Jew - Haiti Observer Blog

The Caribbean community (Caricom) should be commended for taking its first action against a cancer that is growing and spreading in the Dominican Republic. Declaring that it can no longer be business as usual, they suspended the Dominican Republic's application to join its regional economic bloc, following the court decision in Dominican Republic to remove the citizenship of many Dominicans with Haitian background.

The Dominican Republic must really have a huge problem with Black people, Haitians in particular since not only they are black, they are also poor.

After the Haitians, will they ask that only white people comes to visit the country?

Read more →  

The Jewish legacy in Haiti can be dated as far back as Christopher Columbus and his first crew of explorers. While the famous man himself has often been called a possible Jew, the claim has never been solidly proven. Still, many of his crew members were, including the man who traveled with him to act as his translator, Luis de Torres, who is known as the first person of Jewish heritage to set foot in the Americas.

Following this beginning, Haiti saw its number of Jews dwindle slightly as many people of Jewish descent were expelled following the slave revolt heralded by Toussaint L'Ouverture in 1804. In 1830, the persecution of Jews in Poland and other countries led to a small band of people seeking refuge elsewhere. Then there came the Nazi regime in Germany, which drove out many of the Jewish tribe from all across Europe. It funded the little Haitian country with an influx of those who could afford the travel and documentation for themselves and their families.

Read more →  

Haiti became a safe place, and an eventual home, for many of the Jews who fled Europe during the Nazi reign of terror. While other nations turned them away, the Caribbean country, also victims of crimes by the German power, essentially saved the lives of nearly 300 Jews.

Those who hoped to enter the United States were given affidavits, but would have to wait until their numbers were called. Some were able to secure passage to Haiti and traveled there on Visa's to stay until they were able to enter the US.

Given shots and tips on how to survive in the tropics, they eventually learned to settle into Haitian life. Most found themselves entered into the middle class and the children were schooled and quickly learned French. There was a booming community developing among the arriving Jews and they soon became referred to as 'Austrians', as most were discovered to be from Austria.

Read more →  

One place that has been trying to keep the spirit of a Jewish community in Haiti was Gilbert Bigio's mansion. This Jewish community center is located in Port-au-Prince and it was where Haiti's only Torah scroll was kept, an Israeli flag fluttered from the rooftop and each Passover the country's 50 or so Jews would gather for a Seder, singing or practice their Jewish religion in Haiti.

Like many buildings around port au Prince, the center was destroyed in the Jan. 12 earthquake that leveled much of this city. There are no evidence that any of the members of the Jewish community living in Haiti were known to have been killed in the Haiti earthquake. According to report, since Haiti earthquake, there are only about 15 or so Jews left in Haiti, out of a total population of 9 million. And they spend most of their time in Miami or the neighboring Dominican Republic because conditions at home are so difficult.

Read more →