Introduction                Haym Salomon              American Patriot                  (1740-1785) One of the principal financiers of the Revolutionary War was Haym Salomon. Born in Poland in 1740, he came to America in 1772. He was an ardent patriot and was crucial in maintaining the public credit of the fledgling U.S. Salomon died in 1785. When we read American history or study it in our schools, there is seldom much mention of the Jews. Most Americans might judge from this that the Jewish people have had little to do with the history of the United States, or that the Jews are newcomers who arrived after others had founded the nation and made it great. But this happens to be far from the truth. Jews have been here from the beginning. Marranos, Jews forced to convert to Catholicism by the Spanish Inquisition, helped finance the explorations of Christopher Columbus. On Columbus' first voyage, at least five members of his crew were Jews. One of the first to set foot on the New World was a Jew. From that time until today, Jews have been an important part of the American story. Even before the United States emerged, Jews made their contributions: Haym Solomon helped finance Washington's army during the Revolutionary War. In 1775, a Sephardic Jew represented South Carolina in the First Provisional Congress. Jews fought on both sides during the Civil War, and they gave of themselves in every national crisis since. Whether emerging out of the leisure classes of Germany or the impoverished villages of Poland and Russia, they brought to America the dreams and energies that helped define this nation's character and contribute to its strength. This site, in the coming months, will present a factual history of the contributions that Jews have made to this country from Columbus' time to the present. We trust you will find it a valuable edition to the history of this great Nation. We encourage your comments as to the future content of this site. ~ Louis O. Schwartz, President    E-Mail: JewsInAmerica@aol.com    Tel: 212- 227- 8080    Fax: 212- 571- 0556   COMMITTEE (In Formation) Khaliah Ali Author & Daughter of Muhammad Ali Jerry Alperstein Commander, JWV Post 235 New York Todd Ant Sportscaster, ABC Radio Network Naomi Baron Baltimore, MD Ron Batnick Pops & Associates Emanuel Bloom, Esq. Bloom & Mintz Attorneys- New York, NY Ralph Bohm, MD New York State Athletic Commission Ring Doctor (Boxing & Wrestling) Pat Brickhouse Public Relations/Public Affairs- Chicago (Wife of Hall of Fame Broadcaster Jack Brickhouse)  Barry Brown Noted New York City Photographer Tria Case Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Energy-CUNY Benny Chin Honor Legion Rocky Choi Former Karate World Champion Christopher Nixon Cox OC Global Partners, LLC (Grandson of former President Nixon)   Randy Dreyer Radio Broadcaster - Kingsboro Community College, Brooklyn, NY Sam Dunston Board Member, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce A. Sheldon Edelman, Esq. Moskowitz, Passman & Edelman - New York, NY Skip Erwin Sportscaster/Sports Columnist - St. Louis, MO Dany L. Esquilin Chairman & Founder, The Friendship Games, Inc.  Barry Farber Pioneer Radio Talk Show Host Dr. Kenneth Fleisch, MD Scottsdale, AZ Alan Freedman Director - National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Rabbi Harold Friedlander Lisker Synagogue, New York, NY Paul Girbon President, Studio 7 NY Sonia Guidry President, Women in Government NYCHA Rachel Hirschfeld, Esq. Chair, Greater NY Chamber of Commerce Mark Jaffe President & CEO, Greater NY Chamber of Commerce Ruth Kamen Denver, CO Steven Kaufman, Esq. New York, NY Diane Krasne Dental Hygienist- Jack Schwartz, DDS- New York, NY Sandie Lerner New York, NY Dr. Bruce D. Logan Chief of Medicine, NY Downtown Hospital Howard Lowenthal Past Commander, JWV District - Treasure Coast Council 501 - West Palm Beach, FL Irv Miljoner District Director, U.S. Dept. of Labor - Wage & Hour Division Sol Mintz, Esq. Bloom & Mintz Attorneys - New York, NY Marlene Moneada-Wolhers New York, NY Jeffrey M. Motelson, Esq. New York, NY Herbert W. North, Esq. N. Woodmere, LI William Perry President, District 6 International Union Kenneth J. Podziba Commissioner, NYC Sports Commission Marion Pops Former President - Kings Bay Y, Brooklyn, NY   Paul R. Pops, Esq. Principal, Pops & Associates Hannah Ranells New York, NY Neil Joseph Ranells Noted Humanitarian - New York, NY Robert Rubin President - Program Advancement Group, Inc., San Diego, CA Lou Schwartz President, American Sportscasters Association Irving Seidman, Esq. Partner, Seidman & Seidman P.C.  - New York, NY Stan Smith Chairman, Archives, Mirrer Yeshiva Henry J. Stern  Former New York Parks Commissioner-- Director,  N.Y. Civic Dennis Strom President - Franchise Brands, Inc. Patrick Turturro Director, American Sportscasters Association Stephen Young President, FPH Communications, New York, NY