The Jewish Nation of the Caribbean: The Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Settlements in the Caribbean and the Guianas (Hardcover)

~ Mordechai Arbell (Author) "The so-called Wild Coast stretches from the Amazon River on the east to the Orinoco River on the west..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Portuguese Jewish, West Indies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...very readable and truly fascinating... For those researching Sephardim, the book is a gold mine of names -- Schelly Talalay Dardashti, City Lights, The Jerusalem Post

An enlightening and soulful book, that reveals previously hidden, fascinating periods Jewish history...High quality wine in a beautiful bottle. -- Yitzhak Navon, 5th President of Israel, October 1, 2002

Product Description

Occasionally one comes across a book, which is unexpected, delights and inspires. Surinam, known as the ‘Jewish Savannah’, where a vibrant Jewish community was granted full and equal rights two hundred years before the Jews of other communities in the region. St Eustatius, where the economically successful Jewish community was plundered during the British occupation in 1781. Curacao, named the ‘Mother of Jewish communities in the New World’, where a prosperous Jewish community comprised nearly half of Curacao’s non-slave population and was the center of Jewish life in the region. For all their economic and local political power, the Jews were little more than pawns in the 200-year struggle for control of the Caribbean by Holland, Great Britain, France and Spain. Eventually growing tired of this chess game, the Jews of the Caribbean drifted into assimilation or immigrated to the United States, where life was more secure. An ideal resource and captivating read for those traveling to the region or people with an interest in Jewish history, this is an exceptional book that brings the Jewish communities of the Caribbean to life, with intensity, and with a heartbeat so strong as to secure their proper and rightful place in recorded Jewish history.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Gefen Publishing House (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9652292796
• ISBN-13: 978-9652292797
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #599,759 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive vision of the Caribbean, February 25, 2006

By	Ileana Canetti "Professor" (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Impressive title, impressive research (of 35 years) and an impressive and so new approach to the Caribbean so affected by the tourist's vision. The author even looked upon the Jewish old cemeteries, an aspect that adds to this book a so mysterious and human touch! I, who come from the Spanish-speaking islands missed a lot more information on Jewish presence in Puerto Rico and other Hispanic islands, no matter a section on Dominican Republic jews is well presented. An open book in this sense.