| They Came for Good - A History of the Jews in the United States - Present at the Creation, 1654-1820 | 
 enlarge | Actor: Amram Nowak
Studio: SHANACHIE
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $10.01
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 82554
Format: Black & White, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 60 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5
UPC: 016351098498
EAN: 0163510984984
ASIN: B00005A1TG
Release Date: April 1, 2001
Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
The story of Jews in America is told in "Present at the Creation 1654-1820," the first installment of a series that was shown on PBS, They Came for Good. Beginning with the arrival of 23 Brazilian Jews who fled persecution and arrived unwelcome at the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam in 1654, the story involves a number of heroic figures who fought for the rights of Jews to own property and practice their religion in the New World. One such colonist, Asher Levy, whose name is memorialized on several landmarks in New York City today, was a successful merchant who fought against being treated as a second-class citizen. During the American Revolution, Jewish financiers helped the Colonial cause, and in what would have been startling in a European country of that era, President George Washington wrote a letter expressing his wishes that America not practice bigotry directed at Jews. Actors in period costume appear as Jews of the time, telling stories derived from diaries and letters of how they managed to mesh in the new country while at the same time keeping to the strict Jewish customs. This is a very intelligently produced look at an aspect of early American history that is often overlooked. --Robert J. McNamara
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 They Came for Good July 21, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The second in a series of the History of the Jews coming to US. I bought this for one of the troops I support. He had requested it and I was glad to find it.
Very Important Documentary January 18, 2008
They Came for Good, a history of the Jews from 1654 to 1820 in the United States, is an important documentary. I appreciate all of the research that was done to produce this DVD. I will definitely recommend it to others.
A video history of Jews in the U.S. (part 1 of 2) March 3, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This hour-long video is the first part of a two-disc series on the history of Jews in the United States. This part covers the period from 1654, when the first Jews arrived in North America, to 1820, the beginning of the massive wave of Jewish immigration from Germany and Central Europe. (The second part, "Taking Root," covers the period from 1820 to 1880.) Both parts are informative and interesting.
One complaint: Like another reviewer, I found it strange that the film refers to North America prior to European colonization as "empty" and "unexplored." Also, one commentator in the film says that "there was very little anti-slavery sentiment in the colonies," but I imagine there was plenty of anti-slavery sentiment among the slaves, who constituted something like fifteen percent of the population by the time of the Revolution.
Chapter titles:
- 23 Brazilian Jews land on Manhattan
- Asher Levy fights for equal rights
- First Jewish synagogue built in 1720
- Rhode Island welcomes Jewish settlers
- Jews and the Revolutionary War
- Influence of Mordecai Manuel Noah
- Rebecca Gratz's life of public service
- Uriah Levy versus the U.S. Navy
- Next exodus of European Jews begins
Another good video on Judaism in the U.S. is "A Life Apart: Hasidism in America." And an excellent book on the history of Judaism in the U.S. is Jonathan Sarna's "American Judaism: A History."
 Lots of good info, but a glaring error November 24, 2002
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
This documentary is filled with lots of good information and many interesting stories. I learned much from it. However, at one point, the narrator refers to North America at the time of European colonization as an "Empty Continent". Such a gaff calls into question the perspective of the entire program. In describing the oppression of the Jewish people and their struggle to overcome it, the program does an immense disservice to that struggle by implicitly denying the oppression of another people - an oppression that all Europeans contributed to.
A historical documentary worth seeing. April 27, 2001
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
A documentary of the Jewish history during and after the creation of the United states of America.It speaks about the role of the Jews in the American life and history. Whether during the constitution or civil war they were always there as American Jews. Soldiers ,philosphers ,lawyers and economists . A worth watching tape.
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