Plaque Wording:
Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy April 22, 1792 - March 22, 1862 Nissan 30, 5552 - Adar II 20, 5622 "I am an American, a sailor and a Jew"
Born in Philadelphia in 1792, Uriah Phillips Levy was a fifth generation American. According to family stories, he left for sea at ten years old, returnging to celebrate his bar mitzvah here at Congregation Mikveh Israel in 1805. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812 and became the first Jewish Navy Commodore - equivalent to the rank of Admiral today.
During his fifty-year career, Levy was brought before a court martial six times and killed a man in a duel-all incidents related to rampant anti-Semitism. He was dismissed twice from the Navy, but was reinstated by Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler. He went on to command the Mediterranean fleet and was appointed to head the Navy Court Martial Board by President Lincoln to head the Navy Court Martial Board during the Civil War. Levy played a key role in helping repeal the flogging of sailors, making the U.S. Navy the first in the world to abolish physical punishment.
Levy always admired Thomas Jefferson and the Bill of Rights he crafted, which safeguard liberties for all Americans. In 1834, he commissioned a statue of Jefferson, which sits in the U.S. Capitol today. In 1834, Levy purchased Monticello, Jefferson's home near Charlottesville, Virginia, which he repaired, restored and preserved for future generations.
The World War II destroyer escort USS Levy (DE-162)was named in his honor, as were the Uriah P. Levy Jewish Chapel at the Norfolk Naval base in Virginia, and the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Levy is buried at Beth Olom Cemetery in Queens, New York.
Sculptor: Gregory Pototsky
Born in Philadelphia in 1792, Uriah Phillips Levy was a fifth generation American. According to family stories, he left for sea at ten years old, returnging to celebrate his bar mitzvah here at Congregation Mikveh Israel in 1805. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812 and became the first Jewish Navy Commodore - equivalent to the rank of Admiral today.
During his fifty-year career, Levy was brought before a court martial six times and killed a man in a duel-all incidents related to rampant anti-Semitism. He was dismissed twice from the Navy, but was reinstated by Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler. He went on to command the Mediterranean fleet and was appointed to head the Navy Court Martial Board by President Lincoln to head the Navy Court Martial Board during the Civil War. Levy played a key role in helping repeal the flogging of sailors, making the U.S. Navy the first in the world to abolish physical punishment.
Levy always admired Thomas Jefferson and the Bill of Rights he crafted, which safeguard liberties for all Americans. In 1834, he commissioned a statue of Jefferson, which sits in the U.S. Capitol today. In 1834, Levy purchased Monticello, Jefferson's home near Charlottesville, Virginia, which he repaired, restored and preserved for future generations.
The World War II destroyer escort USS Levy (DE-162)was named in his honor, as were the Uriah P. Levy Jewish Chapel at the Norfolk Naval base in Virginia, and the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Levy is buried at Beth Olom Cemetery in Queens, New York.
Sculptor: Gregory Pototsky