Lecture
Professor David Peimer
Saturday 21.11.2026
Professor David Peimer
‘Hamilton’: Hamilton’s Probable Jewishness, the Enlightenment’s Influence on America’s Founding
Saturday 21.11.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 21 November at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical mirrors the Enlightenment tension between individual liberty and Rousseau’s notion of the “general will,” to show the messy art of forging a unified republic out of a disparate populace. In this fascinating lecture we trace the real-life Hamilton’s probable Jewish childhood and discover how he subtly pushed for Jewish equality in The Federalist Papers—the framework that granted American Jews unprecedented rights. We also explore how Locke’s social contract justified the American revolution in breaking with the British Crown—a Hebraic type covenant that Americans mapped onto their exit from British “bondage.”
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.