Jews
were first recorded living in Guadeloupe in the late 14th
century. In 1391, in a surge of anti-Jewish riots that began
in Spain,
the most of the Jews were murdered. The community, however,
began to revive during the mid-15th century. In 1485, the
local inquisitor, Nuño de Arévalo, forbid all Jews from
living in Guadeloupe.
Prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal
in 1492, the Jewish community sold
the land of the old cemetery to the local bishop. Many
Jews were forced into converting to Christianity;
the Conversos in Guadeloupe lived
together in a specified street in the former Jewish quarter. In
1489, two monks Diego de Marchena and
García Capata, were burned at the
stake for converting to Judaism.
In 1654, three shiploads of Jewish refugees from Brazil
settled in Guadeloupe. During that time, the Jews were welcomed by the
French owner of the island. Even
the capital of Guadalupe, Pointe-a-Pitre
was named after a Brazilian Jew, called Pietre who started a fish
processing plant in the city. The
Jews established sugarcane plantations, which
ultimately became the country’s leading export. In 1685,
however, King Louis XIV issued “The
Black Code” expelling all Jews
from Guadeloupe.
During the latter part of the 20th century, many Jews
began to arrive from North Africa and France. In 1988, the Jewish community consecrated the first synagogue in Guadeloupe, Or Sameah. Later the congregation added a Talmud Torah, community center, kosher store, and Jewish cemetery.
Today, approximately 50 Jews live in Guadeloupe.
Communaute' Cultuelle Israelite1 Bas du Fort
97190 Gosier, Pointe-a-Pitre
Tel. 590 90 99 08
Sources: World Jewish Congress; “Guadaloupe.” Encyclopedia Judaica
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