Because We Were Slaves

The title of the curriculum, Because We Were Slaves: The Jewish Struggle for Justice in Making America Home, alludes to the daily Jewish commandment to remember that we were slaves in Egypt and therefore should never turn a blind eye to injustice.

We will focus on how Jewish people dealt with their precarious position – sometimes accepted and sometimes not – as they endeavored to make America their home. In order to understand the broad experiences of Jewish struggle in the United States, this 12-part class beginning in January 2025 will explore the begrudging acceptance Jews have experienced from the moment 23 Sephardic refugees arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654, to the present day challenges faced by the Jewish community.

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