“An excellent resource with information about the Jewish communities in the Caribbean and Latin America, even the smallest and the most remote. This guide is not only for those who venture far; it is also fascinating reading for the armchair traveler.”
—Daphne Raz, editor in chief
Israeli edition of National Geographic and
National Geographic Traveler
“Ben Frank completely describes the Jewish presence and history south of the Rio Grande from Mexico, through Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Prodigious!”
—Gabriel Levenson, travel editor
New York Jewish Week
A Travel Guide to the Jewish Caribbean and South America is a tremendous work encompassing history, culture, and modern travel to some of the most important sites in these places. This is a practical, anecdotal, and adventurous journey including kosher restaurants, cafés, synagogues, and museums, plus cultural and heritage sites.
Though many understand American Jewish history as beginning with the East European mass immigration of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Jews in the Americas planted roots as early as 1654, when twenty-three Jews fleeing the Inquisition arrived in New Amsterdam. While the European roots of American Jews are often explored, less discussed are the still-vibrant Jewish communities throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
Explored here are the oldest surviving synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, Mikve Israel in Curaçao; the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean, in Puerto Rico; the three synagogues in Havana, Cuba; the Israeli café in Cuzco, Peru, near the historic Inca site, Machu Picchu; and other Jewish sites from Buenos Aires to Mexico City. Also included are general travel information and tips.