The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen

by Simon Wolf

We are informed by David J. C. Nasi (or Nassy), the third descendant of the original settler of Surinam, who compiled with other intelligent men of his age, an exhaustive and comprehensive chronicle of the Jews in Surinam in French,[91] that already in 1750, Moses Naar and Gabriel de La Fatte, in recognition of their active zeal in suppressing a revolt of the negroes in their colony, were presented with silver cups and a vote of thanks from the government.[92]

The fame achieved by his co-religionist, Naar, so enthused and electrified the young and ambitious Isaac Nassy that he was eagerly anticipating another outbreak on the part of the Maroons, in order to show his courage and reckless heroism. The impetuous youth met with a noble, but pathetic end:

Thinking that against a well-regulated army, however small, no valor or charge of the negroes could possibly prevail, he hastily collected twelve of his followers upon the rumor of their approach; armed his and their most trusty slaves; provided himself with the barest necessities of war, sufficient for about ten or twelve days, and pursued the retreating foe with an ardor which, if imprudent, is at least a virtue in one so young and war-thirsty. He was, however, suddenly confronted by a much more considerable number of negroes than he reckoned upon. His little band stood ground but for a short while. Nassy himself displayed great bravery, and although severely wounded by a rifle shot in his right limb, he began to fight with a still more marvelous energy in order to rally his terrified men and to re-arouse their fleeting courage. But in vain. He was captured alive by the sanguinary horde and brutally murdered. Two of their chief officers and twenty soldiers fell with him on the battlefield.[93]

At last, the authorities saw that it was advisable and imperative again to make a treaty of peace with the relentless Maroons, or fugitive negroes, (gevluchte Negers) whose ravages for over half a century spread ruin and terror throughout the land. Accordingly, on the 23d of May, 1761, peace was established, to last for a good many years, apparently.[94] It was not long, however, before hostilities were resumed. In 1772 the State Council found it imperative to call in the aid of the mother country against the Maroons, who grew more audacious in proportion as they advanced in culture and education.[95] The State General, roused to action by the serious state of affairs in the colony, sent a company of 500 men, under command of Captain Forgeoud, who had previously shown much courage and ingenuity in suppressing a revolt of negroes in the Barbary States. Two years later, a series of military posts was established, beginning from the Savannah of the Jews to the banks of the Commawine River and from there to the sea. Forts, strengthened by means of palisades were constructed from plantation to plantation, and when finally peace was enforced, the colony was spared from any further molestation at the hands of the unruly negroes.[96] Koenen, though very fair and just to the Jews in his History, sees fit to reproach them for their unkind treatment of slaves,[97] which, he opines, was the chief cause of the rebellion, lasting over seventy years. We are inclined to think that this rebuke is unwarranted, inasmuch as the rigid Mosaic and Rabbinic laws regarding them, were always strictly followed by the Jews and those in Surinam, who had men like the family of Nassy at their head, could not have trespassed these ordinances. He admitted, however, in his summary, that the colony in her defense was always deeply indebted to the Jewish militia, and in social and commercial matters especially beholden to them, for the Jews were the cultivators of the marshy and often dangerous soil and the masters of commerce, the chief factors of the welfare and prosperity of the settlement,[98] since its foundation. Not desiring to anticipate our conclusions in a larger work, we content ourselves with saying that nowhere else in the history of America is such devotion, disinterestedness and loyalty on the part of Jewish citizens so marked, and let us add, so gratefully recognized as in the little Dutch Province of Surinam. And nowhere else in the New World did the Israelites thrive more in culture, learning and religion than in the Jewish Savannah of Guiana, as their community was called. Small wonder, then, in view of their attachment to their Hollandish masters, when we hear that in 1785, on the occasion of the reconsecration of their synagogue, then 100 years old, the Governor Wichers, with all the provincial magistrates and other eminent citizens, attended in a body the impressive ceremonies, which are graphically narrated in a little volume published by an eye witness.[99] And that two Christian philo-Semites wrote beautiful verses in Dutch in honor of these festivities, republished by the writer, elsewhere.[100] Nor does it now seem strange that the Jews loved to glorify their governors, J. G. Wichers,[101] Sir Chas. Green,[102] and Abraham De Veer,[103] in pretty songs and hymns, written in Hollandish and Hebrew. These were but poetic tokens of their patriotism. As late as 1853, the records inform us of their prosperity and constantly growing activity and interest in the colony. In that year we find them in the courts (Ellis, Juda, Fernandes, and others); among thirteen advocates, notaries, and procurators, there were seven Jews (Heilbronn, Colaço, Belmonte, de Granada, Abendañon, etc.); many served in the army as captains, lieutenants, colonels, majors, and chaplains. In fact they minister to the public weal in every conceivable capacity.[104] In their hands the colony still prospers. Recent reports, made by a correspondent of the Jewish Chronicle in London, are aglow with enthusiasm for the prosperity of their now thrifty and intelligent colony, and reassure us of the vigor and tenacity of our faith in that distant land.

VI.
Extracts from a Letter of David Ebron (dated 1597) to King Philip II, Giving an Account of his Discoveries and Services to the State, in South America.

Among the numerous letters, documents and registers of the Albaic archives,[105] which bear special reference to the discovery and colonization of America, is particularly noticeable the culture-historic, perhaps valuable memorial address of David Ebron from Constantine, Algeria (dated December 9th, 1597), to the Emperor, Philip II. The writer introduces himself in the preliminary note as an Israelite, who, at a tender age, fled to Africa, and rendered important services to the King of India and other personages of rank in various sections of Africa.

He enumerates many items of surprising significance, apparently anxious to array them as an overwhelming evidence of his abilities and reliability, and eager to impress upon the august reader the great amount of gratitude due him for his achievements. He prepared accurate sketches of distant regions and established settlements, dependent upon his generous bounty; he discovered countries and conquered them, and whatsoever had been attempted in Santa Marta, South America, within the last five years, may be safely attributed to his energetic activity and perseverance. Thence he repaired by land to Peru, and enlisted in the service of the monarch in Huancabelica. The last remarkable harvest in quicksilver, which was so advantageous to the king, was chiefly due to his judicious management. By careful husbanding of material and laudable zeal he was instrumental in not only saving sixty and some odd thousand pesos (!) involved in the annual transportation of small fleets from Lima and Panama but equally as much by causing galleys to be constructed there.