When I started reading “All the Nations Under Heaven” I was fascinated by the fact that Jews were one of the first immigrant groups to arrive in New York City. I always assumed that Jews arrived much later in American history. While I know New York was considered religiously tolerant it didn’t appear so in the text.  Stuyvesant’s zealous enforcement of Orthodoxy is far from our idea of tolerant. New Amsterdam is only relatively tolerant when compared to the rest of the world, and that tolerance was only possible because it coincided with the West India Company’s economic interests rather than the majority’s open-minded beliefs. On pg.99 the book explains how the Irish found a place in Tammany Hall and NYC politics. Politics granted them access to city contracts and jobs. This trend that started before 1900 helps explain why till this day many people in my predominantly Irish community work in public service.  While I find it fascinating that New York has maintained its status as a place open to immigrants when so many other places haven’t, I think its important to note the difference between open and welcoming. The book makes it clear that NYC was a safe haven for the masses but life was still a struggle, economically and in terms of societal acceptance.