Description
This photographic essay highlights the little-known history of the first Jewish communities established in the New World dating to the 1600s. Award-winning photographer Wyatt Gallery documents the oldest synagogues and cemeteries on Barbados, Curacao, Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Eustatius, and Suriname through his singular style of photos with histories written by Stanley Mirvis. The enclaves, formed by Sephardic Jews who fled the Catholic Inquisition, became so influential that they helped fuel the success of the American Revolution and partially finance the first synagogues in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. Once home to thousands, today these historic communities are rapidly dwindling and could soon disappear. Only five historic synagogues remain in use, and many of the cemeteries have been damaged or lost to natural disasters, vandalism, and pollution. These photographs bear witness to the legacy of New World Judaism and provide a record for future generations.
About the Author
Wyatt Gallery is an award-winning American photographer and Fulbright Fellow whose work is in the permanent collection of numerous museums and corporate collections, and has been featured in Esquire, the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, American Photo, and more.
Reviews
These photographs of modern day treasures bear witness to the legacy of New World Judaism and provide a visual record of this history for future generations. Wyatt Gallery's photographs of the Jewish Treasures of the Caribbean capture the dignity and grandeur of its Sephardic past, its deep root in Iberia, as well as its fragile present and uncertain future. He skillfully evokes the dramatic and largely unknown story of the dignity and perseverance of the Caribbean Jewish experience with an unerring eye for beauty and rich historical detail. -- Jane S. Gerber, Professor of History & Director at Institute for Sephardic Studies at The Graduate School of the City University of New York
Through these photographs of sacred sites, we witness the legacy of Judaism and a rarely explored facet of Caribbean history.-Monica Haim, Director of Awake ZionTo peruse these pages is to be drawn back into the Caribbean Jewish world of yesteryear, in all of its now-faded glory. -- Jonathan Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History Brandeis University
Book Information
ISBN 9780764350955
Author Wyatt Gallery
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 2177g
About the Author
Wyatt Gallery is an award-winning American photographer and Fulbright Fellow whose work is in the permanent collection of numerous museums and corporate collections, and has been featured in Esquire, the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, American Photo, and more.
Reviews
These photographs of modern day treasures bear witness to the legacy of New World Judaism and provide a visual record of this history for future generations. Wyatt Gallery's photographs of the Jewish Treasures of the Caribbean capture the dignity and grandeur of its Sephardic past, its deep root in Iberia, as well as its fragile present and uncertain future. He skillfully evokes the dramatic and largely unknown story of the dignity and perseverance of the Caribbean Jewish experience with an unerring eye for beauty and rich historical detail. -- Jane S. Gerber, Professor of History & Director at Institute for Sephardic Studies at The Graduate School of the City University of New York
Through these photographs of sacred sites, we witness the legacy of Judaism and a rarely explored facet of Caribbean history.-Monica Haim, Director of Awake ZionTo peruse these pages is to be drawn back into the Caribbean Jewish world of yesteryear, in all of its now-faded glory. -- Jonathan Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History Brandeis University
Book Information
ISBN 9780764350955
Author Wyatt Gallery
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 2177g
