Historical Timeline of the Sephardic Jews of Barbados
- 1626-1628: Possible earliest arrival of Jews in Barbados, though this is not proven.
- 1654: A significant influx of Sephardic Jews arrives in Barbados from Brazil, following the Portuguese recapture of Dutch Brazil.
- 1660: The Jewish population in Barbados is estimated at about 300 people.
- 1661: Jews are granted permission to take oaths on the Five Books of Moses instead of the New Testament.
- 1664: An act is passed in Barbados confirming the rights of Jews to live and trade on the island.
- 1669: The first synagogue, Nidhe Israel (Scattered of Israel), is built in Bridgetown.
- 1674: Jews are granted the right to give evidence in courts of law in cases involving other Jews.
- 1676: A special tax is imposed on the Jewish community.
- 1679: Jews are prohibited from having Christian servants.
- 1688: Jews are banned from employing Christians and from retail trade.
- 1708: Jews are granted the right to vote in Barbados, though this right was later rescinded.
- 1739: The Jewish community reaches its peak population of about 800.
- 1786: Jews are allowed to take oaths on the Hebrew Bible in court cases.
- 1802: The Jewish Naturalisation Act is passed, granting Jews full rights as British subjects in Barbados.
- 1831: Jews are granted full civil and political rights in Barbados.
- 1831: Hurricane devastates the island, severely damaging Nidhe Israel synagogue
- 1929: Nidhe Israel synagogue sold by the last Jew on the island. Ladies Gallery destroyed. Building changes hands several times, and used as retail space and offices. Possibly this is when the congregational archives and religious artefacts were sent to the parent Spanish & Portuguese Jews’ Congregation in London.
- 1930s. Ashkenazi Jewish refugees from Europe settle on the island, including Moses Altman
- 1970s. Barbadian government acquires the building to turn into a courthouse. Jewish community petitions for its return to use as a synagogue. The government agreed conditional on the Jewish community providing funding.
- 1983: The Nidhe Israel synagogue is restored and rededicated.
- 2008: A mikveh (ritual bath) is discovered during excavations near the synagogue, dating back to the 17th century.
Nidhe Israel Synagogue, Barbados: History, Genealogy, and Resources
Nidhe Israel Synagogue was established by people who had arrived in Barbados as refugees following the Portuguese reconquest of Dutch Brazil in 1656.
These settlers played a pivotal role in transforming Barbados from an economic liability into a thriving hub of sugar cultivation, albeit contributing to the expansion of the slave trade.
The Sephardic Jewish community’s arrival in Barbados influenced significant historical events, including potential impacts on Cromwell’s decision to permit Jewish resettlement in England in 1657. Despite their economic success, the community was marked by frequent communal disputes.
The Barbados community was notorious for its continual squabbles, and appeals for adjudication to the parent Spanish & Portuguese Jews’ Congregation of London.
Jewish Genealogy Resources for Barbados
Resources for researching Jewish genealogy in Barbados:
- Nidhe Israel Synagogue: Now a museum, this historic synagogue offers valuable insights into the Jewish heritage of Barbados.
- Digital Library of the Caribbean – Synagogue Restoration Project: This project provides extensive resources on the synagogue’s restoration.
- Barbados Synagogue Restoration Project Finding Aid
- Barbados Synagogue Historic District
- Jewish Community of Barbados
- Monumental Inscriptions in the Burial Ground of the Jewish Synagogue at Bridgetown, Barbados: Authored by E.M. Shilstone and published by the Jewish Historical Society of England in 1955.
- Center for Jewish History (United States): Hosts a collection of documents on the Barbados Jewish community, including lists of taxes, extracts from minute books, census data from 1715, photos, and articles about tombstone inscriptions.
- Malcolm Stern Papers at the American Jewish Archives: Contains research on Barbados and the wider Caribbean.
- Barbados National Archives: While lacking a dedicated website, it offers guidance on genealogical resources, including wills dating back to 1647.
- Digital Library of the Caribbean: States that the Barbados archives include wills from 1647.
- Michael J. Chandler’s Guide (1965): Provides an overview of Barbadian archives, including wills from 1648, civil registers from 1890, voter registers from 1867, and church records.
- Barbados Museum & Historical Society – Shilstone Memorial Library
- Barbados Genealogy Group on Facebook
- Bevis Marks Archives at the London Metropolitan Archives: Houses archives of the early Sephardic Jewish community in Barbados, which were shipped back to London following a hurricane.
- Sanders Historical Publications: Publishes abstracts from Barbados archives, including records of Jewish families.
- Ancestry.com: Hosts a database called “Caribbean, English Settlers in Barbados, 1637-1800,” which includes Jewish entries.
- British National Archives: Contains documents referencing Sephardic Jews in Barbados.
- Archief van de Portugees-Israëlietische Gemeente in Amsterdam: Offers information on the Recife (Brazil) congregation and its antecedents in the Netherlands.
- Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, Vol. 26, 1918, pp. 250-256. Barbados census of 1679.
- Notes on the history of the Jews in Barbados, by Nicholas Darnell Davis, 1909
- Barbados Jewish Community website
- “A Medley of Contradictions”: The Jewish Diaspora in St. Eustatius and Barbados by Derek Robert Miller
Videos on Sephardic Jews in Barbados
- The Jews of Barbados – Neil Rechtman
- A Trip to the Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Barbados
- Sephardic Jews of Barbados – Simon Kreindler
Barbados Sephardic Jewish Wills in London
These Wills are free to download from the British National Archives website.
Luis Dias, David Ralph de Mercado, Isaac Valverde, Jacob Franco, Daniel de Mattos (with goods in Barbados and Jamaica) and more.
The Sephardic Jewish community in Barbados, an English colony, was established by refugees from Dutch Brazil, which was re-conquered by the Portuguese in 1656. These Sephardic Jews are credited with introducing sugar cultivation to Barbados, transforming it from an economic liability into a major financial asset, though this also contributed to the expansion of the slave trade.
Barbados Jewish Cemetery
A friend restored the Barbados Jewish cemetery, reconstructing Carrera books. Many gravestones are no longer legible, but the following names and dates have been recovered:
- Ribcah filha de Abraham et Jael Valverde: 11 Ab 5447
- Moses and Abraham sons of Ishak Naftali Ashkenazi: Abraham on Heshvan 5459, Moses on 17 Tevet 5453
- Sarah Gabay Rison: 13 Nisan 5432
- Ishak Bar Naftali Judica Burgos: 5544
- Ephraim Yesurun Henriques: 19 Tishri 5450
- Abraham de Medina: 11 Nisan 5452
- Hanah daughter of Joseph Senior: 11 Tebet 5440
- Rachel Sarah Senior: 10 Adar 5431
- Aron Gabay: 9 Tishry 5430
- Moze Rodryges Soares: 22 Ab 5427
- Yshak… De H…..
- Yschack Rafael Pacheco: 20 Hiyar 5425
- Ester Gaon: 21 Tishry 5427
- Deborah Burgos: 23 Tishry 5448
- Selomoh Tinoco: 24 Kislev 5448
- Rahel Ester Henriques: 11 Sebat 5448
- Aron Gabay Risson: 11 Yiar 5448
- Gracia daughter of Semuel Aboab Cardozo: 10 Tebet 5453
- Yshak de Azevedo: 5450
- Moseh Baruh Henriques son of Abraham Baruh Henriques: 7 Ab 5452
- Abraham Baruh Henriques: A. Yshac Hesvan 5453, B. Hua 6 Ab 5452, C. Abraham 27 Tishri 5456
- Abraham son of Joseph Senior: 9 Hiyar 5439
- [Sarah] daughter of S…..And Ester Sua[res]: 5456
- Ishak Gomez Henryques: 20 Tyshry 5444
- Abraham Gomes Henriques: 5436
- Deborah Burgos: 5418
- David…. Moses Cohen de Leon: 26 Adar 5453
- Davyd Yeosusa de Lido: 11 Hesvan 5445
- Ishak Gabay Risson: 15 Nisan 54….
- Yaacob son of Joseph et Yael Ysurun Mendes: 27 Tamuz 5436
- Yosiyav Rephael son of David Castello: 16 Adar 5459
- Sarah Simha Israel de Piza: 7 Tamus 5438
- Sarah Ester Pera de Leao de Moseh Pera de Leao: 16 Ellul 5438
- Ester Mendes daughter of Joseph Mendes: 12 Tamus 5440
- Abraham Ydana son of Yacob Tdana: 21 Hesvan 5439
- Moseh Hamis: 10 Nisan 5440
- Moses son of Joseph Mendes: 12 Menahem [5440]
- Ymanuel Carcasoni: 17 Nisan 5435
- Hayyim Katz: 14 Sivan 5457
- D’acosta: 5444
- Deborah Burgos: Rabbi Amnuel Burgos, Mordechai Burgos, Ishac Serano, Hanah Alvares, B.R. 5466
- Sarah Lopes de Acosta: Antunnes A Castano, Ester Castano, Rachel de…… Sy de Piza: 5444
- Mendes: 5444
- David Abarbanel: Sarah de Mercado, David Raphael de Mercado, David de Mercado, Sarah Mulher, “….ld” Otherwise Illegible
- Anjo de Simhon: Ishack Mendez, Hanah Mulher, Ephraim Burak, Feiga, Sara Burgas, Hersh Silver, Simon Altman, Moshe Altman, Joseph Friedman, Jacob H Herbst, Pacheco
Do You Need a Genealogist?
Do you need a professional genealogist to research your Sephardic Jewish genealogy? Click here.