Soldiers Of The Revolution
RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH
Special to the Jewish News
A
t the time of the American
Revolution there were less than
2,000 Jews in the 13 colonies. Yet
there were Jews among these who
fought at Bunker Bill and Valley
Forge. During the siege of
Savannah, David Emmanuel would
,
toim
, •••111
•
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show such bravery that his admirers
elected him Governor of Georgia in
1801, and in his honor named its
largest county "Emmanuel."
Francis Salvador came from
England to help Americans in their
fight for independence, and at the
young age of 29 was elected to the
Provincial Congress of South
Carolina, making him the first Jew
to hold public office in the colonies.
Salvador was that rare politician
who had the physical courage of his
convictions and volunteered to lead
a night attack of militiamen against
hostile Cherokees which, unfortu-
nately, led to his death by scalping.
The Continental Army even had
one entire unit known as "The Jew's
Company."
Historians agree that one of the
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most important contributions of the
-
Jews to the American Revolution
was the financial support of Haym
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School of Speech and Drama in
London, the actor began working in
British television and, over the years,
the roles kept coming.
Yet, he insists, he was shocked
when he was hired after submitting a
two-minute audition tape to Patriot
director Roland Emmerich.
To prepare for his role, he
immersed himself in research and
learned that the real Tavington, actual-
ly a lieutenant colonel named Banastre
Tarleton, was, like himself, the third
of four sons from Liverpool.
Tarleton, known as "The Butcher"
or "Bloody Ban," was a piece of work:
He carried a map of the Carolinas
with him everywhere, enlarging the
area he intended to claim as his prop-
erty once victory was won. He also
carried a tract on polygamy, having
selected several of many wives he
hoped to keep in the New World.
Emmerich and producer Dean
Devlin were receptive to Isaacs'
research and incorporated some of the
Salomon, one of the first Polish
immigrants to settle in New York. It
is quite conceivable that without his
money, the colonies would have
failed in their efforts to break away
from England
After being arrested as a spy by
the British and confined for two
years, Salomon escaped and in a
short time became one of the coun-
try's leading financiers. James
Madison, the future president,
wrote how readily he could borrow
money from Salomon, "but I never
resort to it without great mortifica-
tion as he obstinately rejects all rec-
ompense."
Salomon would become known
as the "Broker to the Office of
Finance" and with reckless uncon-
cern for his own interests, he per-
sonally endorsed the almost value-
less Bills of Exchange issued by the
Continental Congress. The huge
loans Salomon extended to the gov-
ernment were never repaid, and
Haym Salomon died bankrupt.
This selection, excerpted from
The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Jewish History and Culture
(Alpha Books; $18.9), by Rabbi
Benjamin Blech, is reprinted with
permission from the publisher.
information into the Tavington char-
acter.
Today, Isaacs' Hollywood career
appears to be kicking up a notch;
recently he was in San Francisco to
film Sweet November, in which he
plays the drag queen/best friend of
actress Charlize Theron. He dieted a
bit for the role, he confides: "It's hard
enough walking in high heels up and
down those San Francisco hills with-
out bursting out of your sequined
frock," he explains.
Yet despite the steady work and his
comfort level with being Jewish in
Hollywood, Isaacs has no plans to
move to Los Angeles. The environ-
ment is just too unstable, he suggests.
"When I was here doing
Armageddon, I had the key to the
kingdom, but when Soldier came out,
I felt like I had professional and social
leprosy," he recalls. "And so I continue
to live in London. I just need to loOk
in people's eyes who've known me for
20 years." 111