Beth Israel Synagogue (Aruba)
Coordinates: 12 ° 30 '46.7 " N , 70 ° 1' 49" W.
 
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Location in Aruba |
The Beth Israel Synagogue on the island of Aruba is a modern, single-story building surrounded by palm trees and fenced in by waist-high iron bars. It is located near the coast in the capital Oranjestad .
Jewish history of Aruba
Jews have lived on the island since the middle of the 16th century, which has been part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1986. The first known Jewish resident was Moses Salomon Levie Maduro (1709–1754), a member of a wealthy Portuguese-Jewish merchant family based in Curaçao , who settled on the island with royal permission and died in Aruba in 1754. In 1867, 23 people were registered in the Jewish community. Compared to the Jews on the neighboring island of Curaçao, the Aruba Jews have no numerical significance in relation to the total population of the island. Today around 85 Jews live in Aruba.
In 1962 the parishioners were able to solemnly transfer their Torah scrolls to their own synagogue. Today the congregation is led by Rabbi Daniel Kripper, who worked for three years in Jerusalem teaching postgraduate courses at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Next to the synagogue is the Judaica Shop, where a wide range of Jewish textiles, ritual objects, gifts, cards and books is offered. Israel maintains diplomatic relations with Aruba and is represented on the island by the ambassador in Caracas.
Jewish Cemetery
There is an old Jewish cemetery in Oranjestad. The tombstones are the only evidence of Jewish presence on the island in centuries past. The oldest tombstone dates from 1563.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Union of Jewish Congregations of Latin America and the Caribbean at jewishvirtuallibrary.org