Jewish Contributions to Columbus's Voyage to America
From The Jewish-Ameerican Hall of Fame:
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
There has been much speculation over the centuries as to whether Christopher Columbus may have been Jewish or of Jewish descent. The Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that he may have come from a Spanish-Jewish family settled in Genoa, Italy.But there is no question that it was his Spanish-Jewish friends who were instrumental in arranging for his meeting with the Spanish Monarchs in 1486 and who turned his dream into reality.
Contrary to popular opinion, it was not Queen Isabella’s jewelry, but Spanish Jewry that made Columbus’ historical trip of discovery possible. Actually it was Luis de Santangel, whose grandfather had converted from Judaism to Christianity under pressure of Spanish persecutions, who lent nearly 5 million maravedis to pay for the voyage. In addition, Santangel’s influence with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella was decisive in gaining their acceptance of Columbus’ proposals. In recognition of his assistance, Santangel was the first to hear of the historic discoveries directly in a personal letter from Columbus. Showing his allegiance to his former co-religionists, Luis de Santangel made substantial contributions toward the hiring of ships that enabled them to leave when they were expelled en mass from Spain.
Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508)
Another of Columbus’ stalwart friends was Don Isaac Abravanel, who had remained stalwart to his religion and who was one of the most distinguished biblical scholars, philosophers and statesmen of the period. He also helped to finance Columbus’ voyage, although he was not there to greet the great explorer upon his return ... since Abravanel was also expelled from Spain, in spite of his high position in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella.
Before the Expulsion, Abraham Zacuto was forced to leave his native Spain. He was later named Royal Mathematician to the Portuguese royal court. There, he improved the astrolabe (early navigational instrument) and prepared astronomical tables, greatly improving navigational accuracy on the high seas. A copy of Zacuto’s astronomical tables, along with Columbus’ personal annotations, is still preserved in Seville.
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