web analytics
June 19, 2013 / 11 Tammuz, 5773
At a Glance ▼
Sections
Sponsored Post
Bicycle in South Pioneers of the Periphery: Olim of the South

Got that pioneering spirit? You’re invited to help build Israel’s periphery by planting roots in southern soil with Nefesh B’Nefesh.



The Gomez Family

Published: February 28th, 2007
Latest update: September 4th, 2012
tell a friend

      The Gomez family was one the foremost Jewish families in New York during colonial times. The exact dates are unclear, but to the best of our knowledge Luis (Louis, Lewis) Moses Gomez (1654/60-1740) and his wife, Esther Marquez (Marchaze) (?-1718) arrived in New York in either 1696 or 1703.
 
      Luis was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth in Madrid, Spain, to a very wealthy secret Jew, Isaac Gomez. He was originally named Moses, but, according to his great-great-grandson, Moses acquired the name Louis in respect to the King of France, the country that granted the family asylum.
 
      Realizing that being a secret Jew during the Inquisition was becoming very dangerous, Moses and his mother were sent to France, while his father was eventually jailed for fourteen years. Upon his release, Isaac joined his wife and son in France. When religious conditions became unbearable in France, the Gomez family moved to England.
 
      Although respected as a prominent family while living in England, the Gomezes did not have the rights and advantages accorded to Christians, so the family traveled once again and settled in Jamaica. It was there that Luis met and married Esther by prearrangement with her family. She was the daughter of another prominent Sephardic family. They became the parents of six sons – Jacob, Mordechai, Daniel, David, Isaac, and Benjamin.
 
      Shortly after his arrival in New York, Luis opened a store in Manhattan that sold general merchandise.
 
      “He recognized an opportunity to export commodities, and he soon began to trade in wheat across the Atlantic. It proved to be a highly profitable product, one that made him a rich man.”[i]
 
      “The Gomez Caribbean connection was pivotal to the family’s economic success story. Its ledger books contain frequent references to Caribbean correspondents – Isaac Abenater of Curacao, Isaac de Silva and Jacob Rodriges of Jamaica to name but a few. Moreover, such business contacts paved the way for Gomez’s sons to find Jewish brides and bring them back to New York.
 
      “The Gomezes prospered to such a notable degree that by 1711 they were one of the six Jewish merchant families to contribute to the building of Trinity Church’s steeple at Broadway and Wall Street – one of the tallest man-made structures then standing in North America. By 1720 the Gomez home in the East Ward of Manhattan had a higher assessment than any other Jewish residence.”[ii]
 
      In 1705 the family, using its contacts and prominence and for an appropriate fee, was able to obtain a Denization from the Crown of England. This document granted the equivalent of what we know today as legal alien status, and gave Luis the same privileges granted to Englishmen residing in New York.
 
      “The denizen papers proved a quantum jump in Jewish civic and economic freedom in America; in effect, serving as a kind of a preview of the Bill of Rights, providing not only refuge but an expanding realm of equality in the Diaspora. As a denizen, Louis Gomez, the son of a [forced] convert to Christianity, acquired under rights of patent several thousand acres of land in Orange and Ulster County.”[iii]
 
      In 1714 he and his sons established an Indian trading post six miles from Newburgh. They were soon involved in bargaining with the Indians over how much whisky or how many tomahawks or trinkets constituted a fair price for a beaver, a mink, a muskrat or a sable. Their involvement in this trade soon gave them the financial clout to further expand their land holdings and to construct what is today the oldest Jewish house in America. It is known as the Gomez Mill House and is located in Marlboro, NY. (See http://www.gomez.org/ for details about visiting this historic site.)
 

      In 1729 Luis used his right to own land to purchase a plot in lower Manhattan.

      This became the first cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Congregation Shearith Israel. At about that same time, Luis Moses Gomez was elected president of Shearith Israel. He became a philanthropist and gave considerable support to the community and the synagogue.
 
      “For many years the Gomez family constituted a Jewish community unto itself, with one son, David, serving as family shochet (ritual slaughterer), and another, Benjamin, officiating as mohel (circumciser). In the late 1720s, as head of a rapidly growing clan, Gomez solicited support from Sephardi communities in the Caribbean for the establishment in 1730 by Congregation Shearith Israel on Mill St. of the first building in New York constructed as a synagogue. Indeed, during most of the eighteenth century, the Gomez family effectively controlled Shearith Israel, with Louis and his sons serving repeatedly as parnassim (presidents).”[iv]
 
      “But for all their welcome and success, the Gomezes were confronted with local anti-Semitism. In 1737, during an argument that arose over the outcome of a New York Assembly election in which members of the Gomez family and other Jews held the swing vote, William Smith, the future Chief Justice of New York, declared in an impassioned speech that an apparent majority gained through Jewish votes was by necessity illegal as Jews were responsible for the death of Christ and thus should not have been allowed to vote in the first place. Without further ado, the Assembly passed a resolution that Jews ‘ought not to be admitted to vote for representatives in the colony.’ For decades this resolution cast a pall over New York Jewry.”[v]
 

Benjamin Gomez – Bookseller

 

      In 1791 the first American Jewish book dealer opened his shop. Owner Benjamin Gomez (1769-1828) was a man of intelligence and high character. He was also the great-grandson of Louis Moses Gomez.
 
      “Benjamin Gomez first appeared in the New York directory of 1791 as a bookseller, when he was located at 32 Maiden Lane ‘near the Fly Market,’ where his brother Isaac Gomez, carried on business as a broker. Gomez was one of the biggest booksellers of the day and also sold stationery. A few months after he opened his shop, Gomez ran a full-page notice in a local paper to say that he had many volumes for sale including some ‘just imported from Dublin.’
 
      “Although there were no detective stories and novels in his shop, he offered a wide choice of books. All were on religious, historical, or scientific subjects, ranging from the Bible, Shakespeare, and Arabian Nights to books on anatomy. The following year he extended his activities to include publishing. Twenty-one of the books he published are still known to us. They include Hugh Gaines’s edition of Pilgrim’s Progress (1794), an abridged edition of Robinson Crusoe (1795), Captain Cook’s Third and Last Voyage (1795), as well as The Sorrows of Werther (1795).”[vi]
 
      “Today the books that have the faded mark ‘Printed by Benjamin Gomez’ are almost as scarce as knowledge about the young man who in the second decade after the Revolution offered these hostages to oblivion. And yet, he must have been fairly well known in the New York that was steadily pushing its streets northward into the wide salt marshes and farming lands of Manhattan Island. Aaron Burr could hardly have avoided stopping in Maiden Lane to look over the new books Benjamin Gomez had received by the latest sailing ships from Europe. Occasionally that fiery duelist might encounter in the Gomez bookshop the gentleman he was later to refer to as ‘My friend Hamilton, whom I shot.‘“[vii]
 
      The male line of Luis Moses Gomez’s direct descendents ended when Benjamin’s son, Matthias, was killed in a duel in New Orleans in 1833. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to keep in mind that the Gomez family contributed much to Jewish life in colonial New York, given that seven of its members served as parnas (president) of Congregation Shearith Israel between 1730 and the Revolutionary War.
 

      Dr. Yitzchok Levine, a frequent contributor to The Jewish Press, is a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. Glimpses Into American Jewish History appears the first week of each month. Dr. Levine can be contacted at llevine@stevens.edu.

 


[iii]Ibid.

 

[iv]Ibid.

 

[vi]The Firsts of American Jewish History by Tina Levitan, The Charuth Press, Brooklyn, NY 1957, page 73.

 

tell a friend

About the Author: Dr. Yitzchok Levine served as a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey before retiring in 2008. He now teaches as an adjunct at Stevens. Glimpses Into American Jewish History appears the first week of each month. Dr. Levine can be contacted at llevine@stevens.edu.


You might also be interested in:


If you don't see your comment after publishing it, refresh the page.
no comments

Comments are closed.

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Current Top Story
Surabaya Synagogue, the last shul on Java, Indonesia, was demolished in May, 2013
Last Shul in Java Demolished; a Tough Lesson in Islamic Democracy
Latest Sections Stories
Kodish-061413-Dancing
Sections → Features → Features On The Jewish World

Yet all are part of one neshamah, planted in rich, verdant soil, determined to grow. May our garden continue to produce a glorious assortment of flowers and trees, each attached firmly to its roots. Our diverse southern vegetation flourishes and grows into different trees, flowers, and fruits, and a rainbow of glorious shades and hues appears. Yet each shoot is rooted in the same soil, stretching its branches and blossoms heavenward in an endless pursuit of growth and connection to the One above.

Baim-061413-Long-hair
Sections → Jewess Press → Daily Living

This past Lag B’Omer, we were blessed to make our first upsherin, where we celebrate our son’s first hair cut. It’s a wonderful milestone that mimics the three years that we refrain from plucking a tree’s first fruits and symbolizes the entry of the child into the world of Torah learning. It’s a clear sign to everyone; this boy is no longer a baby.

Littman-061413-Bridge
Sections → Features → Features On The Jewish World

Although there are more direct and faster routes to Beer Sheva and Eilat and all the sites and towns in-between, the Basor River is one of the beauties of the Negev that defiantly justifies a diversion.

Sections → Magazine → Teens and Twenties

The importance of death customs has been ingrained in me since birth. When I served as a shomeret for my grandmother, I was instructed not to eat, drink or perform a mitzvah in the same room. In the shock of death, it seemed rather inane to be told it would be considered mocking the dead. My grandmother was gone; she couldn’t do those things because she didn’t exist anymore, a fact that still makes me tear up.

Sections → Magazine → Potpourri

I would have to say that one of the most annoying things about having a newspaper advice column, aside from all these people writing to me and asking for advice, is that they frequently don’t tell me WHY they’re asking.

Sections → Features → Features On The Jewish World

Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l, who passed away on 28 Tammuz, (July18) this year at age 102, spent all of his days and most of his nights learning Torah. He was the paramount leader of our generation, and inspired tremendous awe and reverence in everyone who knew him. Now, every woman has the stunning opportunity to do something in his memory. A Sefer Torah is being written in his memory and women around the world have the chance to dedicate a letter.

Sections → Family → Marriage and Relationships

Due to her family situation, it is understandable that she will have more responsibilities than other girls her age, but she would benefit from having some free time and receiving more appreciation for her hard work.

Sections → Family → Parenting Our Children

For children, summer means outdoor sports, picnics, and of course, no school! Teachers and students work hard all year long – and everyone deserves a break from education over the summer. However, this two-month break can often have some pretty devastating consequences.

Sections → Family

It was only after we celebrated the great news that we were expecting twins that we saw the first sign of problems. First of all, my wife was losing, not gaining weight, even as the babies continued to grow normally. Soon after, routine blood work revealed that my wife was suffering from gestational diabetes.

Sections → Community → West Coast Happenings

Rabbi Pinchas Gruman is the new rav of the Minyan at Aish Tamid.

One of the most respected Torah figures in Los Angeles, Rabbi Gruman has been described as “The Los Angeles link in the mesorah of the yeshiva world” by Rabbi Nachum Sauer. As a talmid in Lakewood in the 1950s, Rabbi Gruman received semicha from Rav Aaron Kotler, zt”l, and Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l. Soon after, he moved to Los Angeles.

Sections → Magazine → Teens and Twenties

Another tree is down.

I’m driving down Lakewood Avenue, figuring that maybe, just maybe, the tree that blocked the middle of North Lake Drive has been removed, and I can go through. After all, they had a whole day. I’m sure things have been taken care of.

More Articles from Dr. Yitzchok Levine
Manuel Josephson
Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

Last month we sketched the life of Manuel Josephson (1729-1796), who immigrated to New York in the 1740s. Manuel was one of the few learned Jews residing in America in the 18th century. His talents were recognized by Congregation Shearith Israel, and he served on the synagogue’s bet din for several years and as its parnas (president) in 1762. He earned his living as a merchant.

Manuel Josephson
Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

The overwhelming majority of Jews who came to America before the Revolutionary War did not have an extensive Jewish education. One exception was Manuel Josephson (1729-1796), who was born and educated in Germany. His extensive knowledge of Judaism qualified him to serve on the beis din of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York.

Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

Last month we sketched the life of Reverend Dr. Sabato Morais and discussed his spiritual leadership of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia as well as his involvement in a wide range of communal activities. Here we outline some of his many other accomplishments and describe his huge funeral.

Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

“Sabato Morais was born on April 13, 1823 to Samuel and Bonina Morais in the northern Italian city of Leghorn (Livorno), in the grand duchy of Tuscany. Morais was the third of nine children, seven daughters and the older of the two sons. The Morais family descended from Portuguese Marranos. Morais’ mother, Bonina Wolf, was of German-Ashkenazic descent.”

Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

In February 1861, Abraham Kohn, one of the founders of Chicago’s Congregation Kehilath Anshe Maariv and at the time the city clerk in the administration of Mayor John Wentworth, presented Abraham Lincoln with a unique American flag.

Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

Last month we dealt with the building of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, the first synagogue to be built in Maryland. This month we look at how the building became a church, then again an Orthodox Synagogue, and finally a historic site.

Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

While it is not known precisely when Jews first settled in Baltimore, we do know that five Jewish men and their families settled there during the 1770s. However, it was not until the autumn of 1829 that Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, whose Hebrew name was Nidchei Yisroel (Dispersed of Israel), was founded. This was the only Jewish congregation in the state of Maryland at the time, and it was referred to by many as the “Stadt Shul.”

Sections → Magazine → Glimpses Into American Jewish History

Early American Jewish history is unfortunately replete with examples of observant families who came to America and, within a relatively short period of time, not only abandoned much of their commitment to religious observance but even had the sad experience of having some of their children intermarrying and assimilating. One family that did not follow this trend was the Hays family.

    Latest Poll

    Female, Orthodox, Halachic Deciders and Spiritual Leaders (Maharat)









    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/magazine/glimpses-ajh/the-gomez-family/2007/02/28/

Scan this QR code to visit this page online:

No related posts.

Close