The Jews of Suriname
Posted May 14, 2018 by Jan
Paramaribo
Suriname
February 5, 2018
Jews arrived in Suriname in large numbers in the late Seventeenth Century. They became successful plantation owners out in the savanna. The area is called "Jodensavanne." They built a substancial brick synagogue they named Beracha v' Shalom (Blessing and Peace).
Because of disruptions in the sugar trade, they eventually moved to the capital Paramaribo. They built the magnificent wooden synagogue Neve Shalom,1837 (Oasis of Peace) that is still in use by the diminished community. The smaller Zedek v' Shalom Synagogue (Justice and Peace) built in 1735 is currently rented to a computer company.
I had the opportunity to visit the ruins of the synagogue and cemetery out in the savanna and also the synagogue buildings and cemeteries in Paramaribo.
For a thorough history of the Jews in Suriname please read here.
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