The earliest record of a Jewish presence in Curaçao dates back to Samuel Cohen, an interpreter who arrived with the Dutch fleet under the command of Johan van Walbeeck, who seized the island from the Spaniards in 1634. The Dutch West India Company had no restrictions on Jewish settlement, which encouraged Joao d'Ylan, a Portuguese Jew, to move with 10 to 12 other Jewish families to Curaçao in 1651, hoping to prosper from agricultural business opportunities. They established the Congregation Mikveh Israel and consecrated Beit Haim, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Western Hemisphere. A larger group of Jews from the same congregation, led by Isaac da Costa, arrived on the island in 1659, bringing with them a Torah scroll gifted from the Amsterdam synagogue, which is still used today in the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue. Realizing that Curaçao's arid soil hindered agricultural success, the Jewish community settled in the walled city of Willemstad and established trade between Northern Europe and the South American Coast. By 1674, they had consecrated the first of four synagogues in Willemstad, including the Mikve Israel synagogue, the oldest continually used synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.

By the late 1740s, the Jewish community in Curaçao was well established, expanding even beyond the walls of Willemstad into Otrabanda, the other side of town. This led to a brief split between the Jews of Willemstad and Otrabanda, with conflict between the two going as far as fistfights and brawls in the streets. Their strife had such an economic impact on the island that the States General of Holland issued a commission in 1750 to end the fighting, establishing peace between the two communities with an edict signed by the Prince of Holland. Though this was a local event, the fact that this edict was signed as far up as the Prince of Holland reveals the extent of the significance of Jewish life in the area. 

In the middle of the 19th century, a third of the Jewish population established a congregation that adhered to the philosophy of the Reform Jewish Movement. This group of people built Temple Emanuel and consecrated their cemetery at Berg Altena. After 100 years of crossover and intermarriage, the congregations of Temple Emanuel and Mikve Israel merged and formed Mikve Israel-Emanuel. The new congregation chose to follow the rituals of the Reconstructionist Federation of America movement to preserve the historical and traditional customs of both congregations.

In 1812, Simon Bolivar visited the island, taking refuge in the Jewish community of Otrabanda. Both had a mutual disdain for Spanish rule, and Bolivar inspired several Jews to join his fight for Latin-American independence. Among them was Juan de Sola, who commanded the cavalry at the battle of Carabobo in 1821.

In 1864, about 1/3 of the Jewish community broke from the Orthodox tradition and built a new synagogue, Temple Emmanuel, which adhered to the Reform movement. After 100 years of crossover and intermarriage, the congregations of Temple Emanuel and Mikve Israel merged and formed Mikve Israel-Emanuel. The new congregation chose to follow the rituals of the Reconstructionist Federation of America movement to preserve the historical and traditional customs of both congregations. 

In the 1920s and 1930s, Ashkenazi Jews from Central Europe arrived on the island, the majority of whom were diverted to Latin America as a result of the United States' immigration quotas. They established a social center and sports club, and in 1959 they erected their congregational building called the Shaarei Tsedek Jewish Center in Scharloo, still active today.

One of the notable influences of the Spanish/Portuguese-Jewish community in Curaçao is the local language. Papiamentu is the Curaçaoan local language that is considered to be either an Afro-Portuguese creole or a Spanish-based creole. The language contains many Hebrew words and roots, a testament to the deep history of the Jewish community on the island.

When Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, the Curaçaoan government confiscated all German ships. Additionally, they erected a monument honoring Antilleans who died during World War II. Among them was George Maduro, a Curaçaoan Jew of Sephardic descent who joined the resistance after the Dutch surrendered. He succeeded in capturing several German ground troops and parachutists, a crucial part of repelling the German attack on the Hague. He was arrested and killed at Dachau, and Madurodam, a park in the Hague, was constructed to honor his life. 

Today, Curaçao’s Jewish community consists of under 350 people, a mixture of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews, a small fraction of the island’s population of around 150,000. The steady decrease in populations can be attributed to the flight of youth, who leave the island for education and career opportunities. Due to the plummeting demographics, the community finds difficulty attracting rabbis, procuring kosher food, and maintaining a vibrant Jewish life on the island.

Today, the Jewish community features a mixture of Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions, primarily at the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue. The synagogue is now affiliated with the Reconstructionist Jewish Movement. The Sharei Tsedek Jewish Center is run by a Chabad rabbi and continues to follow Ashkenazi Orthodox customs. The Jews of Curaçao practice many distinct religious traditions dating back to the original colonists on the island. Among them are the tradition of the rabbi wearing a black tallit on Tisha B'av, the reader of the Book of Lamentations wearing black shoes and using a black Yad, and the throwing of a wine glass on the wedding platter to leave a mark.

1. Curaçao’s Mikveh Israel-Emmanuel is the oldest active synagogue in the Americas.

2. The island also hosts Beth Hayim, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Western Hemisphere, with tombstones dating as far back as 1664.

3. In 1750, the States General and Prince of Holland signed an edict ending fighting between the two factions of Curaçao’s Jewish community.

4. Simon Bolivar visited the island in 1812, inspiring many Jews with a mutual disdain for Spain to join his fight for Latin American independence.

5. Mikveh Israel-Emmanuel is one of four active synagogues with sand floors. The sand floor serves to remind us of the biblical years of wandering the desert as well as a homage to the congregation’s Spanish and Portuguese roots, as during the Spanish Inquisition many would use sand to muffle the sound of their prayers.

The Curaçao Community Hebrew School, run in conjunction with Congregation Sharei Tsedek, an Orthodox Ashkenazi community, offers classes to children aged five through 12.

Youth programs emphasizing Jewish identity and heritage, as well as connection to Israel, is run by an active BBYO chapter.

From 1691 to 1807, the Hebrew newspaper Peri Ez Hayim ("Fruit of the Tree of Life") was widely circulated around the Curaçao Jewish community. Though based in Amsterdam, the newspaper contained many sections devoted to Jewish life in Curaçao. The issues were primarily devoted to Halachic responses, Jewish commentary, and Talmud interpretations, as well as offering scholarly opinions on legal and social issues. 

In 1762, Curaçaoan Abraham Mendes de Castro commissioned the printing of a Hebrew and Spanish bible text, the first ever of its kind. He was motivated by the needs of Curaçaoan pupils, who did not have enough Hebrew or Spanish texts to go around. The profits from his sales went to Jewish communities in Hebron and Jerusalem. 

Given Curaçao’s rich Jewish history, there are several notable Jewish sites. Curaçao’s Jewish Cultural Historical Museum, in particular, preserves the Jewish community’s religious and cultural artifacts on the island. Many collection pieces continue to be used today in the congregation’s services and rituals. Such religious objects include a set of circumcision chairs, a Passover table set for the Seder, baby-naming and circumcision clothes, spice boxes, candlesticks, Torah covers, and remains from a 1728 mikvah. Additionally, the Mikve Israel-Emmanuel congregation, dating back to 1732 and featuring a symbolic white sand floor, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Bet Haim cemetery, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Americas, contains gravestones with inscriptions in several languages dating as far back as 1664. The cemetery can be visited by appointment only. The Mongui Maduro Museum, Library, and Jewish Archives on the island also contain a vast collection of periodicals and documentation on Judaism in general and specifically on the history, culture, and customs of the Curaçao Sephardic Jewish community since the 17th century. There are also many Jewish companies and private guides available to give guided tours of the island’s Jewish history, as listed by CuraçaoJews.org.

Israel and Curaçao, represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, maintain full diplomatic relations. Though the country does not have an Israeli embassy, it does have an honorary consulate in the capital that is headed by Dr. Paul Ackerman. In the days after October 7th, the Curaçaoan government made every effort to support its citizens currently residing in Israel. In conjunction with the Dutch Defense, they deployed military aircraft to evacuate Dutch and Curaçaoan nationals in the conflict, though the count of Curaçaoan residents in Israel is unknown.

Israeli Honorary Consulate in Willemstad:
Blauwduifweg 5
Willemstad
Curaçao

Telephone: (+599) 9-736-5068
Email: israelconsulcuracao@gmail.com