Last year, after a program in our synagogue about the Ethiopian Jews, Esra mezzuzot were sold as a fundraiser. I bought two mezuzot for my daughters. In January 2008 I flew to Suriname, for the second time, for work, on very short notice. I called and asked the Jewish community there if they needed anything from Toronto, as they have no access to Judaic stores, and was asked if I could bring mezzuzot for their newly renovated guest house (the old Rabbi’s house). Since I didn’t have time to shop, my daughters suggested donating their Esra mezuzot as a double mitzvah, first to support the Ethiopian Jews and second to help the Jewish community in Suriname. The mezuzot were an immediate “hit” and seven more mezuzot have been sent to the Jewish community since then.

A visit to “Neve Shalom” Synagogue and the local Jewish Community

When I mentioned to some friends that I was going to work for two weeks in Suriname, I realized that they knew very little about the place. One friend asked me: “When are you going to Africa?” My doctor asked me: “When are you going to this island in the Philippines?” So let me start with a short description of where Suriname is:

Suriname (where Dutch is the official language) is located on the north-eastern coast of South America. The northern border is the Atlantic Ocean, the west side is bordered by the People’s Republic of Guyana (an ex-British colony where English is the formal language), the east side is bordered by French Guyana (a French territory where French is the official language) and Brazil (a Portuguese speaking country) is at the southern border, which runs through the mountains and hilly savannas of the Amazon region. Eighty percent of Suriname is covered with dense tropical rainforest.

Before I left Canada I thought that the highlight of my trip would be my work, deep in the jungle. Really, how many finance people do you know who go to their office in the Amazon basin? I expected to see anaconda snakes, jaguars and monkeys, but definitely not the descendants of King David.

I arrived at the capital, Paramaribo, on a Sunday, and before heading to the jungle I went for a walk downtown (without a street map) to see the white wooden colonial buildings that in 2002 were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It was impressive, and so was the heat, 40C and humid. All of a sudden I saw two magnificent buildings, one next to the other. The first was the old “Neve Shalom” synagogue and the second was the new grand Mosque of Paramaribo. The synagogue was closed so I decided to come back on Saturday for a visit. Early that Saturday morning I walked down to the synagogue; I hoped to be there by 9a.m. for the morning service. But Paramaribo is not Toronto. Because of the tropical climate in Suriname the service started at 8a.m. and by the time I arrived it was almost over. The worshippers, about twenty members, were a mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews; blacks (descendants of the West African slaves who worked in the sugar plantations); a few were of Indian descent (known locally as Hindustanis) and a few of mixed race. Not a typical crowd of a Toronto shul! After the Kiddush, I was invited to come back on Monday morning so I could take photos and meet with Lilly, the synagogue vice president. I can describe my first impression of the synagogue in one word: amazing.

On Monday morning, Lilly, a middle-aged lady, was waiting for me. I quickly realised that I had met a very special person. Lilly runs the shul administration, is the tourists’ guide, and takes care of all the Jewish assets in town (two synagogues and four cemeteries). Since the community does not have many financial resources, every six months Lilly and the Hindustani housekeeper paint the entire wooden exterior of the synagogue, a huge task by itself. Her passion and pride in her community’s special Jewish heritage is reflected in all that she does. Clearly, she is the Neshama (soul) of the community.

Lilly and her extended family are descendants of one of the oldest and most distinguished Jewish Sephardic families – the Abarvanel family (also known as Abarbanel). They trace their origin from the biblical King David. One of the most famous members of the clan was Don Isaac Abarvanel, the last and greatest leader of Spanish Jewry prior to the expulsion from Spain in 1492. He was a statesman, philosopher, Torah commentator and financier. After the expulsion from Spain, the Abarvanels settled in Holland, England, Turkey and Greece. Lilly’s family immigrated to Suriname from Holland.

The first European explorer to set foot on the Surinamese shore was the legendary Spanish Conquistador Alonso de Ojeda, in 1499. However, only in 1593 did Spain start to explore Suriname, but they didn’t settle there. In 1629, the first group of Jews settled in Thorarica, the old capital of Suriname. They came from Holland, Portugal and Italy, arriving through Brazil, and started to lay out sugar plantations on the west bank of the Suriname River. In 1652, the English also established sugar and tobacco plantations in the same area and began to establish a British territory. A second group of Jews arrived and settled on the savannah. This area is nowadays known as the “Jodensavanne” (the Jewish savanna). A third group of Jews arrived in 1664 and together with the Jews of Thorarica, moved and joined the Jodensavanne. The British colonial government granted several important privileges to the Jewish community, including freedom of religion and permission to build their own synagogues and schools. The first synagogue was built thereafter.

In 1667, in order to expand their plantations, the Dutch swapped New Amsterdam (present-day New York city) for the English territory Suriname. The Jodensavanne developed rapidly. The Sephardic Jews’ knowledge of planting and the wealth of both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews turned the community into a flourishing agricultural community. The Jodensavanne became the pillar of the entire colony of Suriname.

In 1685, a second synagogue was built; it was called “Beracha Ve Shalom” (Blessing and Peace). In 1694, the Jewish community consisted of 570 people who owned 40 sugar plantations and employed 9,000 slaves. The community continued to flourish and in the early 1700s, the Jews owned 115 of the 400 plantations in the country. The Jodensavanne graveyard with its marble gravestones imported from Europe was considered to be one of the most beautiful in South America.

In 1712, the French Admiral Cassard and his pirates invaded Suriname. They demanded an enormous levy. The prosperous Jews had to pay the greater part of it in sugar, hard cash, entire sugar mills and many slaves. The country never recovered completely from this event. In addition, with the decrease in the value of sugar cane by the introduction of beet sugar in Europe, the refusal of the banks to finance the Jewish settlers in rebuilding some of their plantations which had been burned by escaped slaves, and the development of the new capital, Paramaribo, many inhabitants of the Jodensavanne left to settle in the new capital. They continued to return to celebrate the holidays in the synagogue in the Jodensavanne until 1832. That year, on September 10^th, a big fire raged through the village, reducing all the houses to ashes, including the 147-year-old synagogue. Within a few years, the dense jungle overgrew the remains of the Jodensavanne.

In 1719, the Ashkenazi Jews in Paramaribo built their “Neve Shalom” synagogue. The Sephardic Jews built their own synagogue “Zedek ve Shalom” (Justice and Peace) in 1735. After the Ashkenazi synagogue was destroyed by fire, the community rebuilt it in 1835. A unique characteristic of the “Neve Shalom” synagogue is that it has a sandy floor, which is symbolic of the Hebrews’ forty years in the desert after the exodus from Egypt.

When Suriname was granted independence in 1975, almost thirty five percent of Suriname’s population left the country, fearing a collapse of the new country’s economy. Most of the wealthy members of the Jewish community were among them. When a brutal civil war erupted in the late 1980s, more members left the country.

Today the Jewish community has about 130 members. The two congregations, Sephardic and Ashkenazi, merged to one synagogue, “Neve Shalom”. The second synagogue is rented to one of the members of the community and operates as a computer service shop. I visited the building and it is well maintained.

All the furniture and art of the old Sephardic synagogue was loaned to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. They were restored and are currently exhibited to the public.

A few years ago the community changed from orthodox to liberal. However, as a result of the lack of financial resources, the community cannot afford a rabbi, who is so desperately needed. Conversions for members whose father is Jewish and the mother is a non-Jew cannot take place. The Aron Kodesh is full of beautiful Torahs, hundreds of years old. Only two are used as the others need repairs but the community can’t afford it.

Also, the chazan (cantor) who runs the services, was self taught; the youth cannot interact with other South American Jewish kids; the mikve is in need of repairs, and the gravestones in the cemeteries need to be cleaned. Services are held one week on Friday night and the other week on Shabbat.

In the 1990s the jungle in the Jodensavanne was cleared after weeks of hard work. About 450 graves were uncovered and the ruins of the synagogue have been preserved. With the help of the Suriname Government, it is now possible to reach the Jodensavanne by car and ferry boat. Thanks to these initiatives, one of the oldest historic monuments in Suriname and South America has been preserved for future generations.

I left this wonderful community with a wish that an organization such as “Rabbis without borders” would be established soon which will provide basic religious services to isolated Jewish communities such as “Neve Shalom”.

Currently Suriname is not a popular tourist destination. In my opinion it is one of the best kept secrets. The potential for Eco tourism is unlimited. The dense tropical rainforest, rivers and waterfalls, rare species such as the blue poison dart frogs, the Leatherback sea turtles (they can reach a length of 1.80 m. and weigh between 300 and 600 kg) and many birds and flowers unique to this part of the world are living undisturbed. It is just a question of time before small cruise ships will start visiting, resorts will be developed and tourism will become the major industry of Suriname. That will help the country’s economy and hopefully will end the isolation of this unique, but forgotten Jewish community.

Jacob Steinberg is a financial consultant living in Thornhill, Ontario with his wife Norma and his daughters Ilana (14) and Heather (12). He is also an Australian Rules Football player with the Toronto Downtown Dingos. Jacob can be reached at: jks1111@rogers.com for any comments or questions.