Jewish Merchants in the New World: 1500-1800

A Conference Sponsored by the Gomez Foundation for Mill House

The Gomez Mill House was founded in 1714 by the Colonial American Jewish merchant and pioneer, Luis Moses Gomez. This conference was the first of three to explore the theme of Jewish merchants in the New World from the first recorded reference of Jewish presence in the Americas in 1500, to the present. The conference series was inspired by the life and work of Luis Moses Gomez and the upcoming 300th anniversary of the Gomez Mill House, built as a trading post on the 6,500 acre Gomez enterprise in the Hudson Valley.

There is much scholarship on the families and lives of the early American Jewish communities, especially on the great families who lived and contributed to the development of infant America, including such familiar names as Cardozo, Seixas, Lopez, Hendricks, Lehman, Levy, and Nathan, to name but a few. With Gomez family, they and their descendents contributed significantly to the commerce, politics, and fabric of society. From the establishment of trade routes among America, Europe, the Caribbean and South America, to the founding of the New York Stock Exchange, to funding the American Revolution, the great merchant families of early America made their mark and left a legacy that continues to today.

It is hoped that this conference on the period 1500–1800, and the subsequent conferences in 2010 and 2011 exploring the nineteenth century and then the twentieth century to the present will encourage further dialogue on the themes explored and enthusiastic support and participation in the 300th anniversary of the Gomez Mill House.

Ruth K. Abrahams
Executive Director
Gomez Foundation for Mill House

The Gomez Foundation for Mill House wishes to thank the conference participants, the Trustees and Council of the Gomez Foundation for Mill House, and the following for helping to make this conference possible: Evan Kingsley and Susan Malbin of the American Jewish Historical Society; Stanley Urman and the staff of the American Sephardi Federation, Michael Glickman, Michael Stafford, Melissa Minaya, Giovanni Massa, Julie Kaplan and the staff of Center for Jewish History, Jonathan Brent and the staff of YIVO, Shelomo Alfassa, George Dorris, Sachiyo Ito, CJH volunteers (Blanche Hutcherson, Mona Prokopin, Benita Watterworth, Bonnie Rosenstock, and Sylvia Bashkow, and Desery Contreras Gomez Foundation office assistant and conference assistant coordinator.

Design and Printing: Lehmann Printing
Catering: Village Crown