The month of May was officially declared Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) by both Houses of Congress in 2006.
May was chosen because it marks the arrival of Jews to New Amsterdam in 1654. Did you know that Jews began settling in Richmond as early as the 1760s?
The Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom passed in 1786, guaranteeing religious rights to Jews, helped open the state to increased Jewish settlement.
The first Jew to live in the state was probably Isaiah Isaacs. He appears in the city’s historical records in 1769. He owned several businesses with his partner Jacob Cohen.
In 1785, their mercantile store known as Isaac and Cohen was referred to as “the Jew store” in a newspaper advertisement. They helped to found the first Jewish congregation, Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome established in 1789.
Join Hadassah Richmond on Sunday, May 18 to celebrate JAHM by learning more about the rich Jewish history in Richmond that spans over 200 years through a private tour of the Beth Ahabah Museum & Archives.
The event is open to both men and women and aligns with the Hadassah organizational missions to bring Jewish people together and provide educational opportunities to learn about their heritage.
The cost is $5 and the registration link is here –
https://bit.ly/RichmondMuseumandArchivesTour .
For additional information reach out via email to dcbswell@gmail.com.
I look forward to seeing you at the tour. You will not be disappointed.
Warmly, Arlene
