A Change of Pace

This week I decided another change of pace was in order. So far, I have read fantastic historical fiction, not-so-fantastic historical fiction, some pretty great young adult fiction, and revisited some of my favorite children's fiction. Considering that I'm nearing the end of my current semester in college, I thought I'd do something daring. I wanted to do something just for fun. I wanted... non-fiction.

Now, having said that, I understand that the word fun is relative. I know people who love Stephen King novels. I can't stand them. Others were of the opinion that G.K. Chesterton was a genius, and that his book The Man Who Was Thursday was the most thrilling book ever written. If you missed my thoughts on that particular book, you can check it out here. My point is, a lot of people loved that book. (Seriously. Amazon gives it a 4.3 out of  5 stars.) I am not one of those people.

I am, however, one of those people who likes to read non-fiction. This week I picked up a book entitled American Judaism, by Jonathan D. Sarna (which incidentally has 4.8 stars on Amazon). It's an interesting account of the history of Jews in America, and Sarna does a good job of making his writing seem more like a narrative than a census record.

I've only made it as far as the American Civil War, but honestly, it has been an interesting read. It's fascinating to me that, in 1654, Jewish refugees arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York) from Brazil. Up until that point New Amsterdam was officially a Calvinist community. While there were Catholics, Lutherans, Anabaptists, and English Puritans residing in the colony, none had been granted permission to organize a congregation or have a minister. When the Jewish refugees arrived, the director-general sought permission from the Dutch West India Company to tell the Jews to leave for fear that by giving them the freedom to remain (and not practice any form of Christianity, let alone Calvinism) that the Lutherans, Anabaptists, Catholics, and Puritans must be given more freedom. What he failed to realize, however, is that not only was the Dutch West India Company more concerned with their pocketbooks than religion, but that many of the principal share holders of the company were, in fact, Jews. After several petitions, the Jewish refugees were not only allowed to stay, but they were allowed to trade, serve guard duty, own real estate, and worship in the privacy of their own homes, which seems to be more than what other religious sects were permitted. The director-general's fears seemed to be well-founded. By 1663, everyone in New Amsterdam was permitted to worship God how they saw fit, as long as they didn't cause problems. According to Sarna's history, the Jewish refugees paved the way for religious freedom, at least in one Dutch colony.

Cesar Kaskel

I don't know if Jonathan Sarna is my new friend, or if it's people like Cesar Kaskel, who rushed to Washington D.C. to appeal to Abraham Lincoln when the Jews of Paducah, Kentucky were expelled. Perhaps they're all becoming friends, and I look forward to meeting more of these truly amazing people.

I'll keep you posted.