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UCI United Congregation of Isrealites in
Kingston Jamaica All Rights
Reserved.
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Books about
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The
Knell of Parting Day
by Marilyn Delevante
Very little physical or written
material exists regarding the Jews that inhabited the notorious
town of Port Royal during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries.
Yet hidden away, in the bushes behind Spanish Town Road
in St Andrew, Jamaica is an ancient graveyard with 350 graves
– forgotten...
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Jewish
Pirates of the Caribbean
by Edward Kritzler
a hidden chapter
in Jewish history and of the cruelty, terror, and greed
that flourished during the Age of Discovery. Readers will
meet such daring figures as “the Great Jewish Pirate”
Sinan, Barbarossa’s second-in-command; the pirate rabbi
Samuel Palache, who founded Holland's Jewish community;
Abraham Cohen Henriques, an arms dealer who used his cunning
and economic muscle to find safe havens for other Jews;
and his pirate brother Moses, who is credited with the
capture of the Spanish silver fleet in 1628--the largest
heist in pirate history
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The
Portuguese Jews of Jamaica
by Mordechai Arbell
This book takes us from the Portuguese Jews who settled
Jamaica during the time of the Spanish occupation to
early in the 20th century. It is richly developed with
black and white illustrations.The chapters include the
Jews of Port Royal, Jewish settlements of Jamaica, Jewish
rights and disablitities as well as Jewish economic
activities. The last chapter under the heading Cultural
life deals briefly with the lives of noteworthy Jews.
There is a short list as an illustration of Jews in
Jamaica and Barbados in the late 1600's. A list of cemetaries
taken from other sources is listed in the appendix.
Though it does not add a great deal to the other Jewish
sources listed on this site, it is interesting for its
illustrations of the synagogues of Kingston and its
bibliography.
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The
Island of One People
by Marilyn Delevante and Anthony
Alberga
The Island of One People: An Account of the History
of the Jews of Jamaica redresses this unawareness in an
engaging exploration of the Jewish-Jamaican community
and its contribution to the development of Jamaica. From
the early merchants of Kingston to the development and
modernization of the Kingston Harbour, the construction
of numerous Housing Developments, and landmark buildings
such as the Ward Theatre; from the development of companies
such as the Lascelles deMercado conglomerate with interests
in sugar, rum, insurance, motor car agencies and airport
and shipping services, to the establishment of the renowned
Gleaner newspaper, arguably the oldest newspaper in the
western hemisphere; from representing Jamaica internationally
to the now iconic work of Belisario; the contribution
of the Jewish community in nation building in Jamaica
is unquestionable.
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The
Jewish Nation of the Caribbean by Mordechai Arbell A fascinating exploration of the Spanish-Portuguese
Jewish Settlements in the Caribbean and the Guianas. Reviews
the little-known histories of fourteen of the Jewish communities
of the Caribbean that were once the lifeblood of the region
but have long since diminished or even vanished. Includes
Surinam, the "Jewish Savannah" where a vibrant Jewish
community was granted full and equal rights two hundred
years before others in the region. St. Eustatius, economically
successful until plundered by the British occupation in
1781. Curacao, named the "Mother of Jewish Communities
in the New World," where a prosperous Jewish community
numbered nearly half of Curacao's non-slave population
and was the center of Jewish life in the region. An ideal
resource for those traveling to the region or those with
an interest in Jewish history
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The
Book of Mechtilde by
Anna Ruth Henriques
"In the land of Jah, there lived a good woman named Mechtilde."
So begins Anna Ruth Henriques's extraordinary tribute
to her mother, Sheila Mechtilde Henriques, who was crowned
Miss Jamaica in 1959 and became a beloved symbol of hope
and optimism to her fellow Jamaicans in the years leading
to the former colony's independence. Mechtilde's untimely
death after a long struggle with cancer was cause for
sorrow throughout Jamaica. This tribute is an illuminated
manuscript inspired by the book of Job, and includes heartbreakingly
beautiful poetry and prose alongside intricately detailed
paintings. The Book of Mechtilde feels ancient, not only
in its format (illuminated manuscripts are associated
with medieval texts), but also in the intensity of these
poetic lamentations, which are often tied to nature. Here,
Henriques compares her loss to unseasonable weather: "No!
Not yet / no rain / not the right time of year / not ready
/ prepared / to feel / what you are ready / to show me."
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