WI Alhambra Decree ended with Jewish Americas?

In 1492, the Alhambra Decree was signed in Spain, evicting all Jews from the country. In 1492, Columbus discovered America. What if the Decree was somehow delayed, and the Decree ended up sending all the Jews over there? Would the rest of Europe follow? What would Jewish colonisation of the Americas look like, up to the present day?
 
In 1492, the Alhambra Decree was signed in Spain, evicting all Jews from the country. In 1492, Columbus discovered America. What if the Decree was somehow delayed, and the Decree ended up sending all the Jews over there? Would the rest of Europe follow? What would Jewish colonisation of the Americas look like, up to the present day?

Colonisation of the Americas in the traditional sense began only i nthe 15th century. Before that it was just trading and raiding parties organised by Spain etc.
Spain's empire- the first- was not colony driven. It was driven by small bands of conquistadors and jesuits seeking plunder and converts (or both). Colonialism was popular in N. America (Jamestown was a whole community instead of just a few administrators) but not so much with Spain; moreso with England and France.
However, it could be said that a large population moving away from religious persecution might turn to the edges of the earth. However, the Jews had far better connections in Europe. THere was a large Jewish community in Constantinople and the Ottomans were very tolerant of the Jews many of whom moved there. The fact is is that Europe had more:
1. Communications- it was easier to get ot Constantinople than America
2. Wealth. As mostly urban-based, the Jewish community were eequired by law to engage inonly a few professions (most notably money-lending).
3. Urban areas. Same as above- Spanish law fobade Jews to take up agriculture. Any Jewish colonists would HAVE to be farmers and therefore break the law.
Furthermore, America was fairly inhospitable at the time. The conquistadors suffered from disease and the natives weren't too friendly either (apart from the Aztecs vut they were duped into thinking Cortez was a god). A small Jewish colony in, say, Mexico, would not be greeted too well.
Therefore, Jewish colonisation of the New World in the 15th century is very unlikely: although possibly Isabella of Spain may, if she was feeling particularly cruel, and proclaimed the Alhambra DEcree in the 15th century, she may force the Jews to America. However, this faces the logistical problems as above. Far easier to send them to Constantinople or the Holy Roman Empire. Far more appealing to Isabella and the Jews (not saying eviction was nice, but I'd rather make my way in Constantinople or E. Europe than try and colonise a continent with only my friends and family).
 
The Spanish crown only supported Columbus project because he promised that the idea was to spread the Catholic faith and to get revenues to finance a Crusade that would allow to recover Holy Land. Sending someone you consider a danger to your faith to "colonize" those lands would be difficult to understand (just think that the US forces in Irak decided to repopulate with al-Qaeda prisoners).
 
I could imagine a lot of the Jewish groups wouldn't want to be sent to the wilderness - why would they? Being forced to leave home and possessions is bad enough, but leaving civilisation entirely when there were better alternatives out East is something else. Also, would have Spain or anyone else would have had the capacity for mass transportations across the Atlantic at that point?
 
While we are talking the late 1400s early 1500s. Is the forced migration of jews to the New World something the Catholic Church could have demanded?
As other posters have mentioned the moving of Jews to the New World is utterly useless to what Isabella was trying to achieve. Possibly slave labor? but that is a big what if because there was a plentiful population of natives.
To say that Jews did not go to the New World is false. IIRC Amerigo Vespucci (Colombus's navigator) was Jewish. As well as there were some Jews in New Spain once the settling actually began. It may be possible to get Jews in greater numbers into the English colonies but that would require a butterfly for their 1292 (?) expulsion from England. I had a High School Teacher whose family were Marrano (secret Jews basically) and after 400 years they were still lighting Shabbat candles in the closet but couldn't remember why. Also there were several socities that tried to convince Jews to form communities in the Midwest during the 1800s. These mostly failed because of lack of money, and consisted of Jews from the Pale.
 
While we are talking the late 1400s early 1500s. Is the forced migration of jews to the New World something the Catholic Church could have demanded?
As other posters have mentioned the moving of Jews to the New World is utterly useless to what Isabella was trying to achieve. Possibly slave labor? but that is a big what if because there was a plentiful population of natives.
To say that Jews did not go to the New World is false. IIRC Amerigo Vespucci (Colombus's navigator) was Jewish. As well as there were some Jews in New Spain once the settling actually began. It may be possible to get Jews in greater numbers into the English colonies but that would require a butterfly for their 1292 (?) expulsion from England. I had a High School Teacher whose family were Marrano (secret Jews basically) and after 400 years they were still lighting Shabbat candles in the closet but couldn't remember why. Also there were several socities that tried to convince Jews to form communities in the Midwest during the 1800s. These mostly failed because of lack of money, and consisted of Jews from the Pale.
As an addendum to this it should be pointed out that a fair sized portion of Jews did immigrate to the New World in the form of Conversos and Marranos. Such that when the English conquered Jamaica they were most perplexed by the significant Jewish population that seemed to appear out of thin air once the risk of being burned at the stake vanished.
 
You all make very good points, and I apologise if my AH is a bit out there. I'm new to alternate history in general, so I'm not quite used to it, and of course my history's not amazing.

I suppose, the word I was looking for originally was not 'colonisation' but more 'settlement'. Since Isabella definitely didn't want the Jews in Spain, would they be allowed into New Spain? Or would it need more than that?

Otherwise, I bow to your experiences.
 
I wonder if the Spanish could do with some part of the Americas what the English did with Barbados, Georgia and Australia- settle a colony in order to have a dumping ground for convicts and political or religious dissidents?
 
This would be more plausible if Columbus and the Decree wouldn't exactly at the same time. Move one or the other to create a 20 year gap, and I think something like this would be more plausible...though still not all that plausible at all. As said, Ottoman Empire is a much better choice.

Maybe Spain sends all the Jews to the Canary Islands?
 
Thank you Orioes. That is what I was trying to convey thanks for filling in the gaps. Here's a Factoid the first new world Synagogue was in Barbados.
Vernet- you did just fine. AH works for anyone just keep coming up with interesting scenarios and we will do our best to shoot holes in them (lol) and then when we can't you know you found a good POD.

As for moving the decree back. I don't know Isabella's motivations for doing it in the first place, meaning I don't know if it is something they felt could wait.
 
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