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It is only recently that the importance of Moses Elias Levy (1782 1854) as a Jewish social activist has come to be appreciated. C. S. Monaco's discovery of Levy's Plan for the Abolition of Slavery in the late 1990s began the transformation of historians' understanding of this man's life and work. Now, in the first full-scale biography of Levy, Monaco completes the picture of one of the antebellum South's most influential and interesting Jewish citizens.
Long known only as the father of David L. Yulee, the first Jew elected to the U.S. Senate, Levy appears here in all his many, sometimes contradictory roles: abolitionist and slave owner, utopian colonizer and former arms-dealer, religious reformer and biblical conservative. Each aspect of Levy's life and character comes into sharp relief as Monaco follows him from his affluent upbringing in a Sephardic Jewish household in Morocco where his father was a courtier to the sultan through his career as a successful merchant shipper, to his radical reform activities in Florida.
With his many residences abroad in Morocco, Gibraltar, Danish Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Curacao, England Levy virtually epitomized the Atlantic world, and Monaco escorts readers from country to country, considering Levy's accomplishments in each. The sole Jewish voice during the British abolitionist crusade, Levy was so extraordinary in his activism in London that some Protestants believed he heralded the millennium. In his search for equilibrium between Enlightenment thinking and pre-modern religion, Levy founded the United States' first Jewish communitarian settlement in the wilds of the East Florida frontier. As one of the region's largest landowners, he also reintroduced sugacane as a viable crop, organized the first Florida development corporation, helped establish the earliest free public school, and served as the territory's first education commissioner.
In Moses Levy of Florida, C. S. Monaco offers a radical reappraisal of this complex and formerly underappreciated figure, bringing to light for the first time the full and fascinating extent of his remarkable contributions to nineteenth-century America.
About the Author:
A longtime Florida resident, C. S. Monaco is an independent scholar, historian, and documentary filmmaker. Previously he worked as a New York City television executive for fifteen years. He is pursuing a doctorate in history from Oxford Brookes University in England.
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Ryan Wiechens
reviewed Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer on June 02, 2011
Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer
Trenka's enigmatic story is reminiscent of Shirley Geok-Lin Lim and Maxine Hong Kingston but moves far beyond the post-colonial experiences of those two writers. Her unique story does not even compare to the ethnic lit of second generation ________(fill in the blank)-Americans.
"The Language of Blood," instead, is a well told story about a woman who was adopted as a young age from Korea and raised in rural Minnesota. There are throwbacks to the post-colonial and second generation experience, but, really, Trenka's story is one of exile, displacement, and juxtaposition. It is a story of feeling both a sense of belonging and a sense of not belonging.
Other reviewers say she plays the victim (white-speak for "Not all white people are racist") too much. I never felt that she sees herself as or plays up the role of victim, rather she more so identifies with the refugee: Adrift, or, in a word she likes to frequently use, "suspended" and at the mercy of the world's whims.
Maybe it's just me, though. I really enjoyed it. Others might not, but all readers should judge it as her experience -- and everyone's experience can be different, as evidenced by both her siblings who remained in Korea and the sister who came with her. Maybe the story was interesting to me because, as the brother of trans-racial adoptee from Korea raised in rural Kentucky, I remember much of the scenarios she describes and satirizes. Through that lens, I could very much relate with Trenka's story.
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Add Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer, It is only recently that the importance of Moses Elias Levy (1782–1854) as a Jewish social activist has come to be appreciated. C. S. Monaco's discovery of Levy's Plan for the Abolition of Slavery in the late 1990s began the transformation of historians' , Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer, It is only recently that the importance of Moses Elias Levy (1782–1854) as a Jewish social activist has come to be appreciated. C. S. Monaco's discovery of Levy's Plan for the Abolition of Slavery in the late 1990s began the transformation of historians' , Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer to your collection on WonderClub |
