Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-11-30
FIRST HEBREW IN AMERICA.

FIRST HEBREW IN AMERICA.
 A remarkable celebration by tre Hebrews throughout the United States unparalleled in the history of nations, or races. is in progress today. A mil lion and a quarter of Hebrews are kolding special services of thank5giF ing in expression of their gratitude to the first nation of modern times 10 recognize the Jews title 10 all the rights of man. And inasmuch as this recognition covered the right of the Jew to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, the rational tnankssivine ceremonies are largely religious in enafacaer.
 The general thanksei4ing movement originated in New York. and the pro gran of exercises carried o1lt today was originated by the New York committee, and will be identical throuehont the country. Es- reeially elaborate and impressive are the Sunday school exercises. with ? view to engraving on the minds of the children the -caHses for Jewish srati= tuae toward the country in which their forbears finally found recogni- ton of their sacred rights.
 On Tulv B. 1854. Jacob Barsimo0, the first Hebrew. whose name has been preserved. landed on American soil at Now Amsterdam from Holland.
 Jewish immigration 10 the United States divides itself into three periods. The first comprises the time between he landing of Jacob Barsimon and the year 1872. Within a few months after the arrival of Borstmon twc ..t<- three refugees from Brazil came on the St. Catarina. Max ]. Kohler, cor responding secretary of the Jewish Historical society. terms this first ai- vision the period of sephardic miera. ton, most of the Jewish settlers being of Spanish or Portuguese stock. In all they numbered only about 5000 in the year 1912, and abopt one-siXth of tke total colony remained in New York.
 The second period was that of Ger nan migration, from 1912 to about 1s80 when the total Jewish popula- tion of the country was estimated zat 250 ooo Of this run her ahont 100- 000 did not settle west of New York
 The third period from 1sSo to the present time. lnline which anti-semi- tic persecution in Russia and Rouma- nia resulted in heavy emtqration 10 the United States, saw an increas" of about a million Jews in the popula- tion of this country.
 In the era of eynansion that follow d the discovery of Amefica fhe nup- her of Hebrews found among the cot- ciists in Brazil bccame largo, owing {, the action of tho portrgn"se in dc rortine annually y'-irleeas ef aereo9s condemned bv tho inauisition Dur- inc the first half of tho sivte2nth cen tHrv nearlv all of the suear plafatatioes in Brazil were in the hands of Heh- rews. who prospered enormously. This good fortune was short=lived. however. qnd in 1557 an edict forbade their fur ther settlement in Brazil and other Spanish and Portuguese colonies, They were hecon ing too numerous, ac- oording to the old-world standards, and resumed their ancestral faith. be- ing no longer Maranos. or secret Hep- rews Twenty years later pay r1ent of 1 TOO, ,000 crusados. or s70o o0o Co.eo1 tho ed'ot to he annulled. With the Dutch c0rouest of Brazil in 162i the;r 'ihorticS were moro assured and their numha~s so incroaSed that sn 1e5a frl,v 5on0 Hehrewe livaa in Pe- c;fe fparnauhucol. vv;t', o.hora l., To hia and Rio de Janeiro. When Brazil again fell into the hands of the Portu- guese and the methods of the inquisi- tion came into vogue the Hebrews