PANAMA-RELATED ENGLISH SILVER TANKARD.

1909

Flat, hinge-lidded drinking tankard bearing inscription: “Presented to Mr. J. Julius Sasso by the Hebrew Community of Colon Rep[ublic] of Panama. A token of appreciation esteem and regard, 1st Tishri 5670, 16th September 1909.” Marked: William Hutton & Sons Ltd., Sheffield. Height: 6.5 inches.

The first Jews to settle in Panama were descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who practiced their Judaism in secret. Colón is a sea port on the Atlantic coast of Panama. The city lies near the Caribbean Sea entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama’s Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama’s second city. Jacob Julius Sasso was born 1878 to Abraham I. and Leah Sasso in St. Thomas. He grew to become an active lay leader in the Colon Jewish community and the Dutch Sephardic Synagogue - Ka’al Kadosh Yangacov. See: M. Arbell, The Jewish Nation of the Caribbean (2002).