From Past to Present: A Virtual Tour of Jewish Easton

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/01/2022 - 06/30/2022
All Day

Location
Virtual Program

Category(ies)

Website
https://sigalmuseum.org/event/from-past-to-present-a-virtual-tour-of-jewish-easton/

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Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society (NCHGS) is proud to offer a virtual tour of Easton, Pennsylvania’s Jewish heritage – past and present.

In the 1650s, Dutchmen from New Amsterdam (present-day New York) were exploring the area that would become Northampton County. Among those explorers was a group of Jewish refugees from Brazil, who had made an agreement with the Dutch West India Company to stay and settle in New Amsterdam. This Brazilian group was the first established Jewish community in North America.

On November 29, 1655, three of those explorers – Abraham de Lucena, Salvator Dandrade, and Jacob Cohen – requested permission from the West India Company to travel and trade along the Delaware River. Although their request was denied, they were granted permission to send two others on a different expedition. This is where Easton’s Jewish history begins, and it has flourished ever since.

This tour will move in chronological order, encompassing the downtown area between Scott Park and Sixth Street. Exact addresses and/or approximate locations are provided, should you wish to walk through the sequence of tour stops. Citations, sources, and further reading material are provided at the end of the tour. Additionally, many sections are given short introductions to provide background context relevant to tour stops.

Please note that although this tour is virtual, all tickets must be purchased through Eventbrite. You will receive an access token with your order confirmation – you must use this token in order to access the tour content on the Culture Connect platform. Your token will be valid only during the month in which you purchase access.

Please feel free to call the Sigal Museum at 610-253-1222 with any questions!