Digging into St. Augustine's Jewish history with Rabbi Merill Shapiro

Unpacking Florida's Jewish History by Levi D'Amato

Episode notes

This episode explores the early history of Jewish presence in Florida, beginning with Ponce de León's discovery in 1513 and the 250 years where only Catholics could officially reside. It examines the possibility of crypto-Jews living secretly in St. Augustine alongside the Spanish, and introduces Moses Elias Levy—a Moroccan-born visionary who purchased 100,000 acres of Florida land and advocated for Jewish refugees fleeing European persecution.

Keywords
historySaint augustine