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Pirate House
Yes, we incline to agree with the old-timers that Bay St. Louis has a good case to lay claim to Jean Lafitte, gentleman pirate-patriot in retirement. (Ray Thompson, the Daily Herald, July 29, 1958)
MAN OF MANY FACES - Jean Lafitte, in on - [the plot to bring Napoleon to New Orleans] was a fervent supporter of the emperor, a free thinker, an enemy of Spain, a utopian visionary, the last great pirate and yes, I can verify, a Jew.
Lafitte resented he label of pirate. He claimed to be a privateer, with a marque from the republic of Columbia to board Spanish vessels and seize their cargo. But there's evidence he attacked vessels of other nationalities as well and he never took prisoners.
Lafitte's Jewish back-ground provides clues to his motivations, particularly his intense hatred of Spain. It also may explain his social position in the life of New Orleans.
To see this dashing pirate as pioneer urban Jewish outsider is a kick. According to Nola Ross' mini-history, "Jean Lafitte: Louisiana Buccaneer," which draws heavily
from his diary, he was born in Port-Au-Prince in 1782. His mother, Maria Zora Nadrimal, died soon after, and the young Jean was raised by his Jewish grandmother, Zora Nadrimal. His grandfather, Abhorad Nadrimal, was jailed,
tortured and died in prison in Spain. Ms. Ross describes him as "an alchemist...and free-thinking Jew." Eventually Jean was raised on stories of his suffering, and this created his hatred of all things Spanish.
As for piracy, it ran in the family: his oldest brother, Alexandre
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