reveal's Daily Trivia 9.13.07

[reveal]

From what country did the first group of Jews arrive in the U.S. in 1654?

[Harry]

That is a complicated question. More complicated than a single answer suggests. They came from Spain and Portugal, originally, but there were a lot of stops on the way, between here and there.

[Space Cadet B^3]

Well, obviously, they came from Jewsylvania! :D

[doc]

Germany

[reveal]

That is a complicated question. More complicated than a single answer suggests. They came from Spain and Portugal, originally, but there were a lot of stops on the way, between here and there.
Not complicated. They were living in Brazil and came from there.

A group of Portuguese men, women, and children in a Dutch colony in Brazil went to the new world to escape the encroaching influence of the Spanish Inquisition.

[Xavier Lang]

Not complicated. They were living in Brazil and came from there.

A group of Portuguese men, women, and children in a Dutch colony in Brazil went to the new world to escape the encroaching influence of the Spanish Inquisition.

I think the point he's making is that Brazil is part of the "New World" and depending on how long the colonists were in Brazil, you could look at it culturally and say, they were still Protuguese and Spanish folks who just hadn't finished moving. If they had been in Brazil long enough to be Brazilian Jews heading to what became the U.S. that's one thing, if they hadn't really put down roots in Brazil yet, they you could argue they were still Europeans. Not work arguing over for a trivia answer, but I see his point.

[Harry]

I figure he's referring to the country "Dutch Colony In Brazil". I've been checking my old maps.

I read The Hebrew Watchman weekly, and have seen many stories about the first Jews in America. None of them refer to them as Brazilians, usually just as Spanish or Portuguese, which is understandable considering that there was no country of Brazil back then. So, I'm checking the maps fastidiously for a "D.C.I.B".

But I don't bother ever arguing the point. Not worth the time and trouble.