On Thursday, October 7th, The Hudson Area Library History Room presented, in collaboration with the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History, “To Trade, Traffique, Buy & Sell as the Rest of the Inhabitants: Jewish commercial and Communal Activities in Colonial New York”, a talk by Dr. Noah Gelfand. This was the fourth in a series of virtual talks on local history hosted by the Library and the Leisler Institute.

The talk explores the economic and religious endeavors of New York’s growing Jewish population in the era when they developed the colony into one of the most important locations for Jews in the Atlantic world.

The Hudson Area Library History Room houses a collection that pertains to the history of the City of Hudson, Greenport and Stockport; as well as Columbia County and New York State. The History Room also hosts the Local History Speaker Series at the library, offering free monthly talks on diverse topics related to local history.

The Jacob Leisler Library Lectures are made partially possible through the generous support of the Van Dyke Family Foundation.

Noah L. Gelfand holds a Ph.D. in Atlantic History from New York University and is currently a Doctoral Lecturer in the History Department at Hunter College, where he teaches courses on early U.S. history. His scholarship focuses on the early modern Jewish Atlantic world. He is also a Trustee of the Jacob Leisler Institute.

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