Portuguese Jews settled on the Caribbean island of Nevis, today part of St. Kitts and Nevis. They are reported to have introduced the technique of crystallizing sugar, making Nevis the “Queen of the Caribbees”.
It is not yet clear where the Portuguese Jews of Nevis came from. Assuming the community was established in the 1670s, then they did not arrive directly from the destroyed Dutch colony in Brazil.
The Jewish community of Nevis seems to have existed from the 1670s to 1760s. It is not clear where they went. Alexander Hamilton’s mother migrated from Nevis to Saint Croix.
Jewish Timeline for St. Kitts and Nevis
- 1628: English colonization of Nevis begins
- 1651: Nevis becomes part of the British Leeward Islands colony.
- 1670s: Jews settle on Nevis
- 1679: Jewish cemetery opened on Government Road
- 1684: A synagogue reported to have been built in Charleston, Nevis
- 1706: French forces attack Nevis during the War of Spanish Succession.
- 1768: Last known burial at the Government Road Jewish cemetery
Jewish Cemetery in Charleston, Nevis
The Jewish cemetery on Government Road has been researched by Michelle Terrell. She reports that one family, the Pinheiros, maintained ties with the island for 150 years.
There are 19 surviving markers in the cemetery which bear inscriptions in Hebrew, English, and Portuguese. At the end of the 18th century, most of the Jewish population left the island of Nevis, leaving the Jewish cemetery abandoned.
Below is a list of graves deciphered by Terrell:
Year – Jewish Calendar – Name
- 1679 – 5439 – Ester Marache
- 1684 – 5444 – Bathsheba Abudiente and newborn son
- 1684 – 5444 – Daniel Mendez
- 1684 – 5444 – Raquel Levy Rezio
- 1684 – 5445 – Benvenida Cohen Rodrigues
- 1687 – 5448 – Ribca Levy Rezio
- 1689 – 5450 – Abraham Abudiente (Gideon)
- 168? – – Jacob Vas Men(des?)
- 1690 – 5450 – Abraham Cohen Lobatto
- 1701 – 5462 – Rachell Cohen Lobatto
- 1703/4 – 54xx – Daniel Cohen
- 1709 – 5469 – Jacob Senior
- 1729/30 – 5490 – Hananiah Arrobas
- no date – Abraham Cohen Rodrigues
- no date – Abraham Hezekiah Israel Gomes
- no date – Arobas
Source: Michelle Terrell
Resources on Jewish Nevis
- The Jewish Community of Early Colonial Nevis – A Historical Archaeological Study by Michelle M. Terrel
- National Archives of St. Kitts and Nevis
- National Library of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Alexander Hamilton’s Jewish connections?
Some people speculate that the father of American stateman Alexander Hamilton, who was born in Nevis, may have been Jewish father. This is unlikely.
However, Hamilton’s knowledge of Hebrew might suggest he had some involvement with the Jewish community, possibly attending a Jewish school.
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