing, east elevation, Touro Synagogue (1941).
CourtesyofLibraryofCongress,HABSRI,3-NEWP,29-. 72
viii
3731 VM Messianism, Secrecy & Mysticism:Layout 1 8/5/12 12:47 pm Page ix
Illustrations
22. Divine Proportions in Touro Synagogue. Divine Proportion
of 37:100, Wilkinson, From Synagogue to Church, p.82,
Figure6.14,superimposedonHABSdrawingofplanoffirst
floor, Touro Synagogue [1941]. Courtesy of Library of
Congress,HABSRI,3-NEWP,29-. 73
23. TypeofslaveryandinclusivenesswithintheFamily.Diagram
bytheauthor. 95
24. Members of the Jewish household: peripheral inclusion in
Suriname.Diagrambytheauthor. 100
25. Grave-marker of Louisa Lobles (1931), Creole Cemetery in
Jodensavanne,Suriname.Photographbytheauthor,2008. 102
26. Members of the Jewish household: peripheral inclusion in
Curaçao.Diagrambytheauthor. 104
27. Characteristic Sephardic stone from the BergAltena Jewish
Cemetery,Curaçao.Photographbytheauthor,2008. 108
28. Yu-di Hudiu gravestone of Cira Maduro de Henriquez and
Antonio Henriquez, using Sephardi design, Berg Altena
Catholic Cemetery, Curaçao. Photograph by Kent Coupé,
2008. 108
29. Members of the Jewish household: peripheral inclusion in
Newport.Diagrambytheauthor. 109
30. Stone of Peter Cranston, Jr, slave of Aaron Lopez (1771),
‘God’sLittleAcre’,CommonBuryingGround,Newport,RI.
CarverWilliamStevens.Photographbytheauthor,2007. 111
31. Stone of Isaac Lopez (1762),Touro Cemetery, Newport, RI.
CarverJohnStevensII.Photographbytheauthor,2007. 111
32. BenjaminSeniorGodines,‘VanitasPicture:AMementoMori’
(1681).CourtesyoftheJewishMuseum,London. 115
33. Detail of gravestone of Samuel Senior Teixeira (1717), Bet
ḤayyimOuderkerk.Photographbytheauthor,2009. 131
34. Map of the Old Jewish Cemetery in Curaçao, Bet Ḥayyim
Bleinheim, with location of stones marked. Map by the
author. 135
35. Reproduction of gravestone of Isaac Ḥayyim Senior (1726)
in Snoa Museum, Willemstad, Curaçao. Original in Bet
Ḥayyim Bleinheim, Curaçao. Photograph by the author,
2008. 140
ix