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Did this tiny island’s Jewish community help win the Revolutionary War?

JL;DR SUMMARY The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia has unveiled an exhibition, "The First Salute," highlighting the significant role of the Jewish community on the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius during the Revolutionary War. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

DiasporaSlaverySephardic JewsColonial AmericaReligious LibertyRevolutionary WarJewish MerchantsInterconnectednessSint EustatiusAmerican Independence

Places mentioned

Sint Eustatius, Saba, Netherlands
"Its new exhibition, The First Salute, is about the tiny Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius and the relative handful of Sephardic Jewish merchants who were at the center of what became a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War."
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
"PHILADELPHIA At a moment when institutions across the country are asking how to celebrate Americas 250th birthday, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is putting Jews at the center of the origin story."
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
"Sephardic Jewish merchants, many of them descendants of refugees from Iberian persecution, had built far-flung family and business networks stretching from Amsterdam to the Caribbean."
Yorktown, England, United Kingdom
"According to one of three major videos that anchor the exhibit, Rodneys obsession with what he called the islands nest of vipers allowed unhindered French ships to trap the British Army at Yorktown, forcing the surrender that effectively ended the Revolution."
Pennsylvania, United States
"That framing is not incidental. The Weitzman, located just blocks from Independence Hall, has since its opening in 2010 positioned itself, and by extension the Jews, at the center of American history."

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Cairo Item ID 80757
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Retrieved 2026-04-24 18:00:27 UTC
Curated 2026-04-24 19:01:05 UTC