One might not expect to find a large Jewish population in the middle of a Caribbean paradise.
But Curacao is home to the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the “oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere.” The attached Jewish Museum chronicles the congregation’s history.
Better known as Snoa — said to be “short for esnoga, an old Portuguese word for synagogue” — the congregration traces its origins to the 1650s. The congregation was originally made up of Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the Netherlands and Brazil.
In the 19th century, a Reform community broke away and established a second congregation on the island. However, the two communities merged in 1964, and the former Reform congregation’s synagogue is today used as a prosecutors’ office.
The congregation is affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. The current synagogue building dates to about 1730 (the first synagogue building was purchased in 1674).
