Black History Month~ with a Yiddishkeyt side note
Sarah was born on the island of Barbados. She was the daughter of an enslaved biracial woman, Esther Gill. Sarah was baptized in the Anglican church—her mother not being a Jew. Soon after, however, her father, Abraham Rodrigues Brandon, petitioned the church for the freedom of this family. A fee was accepted and Esther, Sarah, and her brother, Isaac were allowed to go free. In 1811, they travelled to Suriname where Sarah and Isaac underwent formal conversion. A new world was now opened to the siblings.
Sarah was sent to an elite Jewish school in London. An heiress and the daughter of an important Sephardic family, she naturally was a success in society—her natural birth overshadowed by her dowry and her beauty. Sarah had a miniature portrait created of her likeness, in a style very familiar to Jane Austen fans. She gave the portrait to Joshua Moses, her intended—a gentleman from the United States of America. They married in 1817 in London’s Bevis Marks synagogue and later settled in New York.
Sarah would go on to have ten children, many were successful and renown. One son, Isaac Moses, would serve as a high-ranking Union officer in the Civil War. Others became famous physicians, and one son was the leader of Shearith Israel in New York. Sarah had been born into slavery, much like her sisters in faith. Miriam, the prophetess, had been an Egyptian slave. The daughters of Israel were taken captive during the Babylonian onslaught. And like these courageous women, Sarah Rodrigues Brandon Moses, triumphed in the end.
In From Meidelach to Matriarchs ~ A Journal: Jewish Women of Yesteryear to Inspire your Today, the following questions are posed:
#1 Though she underwent formal conversion, many would still debate Sarah’s Jewish status. Is it a valid concern? How does this affect your own personal relationship with Judaism?
#2 Sarah went from being a slave to being a debutant in London’s society. How would that have affected her psyche? How does one’s spirit deal with such a turn of events?
#3 Sarah’s children greatly benefited from their grandfather’s “stepping up to the plate” and changing the trajectory of their mother’s life. However, he was the reason that Sarah was born enslaved in the first place. Was he a villain or hero, or do you need to research the matter further before making such a determination?
Sarah was sent to an elite Jewish school in London. An heiress and the daughter of an important Sephardic family, she naturally was a success in society—her natural birth overshadowed by her dowry and her beauty. Sarah had a miniature portrait created of her likeness, in a style very familiar to Jane Austen fans. She gave the portrait to Joshua Moses, her intended—a gentleman from the United States of America. They married in 1817 in London’s Bevis Marks synagogue and later settled in New York.
Sarah would go on to have ten children, many were successful and renown. One son, Isaac Moses, would serve as a high-ranking Union officer in the Civil War. Others became famous physicians, and one son was the leader of Shearith Israel in New York. Sarah had been born into slavery, much like her sisters in faith. Miriam, the prophetess, had been an Egyptian slave. The daughters of Israel were taken captive during the Babylonian onslaught. And like these courageous women, Sarah Rodrigues Brandon Moses, triumphed in the end.
In From Meidelach to Matriarchs ~ A Journal: Jewish Women of Yesteryear to Inspire your Today, the following questions are posed:
#1 Though she underwent formal conversion, many would still debate Sarah’s Jewish status. Is it a valid concern? How does this affect your own personal relationship with Judaism?
#2 Sarah went from being a slave to being a debutant in London’s society. How would that have affected her psyche? How does one’s spirit deal with such a turn of events?
#3 Sarah’s children greatly benefited from their grandfather’s “stepping up to the plate” and changing the trajectory of their mother’s life. However, he was the reason that Sarah was born enslaved in the first place. Was he a villain or hero, or do you need to research the matter further before making such a determination?
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