Acordos (Regulations): Against Libelous Verses

Hendrik Doncker

The Jewish Community of Curaçao

1740

In the Name of the Blessed God

The gentlemen of the Mahamad [board of governors—Ed.] have received a letter from the very illustrious gentlemen of the Mahamad of the Holy Congregation of T: T: [Talmud Torah—Ed.] of Amsterdam, disclosing that a member [of ours] had written to various merchants of that city against the interests of a fellowman. In telling strangers that there is among us an evil person capable of such a deed, he not only trespassed against the commandments of God’s Holy Law, but also profaned His Holy Name. [Their letter] firmly recommends a careful investigation of the person guilty of this act so that he may be punished in accordance with his crime and in accordance with the rigor of our Holy Law so that there is no repetition of it in the future.

The gentlemen of the Mahamad and their councillors, in the company of our eminent Haham R[ephae]l Jesurun, after investigating the matter as far as possible, decided with the approval of our worthy Haham upon the proper punishment to be meted out under our Holy Law.

Since in the Yr. 5449 it was resolved to forbid, under penalty of the small ban, the composition of verses, sonnets or pasquins injurious to one’s fellowmen, which [offense] is less grievous than the foregoing case, said gentlemen resolved to enact a Regulation as they now enact, whereby any member of resident of this Island, or even visitors, committing an offense similar to this, either directly or indirectly, by inciting or causing to incite, by writing or causing to be written anything frivolous against his fellowman or against his interests, shall be under penalty of the small ban and shall be punished with all the rigor of our Holy Law, as a disturber of the peace and general welfare. His crime shall be announced in the Holy Synagogue so that everyone may avoid him and especially his mischief. He shall not be relieved or released from such penalty until paying a fine of fifty pezos for the Sedaca [charity fund—Ed.] and giving public satisfaction from the pulpit, [namely,] by asking God, the Holy Congregation and the person he has injured for forgiveness of his pulpit.

May Blessed God help us with His divine aid so that we may incline our hearts to keep His divine laws with love and reverence by loving our fellowmen as His Holy Law commands and by driving away all evil from us. May He bless His people with peace and union, Amen!

Done in the H. C. of Mikve Israel, the 3rd of Nisan, Yr. 5500 [1740].

Present: The gentlemen of the Mahamad and councillors in the Company of the eminent Haham.

Signed: Josseph Jess[uru]n. Henriquez Treasurer

Translated by
Isaac Samuel
Emmanuel
and
Suzanne A.
Emmanuel
.
Map depicting rivers and settlements, an image of a large building with a waterwheel, and an image of small huts with palm trees at the top and two cherubs with Dutch text.
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By the time this sea pilot’s map of Suriname was created in 1680, there was a well-established Jewish community there. In the 1660s, Jewish communities arose on the Caribbean islands of Martinique, Barbados, and Jamaica. Sephardic Jewish settlers came not only from Amsterdam but also from Livorno, Hamburg, London, and Bayonne. Some of them found their way to Suriname and joined the Jewish settlement that had begun to flourish there in 1667, after it was captured by the English. Jewish settlers began to clear land that had been granted to them for agriculture; to this day this area is called Joden Savanne (“the Jews’ Savannah”). The first synagogue was established there in 1685. In 1694, ninety-two Portuguese Jewish families were living in Suriname, as well as about a dozen Ashkenazic families: in total about 570 people. Jews owned forty sugar plantations and nine thousand slaves.
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Notes

Unless indicated as editorial additions, words in brackets appear in the original translation.

Credits

The Jewish Community of Curaçao, “Hascamoth of Congregation Mikve Israel 1671–1963,” from History of the Jews of the Netherlands Antilles, vol. II, ed. and trans. Isaac Samuel Emmanuel and Suzanne A. Emmanuel (Cincinnati: American Jewish Archives, 1975), pp. 571–72. Used with permission of Gary S. Schiff.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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