Community in Chile - World Jewish Congress

Chile

Page content

The Years of the Holocaust

Demography

Community Life

Religious and Cultural Life

Information for Visitors

Relations with Israel

learn more about
antisemitism in Chile

Download report

Chile has one of the biggest Jewish communities in South America, after Argentina and Brazil; with roughly 16,000 Jews, it accounts for about 0.11% of Chile's population. Dating back to 1535, the Chilean Jewish community now consists of more than 50 institutions. The greatest concentration is in Santiago, with smaller populations located in other provinces with varied levels of organization. Chile also has the largest Palestinian community outside of the Middle East. The population is believed to be over 300,000, with its own institutions and political representation.

The Jewish community in Chile is represented by the Jewish Community of Chile (Comunidad Judía de Chile) – the Chilean affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.

WJC Affiliate

Jewish Community of Chile (Comunidad Judía de Chile)

CEO: Dafne Englander

Telephone: 562 211 6399
Fax: 562 212 4705
Email: contacto@cjch.cl.
Website: www.cjch.cl

Social Media:
Facebook: Comunidad Judia Chile Oficial
Instagram: @comunidadjudiachile
X: @comjudiachile
YouTube: Comunidad Judía de Chile

President: Ariela Agosin

In the News See All

Chilean Jewish Community Alarmed By Rising Antisemitism, Anti-Israel Bias

27 Jun 2024

Chilean Jewish Community Condemns Government's Exclusion of Israel at Aerospace Fair

07 Mar 2024

History

The first Jews arrived in Chile along with the Spanish conquistadors (conquerors). The Jews were Jewish converts to Catholicism from the time of the Inquisition; most of this immigration occurred in the early years of the conquest, escaping religious persecution in Spain since the court of the Inquisition was not yet established in America.

The first European Jews, particularly of French and German descent, settled in Valparaiso. Among them was Manuel de Lima and Sola, a chemist working in Chile who, in 1851, became a founding partner of the Fire Department of Valparaíso. From then on, the Jewish presence spread through Santiago, Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Montt, Temuco, La Unión, and even the Atacama Desert, where they were attracted by the mining business and trade.

From the end of the 19th century until the 1930s, there was an immigration of Sephardic Jews from the dismembered Ottoman Empire, which created the Jewish community as a collectivity. During those years, Jews who fled the antisemitic policies of Tsarist Russia also began to arrive and settle in both Santiago and the south of the country. The historical record establishes that in Rosh Hashanah of 1906, the first minyan (prayer quorum) took place in Santiago. Subsequently, in 1909, 87 people assembled to sign the founding act, in Spanish, of the first Jewish center of Chile, under the name "Sociedad Unión Israelita de Chile." A decade later, after the Balfour Declaration, Zionist activity expanded in Chile, and several Jewish organizations flourished, which later constituted the Congress of Jews of Chile in 1919, in which representatives of 13 cities met as part of a movement to centralize the Jewish community.

The Years of the Holocaust

A new group fled the persecution imposed by the Nazi Party in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. During the second term of President Arturo Alessandri, which was from 1932 to 1938, the arrival of Jewish refugees who escaped from Europe was restricted. It wasn't until the next president, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, came into power that the restriction was lifted, and a large number of Jewish immigrants arrived.

In 1941, a new prohibition of entry for the Jewish population in Chile was decreed, which was maintained until 1945, when, at the end of World War II, another group, now reduced, came from survivors of concentration camps liberated by Italian troops.

Demography

According to the census of 1907, there were 14 Jewish families in Temuco, while in 1920 there were 300 families. In 1916, the Jewish families created various social organizations, such as the Israelite Macedonian Center of Temuco. In those years, Temuco was one of the main destinations of emigration for the Jews of Monastir.

In addition to the Sephardim, 900 Ashkenazi Jews of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian descent were counted in Temuco. It was also the first Chilean city to have a synagogue and an Israeli club. For these reasons, Temuco is cited as one of the main cities in Chile that received Jewish immigrants.

The Sergio DellaPergola 2018 census report estimates the Jewish population of Chile at 18,300. It amounts to approximately 0.1% of the Chilean population and makes it, along with Uruguay, the second-largest Jewish community after Argentina and Brazil.

The majority of Jews are concentrated in the nation's capital, Santiago. Smaller communities also exist throughout the country.

Community Life

The country's Jewish organizations are affiliated with the Jewish Community of Chile (CJCh) institution, which is the umbrella organization of Chilean Judaism and its arm of political representation. In 2016, the CJCh celebrated 110 years of work.

There are several Jewish organizations in Chile, such as the Zionist Federation, B'nai B'rith, WIZO, recreational sites such as the Israeli Stadium, a golf club, two nursing homes, ORT, and, as a special feature, a fire department called the “Israeli Water Bomb" that is managed by Jewish volunteers.

Jewish life in the country is developed with normality and security, being respected by the authorities and state agencies. The community organizes the annual Tefila de Chile, which the president and ministers attend, and it is a tradition to ignite the Janukia (Hanukia) in the Casa de la Moneda, the seat of the national government.

Religious and Cultural Life

With the passing of the years from those most attached to religion and customs, many of the Jews in Chile today are deeply rooted in national life and are somewhat secularized. The presence of national authorities in religious services, such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, is a tradition that is repeated every year.

There are several families with non-Jewish members, and the knowledge of specific languages of immigrant families, such as German, Yiddish, or Ladino, is lost in the new generations, replaced by English and, to a lesser extent, Hebrew.

The Conservative movement in Chile, which is growing in influence through the leadership of teachers formed by the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary of Buenos Aires, has made great efforts to regroup Chilean Jews and recreate community life, recovering tradition and religious precepts to give them vitality in the heart of contemporary society.

There are several synagogues in Santiago, as well as in cities like Viña del Mar. Approximately five percent of the Jewish community of Santiago is Orthodox, where most of the Jews of Chile congregate.

Kosher Food

Kosher food can be found with the Orthodox Union hejsher (certification) in most supermarkets. Also, Chile has its own hejsher, issued by the Vaad HaRabanim from Aish Ha Torah Chile. The full list is available here.

There are a few kosher restaurants, all located near the Orthodox synagogues in Lo Barnechea municipality in Santiago.

Jewish Education

There is a central commission of education called the Vaad Hajinuj that is in charge of a Hebrew school in Santiago, where there is also an Orthodox school. Viña del Mar also has a Jewish establishment. At the university level, there is a Center for Jewish Studies.

There are three Jewish schools in Chile: Instituto Hebreo Chaim Weizmann of Santiago, which was founded in 1930, teaches a Conservative approach to Judaism and is the main Jewish school in the country; Maimonides School is part of the Orthodox movement; and Instituto Hebreo Chaim Weizmann of Viña del Mar, which also has a Conservative approach to Judaism and allows both Jewish and non-Jewish students. They are all private schools.

There are no Jewish universities in Chile. There is a student federation for college and graduate students: Federación de Estudiantes y Jóvenes Judíos (FEJJ).

Youth

The tradition of the Zionist youth movements in Chile is longstanding and intense. The most well-known organizations are Maccabi Hatzair, as part of World Maccabi; Tzeirei Ami, the tnuá (youth movement) of the Instituto Hebreo of Santiago, part of the Hanoar HaTzioni movement; and Betl-El, affiliated with the Noam movement. There are also smaller tnuots such as Tikva, which is also part of Noam; Maguen Hador, the tnuá of the Maimonides School, which is part of Akiva; and Hashomer Hatzair, which is the oldest in the country.

In Viña del Mar, there is also Maccabi Hatzair Viña.

Jewish Media

There are two main Jewish media outlets in Chile. Revista Shalom is a monthly publication that features articles from major Jewish national institutions. It is published both in print and online. La Palabra Israelita is published online weekly and belongs to the Comunidad Israelita de Santiago (the largest synagogue in the country). It features articles, interviews, and updates on community activities.

Information for Visitors

There are several Jewish museums in Chile that are open to the public visit by scheduling in advance.

The Museo Judío is located inside the community Círculo Israelita de Santiago and is the largest Jewish Museum in Chile. It features two main tours: Jewish history and the Holocaust. The museum is part of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Red Latinoamericana para la Enseñanza de la Shoá (Red LAES).

The Sepharadic Community has a museum showing the history of Sephardic Jews that came to Chile, starting the collection with objects brought by immigrants since the early 20th century. This was the first Jewish museum to open in Chile.

The Sala Museo Judío Alemán is located inside the community of Nueva Bnei Israel and showcases the history of German Jewish immigrants that arrived in Chile in the 19th century.

The Archivo Judío de Chile ("Jewish Archive of Chile") gathers and preserves documentation that tells the history of the activities and traditions of the Jewish citizens of Chile and is integrated with records from organizations, families, or individuals: letters, photos, memoirs, minutes and reports, genealogical records, and audiovisual materials. The Archivo is a member of the Network of Jewish Archives of Latin America, the International Council of Archives, UNESCO, and the Israeli Association of Researchers on Latin American Judaism.

Relations with Israel

Chile recognized Israel as an independent state in 1949. Thereafter, bilateral relations have strengthened significantly, remaining at the ambassadorial level permanently. Israel recognized Chile’s military government after the 1973 coup d’état and then recognized their democratic government in 1990. The countries have a rich political, cultural, commercial, and cooperative relationship.

In early 2010, Sebastián Piñera became the first president of Chile to officially visit Israel. However, the Palestinian political party holds an anti-Israeli stance in judging Middle Eastern affairs. In 2011, Chile offered recognition for the state of Palestine along with seven other Latin American nations, attributable to its large number of Palestinian residents.

In July 2014, Chile recalled its ambassador back to Israel due to the violence in Gaza; it also froze its free trade agreement with Israel, which was later reinstated.

President Sebastián Piñera visited Israel in June 2019.

Israeli Embassy:
Av. Alonso de Córdova 5320

7th floor,

Las Condes, Santiago

Telephone: 56 2 27500500
Fax: 56 2 2750055

More Communities

See All

Argentina

Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Peru

Aruba

Curaçao

Chilean Jewish Community Alarmed By Rising Antisemitism, Anti-Israel Bias

Chilean Jewish Community Condemns Government's Exclusion of Israel at Aerospace Fair

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletterThe latest from the Jewish world

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter
The latest from the Jewish world