The first rabbi to set foot in the New World was Isaac Aboab da Fonseca (1605-1693). Born in Portugal into a converso family, he was educated in Amsterdam and recognized as a prominent rabbinic scholar. In 1639 Aboab suffered a professional setback when his own congregation merged with the others in the city, and he was relegated to the position of one of three assistant rabbis. Two years later he accepted an invitation to serve as the rabbi of the Jewish community in Recife, Dutch Brazil. While there he composed the earliest Hebrew verse in the New World, a hymn of gratitude to God following unsuccessful Portuguese attempts to reconquer northern Brazil. His jubilation, however, was premature, for in 1654 the Dutch surrendered and Aboab was compelled to return to Amsterdam. 

Naghtagael Aernout; Amsterdam, 1686.