There are 21 Jewish cemeteries on the island according to
Washington Jewish Week, 2/8/1996 p.32. Closed cemeteries
are LACORIA, BLACK RIVER, FALMOUTH, and MONTEGO BAY. Ernest de
Souza is spiritual leader of the Jewish community: 809-927-2948.
"Jamaica was a Spanish colony from 1494 to 1655. During that
period, there was a constant stream of Conversos from the Iberian
peninsula, mainly from Portugal. The British occupation enabled
these covert Jews to return to Judaism. In the 17th and 18th
centuries, the Jews controlled the sugar and vanilla industries
and played a leading role in foreign trade and shipping. In the
19th century, they were prominent in the political, social, and
cultural life of the country. In 1849, for example, 8 of the 47
members of the House of Assembly were Jews, and the House
adjourned for Yom Kippur. In 1881 the Jewish population reached
2,535 out of 13,800 white citizens. In the 20th century, Jews
from Syria and Germany joined the community. However, the Jewish
population diminished due to economic decline, emigration, and
intermarriage."
Source: Jamaica link at http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/comm_north.html# [November 2005]
BOOK: Barnett, Richard D. and Wright, Philip. Yoffe, Oron:
editor. The Jews of Jamaica Tombstone Inscriptions
1663-l880 __: Ben Zvi Institute, __. ISBN 965-235-068-0.
(Detailed indexes by name, date and language; Hardbound, large
format; 230 pages including plates.) Two late scholars, Richard
D. Barnett and Philip Wright present texts or summaries of 1,456
tombstone inscriptions of Jews who lived in Jamaica between 1663
(when the British ousted the Spanish) and 1880 when systematic
death registration commenced. Jewish families, who had fled the
Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, settled in Jamaica during
those years. Ashkenazic Jews also settled there in the eighteenth
century. Jews played a significant role in development of the
island's natural resources and international trade. Inscriptions,
often in Hebrew, English and Portuguese or Spanish, are of
cultural and historical interest. The book contains cemetery
descriptions and two excellent appendices, a concordance of names
and a chronological index. Richard D. Barnett (1909-1986) was
Keeper of Western Asiatic Antiquities at the British Museum and
wrote about the Anglo-Jewish history and the Spanish-Portuguese
Diaspora after the Expulsion. Philip Wright (1910-1975) published
a number of books on the history of Jamaica and the West Indies.
[Source?]
Also see "The Jews of Jamaica" one of a series of newspaper-like articles under the general title of "Out of Many Cultures: The People Who Came" This article describes the Jewish migration to Jamaica and the history of the Jewisih Community in Jamaica. http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0054.htm [August
2005]
THE CEMETERIES
KINGSTON:
American Jewish Archive, 3101 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio
45220-2488; phone (513) 221-1875: United Synagogue Letter to the
Board of Directors regarding the presence of a straw market on
the premises of the Jewish cemetery in Feb. 25, 1969.
Correspondence file.
According to Neveh Shalom Institute's Director Ainsley Cohen
Henriques, 1998 plans existed for the cemetery site to become a
memorial lawn and park with tombstones cleaned, repaired and
replaced on the lawn. Corners dedicated to Jamaican Jews to be
established. Source: "Jamaica Synagogue Ruins & Jewish
Cemetery to be Protected, Rebuilt" in Jewish Heritage Report, a
publication of the International Survey of Jewish Monuments. 123
Clarke St., Syracuse, NY 12310. Kingston has five Jewish
cemeteries in Kingston according to A Record of the Jews in
Jamaica from the English Conquest to the Present Time by Jacob
Andrade, published in 1941:
Church and North Streets, SE and SW corners (1716-1872)
Church and North Streets (1788-1795)
Elletsen Road near Windward Road (1798-1882)
Hunts Bay Cemetery: (Spanish Town) The oldest
cemetery, primarily Sephardic, may be restored somewhat. [Graves
date from 1672: Abraham Gabay.] This also was sold to the Jamaica
National Heritage Trust, the government body responsible for
heritage and for which I have been privileged to serve as the
Chairman for the past six years. Therefore, I should have
something say but via the Neveh Shalom Institute that now raises
funds for this. If you ever want, we would be happy to arrange a
tour of these sites for a group or groups. Source: Ainsley
Henriques. http://www.sephardim.org/Neveh_Shalom/main.html The old Jewish Cemetery at 1 Hunt's Bay in St. Andrew, is an
important landmark in the history of Jamaica as it is the oldest denominational
cemetery on the island and is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the
Western' Hemisphere - Jamaica National Heritage Trust website
[June 2008] - For additional information - see website at
http://www.jnht.com/heritage_site.php?id=304
Orange Street and Calabar Road (1822 to the present)
Neveh Shalom Cemetery: Nevah Shalom (a.k.a. Dwelling
Place of Peace) was one of the first synagogues built in Spanish
Town, Jamaica during the 17th century. There were two synagogues
in Spanish Town, the Sephardi K.K. Neveh Shalom (Habitation of
Peace) consecrated in 1704, and the Ashkenazi K.K. Mikveh Yisrael
(Hope of Israel) erected in 1796. The former was located on Monk
Street and the latter on Young Street. Unions of these
congregations occurred in 1844, with services now held
occasionally in either. Information is available from Ernst
Desouja, United Congregation of Israelites, 2A Kings Drive,
Kingston 6, Jamaica, WI. The present synagogue gardens in
Kingston contain a number of interesting gravestones that have
been transferred from old cemetery sites. Source: Freedman,
Warren. World Guide for the Jewish Traveler. NY: E.P.
Dutton Inc, 1984.
Note from Ainsley Henriques mhenriq@uwimona.edu.jm:
Totally, there are over 1000 graves, as Neveh Shalom was the home
of the largest Jewish Congregation in the 18th century. We have
most of the data at our fingertips today, including fairly large
databases on Brothers Keeper. Neveh Shalom Cemetery gravestones
have been recorded completely. A surveyor's plan of the graves
was done before the tombstones were moved and placed on the
northern boundary wall some fifty years ago [about 1950s]. The
graves now cannot be identified from the remains of the bricks
and stones used to create tombs. We will be able, and indeed
hope, to place headstone markers for each person on the ground
whilst still maintaining the tombstones on the wall in this
memorial site.
Windward Road near Elletsen (1872-1913).
SPANISH TOWN: see Kingston
All individuals involved in the creation of this project are volunteers.
The right to make one copy for personal use with full citation is hereby granted;
however, no profit is to be made from the use of this website's information.
No reply will be made to inquiries about specific burials. All information that we possess is on the website. We have no other information so please do not write requesting any on either burial sites or individual burials.