Okay, time for another fun debunking thread on Jewish pirates.
This time, our hero is David Abarbanel, a.k.a. Captain Davis.
This time, our hero is David Abarbanel, a.k.a. Captain Davis.
David Abarbanel was born in 1580 in The Hague, to a Sephardi family from the same rabbinic dynasty as Don Isaac Abarbanel.
When he was 19, the family sailed to the New World — but their ship was attacked by the Spanish off the coast of South America.
When he was 19, the family sailed to the New World — but their ship was attacked by the Spanish off the coast of South America.
His family was murdered, but David escaped, and he joined a fleet of British privateers to exact revenge upon the cruel Spaniards.
He called himself “Captain Davis” and commanded his own pirate ship, named Jerusalem. He was even the one who discovered Easter Island!
He called himself “Captain Davis” and commanded his own pirate ship, named Jerusalem. He was even the one who discovered Easter Island!
The amazing tale of David Abarbanel is mentioned in many stories, articles, and lectures by history professors.
After all, it sounds like the perfect saga — tragedy, adventure, and sweet revenge. Right?
After all, it sounds like the perfect saga — tragedy, adventure, and sweet revenge. Right?
He even has a rum named after him!
Except that David Abarbanel never existed — at least not in the real world.
Israeli writer Elisha Glazer (1912–2004) published "Captain Davis, the Jewish Buccaneer" in 1962.
It was a work of historical fiction for children, in which the fictitious character overcomes tragic circumstances and ends up with a pirate ship of his own in the Caribbean.
It was a work of historical fiction for children, in which the fictitious character overcomes tragic circumstances and ends up with a pirate ship of his own in the Caribbean.
As for the discovery of Easter Island?
British pirate Edward *Davis* spotted a sandy island in 1687, but he never investigated it. The name "Easter Island" was given by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter in 1722, while searching for Davis’s island.
British pirate Edward *Davis* spotted a sandy island in 1687, but he never investigated it. The name "Easter Island" was given by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter in 1722, while searching for Davis’s island.
So there you have it — another creative product of a fiction writer’s imagination, which, after a few decades, became a part of Jewish history...
Here's my earlier thread on Jewish pirate Shmuel Palache:
https://twitter.com/hungrychipmunk/status/1325514585693097986
@onthemainline @DBashIdeas @MyShtender @yitzlandes @RabbiWolbe @JasonLustig @Jappelbaume @Adderabbi
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