April 19, 1775, dawned like any other spring morning in Massachusetts. But by day’s end, the crack of muskets at the Battles of Lexington and Concord would echo far beyond New England, igniting a revolution that reshaped the course of history.
With the approach of America’s 250th birthday this coming July 4, it is worth recalling – on the eve of the anniversary of Lexington and Concord – not only the courage of the colonial militias that stood their ground that day but also the often-overlooked role played by the small yet steadfast Jewish community in the struggle for independence.
At the time, there were barely 2,500 Jews living in the 13 American colonies, representing roughly 0.1% of the colonial population. Scattered across port cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, and Newport, they were deeply invested in the fate of the emerging nation. When word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord spread like wildfire, many saw in it a clarion call to action.
News traveled swiftly along colonial networks, carried by riders and reprinted in broadsheets. For Jews, who had long experienced discrimination and marginalization in Europe, the confrontation with British tyranny resonated profoundly. The promise of liberty – of a land where they could live openly as Jews without fear – was not an abstraction. It was a cause worth fighting for.
And fight they did.
From colonial unrest to Jewish commitment to independence
Among the earliest to answer the call was Francis Salvador, a South Carolina planter of Sephardi descent. When tensions with Britain escalated following Lexington and Concord, Salvador threw himself into the patriot cause, serving in the provincial congress and later taking up arms. On August 1, 1776, he was killed in an ambush by British Loyalist and Cherokee forces near the Keowee River, and is widely regarded as the first known Jewish casualty of the American Revolution.
His sacrifice was not unique.
Jewish merchants, artisans, and professionals rallied behind the revolutionary effort, providing supplies, raising funds, and joining local militias. In cities such as Philadelphia, Jews helped sustain the Continental Army through their commercial networks, ensuring that soldiers had access to desperately needed goods.
Equally noteworthy was Mordecai Sheftall of Savannah, Georgia, who rose to the rank of colonel – the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the Continental forces – and served as commissary general, overseeing critical supplies for troops in the Southern Department.
Perhaps the most famous Jewish figure of the era was Haym Salomon, a Polish-born immigrant who played a pivotal role in financing the revolution. A skilled broker and ardent patriot, Salomon used his financial acumen to harness funds and raise support for the Continental Congress. At a time when the fledgling government teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, his efforts helped keep the revolutionary cause afloat.
Indeed, Salomon personally advanced funds to key figures such as James Madison, enabling them to carry out their duties. Though he died in relative obscurity and financial straits, his contribution to American independence was immense.
Equally noteworthy was Gershom Mendes Seixas, the spiritual leader of New York’s Shearith Israel synagogue. When the British captured the city in 1776, Seixas refused to pray for the Crown, as required by the occupiers. Instead, he fled with many of his congregants, later making his way to Philadelphia, where he supported the patriot cause. His steadfast commitment to principle earned him the moniker “the Patriot Rabbi.”
The ramifications of Lexington and Concord were especially profound for the small Jewish community in the colonies. Those early battles crystallized the stakes of the conflict. No longer was the dispute with Britain a distant political quarrel; it had become a full-fledged war for liberty. For Jewish colonists, who had long yearned for a society grounded in rights and equality, the choice was clear.
Many cast their lot with the revolution.
This alignment was not without risk. Jews, like their Christian neighbors, faced the dangers of war, economic hardship, and uncertainty. Yet many were motivated by a deep sense of gratitude and hope. America, even in its infancy, offered something unprecedented: the possibility of religious freedom enshrined not merely in practice but in principle.
That promise would later find expression in the words of George Washington, who in 1790 wrote “to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island” that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” For a people long accustomed to exile and exclusion, such a declaration was nothing short of revolutionary.
As America approaches its semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, the story of Jewish participation in the American Revolution serves as a powerful reminder of the important contributions made by Jews to the United States. It is also a testament to the enduring bond between the Jewish people and the ideals upon which America was built.
From the battlefields of South Carolina to the halls of the Continental Congress, from the trading houses of Philadelphia to the synagogues of New York and the supply lines of the Southern Department, Jews, though modest in number, played a consequential role in securing American independence. Their contributions may not always occupy center stage in the popular imagination, but they are woven into the very DNA of the republic.
The muskets that rang out at Lexington and Concord on that April day in 1775 did more than launch a war. They set in motion a bold experiment in liberty, one that drew in even the smallest and most vulnerable communities, including a fledgling Jewish population eager to help shape a new society. Two and a half centuries on, amid a worrying surge in antisemitism, that legacy still calls to us, demanding that we preserve and defend it.■
The writer served as deputy communications director under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.