July 27, 1655
Jews in New Amsterdam Request a Cemetery
Historical context
On this day, July 27, 1655, Jews in New Amsterdam asked for a burial ground. The colonial council refused, saying there was no need yet.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- July 27, 1655
- Verified sources
- 2
- Archive threads
- 4
On this day, Abraham de Lucena and other Jews in New Amsterdam asked the colonial council for land for a Jewish burial ground. The council refused, recording that there was “no need of it yet.”
The petitioners were part of the Jewish community that had begun to settle in the Dutch colony the previous year. In February 1656 the council authorized a burial place outside the city. The first cemetery’s exact location is no longer known.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Order on a petition of Abraham de Lucena and others for a Jewish burying ground · New Netherland Council · Dutch colonial council minutes, New York State Archives (1655-07-27) View source
- Order granting the Jews of New Amsterdam a burying place outside the city · New Netherland Council · Dutch colonial council minutes, New York State Archives (1656-02-22) View source
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