{"id":4765,"date":"2013-08-11T17:34:35","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T21:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/?p=4765"},"modified":"2016-04-01T20:28:37","modified_gmt":"2016-04-02T00:28:37","slug":"jews-of-the-caribbean-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/?p=4765","title":{"rendered":"Jews of the Caribbean Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Now facing extinction, the Sephardic Jewish community of the Caribbean was once so influential that it helped fuel the success of the American Revolution and finance the first synagogues in the United States, located in New York City and Rhode Island. The Jews of the Caribbean project brings to light this little known and quickly disappearing 520 year-old history of the oldest Jewish communities and Synagogues in the Western Hemisphere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/m6TKMjigsow?rel=0\" width=\"460\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">After Columbus\u2019 expedition in 1492, the West Indies became a place of salvation for Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. La Naci\u00f3n, as these Jews were called, were fundamental in shaping the early Caribbean economy through their unique knowledge of sugar cane, agriculture, and an expansive network of trade. Jews also joined the pirates controlling the Caribbean seas, and later became influential politicians, substantial landowners, and bankers to the American colonies. While creating financial success for the European powers, the Sephardic Jews managed to keep their culture, religion, and customs alive &#8211; which lead to the continuation and support of Judaism throughout the Americas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Through thought-provoking photographs of the remaining synagogues, cemeteries, and historic homes and artifacts in Jamaica, Barbados, Cura\u00e7ao, Nevis, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Eustatius, and Suriname \u2013 the world can witness the legacy of Judaism in the new world and a rarely explored facet of Caribbean history. These endangered remaining monuments, dating back to 1654, are the oldest synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the Western hemisphere and beautifully exemplify the strength of the Jewish people as well as the surprisingly diverse culture of the Caribbean.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Once home to thousands of Sephardic Jews, these historic communities now face extinction. Only 5 synagogues remain and almost half of the original cemeteries are either falling apart, or have been lost to natural disasters and pollution from nearby oil refineries. The few historic landmarks still in use are little known gems of the Caribbean and invaluable landmarks in the Jewish history of survival. Harry Ezratty, author of 500 Years In The Jewish Caribbean writes: \u201cHaving revisited many of these historic sites, it is certain that these unique monuments of the Jewish people are in peril.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">~From <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wyattgallery.com\/#\/JEWS%20OF%20THE%20CARIBBEAN\/Jews%20of%20The%20Caribbean\/1\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Jews of the Caribbean ~Wyatt Gallery<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Aruba: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bethisraelaruba.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Beth Israel<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bethIsraelaruba.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4773\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bethIsraelaruba-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"bethIsraelaruba\" width=\"393\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bethIsraelaruba-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bethIsraelaruba-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bethIsraelaruba.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><\/a><\/h4>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Bahamian Jewish Community: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org\/jsource\/vjw\/bahamas.html\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Luis De Torres Synagogue<\/span><\/a> in Freeport<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bahamas.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4774\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bahamas-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"bahamas\" width=\"391\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bahamas-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bahamas.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 391px) 100vw, 391px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Barbadian Jewish Community: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Nidhe-Israel-Synagogue-and-Museum\/176074329083567\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Nidhe Israel Synagogue<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/barbados.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4779\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/barbados-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"barbados\" width=\"388\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/barbados-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/barbados.jpg 447w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\" http:\/\/www.jccicayman.com\/aboutus.php\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">The Jewish Community of the Cayman Islands<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/cayman.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4776\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/cayman.jpg\" alt=\"cayman\" width=\"269\" height=\"358\" \/><\/a><\/h4>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Cuban Jewish Community: <a href=\"http:\/\/jewishcuba.org\/synagogues.html\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Synagogues &amp; Congregations<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uCgt6avxei0?rel=0\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Curacao Jewish Community: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.snoa.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Mikv\u00e9 Israel-Emanuel<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Jewish-Museum-Willemstad-Curacao.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4777\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Jewish-Museum-Willemstad-Curacao-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"Jewish Museum, Willemstad, Curacao\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Jewish-Museum-Willemstad-Curacao-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Jewish-Museum-Willemstad-Curacao.jpg 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nidheisraelrepdom.org\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Beth HaMidrash HaSefarad\u00ed Nidh\u00e9 Israel <\/span><\/a>De la Rep\u00fablica Dominicana<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2K8pMA-goBo?rel=0\" width=\"452\" height=\"339\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Jewish Jamaica<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xDxIyf_xgGY?rel=0\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/100_0083.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4794 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/100_0083-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"100_0083\" width=\"358\" height=\"269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/100_0083-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/100_0083-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 358px) 100vw, 358px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldjewishcongress.org\/en\/communities\/show?id=58\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Aruba Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldjewishcongress.org\/en\/communities\/show?id=58\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Bahamian Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/haruth.com\/jw\/JewsBarbados.html\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Barbadian Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldjewishcongress.org\/en\/communities\/show?id=62\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Cayman Islands Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/jewishcuba.org\/synagogues.html\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Cuban Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.snoa.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Curacao Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nidheisraelrepdom.org\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Dominican Republic Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldjewishcongress.org\/en\/communities\/show?id=65\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Guadeloupan Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ucija.org\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Jamaican Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.habad.fr\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Martinique Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jccpr.org\/jccpr.org\/Home.html\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Puerto Rican Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tc.umn.edu\/~terre011\/Synagogue.html\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">St Kitts &amp; Nevis Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paradesi_Synagogue\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">St Maarten\/Martin Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.onepaper.com\/synagogue\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">St Thomas Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jewishtnt\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Trinidad &amp; Tobago Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldjewishcongress.org\/en\/communities\/show\/id\/73\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Virgin Islands Jewish Community<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Map_of_Antilles_Islands_in_the_Caribbean.175111538_std.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4807\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Map_of_Antilles_Islands_in_the_Caribbean.175111538_std-300x268.jpg\" alt=\"Map_of_Antilles_Islands_in_the_Caribbean.175111538_std\" width=\"366\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Map_of_Antilles_Islands_in_the_Caribbean.175111538_std-300x268.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Map_of_Antilles_Islands_in_the_Caribbean.175111538_std.jpg 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Recipe: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trinigourmet.com\/index.php\/fried-bake-n-fish\/\"><span style=\"color: #f08080;\">Fried Bake &#8216;n Fish <\/span><\/a>from TriniGourmet.com<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.trinigourmet.com\/index.php\/fried-bake-n-fish\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4803 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/mochajuden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/944493_528338010561494_2009614295_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"944493_528338010561494_2009614295_n\" width=\"436\" height=\"325\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now facing extinction, the Sephardic Jewish community of the Caribbean was once so influential that it helped fuel the success of the American Revolution and finance the first synagogues in the United States, located in New York City and Rhode Island. The Jews of the Caribbean project brings to light this little known and quickly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[116,117,60],"class_list":["post-4765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-caribbean","tag-jews","tag-recipe"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4765"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5297,"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765\/revisions\/5297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mochajuden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}