Early Jewish Migration to Maryland Essay -- Judaism

The Early Waves of Jewish Migration to Maryland Introduction: The state of Maryland is current home to over 235,000 self-identified Jewish residents, making up over 4% of the total state population (JDB, 159). Today, Jewish Marylanders live in an open, welcoming environment, but this was not always the case. When the first Jewish settlers landed in St. Mary’s City, political equality was only a hope for the distant future. The first wave of Jewish migration to Maryland was marked by a trend of percolation rather then influx migration. Jews in the area practiced a quiet observance rather then an open profession of faith. After the Revolutionary War, urbanization increased and wave two of Jewish migration began. But it wasn’t until 1826, the year the â€Å"Jew Bill† was passed, and the begging of Wave 3 that Jews in Maryland could truly experience political equality. Migration Wave One: The first record of Jewish settlement in colonial Maryland appears as early as the 1630’s. The individual who is credited as being the first Jewish colonist, a Portuguese itinerant salesman named Mathias de Souse, is recorded to have moved to the area in 1633 (Schwartz-Kenvin, 130). De Souse’s arrival to the region marks the beginning of the first wave of Jewish migration. This wave begins in 1633 and ends a decade before the revolutionary war, in 1765. When comparing Jewish migration in the Chesapeake region to migration patterns in surrounding areas, the lack of movement to the area best defines this period. Large Jewish communities were forming in New York, Newport, Savannah, and Charleston, yet Maryland remained relatively free of Jewish settlement. On a local scale, Schaefersville and Lancaster, both prominent Jewish communi... ...y Jewish Life, University of Connecticut. 9 Feb. 2008 . *Cited in text as JDB* 3. Maryland. Archives of Maryland Online. Bacon's Law of Maryland. *Cited in text as AMO* 4. Rabinove, Samuel. "How -- and Why -- American Jews Have Contended for Religious Freedom: the Requirements and Limits of Civility." Journal of Law and Religion 8 (1990): 131-151. 1 Mar. 2008 5. Sarna, Jonathan D. "The Impact of the American Revolution on American Jews." Modern Judaism (1981): 149-160. 9 Feb. 2008. Oxford University Press 6. Schwartz-Kenvin, Helene. This Land of Liberty. New York: Behrman House, 1986. 112- 137 7. Stern, Horace. "The First Jewish Settlers in America: Their Struggle for Religious Freedom." The Jewish Quarterly Review (1996): 289-296. 2 Mar. 2008. Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania