The Jews of the Caribbean

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the Jewish presence in Curaçao, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. From the seventeenth century, Jews, fleeing the Inquisition, immigrated to Amsterdam, then to the Caribbean Netherlands, and practiced religious tolerance. Similarly, Sephardic Jews expelled from Spanish America and Brazil, where the Dutch had ceded their territory to the Portuguese after the Treaty of The Hague in 1661, often sought asylum, religious tolerance, and commercial opportunities in nearby Curaçao. In this chapter, the historical circumstances of Jewish presence in each of these island nations is reviewed, as well as the state of Jewish demographics today. Major Jewish figures and events that impacted the lives of Jews are also discussed.