Amazonian Jews
Encyclopedia
Amazonian Jews are the communities of mostly Moroccan Jewish descendants found in Amazon basin
cities and river villages of Brazil
and Peru
, including Belém
, Santarém, Manaus
, Iquitos
, Tarapoto
and others.
during the rubber boom
of the 1880s. They ventured as far as Iquitos
.
system stemming from the colonial period has resulted in virtually no interaction between these Jewish descendants and the small mostly European Ashkenazi population concentrated in Lima
(under 3,000) who are integrated into Lima's elite White
European minority. Thanks to efforts made by Israeli outreach programmes, some have made aliyah
and now live in Israel.
and Manaus
of jews
from Moroccan
or Spanish
origin include Albaz, Almescany, Assayag, Azulay, Benesby, Benchimol, Benayon, Bemerguy, Bendayan, Benguigui, Bentes, Benzecry, Elaluf, Elmescany, Foinquinos, Hamú, Israel, Laredo, Levy, Ohana, Ovadia, Pinto, Sabbá, Salém, Salgado, Safdié, Sefdié, Serruya, Soares, Tobelem and Zagury.
The documentary, Eretz Amazonia (done by David Salgado), based on the Samuel Benchimol
book "Eretz Amazonia; The Saga of Jews in the Amazon". They migrated from Morocco
to the Amazon during the rubber boom. They used their traditional languages: Ladino
, Hebrew and Haketia
.
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
cities and river villages of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, including Belém
Belém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
, Santarém, Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
, Iquitos
Iquitos
Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of 370,962. It is the capital of Loreto Region and Maynas Province.Located on the Amazon River, it is only above sea level, although it is more than from the mouth of the Amazon at Belém on the Atlantic Ocean...
, Tarapoto
Tarapoto
Tarapoto, known as the "City of Palms", is a thriving commercial hub in northern Peru, an hour by plane from Lima, situated in the San Martín Province of the San Martín Region, located in the high jungle plateau to the east of what is known as the selva baja...
and others.
Origins
Their origins trace to Moroccan Jewish traders and tappers who arrived in the Brazilian, and later Peruvian, Amazon basinAmazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
during the rubber boom
Rubber boom
The rubber boom was an important part of the economic and social history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related with the extraction and commercialization of rubber...
of the 1880s. They ventured as far as Iquitos
Iquitos
Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of 370,962. It is the capital of Loreto Region and Maynas Province.Located on the Amazon River, it is only above sea level, although it is more than from the mouth of the Amazon at Belém on the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Relationship with other Jewish communities
For the Peruvian communities, an enduring castaCasta
Casta is a Portuguese and Spanish term used in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries mainly in Spanish America to describe as a whole the mixed-race people which appeared in the post-Conquest period...
system stemming from the colonial period has resulted in virtually no interaction between these Jewish descendants and the small mostly European Ashkenazi population concentrated in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
(under 3,000) who are integrated into Lima's elite White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
European minority. Thanks to efforts made by Israeli outreach programmes, some have made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
and now live in Israel.
Belém and Manaus Jews
The surnames found in BelémBelém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
and Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
of jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
or Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
origin include Albaz, Almescany, Assayag, Azulay, Benesby, Benchimol, Benayon, Bemerguy, Bendayan, Benguigui, Bentes, Benzecry, Elaluf, Elmescany, Foinquinos, Hamú, Israel, Laredo, Levy, Ohana, Ovadia, Pinto, Sabbá, Salém, Salgado, Safdié, Sefdié, Serruya, Soares, Tobelem and Zagury.
The documentary, Eretz Amazonia (done by David Salgado), based on the Samuel Benchimol
Samuel Benchimol
Samuel Benchimol , was a Jewish Brazilian economist, scientist and professor. He was also one of the leading experts on the Amazon region. His main contribution to the field of economics was the study of the social aspects of the economy; with respect to the Amazon, he studied sustainable...
book "Eretz Amazonia; The Saga of Jews in the Amazon". They migrated from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
to the Amazon during the rubber boom. They used their traditional languages: Ladino
Judaeo-Spanish
Judaeo-Spanish , in Israel commonly referred to as Ladino, and known locally as Judezmo, Djudeo-Espanyol, Djudezmo, Djudeo-Kasteyano, Spaniolit and other names, is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish...
, Hebrew and Haketia
Haketia
Haketia is an endangered Jewish-Moroccan Romance language, also known as Djudeo Spañol or Ladino Occidental , that was spoken and spread throughout the North of Morocco such as in Tetuan, Tangiers and the Spanish towns of Ceuta and Melilla, in the latter of which it has achieved partial...
.