| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 506[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Jamaica | |
| Languages | |
| English, Jamaican English, Jamaican Patois, Judaeo-Spanish, Hebrew | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Hershkovitch from Sanok Poland. |
| Part of a series on |
| Jews and Judaism |
|---|
The history of the Jews in Jamaica predominantly dates back to migrants from Spain and Portugal. Starting in 1509, many Jews began fleeing from Spain because of the persecution of the Holy Inquisition.[2] When the English captured Jamaica from Spain in 1655, the Jews who were living as conversos began to practice Judaism openly.[3] By 1611, the Island of Jamaica had reached an estimated population of 1,500 people.[2] An estimated 75 of those people were described as "foreigners," which may have included some Portuguese Jews.[2] Many Jamaican Jews were involved in the Atlantic slave trade, both owning and trading in enslaved Black people.[2]
- ^ "Religion and the 2011 census". 4 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d Marilyn., Delevante (2006). The island of one people : an account of the history of the Jews of Jamaica. Alberga, Anthony. Kingston: Ian Randle. ISBN 9789766376932. OCLC 854586578.
- ^ Mordehay., Arbell (2000). The Portuguese Jews of Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica: Canoe Press. ISBN 9768125691. OCLC 45701914.