Jewish Life in 1776: A Revolutionary Moment

05/18/2026 10:44 AM EDT

The Library observes both Jewish American Heritage Month and the nation’s approaching 250th birthday this year by focusing on a little-remembered aspect of the Revolution: the Jewish merchants in the tiny Caribbean island of St. Eustatius who shipped in supplies to American troops around the British blockade. The Dutch-controlled shipping outpost, just 8 square miles, was the first foreign entity to recognize the newly founded United States after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.