Happy Mother's Day from Barbados! Photos in are from Nidhe Israel Synagogue, Huntes Garden, St. Nicholas Abbey, Bridgetown, and other locations on the island. Music is the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in D Major, Czech Radio recording. All photos by Laura Leibman and Stevan Arnold.
Slideshow Version
One of the great gems of Jewish American architecture stands just north of New York City near the Hudson River in Marlboro. Built in 1714, the Gomez Mill House was originally the trading post and home of Luis Moses Gomez. The house is the oldest Jewish dwelling in the United States and is a fine example of Dutch colonial architecture. Like many other early Jewish homes throughout the American colonies, the Gomez Mill House contained both living space and work space, a tradition that can be seen in other early iconic Jewish buildings like the Penha house in Curacao.
The Gomez House likewise reflects the opportunities available to Jewish settlers in the colonies. Although a refugee of the Spanish Inquisition, Luis Gomez was able to purchase the land for the house because he had obtained denizen papers from Queen Anne of England. In addition to the Mill House, Gomez owned a home and prosperous store in Manhattan. Gomez's denizen rights also allowed him to purchase the land that would serve as the first cemetery for Shearith Israel, for which he served as the parnass.
Today the Mill House has been lovingly restored by the Gomez Foundation for Mill House. Included in the house are examples of early American furniture and early Jewish ritual artifacts, including a Dutch hanukkiyah. Also on display are the denizen papers that allowed Luis Gomez to make his fortune. The grounds are lovely, so you may want to pack a lunch. Directions from Manhattan are posted on the house's website.
Educators and those interested in the history of American domestic architecture may find the section on Dutch Colonial Architecture in Rachel Carley's Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture (pages 33-39) helpful to compare to the floorplan and design elements found at the Mill House. Those interested in studying the furniture may find Early American Furniture: A Practical Guide for Collectors by John Obbard will enrich their understanding of the early American aesthetic.
The Mill
The Mill House, First Story Dates to Era of Gomez Ownership
Fireplace in the Front Room of Gomez House, Dates to Era of Gomez Ownership. Fireplaces were a key element of Early American architecture and provided not only a source of heat, but also a place to cook. In some early houses, fireplaces were large enough to sit inside.
Denization Papers Given to Luis Moses Gomez by Queen Anne
Newport is one of those towns of breath-taking beauty that everyone should visit at least once in their lives. At the end of the nineteenth century, anyone who was anyone in New York society had a "cottage" (mansion) in Newport. Today, the Newport Preservation Society offers tours of many of the most elegant of these homes, along with colonial gems like the Hunter House.
Before the Revolutionary War, Newport was a crucial port of call on early trade routes. It was also home to one of the most important early American Jewish communities. The collapse of the economy following the war meant many members of the Jewish community left, but many fine examples of colonial architecture remain in the town, including homes of several prominent Jewish families. The Newport Historical Society offers a wide range of tours of local landmarks. Walking tours of Jewish Newport are also available through the Touro Synagogue, America's oldest synagogue and a national historic site. Military history buffs will want to visit Fort Adams.
Interested in visiting Newport? I recommend the Inn on Bellevue. The rates are reasonable and the location is superb. If you are staying for at least a week, it is worth asking if there is a special "extended stay" rate. Those with more to spend may want to try The Hotel Viking or the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel & Spa, located on magnificent Goat Island.
All Photos by Laura Leibman, 2007.
Top: Cliff Walk
Second: The Breakers
Third: Fort Adams
Bottom: Touro Synagogue
I traveled a fair amount as a child: my parents often worked in the tropics in countries like Bonaire, Panama, Australia, and Kenya. Occasionally we did things I wouldn't want to do today: for example, swim in the Panama Canal in an area inhabited by crocodiles, or get stuck in the mud in a game park near an electric fence designed to keep the wild animals in. Mainly we had fun.
Today I usually travel for work. Sometimes my research takes me to air conditioned libraries and archives; other times it takes me to far-away places where I am studying historical objects for my work, like gravestones, synagogues, houses, and ritual baths. I consider myself an "adventuresome but not stupid" traveler: that is, I don't mind going to unusual places, but I don't tend to take unnecessary risks. I don't mind luxurious hotels, but that isn't where I tend to stay: I am often on a budget, though not one so extreme that I will stay in a complete dive. I also keep kosher, so I often have an eye towards what there is to eat when you get there.
If you are interested in traveling in the footsteps of early American Jews, this column will give you some insights into where to go, where to stay, and what to bring. Want to hear about a particular place? Here are some places I have done research recently: Suriname, Curacao, Jamaica, Newport, Panama, and Amsterdam.
Interested in taking a vacation to a Jewish Heritage spot off the beaten track? Try Suriname! This former Dutch colony used to be the Las Vegas of the colonial world, and was once an important sugar plantation community. Merchants from as far away as Newport, Rhode Island came to the colony to revel and make their fortunes. It was also the home of many important early American Jewish families who lived both on sugar plantations and in the main city of Paramaribo. They built synagogues in the typical Dutch Caribbean style with rich mahogany and sand floors. One of these exquisite synagogues is still in use in Paramaribo: the synagogue complex includes a museum, one of the earliest still-functioning mikvaot in the Americas as well as elaborately-carved gravestones transferred from one of the early cemeteries.
Looking for a place to stay? The Krasnapolsky is located in a safe neighborhood a block and a half from the Neve Shalom Synagogue. It has internet access and a helpful staff. The airport is quite a ways outside of Paramaribo, so you will want to arrange ahead of time with the hotel for transportation. Across the street from Krasnapolsky is a wonderful bookshop that has a wide range of English titles. Take a look at Cynthia McLeod's novel The High Price of Sugar: it's about the Jewish colonist families in Suriname.
If you keep kosher, you may want to inquire with the synagogue about renting the Shabbos apartment that has a kitchen. You'll also want to bring lots of packaged goods with you: fresh fruits and vegetables are easy to get, but many of the imported items at the local stores are from Asia, not the United States, and items with hechshers aren't as easy to buy here as in other parts of the Caribbean.
If you stay in Paramaribo, you will want plan to spend a day to traveling downriver by boat to the ruins of Jodensavanne, or "Jew's Savannah." This was the location of one of the earliest Jewish settlements in the Americas and was once a thriving plantation community. The site has been excavated by the Jodensavanne Foundation and the cemetery and synagogue ruins are easily accessible. The travel agency on the first floor of the Krasnapolsky can help you arrange a trip with a reliable guide.
Getting to Suriname isn't easy: flights are infrequent from the United States, and if you haven't traveled recently in the tropics you will need to get vaccinated (particularly if you plan to go to Jodensavanne). Suriname also requires a visa, even for Americans. The application form has a few surprises. Also be careful if you plan to change planes in Trinidad/Tobago: they are very strict about the amount of time they require for transfers and have no problems with keeping visitors an extra day as a penalty for "illegal transfers."
