A history of the Jews in Brazil

Of the city’s 600-plus Dutch Jews, most decided to return to Holland despite large financial losses from the hasty sale or abandonment of property. Sixteen Dutch and Portuguese ships were used. Of these, 15 made the crossing safely, but one had difficulty. It was captured by Spanish pirates before being set free by a French ship which took them to New Amsterdam, now New York. The refugees, 23 men women and children arrived in Manhattan in the first week of September 1654 after a nine-month journey.

The Jews in New York

The new land was no paradise for those first settlers. They did not win their freedom easily. They arrived when Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor, was in power. Being anti-Semitic, he did all in his power to make life difficult for the refugees. They were ordered to pay the French captain that got them to New Amsterdam the price of their journey within four days. Being unable to do so, their property was auctioned. Money raised in the auction was insufficient, and they were then arrested until the debt was paid.

Stuyvesant was not alone. He was supported by the Calvinist reverend John Megapolensis, who questioned the religious freedom of the Jews. Stuyvesant was relentless, banning them from the Guard of the Volunteer House, which excluded them from community life, then charging them a special tax to pay for their replacement in the guard.

Asher Levy fought for Jewish rights and won concessions from the Dutch, but swore allegiance to the English following the conquest by them in 1664.

The Jews in Brazil today

It was not until 1773 that Jews began to slowly return to Brazil, with a large settlement in Belém, further north of Recife. In the ensuing years there was a steady stream of Jewish immigrants, the first of which tried to make a go of it in agriculture in the southern part of Brazil, but that never really got off the ground. The principal benefit was the removing of all restrictions on Jews immigrating to Brazil.

During the late 1800s and early 1900’s, Jews continued to immigrate and settle in Brazil primarily in Porto Allegre and other southern cities. Today, it is estimated that there are about 100,000 Jews in Brazil, and they are active in politics, sports, academia, trade and industry, and are integrated into all aspects of Brazilian life. The largest number live in San Paulo, and there is a Jewish section of the city where even shop signs and other identifying markers are in Hebrew and Portuguese. Other significant communities of Jews exist in Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and Paraná.