Aruba

A Brief Introduction to the Community (from the UJCL website)

In 1754, under special permission from the Dutch royalty, Moses Solomon Levie Maduro, a prominent member of a Sephardic (Portuguese) Jewish family in Curaçao, established himself in Aruba, with his wife and six children. The Maduros stayed on the island until 1816.

Levie Maduro was one of the first Europeans ever to arrive to the Dutch West Indies. He was working for the Dutch West Indies Company, and founded a branch in Aruba. In 1994, Maduro and Sons, the main shipping company in Aruba, proudly celebrated 250 years of Jewish settlement by their ancestors.

Other Jewish families established themselves on the island after the Maduros, (23 persons registered in 1867), but, even though their numbers increased, they were never able to support a community organization like their fellow Jews in Curaçao. Hence, they did not follow a traditional Jewish lifestyle.

Today, a large group of local residents, descendants of the original Portuguese Jews, proudly acknowledge their Jewish roots, and share their Jewish heritage with fellow Jews in Curaçao. Amongst them we can name the families Maduro, Curiel, Robles, Nassy, Lopez, Henriquez, and others.

A small cemetery in town, with tombstone names that times has almost erased, is the only physical evidence of the Jewish presence in Aruba in the past centuries.

Historical 18th and 19th centuries documentation is not available on Aruba, since the governmental old archives were stored in Curaçao, and sent to Amsterdam thereafter.

My Impressions

The small island of Aruba is a short boat ride from the coast of Venezuela. A small English-speaking community, Aruba’s Jews are international to say the very least. I spent a significant amount of time with two ladies who took the somewhat arduous journey from Aruba to Miami, Miami to Mexico City, Mexico City to Guadalajara.

Ismene was born and raised in post WWII Germany. She decided to leave Europe over ten years ago and took an extended vacation around the Caribbean Islands to decide which piece of paradise should be her next home. Her second choice was Tobago (of Trinidad and Tobago) but the reception towards foreigners was less than friendly. She and her boyfriend liked the winds, flora, fauna, and people of Aruba. It was decided.

Although her boyfriend didn’t last, Ismene has built a small bar/restaurant in a tourist-friendly section of the island. The Villa is also a favorite of locals but all of the Arubans agreed that the island is suffering from the Natalee Holloway tragedy.

Barbara was outgoing and friendly from the first night, explaining that she would miss our inaugural dinner due to her insanely long trip. A retired teacher from New Jersey, Barbara lives in Aruba half of the year. I asked her how she decided on Aruba.

“When I visited Aruba, I felt, for the first time in years, absolutely clear.”

I was awed by this spiritual proclamation but later learned she was referring to her sinusitis. A hip and alive woman, Barbara was a charmer.

As time progressed, I learned that both women loved the winds and water of the island, its diverse population and open-minded population. Their lives were different and interesting—surrounded by friends and nature.

Both Barbara and Ismene explained the loving nature of their synagogue community, one that swells during the high season. The small sanctuary usually holds the average Shabbat congregation but some important holidays bring so many extra individuals that additional chairs are set-up outside synagogue walls on the green surrounding the building. The Rabbi in Aruba is a young and outgoing Argentine and it was obvious that these congregants enjoyed him immensely.

Both Ismene and Barbara invited me to Aruba to see the community for myself. Maybe I’ll blog from their windy outdoor porches sometime soon…..