Long Before the Dread Pirate Roberts or Pirates of the Caribbean entered our consciousness, there were once Jewish pirates who sailed the seven seas and wreaked all sorts of semi-kosher mayhem across the Mediterranean.
It’s kinda hard to believe, but in the Middle Ages there honestly were Jews who operated under the skull and crossbones.
Taking on unforgettable names like “Great Jew” and the “Pirate Rabbi,” some indulged in the whole swashbuckling pirate life. Others took to the high seas as revenge against an oppressive regime.
Of course, there’s those who say that most of the Jewish pirates served more as advisors to other leading (non-Jewish) pirates of the day. That might be true (watch the video to find out more), but don’t let the debate over whether they were privateers, buccaneers, pirates or smugglers spoil an awesome story about Jews who stood up to their enemies.
Video Sources:
- 8 Little-known Facts About Jewish Pirates – Aish.Com
- A Psychoanalytic History Of The Jews – Avner Falk
- Another Jewish Pirate – Jewish Currents
- Cemetery excavations reveal complicated Jamaican Jewish past – JNS
- Edict Of The Expulsion Of The Jews (1492)
- Famous Jewish Pirates – Jewishsphere
- Ferdinand And Isabella – Jewish Encyclopedia
- Incorrect Information From Jewish Pirates Of The Caribbean – Tom Teilen
- Jewish Pirates Of The Caribbean – Jerusalem Post
- Jewish Pirates Of The Caribbean: How A Generation Of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out An Empire In The New World In Their Quest For Treasure, Religious Freedom–and Revenge – Edward Kritzler
- Moses Henriques, Jewish Pirate – J-Grit
- Pirates Of The Carribbean…who Kept Shabbos! – Jew In The City
- Sinan “The Great Jew” – eSefarad
- Spanish Inquisition: 527 Years Ago, Jews In Spain Made Impossible Choice – Jerusalem Post
- The Forgotten Jewish Pirates of Jamaica – Smithsonian
- The Pirate Rabbi – Orthodox Union
- Tomás De Torquemada – Encyclopdeia.Com
- Tomás De Torquemada – Medieval Iberia: An Encyclopedia
