ABSTRACT
The Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue is one of the most important Jewish landmarks in the Americas and is a beautiful example of Dutch colonial architecture. Congregation Mikve Israel in Willemstad was established in the 1650s by Portuguese Jews who had settled in Curacao to take advantage of the commercial and religious privileges extended to Jews on the Dutch colonial island. In 1787 hascamah addresses the reality of Surinamese plantation life, and the diversifying Jewish community in the Americas. This by law tackles the questions of communal boundaries and communal rites as concerns the offspring of Portuguese Jewish men and non-Jewish women of color. Memorias Curiel is one of a pair of extraordinary sources from Curacao, known as the Memorias documents, which chronicle the growth and development of the island's Jewish community. Addressing all the Jews of New York City, rather than the yehidim, reflects the democratic spirit of the age.
