Visionary or Dreamer? Emanuel Noah's Quest for a Jewish Haven in America

He donned the attire of a gentleman, spoke impeccable English, and confidently maneuvered through the power halls of young Washington. As a New York sheriff and a prominent member of the Republican-Democratic Party, Emanuel Noah was every bit an American. Yet, in his heart thrived a powerful pride in his Jewish heritage, which he never concealed. Emanuel Noah was a fascinating yet often forgotten figure in American-Jewish history.

Born in Philadelphia in 1785 to a German father and a Spanish-Portuguese mother, Emanuel was initially meant to become a jeweler under the guidance of his grandfather who raised him. However, finding little passion for the trade, he pursued law and simultaneously carved out a successful career as a journalist and a politician in the Democratic-Republican Party, one of the major U.S. parties at the time. Emanuel was no ordinary journalist—he was a patriotic American journalist. During the War of 1812, at the age of 26, he penned fiery editorials advocating for conflict with Britain.

In politics, Emanuel always emphasized his Jewish identity with enormous pride. In 1812, he applied for the position of U.S. consul. In his application, he proudly noted his Jewish heritage, underscoring that if appointed, it would signal to Jews and nations worldwide that the U.S. practiced no religious discrimination, and all appointments were based purely on merit. He was later appointed consul in Tunis, where his responsibilities included negotiating the release of American citizens captured by the ruler of Algeria. As a Jew, he saw this as an opportunity to integrate the Jewish value of "redeeming captives" into American policy. Despite successfully freeing the captives, his costly efforts angered his superiors, leading to his dismissal.

After his dismissal, Emanuel moved to New York, where he founded several newspapers, was elected as the sheriff of New York City, and even served as a judge. In a move that predated modern Zionist efforts by a century, Emanuel founded the Jewish state of "Ararat." He was a proud Jew, and his integration into American society did not diminish his Jewish identity. He dreamed of a global Jewish national revival that would restore Jewish greatness. He envisioned himself as the one to gather the Jewish people from the nations, akin to Moses, leading them to the Promised Land.

And he acted on it. He purchased "Grand Island" in the Niagara River, south of the famous falls. Emanuel believed that with vertical construction, the island could harbor six million Jews. In 1825, he hosted an elaborate ceremony to lay the cornerstone for the new Jewish refuge city—"Ararat." At the ceremony, dressed in a grand robe, he delivered a passionate speech describing how Jews could live peacefully in Ararat until salvation came. He declared himself "Judge of Israel," and the cornerstone was inscribed with the Hebrew "Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One." In English, it read: "Ararat, a city of refuge for Jews, founded by Emanuel Noah in the month of Tishrei in the year 5586 from Creation, September 1825, in the 50th year of America's independence."

However, the Jewish people did not heed Emanuel’s call, and when the great waves of Jewish immigration from Europe to America began, they did not settle in Ararat, but dispersed across the United States. Today, the only remnant of Emanuel Noah’s initiative is the cornerstone, displayed at the Buffalo Historical Museum.

Years after the failure of the "Ararat" initiative, Emanuel wrote an article asserting that the only way for a Jewish national revival was in Eretz Yisrael: "Jews need to do something for themselves... Syria will return to the Jews in a manner of purchase... under the auspices of France and Britain... repopulating Syria is a reasonable act."

Emanuel died at the age of 76 from a stroke. He was a fascinating and colorful figure, and the rare combination of a proud Jew and a patriotic American gentleman made him a pioneer of his type. In many ways, Emanuel was ahead of his time, and he exemplifies the American Jew who can be faithful to both his Jewishness and his country—a figure that would become more recognizable in the later American Jewish landscape.