The Seminole and the Jews: Unconquered People

I went for the sun and beaches. I found so much more. The unconquered spirit.

During my recent travels through Florida, I spent time learning about the Seminole people—not just as a historical group, but as a living nation with a story of defiance, resilience, and profound spiritual connection to land and community.

As I read, listened, and reflected, I could not help but hear the echo of another people’s story—our own.

The Seminole are often called “The Unconquered People.” In the 19th century, when the United States government waged war against them and sought to forcibly remove them from their homeland, the Seminole resisted with fierce determination. Many were exiled, but some remained, hiding deep within the Everglades, refusing to surrender. They survived scorched earth campaigns, betrayal, and unimaginable hardship. And they endured.

So did we.

The Jewish people, too, are unconquered. Across millennia, from Babylon to Rome to Nazi Europe, we have faced destruction and displacement. Yet we are still here. We carried our Torah and our traditions across continents and generations. We adapted, resisted, reimagined—and we endured.

Parallels Between Two Peoples

Exile and Return (or Refusal to Leave)

The Seminole resisted removal. While others were forced westward, some Seminole stayed in Florida, rooted in the land that sustained them. Jews, too, were exiled from our ancestral home, yet we continued to yearn for return, even as we made homes wherever we could. Both peoples have demonstrated a tenacious commitment to continuity.

Sovereignty of Spirit

The Seminole never signed a peace treaty with the United States. They maintained a sense of sovereignty and today operate their own government, schools, and businesses. Similarly, Jews created autonomous communal structures in diaspora—courts, schools, and rituals that preserved our identity even without political power. Both peoples embody a deep sovereignty of the spirit.

Hidden Survival

The Seminole survived by hiding—first in the swamps, later in plain sight. They practiced traditions discreetly, preserving identity through secrecy and adaptation. So too did the conversos and marranos of Spain and Portugal, who secretly kept Jewish traditions alive under threat of persecution. Both stories teach us the sacred art of resilience beneath the surface.

Adaptation and Innovation

Seminole culture evolved over time—developing new art forms, industries, and practices while maintaining connection to ancestral ways. Judaism, too, has always been dynamic: from the Temple to the Talmud, from medieval responsa to modern rabbinics, we have continually transformed while remaining true to our core values.

Pride and Persistence in Identity:

The name “Seminole” comes from the Spanish cimarrón, meaning wild or runaway. What was once meant to stigmatize became a source of pride. Jews, too, have often been labeled as other—yet we embraced and elevated our difference, finding strength in distinction.

These parallels do not erase the unique experiences of either people. The Seminole story is deeply entwined with the land now called the United States, with its own particular legacies of resistance, colonization, and survival. The Jewish story spans continents and centuries, shaped by exile and diasporic adaptation. And yet, there is power in noticing how two seemingly distant peoples have walked paths with similar curves—marked by memory, courage, and the sacred refusal to be erased. I found all of this learning so inspiring!

Florida offered more than beaches and deliciously warm air. It offered a glimpse into another people’s sacred story. And in listening to that story, I found myself holding our own more tenderly, more humbly, and more fiercely.

May we honor the stories of others with the same reverence we give our own. May we become students of survival, witnesses to dignity, and seekers of connection across every border and boundary.

I am back for the next few weeks leading and teaching! I hope to see you soon. Many many blessings,

Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg

Kol Ami: A Center for Jewish Life