May 3
Pandemics are not new to Georgia and a Jewish immigrant helped curb an early fever in the colony.
Dr. Samuel Nunez was among the first Jewish immigrants to Georgia. The colony of Georgia was founded in February of 1733 by James Oglethorpe. Five months later, on July 11 a group of 42 Jewish colonists on a ship from Britain landed in Savannah. This was ''the largest group of Jews ever to sail on one vessel for North America in colonial times,'' Jacob Radar Marcus stated in his book The Colonial American Jew.
At first the ship carrying Jews was met with resistance. However, Savannah was in the midst of a deadly fever spreading throughout the community, so Dr. Nunez and his fellow Jews were granted entry. Prior to their arrival, Dr. Willim Cox, original colony’s single physician had died. The colonists were in desperate need of the expertise and assistance of Dr. Nunez, who came from serving Portugal’s royal family. Ultimately, James Oglethorpe praised Dr. Samuel Nunez, crediting him with saving Georgia from the epidemic.
The Colonial American Jew, Jacob Rader Marcus
Correction: In the May 2nd edition, the first line of the second bullet (In 1820, this congregation build the first synagoague in Georiga, repleacing it with a new Goth-style synagogue in 1876-78), belonged in the paragraph above it regarding Congregation Mickve Israel.
