Jamaica’s motto “out of Many, One People” is all too true as, although over 90% of the population is of African heritage, we are indeed one big melting pot. From the first day Columbus set foot on Jamaican soil there have been Jews in the Island as his interpreter, Luis deTorres, was Jewish! Since then members of that faith have been an integral part of our history.

The first shipload of Jewish immigrants arrived from Portugal in 1530. As can be imagined in the heyday of the Inquisition, Jews did not fare very well under Spanish rule, though possibly marginally better than if they had remained at home in Spain and Portugal. Despite this, their enterprises did well.

At the time of the British conquest in 1655, Jews were at last allowed to worship in public and, in 1660, were granted citizenship by Charles II. At this time more immigrants arrived from other countries in the region as well as from Europe. Unfortunately, as has happened countless times in countless places, rights were given to then taken away from them over the next 180 years until finally, in 1831 Jews were granted full equality as Her Majesty’s subjects.

The Jews, who had slowly prospered before, began to thrive. In 1838 the deCordova brothers founded the Gleaner. Belisario produced his now sought after painting. By 1849 almost 20% of the House of Assembly, including the Speaker, were Jewish. Synagogues, markets and banks sprung up across the Island. The current Duke Street Synagogue was built after the 1907 earthquake by the Henriques Brothers, at that time Jamaica’s most prominent firm of architects.

Today, many of Jamaica’s most prominent and respected citizens are Jewish so to all the Henriques, Ashenheims, Matalons, deSouzas, dePasses, Melhados, Delevantes and all the others who helped lay the cornerstones of our country we wish you a very Happy Hanukkah!

The People Who Came

Jewish Jamaica

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