Jews of the Caribbean
INTRODUCTION:
Did you know: Prior to 1825, the largest Jewish communities in the Americas were in the Caribbean.
| Stanley Mirvis, Caribbean Islands and the Guiana. (Jewish Women’s Archive) |
| • The Jews came to the Caribbean because of antisemitism. Having been kicked out of Spain and Portugal in the 15th century, many Portuguese speaking Jews went to settle in countries such as Amsterdam, Italy (Venice and Livorno), Germany, andEngland. • Portuguese speaking Jews of the Americas went onto Dutch-occupied Brazil in the later half of the 17th century (1630-1654). • Recife, Brazil was one hub of Portuguese speaking Jews. When the Portuguese conquered Dutch Brazil in 1654 some of its population went back to Amsterdam, some to Italy, and others went to live in the Dutch, English and French Caribbean as well as North America. • The earliest Jewish Caribbean settlements in the 1650’s and 60’s were in Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and Martinique. • Many Jews were attracted to the Caribbean because of the sugar industry. • The biggest period of growth in the Caribbean was in the 18th and 19th centuries where the ratio of Ashkenazi Jews became larger than Portuguese Jews. Jewish population was added to islands like St Eustatius, Nevis and St. Thomas. • Jews settled in the Spanish Caribbean (Panama, Venezuela, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Puerto Rico by the mid-19th century. They continued to grow because of Jews trying to escape the Holocaust. • The increased growth was not long lived. By the 1980’s and 1990’s many left for a better life in North America and Europe. • There are estimates that there are fewer than 800 people who identify openly as Jews in the Caribbean. |
A Shul in the Caribbean
| Explanation of Sand (Suriname Jewish Community) |
| There are at least 5 notable historic synagogues in the Caribbean, with some of those having original sand floors. They include: 1. Mikvé Israel-Emanuel in Curaçao – built in 1732 and the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas. 2. Shaare Shalom in Jamaica. The only active shul in Jamaica built in 1912. 3. Beracha VeShalom Vegimulth Hasidim in St. Thomas built in 1833. 4. NIdhe Israel in Barbados. Built in 1654. 5. Neve Shalom in Suriname. Built in 1719. It is said that sandy floors were included in these island shuls to represent the 40 years wandering in the desert. And, as a reminder of the Inquisition when it was forbidden to practice Judaism. Marrano (secret) Jews met in cellars to pray, and they covered the floor with sand to muffle the sounds of their prayers. |
The Jews of Barbados
| The Jewish People of Barbados (Today and Through History) |
| • Congregation Nidhe Israel in Barbados was built in 1654, making it one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the Western Hemisphere. It also has a cemetery and mikveh. • Jews have been in Barbados since 1647 when Oliver Cromwell overturned the 1290 Edict of Expulsion and allowed 300 Sephardic Jews Brazil. • The community held some of the richest sugar tycoons of the 17th and 18th centuries. • The Jewish community thrived for 200 years but then vanished when cane sugar economy tanked. In 1831 a huge hurricane destroyed Barbados, including the congregation. • In the 1930’s European Jews fleeing Europe escaped to Barbados and saved and restored the shul. • It was rededicated in 1987 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also has a museum that tells the story of the Barbados Jews. During renovations the mikveh was “accidentally” discovered during excavation. |