Alexander Hamilton

For those people interested in Hidden Jewish Ancestry, "The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton", written by Andrew Porwancher, is a must read. I buy a lot of books and very few of them rise to the level of deserving promotion. This book is one that is really worth the read. In my opinion, it really demonstrates how Jewish ancestry gets hidden, and in this case, the Hidden Jewish Ancestry of one of America's founding fathers. 

I will not spoil the book by giving any of the precious details of Alexander Hamilton's Hidden Jewish Ancestry. You will have to buy the book and have the reveal as you read the book. 

But, there is a quote from the book I simply have to post. The author is discussing the contentious topic of investigating Alexander Hamiltons Jewish ancestry. 

"This enquiry requires important caveats. Jewish identity has many dimensions-religious, cultural, legal, communal, and ethnic, among others. Often these dimensions overlap for a given individual; sometimes they conflict. The eighteenth century Atlantic world featured a diverse array of people who were Jewish in some senses and not others, from crypto-Jews to Afro-Caribbean Jews to Gentiles who converted for marriage. Investigation into whether Hamilton was Jewish cannot, therefore, force him into either of two categories: Jew or non-Jew. It must instead center on the likelihood that he had a Jewish identity in any number of the terms multiple meanings for a period of his life".

I don't think I have every come across a more succinct and apt description of people with Hidden Jewish Ancestry. As Porwancher states, being Jewish has cultural, legal, communal and ethnic elements. And people with Hidden Jewish ancestry are a complex  mix of all these dimensions. 

\

When I went to college and got a degree in Jewish history, the world was black or white. You were Jewish or you were not Jewish. Actually, when I went to college, it was so long ago, they ONLY taught Ashkenazi Jewish history. There was not one class on Sephardic let alone all the other brands of Jewish ethnicity. So, you were Ashkenazi Jewish or you were not Jewish. From the Rabbi's perspective, Jewish or not Jewish is a black and white question. If you mother is Jewish, you are Jewish. But, in the real world, there are lots of people who fit into the Jewish grey zone. People with Hidden Jewish Ancestry would be a good example. I think this book does a great job at describing a person, Alexander Hamilton, who lived in the grey zone. Like so many of us.  

This is just one great paragraph from a great book. If you go to the colonial Jewish tab, you will find a link to the book on Amazon. Buy it!