History of the Jews in El Salvador

History of the Jews in El Salvador

Jews have been present in El Salvador since the early 19th Century. Starting with Sephardic French Jews and continuing with the arrival of World War II Ashkenazi refugees.

History of the Jews in El Salvador

Open support of the Fascists during the 1930s hampered Jewish security,Fact|date=January 2008 but the situation improved after World War II. On Sept. 11, 1948, El Salvador recognized the State of Israel, and in 1956 the Instituto Cultural El Salvador-Israel was founded.

During the civil war many Jews left the country. The Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador was established in 1944 with a Jewish community center opening in 1945 and a synagogue in 1950.

1990s

The signing of peace treaties in 1991 led to the return of several Jewish couples with children who had moved elsewhere during the Salvadoran civil war. A new community center and synagogue were inaugurated in the past decade. There are two synagogues, and the community is divided between adherents to Conservative and Reform Judaism. At the Conservative synagogue, Sabbath services are held on Friday evenings only; however, the Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador holds services on Friday, Shabbat morning, and on holy days. For Pesach, Rosh Hashannah, Sukkot, Channukah, Purim and Yom Haatzmaut the women's committee organizes meals for the community to share and celebrate together.

University students have a Jewish students association, EJES (Estudiantes Judíos de El Salvador), and a Zionist group, FUSLA (Federación de Universitarios Sionistas de Latinoamérica), both of which are active throughout the year. For adults, the community offers different educational classes in Hebrew and other topics of interest. The "Chevra of Women" offers a course in Jewish cooking, and there is a monthly Jewish bulletin called el Kehilatón, which advertises synagogue events. The Noar Shelanu youth movement, to which about 30 children age 8–18 belong, meets weekly. The kindergarten for young children also meets weekly. Two emissaries teach Hebrew and Judaism.

Relations with Israel

Israel has an embassy in San Salvador. In 2006, El Salvador announced plans to move the embassy to Tel Aviv where the rest of the embassies are located. This has been met by controversy, with many believing this to decision to be under the influence of the Palestinian community and the President himself, date=August 2007

References and notes

*Beker, Avi. "El Salvador." Jewish Communities of the World. Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis, 1998.
*"El Salvador." Encyclopedia Judaica.
*"El Salvador." la Unión Judía de Congregaciones de Latinoamérica y el Caribe
*Zaidner, Michael. Jewish Travel Guide. Vallentine Mitchell, Portland, 2000.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • History of the Jews in the United States — The history of the Jews in the United States has been influenced by waves of immigration primarily from Europe, inspired by the social and economic opportunities of the United States of America and fueled by periods of anti Semitism and… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in Mexico — Jewish Mexican Mexicano de origen Judio Ilan Stavans · Arturo Ripstein Total population 67,476 Regions with significant populations …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in Cuba — Jewish Cubans, Cuban Jews, or Cubans of Jewish heritage, have lived on the island of Cuba for centuries. Some Cubans trace Jewish ancestry to Marranos who fled the Spanish Inquisition, though few of these practice Judaism today. There was… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in Latin America — The history of the Jews in the Americas dates back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492, when he left Spain and eventually discovered the New World. His date of departure was also the day on which the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in Charleston, South Carolina — There is a long history of Jews in Charleston, South Carolina. The charter of the Carolina Colony, drawn up by John Locke in 1669, granted liberty of conscience to all settlers, expressly mentioning Jews, heathens, and dissenters. The earliest… …   Wikipedia

  • The Abandonment Of The Jews — The Abandonment Of The Jews: America and the Holocaust, , published in 1984, is a book by David S. Wyman, former Josiah DuBois professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Wyman is currently the chairman of the David S. Wyman …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Caribbean — The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the fifteenth century. In the twentieth century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles. Successive waves of Arawak migrants, moving northward from the Orinoco delta in South America, settled the islands of the Caribbean.… …   Wikipedia

  • Demographic history of the United States — This article is about the demographic history of the United States. Contents 1 Historical population 2 Age at marriage 3 Immigration 3.1 Earlier Colonial era …   Wikipedia

  • History of Argentine nationality — Ideas and practices of nationality and citizenship in the Republic of Argentina (and before that, in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata and the Inca Empire) have changed with distinct periods of its history, including but not limited to… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”