Happy birthday, America! Two hundred forty five years ago, a group of visionaries began the process that led to the most powerful nation in all of human history. There were  many bumps and worse along the way, but we  managed to keep moving forward and expand the horizons of freedom. The concepts of liberty and representative government were indeed revolutionary; they just had to be applied beyond a small circle of wealthy white men. Our history shows it was, constantly improving, and when there is a threat of backsliding, we correct direction. That is truly one of our greatest strengths, and why we remain a magnet for people the world over.

I thought I knew all the important stuff about the era of the Founding Fathers, but recently learned this fascinating bit of Americana about a man referred to as the “Paul Revere of the South.” Francisco Salvador was a Sephardic Jew from South Carolina who was politically active in the quest for independence, and died on the battlefield fighting for the new nation. He was the first Jew to die for America, but he was certainly not the last. In this era of rising antisemitism, where malevolent people try to paint Jewish-Americans as outsiders and usurpers, history tells a very different story. It is a great historical lesson that America was already a nation of many religions, none of them expected to be exalted above the others; it’s also instructive to understand that the first American Jews had names like Francisco Salvador. 

Click here to read about Francisco Salvador, the First American Jew to die fighting for our country.

Have a safe and happy Independence Day, and if you have not been vaccinated, please do so ASAP! And if you feel you must use fireworks, please do so with the utmost care! Every American is important!