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Hilit

Between Amsterdam and the Antilles: Diaspora and Community in Colonial Curacao

Event Type
Lecture
Sponsor
The Program in Jewish Culture and Society
Location
Lucy Ellis Lounge (LCLB 1080, 707 S Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801)
Date
Oct 21, 2025   5:00 pm  
Speaker
Hilit Surowitz-Israel
Cost
Free and open to the public
Contact
Dana Rabin
E-Mail
drabin@illinois.edu
Views
5

This talk explores Curacao's pivotal role at the height of its influence by examining the production and circulation of religious material culture, focusing on the significance of "the gift" within Sephardic communities across the Americas. Curacao strategically used gifts, especially ritual objects, to shape and guide Jewish ritual and practice throughout the Atlantic world during the early modern period. Through this unidirectional flow of religious materials and personnel, the Mikve Israel congregation of Curacao not only spread its customs and rituals but also cemented its status as the mother congregation of Jewish communities across colonial America.

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