jews d
in
the
Island
Treasure
Exploring
Curacao’s
historic shul.
SHAYNA BENNISH
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
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N
estled off the coast of
(ark) and bimah with such grandeur,
Venezuela, close to the
chandeliers and a soft white sand
beaches of Aruba, is a
floor made this shul stand out. Four
little Dutch island called Curacao.
large white stone pillars surrounded
Besides the breath-taking beaches,
the bimah named for Rochel, Leah,
spectacular snorkeling opportuni-
Rivkah and Sarah. I was told it was
ties and vibrant Caribbean-
because they are the foundation
ABOVE: The
Dutch charm, one of the
entrance to the of all Judaism and that these
most surprising features on
historic Mikve pillars hold up the shul just as
this island is its historical
Israel-Emanuel women hold up Judaism.
Jewish footprints.
Our hostess, Sharon, was
Synagogue in
Curacao.
I spent my college years
warm, knowledgeable and
focusing on ancient civili-
excited to talk “Judaism” with
zations, so I was eager to
us. She was dressed in a brightly
explore hidden gems with historical
colored modest dress and hair cover-
roots on my recent trip.
ing. Not only did she lead us through
After doing some research, I found
the museum, teaching us about the
that Curacao has the oldest con-
heritage of this island but she also
tinuous operating synagogue in the
enriched us by sharing the current
Western hemisphere — with a muse-
facts about Jewish life on the island.
um and a mikvah and, surprisingly, no
She invited us more times than
Chabad. I quickly booked a tour of the I could count to be her Shabbat
museum, shul, cemetery and anything guests although our travels would
“Jewish” I could find. I armed myself
not allow that. She was also delight-
with all the facts I could find about
ed to be the recipient of an array of
the influx of Judaism into this island
kosher snacks we had packed in our
nation hundreds of years ago.
bags, as kosher food is difficult to
We made our way to Mikve Israel-
procure on the island.
Emanuel Synagogue, which was con-
The first Jew to set foot on this
secrated in 1732. You may have cer-
island was Samuel Cohen, who served
tainly missed it hidden in the center of as an interpreter and came on a
downtown, where very narrow streets Dutch ship. Soon more Jewish fami-
can lead you to an array of cute cafes,
lies followed to escape the Spanish
shops and other finds.
Inquisition. The Jewish community
Colored bright yellow with white
was quick to contribute to civilization
trim, it had incredible Caribbean style by sharing their language, customs
mixed with Sephardic sentiments I’ve
and expertise in architecture, shipping
found in other places of the world. A
and commerce.
beautiful dark-wood Aron HaKodesh
Today, the Torah brought to the
island in 1659 is still in use, and you
can view artifacts in the museum such
as seder plates, spices boxes, candle
sticks and a mikveh from 1792.
While the Jewish population
once boomed, consisting of close
to 125,000 Jews, today there are less
than 350 Jews who live on the island.
One of these families includes the
manufacturers of the famous Senior
Curacao Liquor. Shabbat and holi-
day services operate regularly and,
while the population has dwindled,
the historical footprints left by our
Jewish ancestors tell a tale of inspi-
ration, hope and survival in typical
Jewish fashion. •
The bimah and ark in Curacao’s synagogue,
with young Dovid Bennish on the sandy floor
34
April 19 • 2018
jn
Shayna Bennish lives in Oak Park.