Jews, Slaves, and the Slave Trade - Setting the Record Straight

Jul 31, 2026

A scholarly inquiry examines the extent to which Jews in the British empire participated in the African slave trade and owned enslaved people in the western hemisphere, especially in Caribbean colonies. The work responds to allegations that Jewish financiers and colonists dominated the trade, tracing participation across key locations and periods. Originating in the Sonia Kroland Coster Memorial Lecture, the study is developed through research, peer critique, and historical analysis to clarify Jewish involvement and slavery’s institutional dynamics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages368

Reading Time15 h 27 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Acknowledgments

List of Tables

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

England’s Jewish Merchants and the Slave Trade

Jews and Slaves in Seventeenth-Century Barbados and Jamaica

Jews and Slavery in Jamaica, 1700–80

Jews and Slavery in Barbados and Nevis, 1700–80

Jews and Slaves on the Threshold of Abolition: Jamaica and Barbados, 1780–1820

Jewish Merchants and Slavery in the Mainland Colonies

Conclusion

Appendixes

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Jews, Slaves, and the Slave Trade R E A P P R A I S A L S I N J E W I S H S O C I A LA N D I N T E L L E C T U A L H I S T O R Y General Editor: Robert M. Seltzer Martin Buber’s Social and Religious Thought: Alienation and the Quest for Meaning L A U R E N C E J . S I L B E R S T E I N The American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan E D I T E D B Y E M A N U E L S . G O L D S M I T H , M E L S C U L T , A N D R O B E R T M . S E L T Z E R On Socialists and ‘‘the Jewish Question’’ after Marx J A C K J A C O B S Easter in Kishinev: Anatomy of a Pogrom E D W A R D H . J U D G E Jewish Responses to Modernity: New Voices in America and Eastern Europe E L I L E D E R H E N D L E R Russia’s First Modern Jews: The Jews of Shklov D A V I D E . F I S H M A N Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and Jewish Spirituality E D I T E D B Y L A W R E N C E J . K A P L A N A N D D A V I D S H A T Z The Americanization of the Jews E D I T E D B Y R O B E R T M . S E L T Z E R A N DN O R M A N J . C O H E N The ‘‘Other’’New York Jewish Intellectuals E D I T E D B Y C A R O L E S . K E S S N E R The Nations That Know Thee Not: Ancient Jewish Attitudes toward the Religions of Other People R O B E R T G O L D E N B E R G The Original Torah: The Political Intent of the Bible’s Writers S . D A V I D S P E R L I N G Jews, Slaves, and the Slave Trade: Setting the Record Straight E L I F A B E R JEWS, SLAVES, AND THE SLAVE TRADE Setting the Record Straight a NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS N E W Y O R K A N D L O N D O N NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London Copyright 􀀁 1998 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Faber, Eli, 1943– Jews, slaves, and the slave trade : setting the record straight / Eli Faber. [p. cm](p. cm).—(Reappraisals in Jewish social and intellectual history) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-8147-2638-0 (alk pap) 1. Jews—Caribbean Area—History. 2. Jewish slave traders—Caribbean Area—History. 3. Slavery—Caribbean Area—History. 4. Caribbean Area—Ethnic relations. I. Title. II. Series. F2191.J4 F33 1998 972.9'004924—ddc21 98-9051 CIP New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Lani Contents Acknowledgments ix List of Tables xiii List of Abbreviations xv A Note on Spelling and Dating xvii Introduction 1 1. England’s Jewish Merchants and the Slave Trade 11 2. Jews and Slaves in Seventeenth-Century Barbados and Jamaica 44 3. Jews and Slavery in Jamaica, 1700–80 57 4. Jews and Slavery in Barbados and Nevis, 1700–80 91 5. Jews and Slaves on the Threshold of Abolition: Jamaica and Barbados, 1780–1820 105 6. Jewish Merchants and Slavery in the Mainland Colonies 131 Conclusion 143 Appendixes 147 Notes 255 Bibliography 331 Index 361 About the Author 367 All illustrations appear as an insert following p. 86. Acknowledgments This study of the extent to which Jews in the British empire participated in the African slave trade and owned slaves originated in the fourth annual Sonia Kroland Coster Memorial Lecture at Hunter College of The City University of New York. Delivered in May 1994 at the invitation of Professor Robert Seltzer, director of Hunter College’s Jewish Studies Program, the lecture examined allegations that attributed domination of the slave trade and a preponderance of slave ownership to Jewish ﬁnanciers and colonists. Shortly after the lecture, published subsequently as ‘‘Slavery and the Jews: A Historical Inquiry,’’ Professor Seltzer proposed a fuller study of the role played by Jews in the institution of slavery in the western hemisphere. He presented his views to New York University Press in his capacity as editor of its series entitled Reappraisals in Jewish Social and Intellec

FAQs

What does the book investigate about Jews and slavery?

It examines how Jews in the British empire participated in the African slave trade and how many owned enslaved people, focusing on the western hemisphere.

What prompted Eli Faber to write this study?

The research originated in the Sonia Kroland Coster Memorial Lecture, which addressed allegations about Jewish dominance in slave trading and slave ownership.

Which regions and time periods are emphasized in the study?

The main focus includes seventeenth-century Barbados and Jamaica, eighteenth-century Jamaica, and eighteenth-century Barbados and Nevis, followed by the abolition threshold around 1780–1820.

Jul 31, 2026

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