one was named asser levy. he became part of that original jewish community there.ew amsterdam was not a very from the place for jews in 1654. the governor did not want the jews there. but they were allowed to stay. asser levi became a champion for jews, fighting for the rights of the citizens of the colonies. historians believe he kept a kosher home. we have his receipt inventory. it could indicate he used one for meat and one for dairy. and this gallery we explore the five original colonies that existed in north america. new york, newport, charleston, savannah and philadelphia. the jews who lived here for people who stories refer to as court jews. -- historians now refer to as court jews. they were involved in commerce and trade all over the atlantic. we have some portraits of some of these people. most notable is the portrait of bernard gratz. he came from central europe and he chose to depict himself posed with the five books of moses. this is unusual in colonial jewish portraiture. they usually do not include indications they were jewish in the portraits. this