As Americans commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in July 2026, it is fitting to remember Jonas Phillips, an Ashkenazi Jewish immigrant whose life embodied both the promise and the challenges of religious liberty in the new nation.
From Germany, Phillips arrived in the American colonies in 1756 as an indentured servant in Charleston, South Carolina. Like many immigrants seeking opportunity, he began with few resources and faced the uncertainty of starting a new life in an unfamiliar land. Yet through perseverance and determination, he built a successful career as a merchant and eventually settled in Philadelphia, home to one of the largest Jewish communities in colonial America. He and his Sephardic wife, Rebecca, helped found Congregation Mikveh Israel, an Orthodox Sephardic community in Philadelphia. The couple had twenty-one children, some of whom became prominent characters in American history, and even purchased and preserved Thomas Jefferson’s estate – Monticello. The Jewish grave of Jonas Phillips’ daughter, Rachel Phillips Levy, can be visited at Monticello.
When the American Revolution began, Phillips embraced the Patriot cause. He supported independence, served in the local militia, and believed deeply in the revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality. However, as a Jew, he understood that those ideals had not yet been fully extended to all Americans.
In 1787, while delegates gathered in Philadelphia to draft the United States Constitution, Phillips wrote a remarkable petition to George Washington and the Constitutional Convention. He objected to religious tests that excluded Jews and other non-Christians from public office, as one had to attest to the authority of the New Testament to serve. He urged the creation of a government that protected freedom of conscience for all citizens. His appeal reflected the hopes of many religious minorities who sought equal participation in American civic life.
Although Phillips did not live to see every barrier removed, his advocacy helped shape the American commitment to religious liberty. The Constitution’s prohibition against religious tests for federal office became a landmark guarantee of equal citizenship.
Two hundred fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, Jonas Phillips reminds us that the American story includes the voices of Jewish immigrants who helped transform the promise of freedom into a broader reality. His journey, from indentured servant to respected merchant and advocate for religious equality, stands as a testament to the enduring Jewish contribution to the American experiment.
