The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit 2015 musical, opens by describing its hero as a "bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman," highlighting the steep obstacles Alexander Hamilton had to overcome on his way to becoming a founding father. Now historian Andrew Porwancher proposes adding another unpropitious identity to the list -- Jew. Was Hamilton Jewish? Most historians would say no; The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton makes an intriguing though inconclusive case that the answer is yes, or at least "kind of." Neither Hamilton himself nor any of his contemporaries ever said he was Jewish. Like many of the founders, he was not much of a churchgoer -- he left religious matters to his wife, Eliza -- but on his deathbed, with the bullet from Aaron Burr’s dueling pistol lodged in his spine, he took communion from the Episcopal bishop of New York. The bishop, who was a friend, initially refused, doubting the sincerity of the request. But insofar as Hamilton had a religion, it was Christianity.