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Our Past in Present Tense
Who Planned a Jewish Homeland—in America?
Dr.
Yehuda Shabatay
On the 50th anniversary of the United Nations' declaration of the establishment of an independent Jewish State in Palestine (Nov. 29, 1947), it is appropriate to recall a virtually unknown attempt to create a Jewish homeland in America, 50 years after the United States gained its independence.
The moan who came up with the idea was Mordecai Manuel Noah, a most colorful personality. Born in Philadelphia in 1785, he was first a gilder's apprentice; then he became a clerk in the United States Treasury; and from there he moved to Charleston, S.C., to edit a local newspaper. Following the War of 1812 he was appointed American Consul in Tunis where he served for two years.
After his removal from that post, he joined his uncle, a newspaper publisher in New York, and edited several periodicals in that town. He was also a prolific playwright, active in politics—and became a sheriff for a couple of years, and then a judge in New York City.
But, in spite of all his success in later years, he could never forget his humiliating recall from Tunis, which he attributed to anti-Semitism in the diplomatic corps. He searched for a solution to that recurrent problem and toward the end of the 1810s, he came up with a creative idea. He decided to establish a haven for his fellow Jews on Grand Island, N.Y., located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
In 1820 he petitioned the New York State Legislature to allow the founding of a Jewish homeland on that location but the bill he proposed was never passed. Instead, the lawmakers decided to subdivide the island into individual farming lots. Noah instantly formulated an alternate plan to his original one. He believed that even without the Legislature's support he could realize his dream—by purchasing all the land that was up for sale. He persuaded a friend to buy 2,555 acres on the island, and then he awaited further opportunities to obtain more.
As the Erie Canal opened in 1825, the region's rapid growth began. Through the Canal hundreds of thousands of immigrants flocked to the existing towns and villages around the Great Lakes and developed the cities of Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago, to mention only the largest ones today. Thus, Noah felt justified envisioning a great metropolis in Grand Island, which Jewish investors and settlers could turn into a haven for all disenfranchised Jews.
He began to publicize his plan and found instant support for it—among the Gentiles! Local newspaper editors favored the idea because they realized the increased prosperity Jews could bring to their undeveloped area. On the other hand, some journalists wondered why no Jewish capitalists, merchants or mechanics had yet arrived, or had at least begun to scout out the island for their needs.
The lack of interest by Jews did not bother "Major" Noah, as he was called by some of the locals, and he formulated further details of his plan. He decided to name his new domain "Ararat," after the mountain on which the biblical Noah's ark came to rest. In late August 1825, he arrived in Buffalo with his robes of office and insignia securely packed. He had designed an elaborate costume for himself and ordered a foundation stone for the place he planned to dedicate with the following inscription:
Shema Yisrael/ Ararat/ A city of Refuge for the Jews/ Founded by Mordecai Manuel Noah in the Month Tizri 5586, Sept., 1925 & in the 50th year of American Independence.
Unfortunately, due to rough weather, it was impossible to cross the Niagara River at the designated time. And while the crowds patiently waited on the riverside, with a "supply of cakes and ale, pastries and pies and cold meats to give (the Jews), a good stomach for their undertaking," the dedication ceremony took place at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Buffalo.
There, following a Masonic and a military procession, and the recitation of morning prayers, Noah presented a "Jewish Declaration of Independence." In it he expressed his hope that Grand Island would be only a "temporary and provisionary" home, alluding to the messianic idea of an eventual return to Zion. In the interim, he expected all Jews to contribute three shekels per year for the maintenance of Ararat, which would be a "free and happy" country ruled by judges, as in biblical times.
The Buffalo Emporium reported the event under the headline: "Revival of the Jewish Government." A grand salute of 24 guns climaxed the affair, while a band played a medley of patriotic tunes. After the ceremony, Mordecai Manuel Noah replaced his robes of office in his suitcase and left Buffalo without ever setting foot on grand Island. In his later years he became a Zionist, trying a different solution to the Jewish problem.
122 years after the abortive attempt to lay down the foundations of Ararat, the nations of the world recognized the need for a Jewish homeland. While Ararat was merely a fleeting dream, the State of Israel has become a reality, a land in which every Noah's restless ark could come to rest.
Dr. Yehuda Shabatay received rabbinical training in Budapest, a master of jurisprudence degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and his doctorate in Hebrew literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. He was engaged in Jewish educational administration over most of his career and now teaches Jewish studies and history at Palomar and City College.