Curaçao synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue , in Willemstad, Curaçao, is one of the oldest synagogues in the Americas. It is commonly known as the Snoa (short for esnoga, an old Portuguese word for synagogue
).
The community (congregation Mikvé Israel) dates from the 1650s, and consisted of Spanish and Portuguese Jews
from the Netherlands and Brazil. In the nineteenth century there was a breakaway Reform
community (Emanu El); the two merged to form the present community in 1964. The community is now affiliated to Reconstructionist Judaism
.
The first synagogue building was purchased in 1674; the current building dates from 1730.
The other Dutch
island in the Caribbean with a historical synagogue is Sint Eustatius, where the ruins of the Honen Dalim synagogue of 1739 still stand impressively on the 'Synagoge Pad'. An even older synagogue existed at Jodensavanne
, Suriname
, Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace"), built between 1665 and 1671.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
).
The community (congregation Mikvé Israel) dates from the 1650s, and consisted of Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
from the Netherlands and Brazil. In the nineteenth century there was a breakaway Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
community (Emanu El); the two merged to form the present community in 1964. The community is now affiliated to Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan . The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as a branch of Conservative Judaism, before it splintered...
.
The first synagogue building was purchased in 1674; the current building dates from 1730.
The other Dutch
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
island in the Caribbean with a historical synagogue is Sint Eustatius, where the ruins of the Honen Dalim synagogue of 1739 still stand impressively on the 'Synagoge Pad'. An even older synagogue existed at Jodensavanne
Jodensavanne
Jodensavanne was an attempt to establish an autonomous Jewish territory in Suriname, South America.Jodensavanne is located in Para District, about 50 km south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River....
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace"), built between 1665 and 1671.
See also
- Oldest synagogues in the world#South America and Caribbean
- Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)