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In Latin America (and Spain) it is customary for children to bear both the father's and mother's surname. Women used their married names as an addendum to their maiden names. When children were born, they would have a compound surname. If you didn't have the double surname, people knew you were the product of a relationship outside of marriage. Women were always very proud of bearing their father's surname besides their husbands. This custom still abounds in the Spanish-speaking countries." Information supplied by Maria Krane MariaKrane@aol.com Those looking for Spanish-Portuguese Jewish families in the New World should read a new, very readable and truly fascinating book , "The Jewish Nation of the Caribbean: The Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Settlements in the Caribbean and the Guianas," www.jpost.com Hispanic Division, Library of Congress Sephardic Sites - Telephone Directories on the Web - Translating - there are many translating services, some for free, available to help with your translating needs in most languages including Spanish and Portuguese. One of these sites is
"Jewish Tales From Eastern Europe" - A description of a soon-to-be-published book authored by Nadia Nagarajan and to be published by Jason Aronson, is described at this Amazon link Argentina has a Jewish community of some 250,000 of which more than 62,500 members now live below the poverty line, with many of them making up the "new homeless". Argentina has the largest Jewish community in the southern hemisphere. In 1990, Argentina had one of the most prosperous Jewish communities in the world. There were sixty Jewish day schools serving a Jewish population of 300,000 d(1990 figures) with numerous synagogues and JCCs. The Jews were mostly in the middle and upper classes economically. Like the more than 2,000,000 Jews who came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century in search of the American dream, thousands went further south --- to Argentina -- looking to find a brighter future for themselves and their children. Now, many of the Jews are considering leaving Argentina for Israel. Some 500 Argentinean Jews are settled in Australia. In 2001, 1,400 Argentinean Jews made Aliyah to Israel. That's up from 1,033 in 2000 and is twice the 1998 figure. The Jewish Agency expects to have 3,000 Argentine Jews emigrating to Israel in 2002. That figure has been increased to approximately 40,000 as the economic conditions worsen in Argentina. Jews came to Argentina from Eastern Europe to find freedom. Families were separated. Some went later to the US while others came to Argentina with the support of the Jewish colonization Association, a dream of Baron Hirsch to show the world that Jews could accomplish hard farm labor. At that time, these colonies, some 350 miles from Buenos Aires, were the only such in the world (there were other Jewish colonies established in Uruguay, Brazil, U.S. and in Canada). Many cemeteries with tombstones evidence the hard life of the denizens, who became distinguished personalities in their community. In these villages can be found old hospitals, old synagogues, and houses where Jews formerly lived, as well as old building where Jewish theatre was brought from Buenos Aires. Legends abound. Although the majority of Argentina's Jewish population lives in Buenos Aires, you cannot assume that those you are searching live there. Jews, for example, live in Rosario, Cordoba and Santa Fe. If you can read Spanish, this site may be of interest Should you not read Spanish, you can contact Mario J. Stecher mstecher@swya.com.ar/ who may be available to offer his assistance or you can use one of the free translation sites mentioned within my site. AMIA - the central Jewish institution in Argentina that deals primarily with social assistance. Daniel Pomerantz is the administrative director and Bernardo Zugman is the treasurer. The AMIA is the Buenos Aires Jewish Federation Community Center. Argentina Immigration Database - There is an Argentinean immigration database (1882-1929) online at It is provided by CEMLA, Centro de Estudios Migratorios Latinoamericanos. Enter a surname or partial surname in the box under the word “Appelido. There is a JewishGen InfoFile about genealogical research in Argentina that describes the process for contacting CEMLA and getting original records from them. There is no Soundex option, try various spellings. Results indicate only a name and how many records are associated with it. Click 'Completar Formulario' to request additional information via e-mail. Argentina Jews Database - if you believe than your family may have gone to this country, this excellent web site will be of great interest (in Spanish) If you need help to translate from Spanish to English, try this Babel Fish site: Argentinean Jews article - there is an article in the JTA Global News Service of the Jewish People relative to the Argentinean Jews leaving the country CEMLA - Centro de Estudios Migratories Latinoamericanos - houses arrival records in Buenos Aires which covers the years 1882-1929. The director is Alicia Bernasconi. Some older missing books have been found. Records for 1870-1881 are unaccounted for. Up to 1882, an estimated 30-40% of immigrants arrived through uncontrolled river crossings, and no records ever existed. Massive Jewish immigration began several years later -- the mark being set by the arrival of the Wesser during August 1889. Immigration in 1888 was estimated in 50 persons. The Alliance Israelite Universelle helped members of 8 families reach Argentina. The estimation for 1889 is of 1,000, including hundred on board the Wesser which sailed from Bremen. The CEMLA's database, some books are missing so data transcribed are not complete. Even if your relative came through the Buenos Aires port, and even if you try the appropriate spelling variants, there is a certain chance you might get no results. Missing data might be in the order of 20% or more. Spelling is another consideration. This information was posted on JewishGen by Carlos Glikson cglikson@ciudad.com.ar on 12/14/02 Web site is in English and in Spanish See also Argentina Immigration above Until 1985, there was no divorce in Argentina, and so couples would just obtain a 'get' and if they chose to marry again, there was only a religious ceremony. Hebraica - a Jewish social and cultural club in Buenos Aires which has almost 600 people with some sort of financial grant request. Juan Imel is on the Board of Directors. IATAMSIG - a JewishGen mailing list comprised of people researching in Latin American countries. To sign up, go to the home page and in the discussion category, click on Special Interest Groups and the automated web form will take you through the subscription process. Identification Meanings C.I. = Cédula de Identidad - Identity Card: It is the identity document Curiously, the Cédula de Identidad is asked for by policemen to identify If a relative or ancestor had a L. E. or L.C., that would indicate voting Immanu El Synagogue - located in Buenos Aires Jewish Cemeteries in Buenos Aires - (in Spanish.) The upper box (ingrese) should be filled out with the surname. The next box (todos) may be skipped since it has the names of different cemeteries in the city. Leave it alone unless you know the name of the cemetery. Uscar means search, just press it. The great thing is that it gives also the maiden name of the ladies. Nombre = name Jewish Genealogical Society of Argentina (Sociedad Argentina de Genealogia Judia) Juana Azurduy 2223, P. 8, (1429) Buenos Aires, Argentina Contact: Paul Armony is the head of this society. E-mail genarg@infovia.com.ar Legado (Legacy) - a chronicle filmed of the lives of Argentina's first Jewish immigrants; they arrived in 1889 fleeing Russian pogroms. The early farming communities endured drought, floods and locusts. International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Argentina (5411-382-7872) E-mail cic@cinecic.com.ar Libertad Synagogue - considered the flagship synagogue of Argentine Jewry. It houses the Museo Judio de Buenos Aires Names given at birth had to be contained in a list approved by the Argentinean government. Pardes Synagogue - Rabbi is Baruj Plavnick. The synagogue is located in Buenos Aires. Their web site is in Spanish A religious ceremony has no civil validity in Argentina. Couples must be married in a civil ceremony, independently of the religious one. Telephone Directory White Pages - When searching this site, you need to denote a "Provincia" (Province). At the bottom of the list is "Todas". This will provide a listing of all surnames form all Provinces. On the left side of the page, select 'Guia Telfonica' where there is a box marked "Apellido y Nombre / Empresa" which is where you enter the surname you are researching. Below this box there is a pull-down menu "Provincia" (Province). One choice is "Todas" (all provinces) "Localidad" means place, as in a specific town name, but it can be left blank. On the Right of the screen, note that the blue tap marked "Buscar" with a magnifying glass, is the search button. Remember that many Jewish names have been changed to be more like a Spanish name and a woman's name with a "de" as part of the surname means that she is married into the family. Largest phone company in Argentina has a web site (in Spanish) covering most of the provinces. La Guia ("The phonebook") Surname = apellido and Provincia = Province. The default is Buenos Aires which has approximately 1/3 of the country's population.
Bahia Blanca - Basavilvaso - a 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Bernasconi - a small village - Buenos Aires - the major city having the largest Jewish population in the country Clara - another 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Cordoba - Dominguez - another 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. In Dominguez there is a Jewish museum. It has many files and important materials about Jewish immigration to the area. Contact: Daniel Teveles e-mail melife@ciudad.com.ar Mar del Plata - Moises Ville (Moisesville colony) - located 600 km north of Buenos Aires and is still another 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. The Jews founded this town that gave birth to the famous Jewish gauchos. It is the first of the Jewish agricultural colonies in Argentina and a few Jewish families still live there. Mario Jeifetz has created a web site Between 40 or 40 Jewish families remain, but in its golden age (before 1930) the village had nearly 7,000 Jewish inhabitants. It was founded in 1889 by approximately 100 families from Kamenets-Podol'sk, Ukraine. Two years later, the Baron de Hirsch started his Jewish Colonization Association (JCA) and Moises Ville was included in his plan sponsored by the JCA. This information obtained from correspondence with Mario N. Jeifetz mnjeifetz@interclass.com.ar There is an old Jewish cemetery in existence in Moisesville. In the Winter 2001 issue of Avotaynu, there is a story by Marcia and David Chamovitz describing their visit to Argentina and the locating of many relatives. M' ville Museum - Eva Rosenthal is Director museo_mv@interclass.com.ar Rivera - a small village Rosario - located about 185 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, the city was founded at the beginning of the eighteenth century. It is an industrial, commercial and business hub situated in the key agricultural and livestock producing region of the country, and it was one of the places Jews gathered. There are about 8,000 Jewish families living in this town and the Rosario's Jewish community is estimated at about 50,000.. Santa Fe - Villaguay - a 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Dr. Silvio Teveles is president of the small Jewish community of Villaguay and works to maintain Jewish history. 1925 was the year the last Jew living in this Island community died. Most Jews had died or left after surviving a series of hurricanes during the 1800s. During the late 1930s, twenty Jewish families from eastern Europe settled Barbados and were later joined by Jewish families from Trinidad. Although this is a small overall percentage of the total population, they have contributed much to the Island community. Swan Street, was once called Jew Street in downtown Bridgetown where also there was a Jewish cemetery. The cemetery is undergoing extensive restoration. Cemetery Kahal Kadosh Nidhe Israel lies beside a recently restored synagogue of the same name that was founded in the seventeenth century by Portuguese and Spanish Jews escaping persecution in Brazil. There are over 400 tombstones dating as early as 1658 (5418) and all of them using Hebrew, Spanish or Portuguese inscriptions. Take a tour of Barbados at The Milner Site Jewish Barbados with photos Bolivia It is estimated that there are about 500 Jews living in Bolivia according to a report by The Jewish People Policy Planning institute Annual assessment 2004-2005 Brazil
In the year 1500, 'Conversos' arrived with the first settlers of Brazil which had become a Portuguese colony. Because of the Inquisition, these 'secret Jews' arrived steadily in Brazil building up in population which stands at about 130,000 in a general population of about 160,000,000 today. When the Dutch conquered Brazil in the mid 17th century, they allowed the 'Conversos' to openly practice Judaism again. Between 1637 and 1644, Jews enjoyed complete religious freedom under the reign of the local Dutch administrator, Joao Mauricio de Nassau. Jews flourished in the sugar industry and were slave owners. Today, Jews make up less than 1% of Brazil's total population of 171 million. "A Brief History and Description of the Crypto Jews in Brazil" http://www.jewishcanada.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=124676 Newspaper Obituaries www.folha.com.br Brazilian Cities and Villages Belem - there are Jews living here that are descendants of Moroccan Jewish immigrants. Belo Horizonte - capital of the state of Minas Gerais, has about 15 recently re-converted Jews. Fortaleza has about 120 Jews Jewish Genealogy Society of Brazil - site is in Spanish and Hebrew. You may have to cut and paste Manaus - there are Jews living here that are descendants of Moroccan Jewish immigrants. Natal has about 40 Jews Recife - there are known Marranos in the city. More information about them can be found in James R. Ross's book "Fragile Branches: Travels Through the Jewish Diaspora" On September 7, 1654, a group of 23 Dutch-speaking Sephardim set sail from this city of Recife, for New Amsterdam (New York) in an effort to escape the Inquisition imposed by Portugal, which had defeated Holland for control of Brazil. The Dutch held the city from 1630 to 1654, and most of the Jews fled after the Portuguese re conquest. In the twentieth century, a small community of Ashkenazim grew in Recife, but the city's center -- like Curacao and Manhattan, situated on an island -- went to seed. More information can be found in an article by Alan M. Tigay in the March 2004 issue of Hadassah Magazine. With the decline of Dutch rule in 1654 and the reinstatement of the Portuguese regime, Recife's Jews were forced to leave. Some of them did, sailing off to the Caribbean or North America, though most of them stayed, undergoing public conversion to Christianity while continuing to practice Judaism in secret. After WW I, a large number of Eastern European Jews began arriving as immigrants. Today, Recife has about as many Jews as it did in 1654. There is an 85 year old Jewish school, the Colegio Izraelita Moises Schwartz with 150 students. Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue - located in downtown Recife, has been recently restored and is now a museum and documentation center. It is located, ironically, on Rua do Bom Jesus, or Street of the Good Jesus, in the heart of Recife's port area. The Mikvah and original pavement stones can be seen along with the bema and the Holy Ark. Tania Kaufman is the director general of the Arquivo Historico Judaico de Pernambuco, a non-profit group whose employees include both Jews and non-Jews. Bet Habad - the only functioning synagogue in the city. Rabbi Alexander Mizrahi is spiritual leader. Jewish Historical Archive of Pernambuco - Brazil Porto Alegre - Sephardic Community Rio de Janeiro - the largest synagogue in the city is Associacao Religiosa Isrealita. It is a Reform synagogue led by Rabbi Sergio Margulies (no known connection) and Brazil's first female rabbi, Paraguayan born Sandra Kochman, a Conservative rabbi. One thousand families make up this congregation, which was founded by German immigrants in 1943.
Sao Paulo Jewish Genealogical Society - the center of Jewish life in Brazil - both web sites are in Spanish Translations  LingvoSoft Dictionary software English <-> Yiddish for Windows - 400,000 wordsWith this LingvoSoft smart dictionary software on your computer, you can easily switch between English and Yiddish or Portuguese and many other languages), for prompt translations of 400,000 words both ways! Download Free Trial now Sociedade Genealogica Judaica do Brazil Chile
There is a substantial Jewish population living in Chile, concentrated mostly in Santiago. The only site I have found to date that seems to be of interest, although it is in Spanish, is Communidad Israelita De Santiago and is located at Naming Customs in South America - Customarily, in most South American countries, as well as in Spain and Portugal, children use their father's surname, unless there is an irregular situation like a single mother's children, in which case they use their mother's surname. Additionally, common surnames such as Sanchez, Garcia, Fernandez, Levi, Rabinovich, etc. the individual may use both the fathers and the mothers surnames. Married women use both surnames and some will use the 'de' which means "of", possessive.
Costa Rica Most Jews can trace their ancestry back to Zelechow, Poland.
Jewish San Jose Valley cemetery
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/CostaRica.htm Cemeteries in Costa Rica Jewish Costa Rica Jews in Costa Rica - though there are only 2,500 Jews ... an interesting article in the Miami Herald Synagogues in Costa Rica Cuba
Adath Israel -
The island lies 90 miles south of Key West, Florida with about 12 million living in an area 780 miles long and 119 miles wide. Most of Cuba's 1,000 Jews live in the capital, Havana. At one time (prior to 1960), there were about 10,000 Jews. There were Jewish converts among the first European settlers on the island in 1492. Groups of Jews fleeing from Brazil during the Portuguese Re-conquest (17th century) settled in Cuba despite inquisitional persecutions and promoted a flourishing trade with the West Indies. The contemporary Jewish community does not represent a line of continuity with the Jews of the 18th century. Its formation began after independence from Spain was achieve in 1898. By 1924, there were 24,000 Jews living in Cuba - a number of them having come from Turkey. There is an excellent article in Hadassah Magazine of January 2005 and authored by Ben G. Frank providing a great deal of information about Jews and Jewish life in Cuba.
"Adio Kerida" (Goodbye Dear Love) is a documentary about revisiting Cuba by Ruth Behar e-mail rbehar@umich.edu "An Island Called Home" - authored by Ruth Behar and published by Rutgers University Press - the authors story of returning to Jewish Cuba "Bridges to Cuba" - edited by Ruth Behar and published by the University of Michigan Press Cuba Movie Clip 1957 "The Jews of Latin America" authored by Judith Laikin Elkin and published by Holmes & Meier. "The Last Minyan in Havana" - authored by Betty Heisler-Samuels and published by Chutzpah Publishing "Our Man in Havana" - authored by Graham Greene and published by Viking "Waiting for Snow in Havana" - authored by Carlos Eire and published by Free Press Addresses There are three operating synagogues in Havana. Havana Adath Israel (Orthodox) Beth Shalom/El Patronator Synagogue and Community Center Centro Hebreo Sefardide - Templo (Sephardi Conservative) Chevet Achim Patronato de la Casa de la Communidad Hebrea de Cuba (Convervative) Sephardic Hebrew Center of Cuba Santiago de Cuba there are 45 Jews living in Santiago de Cuba as of 1/2004. It is Cuba's second largest city, located about 400 miles southeast of Havana. Jews came to this city immediately following WW I, when a large number of Turkish Jews arrived. They built a synagogue in 1939 which was forced to close in 1979. It is now opened again. There is a Jewish cemetery and a documentary video has been made. An article "Breaking Through the Wall" authored by James Colbert, was published in the January 2004 issue of Hadassah magazine. Comunidad Hebrea Hatikva Santa Clara Mr. David Tacher Romano, President Cienfuegos Ms. Rebeca Langus, President American Jewish Congress is taking groups to Cuba to meet with 'the small, yet active, Cuban Jewish Community and to visit the three synagogues and Cuban institutions. Cuba-America Jewish Mission Death Certificates - it is indeed possible to get copies of death certificates from Cuba. Havana - Sephardic Cemetery There are two cemeteries, both in Havana. Sephardi and Ashkenazi and both are located in Guanabacoa. In 2005, Havana has about 1,500 Jews still living there and there are least several hundred more in the provinces. There was a news story in The Schenectady Gazette (New York) - November 12, 2000 regarding tombstones in the Jewish cemetery in Havana. Sue Gersten, an Albany, New York photographer, traveled to Havana and photographed the people and tombstones. These photos were mounted for an exhibition "Cuba 2000" and were shown in Troy, NY at Hudson Valley College. Further information is available at here web site Union Hebrew Congregation - a reform synagogue, was founded in 1904 and in 1906 began a cemetery. The Jews of Cuba - thousands of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews have settled in Cuba Daniel Kazez has developed a web page, 'The Jews of Cuba - Family Ties' a Cuban-Jewish Search List, which includes a search list and links. Jewish Cuba - here is a wealth of information dealing not only with Cuba, but with other South American countries as well Curacao
Curacao, the principal island in the Dutch Antilles is 35 miles from Venezuela. There are about 450 Jews living in Curacao of a multiethnic population of 170,000. The first Jews arrive in 1651 and established a synagogue in a rented building in 1656 until they could build their own. The first synagogue was built in 1703 and opened a second on the same ground in 1730-32. It is still there with sand covering the floor and is known as Congregation Mikve Israel-Emanuel Phone: 011 599 9 461 1067 e-mail rabbi@snoa.com It is located on Hanchi di Snoa (Synagogue Alley) in the heart of Willemstad, the capital of Curacao. It is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western hemisphere. http://www.sephardichouse.org/links/curacao.html Beit Haim Cemetery - dates from 1656 and is the oldest Jewish cemetery on the island. Shaarei Tzedek is the orthodox synagogue and the Sfardim of Mikve Israel- Emanuel united under the Reconstructionist banner in 1964. In the 1920s, Ashkenazic immigrants, mainly from Bessarabia, began arriving and in 1959 they opened the Orthodox Shaarei Tzedek. E-mail: shaareitsedek@yahoo.com There is a very informative article on page 26 of Hadassah Magazine, March 2004 issue. Curacao had more Jews at the time of the American Revolution, than the 13 colonies combined. Another article by Alan M. Tigay offers a travelers view of Jewish Curacao in the Hadassah Magazine issue of January 1994 Scharloo section - Jewish merchants lived in this area until the early 19th century. Most of the residents moved out after 1950 and now live in the suburban Mahaai and Damacor sections. Temple Emanuel - located two blocks from Mikve Israel-Emanuel in Wilhelminaplein Virtual Tour
Guatemala
Jews first arrived in Guatemala in the 16th century according to the Archives in Mexico, The German emigration of the mid-19th century and the 1965 Jewish refugees arrival from Cuba has made a big statement on the current population as well. Almost all of Guatemala's 1,000 Jews live in the capital, Guatemala City, with a few more in Quetzaltenango and San Marcos as well. There are about 800 Ashkenazim and 200 Sefardim, but the community continues to shrink due to assimilation and intermarriage. Casa Hillel Jewish Community - located in Guatemala City has a membership of 35 active, converted members and several dozen others who are loosely affiliated though they have not converted to Judaism. Judith Fein wrote an article and was published in the April 2008 issue of Hadassah Magazine. Casa Hillel
Synagogue (Comunidad Hebrea/Beit Ha-madrij Hillel - located at 12
Avenida 17-21 Zona 1, Colona Mariscal; President is Mario Valdez who is a
convert and took the name Iosef. Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn, the rabbi at a
temple in Kansas City, Missouri has been assisting in the conversions for
the past six years. There is a Jewish Cemetery in Guatemala City. Centro Hebreo/Shaarei Binyomin; 502 2 360 7643 Comunidad
Judia Guatemalteca - Phone: 011 502 2 360 1509 Maguen David
(Sefardic) - 502 2 232 0932 Virtual Tour
of Jewish Guatemala Haiti Haiti today has no more than 50 Jews out of a total population of 8.5 million. Most of the Jews who used to live here have fled to the U.S., Panama and elsewhere in recent years in the face of crushing poverty and worsening violence. By the end of the 19th century, Sephardi Jews emigrated from Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. Later, passports were issued to Eastern European Jews fleeing the Nazis. As many as 300 Jews lived in Haiti until the late 1950s. Hispaniola
Then President, Rafael Trujillo, set aside 22,230 acres of land
(an abandoned banana plantation) on the northern coast of this island (Dominican
Republic) to become the home for over 700 Jews - the only country to
welcome refugees from Nazism in 1938. By 1942, there were only 472 settlers trying to eke out a living as farmers in this agricultural colony. Few of these settlers had any real training or knowledge of farming -- or even inclined toward it. The real tragedy: in the original plan, the Dominican Republic had offered to accept up to 100,000 refugees. Today, there are only 30 of the original Jewish families remaining in Sosua. Until 1980, the town was entirely Jewish. When the Puerto Plata airport opened, the town became a major beach resort. There are two synagogues, one in Santo Domingo and the other in Sosua. A community newspaper is published bi-monthly and is known as Shalom. Honduras The President in 2005 is Ricardo Maduro of Jewish descent Jamaica
Books "The Jews of Jamaica, Tombstone Inscriptions 1663-1880" - authored by R. D. Barnett and P. Wright, and published by Ben Zvi Institute in Jerusalem in 1997. The book is not indexed and divided into deaths by parish. There are several Jewish cemeteries and synagogues in Montego Bay Beth Limud Society of Kingston - The Occident and American Jewish Advocate Hillel Academy - located in Jamaica is a nondenominational school sponsored by the country's Jewish community. Mexico
With a population of over 24 million inhabitants, Jews of Mexico make up a very small percentage of the population, and most Jews are concentrated in Mexico City which has a powerful Jewish presence. Most impressive is the Mexico City Jewish Center. Mexico City also boasts of the Hebraic University - the only government-accredited Jewish university in Latin America. It is located in the Lomas de Chamizal neighborhood. The Director is Daniel Fainstein. There is also the Sephardic Hebrew School in Mexico City and Amelie Esquenazi is the principal. Converso Inquisition Victims (Mexico 1528-1815) - http://home.earthlink.net/~bnahman EEUU - in Spanish it is los Estados Unidos which translates to United States Mount Sinai Alliance - formed by immigrants from Damascus, Syria; the Maguen David Community, formed by immigrants from Aleppo, Syria; and the Sephardi Community whose members' ancestors came from the Balkans. Rabbi Abraham Tobal stated in a recent talk that "Assimilation threatens the future of Sephardi Jewish communities in Latin America." Of Latin America's 450,000 Jews, about 180,000 are Sephardi, with ancestors from Spain and Portugal who later settled in Syria, North Africa and the Balkans. About 20 percent of the world's Jews are Sephardi; the rest are Ashkenazi with ancestors from Germany and Eastern Europe. Portal - a group of young Mexican Jews trying to get the facts straight and get the truth out for anyone, with news, forums, editorials, etc... All about Israel. Sephardic Sites - Tibuna Israelita - (in Spanish) Venta Prieta - a number (about 300) 'secret Jews' live here. crypto-Jews were hunted in Mexico long after the Inquisition's official end - actually until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is located in Hidalgo state, north of Mexico City. The town boasts of "the Negev Synagogue" named because in its early days, the area looked like Israel's desert. A story about this unique Jewish community appears in the August/September 2005 issue of Hadassah Magazine. The text and photography was authored by Bryan Schwartz. Netherlands Antilles Jews arrived here in the mid-1600s mostly fleeing the Inquisition in Portugal and Spain. They have done well in academics, arts, commerce, industry, tourism, and politics. The Antillean Jews kept oil refineries producing at maximum capacity to supply the Allied forces with fuel. Nevis The island of Nevis has a Jewish Cemetery located on Government Road in Charlestown. There are nineteen surviving grave markers spanning the period from 1679 to 1730. The stones that are still viewable are written in Hebrew, English and Portuguese. Further information is available at http://www.tc.umn.edu/~terre011/Cemetery.html Panama Jews have lived in Panama since the early 16th century though there was no openly practicing community until several centuries later. The first Jews to have settled the country were descendents of the anusim or crypto-Jews, originally from Iberia. Both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews began to arrive in substantial numbers in the middle of the 19th century. They came to the country lured by economic opportunities in construction of the railroad and because of the California gold rush traffic. Later immigrants came from those fleeing the Ottoman Empire during WW I, from Europe and from Arab lands during the post 1948 exodus. The center of Jewish life is in Panama City, though there are small groups of Jews living in Colon, David, Chitre, La Chorrea, Santiago de Veraguas and Bocas del Toro. The Jewish population in 2005 is thought to be around 9,000 out of a total population of 3 million. The country is the only one outside of Israel to have had two Jewish Presidents in the 20th century. In the 1960s, Max Delvalle was first Vice President and then became President and his nephew, Eric Arturo Delvalle became President from 1985 to 1988. Kol Shearit Israel - founded in 1876, was the first synagogue founded by liberal Sephardim from the Caribbean and the Netherlands. It has today a membership of about 160 families. Paraguay There are about 900 Jews living in Paraguay as cited in The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute Annual Assessment 2004-2005
Peru
This South American country of 27 million has fewer than 2,800 Jews - though some who claim to be Jewish are not counted in the official number. At its peak in 1970, the once thriving Jewish Peruvian community was over 5,500. The total population is estimated at 25 million - mostly poor people. Peru's history has been turbulent since the time of the conquistadors. Peru was the center of the Inquisition in Latin America from the late 16th century. In the 1990s, the country was hard hit by terrorism which caused the Jews to keep their institutions low-key The Jewish community is a mixture of descendants of Polish and Russian immigrants fleeing pogroms and of Germans who fled the rise of Nazism. A few claim descent from Portuguese "secret Jews" who outlasted the Inquisition. Some came from North Africa. Holocaust survivors and their descendants also are part of this mix. A small group of Jews, quite distinctive from the Lima Jewish Community Jews, have been formally converted and have settled in Israel. These Jews are known as B'nai Moshe and 140 of them settled in Elon Moreh, a religious community in the West Bank of Israel. Another group of Jews (about 170) claim being descendents of 19th century Moroccan Jewish adventurers who came to the Amazon jungle during the rubber boom - and are more problematical as to whether they can be considered Jews. This group lives in Iquitos, a town more than a thousand miles from Peru's coastal cities, accessible only by plane or river boat. Jews have lived in Peru since the earliest days of the Spanish Inquisition, though the first Jewish wave of immigration in modern times peaked around 1875. Following a war between Chile and Peru (1879-1883) that devastated the Peruvian economy, Jews fled to other countries, and the community nearly disappeared. The second wave of immigration began in the 1920s, when Jews from Europe and North Africa came to Peru in search of economic opportunity. That lasted until the onset of the Holocaust, when immigration was closed to Jews. Alejandro Toledo, an Andean Indian, was recently elected president of Peru. He had a Belgian Jewish wife, Elaine Karp, who speaks the Indian Quechua language. Ms. Karp, a student at one time at Stanford in California, is slated to be a principal adviser on agricultural matters, and as a Jew who studied in Israel, believes that the same techniques used to develop the Negev, can work in Peru. The country's second vice-president, David Waisman, is also Jewish. B'nai B'rith Peru - Eric Topf, a prominent Lima architect is past-president. There are about 80 members, mostly elderly. Iquitos
Lima - this is the largest Peruvian/Jewish community. Lima's Jewish institutions are many and include a cultural center, a sports club, women's and youth Zionist organizations and a burial society. The Bikur Holim has 60 elderly residents and is expanding its capacity. The community has four synagogues, including a Conservative congregation in the upscale neighborhood of Miraflores and a Chabad study center. The Sephardic synagogue is in the now-decaying San Beatriz area, where Jews once lived in Spanish-style villas. The Rabbi Abraham Benhamu maintains a weekday Minyan. On weekends, activity centers on the Ashkenazi Union Israelita, where the large, modern sanctuary is full on Shabbat mornings. Sociedad de Beneficiencia Israelita Sefardi - the congregation is about 200 families. Sociedad Israelita de 1870 - Rabbi Guillermo Bronstein has about 200 families as members. Trujillo - There are Jews living in Peru's third largest city. Union Israelita del Peru - an Ashkenazi congregation that represents around 50 percent of Peru's Jews - about 500 member families. Herman Blank is Vice President. Puerto Rico
Jews weren't allowed to settle Puerto Rico until more than 400 years after its discovery in 1493. There is little or no Jewish history. Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony until the Spanish-American War of 1898. Jews arrived once Puerto Rico became a U. S. territory in 1952. San Juan - there are about 2,300 Jewish inhabitants in both the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean and the richest. It is also the only Caribbean island on which the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements are represented. Chabad de Puerto Rico - is the smallest of the three synagogues and occupies a large yellow house in the heart of San Juan's Isla Verde hotel strip. Sha'are Zedeck Synagogue (Jewish Community Center of Puerto Rico) - the island's first synagogue has 255 member families that trace their heritage to Cuba. This synagogue holds both Friday night and Saturday morning services. Temple Beth Shalom was founded in 1967 as a Reform synagogue and has about 67 member families. About 15% of its members are converts to Judaism. Salvador There are about 500 Jews living in the country St. Thomas St. Thomas is located in the Virgin Islands and has an organization at the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, which is dedicated to documenting and preserving the cemetery and records of the community there. The Chair of the Cemetery Committee is: Katina Coulianos The Committee has published a book documenting the Altona and Savan Cemeteries, as well as a book on the history of the Hebrew Congregation. They are willing to do look up from their files, and while they do not charge for this, a donation to the Hebrew Congregation would be appreciated. One of the Governors was a Jewish man by the name of Ralph M. Paiewonsky. He wrote an autobiographical book with introductory chapters about his Paiewonsky and Kushner family background in Volkavisk and Mariampol, Lithuania. The book is entitled "Memoirs of a Governor: A Man for the People" and published in 1990 by New York University Press. Suriname One of the oldest Jewish communities in the Americas, the first Jews settled around 1635. From 1700, the Jewish community grew in size. Many Jews operated plantations and often named them after Hebrew biblical names i.e. Beersheba, Carmel and Moriah. There are about 200 Jews living in Suriname according to The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute Annual Assessment 2004-2005. Venezuela Jews first came to Venezuela in the early 1820, arriving from the nearby Dutch island of Curacao, just about the time of the country's independence from Spain. Coro, a coastal town where the first Jewish settlement established itself, still contains the oldest Jewish cemetery in use in South America with tombstones dating back as far as 1832. Many of the original families have disappeared into intermarriage with Spanish families, though there are still many Curacao Jews who came to this country in the early 20th century from North Africa and the Ottoman Empire, and later by the arrival of Jews from central and eastern Europe and from other countries in Latin America. Approximately 30,000 (over half of Venezuela's Jews live in Caracas) live in Venezuela with the remaining living in Maracaibo. It is reported that the Jewish gravestones in the cemetery at Curacao are being badly eroded by pollution from nearby oil refineries. Many of the stones have a sailing ship motif to symbolize someone's passing on to the next world, but also reflecting the mercantile-maritime background of the community. Others had impressively ornate Biblical scenes. Or Shalom On-Line - the only conservative congregation in Caracas. The site is in both Spanish and English (scroll down for English) and ignore the password request - just click 'cancel'
Please let me know if there is a favorite link of yours that is not included in my site and I will be happy to add it to Jewish Web Index
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Circulo Israelita Synagogue
Photo from Hadassah Magazine Jan. 2005
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