Who are the Jews of Jamaica and the Caribbean?

Ainsley Henriques will present the story of the Jews of Jamaica during Shabbat services on line at Hollywood Temple Beth El of West Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, September 12. Services start at 10:30 AM (PDT) and the presentation will begin at 12:00 noon. Members of the Jewish community of Jamaica will be joining in on the presentation. The service and presentation will be live streamed on Facebook, while zoom access will be for members and guests of the two communities.

Speculation on the Jewish heritage of the now popular Hamilton, of history and of Broadway, has given rise to curiosity on the Jewish presence in the Caribbean. Our guest presenter, Ainsley Henriques, will stimulate our curiosity even more. Henriques is Jamaican Jewrys premier spokesperson, historian and genealogist. As a businessman, he founded the Jamaica Export Trading Company to market Jamaican goods and sat on the World Spice Council and serves as the Israeli consul in Kingston.

This is the oldest, continuously-operating, Jewish community in the Western Hemisphere, dating back 365 years. Henriques estimates 300,000-400,000 Jamaicans have some Jewish ancestry. In 1700, it was the largest such community in the hemisphere. Historians have noted that the sure-fire indication of a vibrant Jewish community is the presence of a cemetery, and the oldest gravestone surviving is from 1672.

This special Shabbat has been coordinated by Carmen Fraser, of Hollywood Temple Beth El, and Terry Hall, of the United Congregation of Israelites of Kingston.

This is part of a series of special presentations on the question Who are the Jews, and to date, it has covered the stories of the Jews of Iran, of the Greek Islands, of Morocco, and Yemen. Each service had included Shabbat liturgy and melodies that reflect that communitys heritage. Several more are being planned.

Access to the live streaming is on https://www.Facebook.com/htbel/live and will be posted on You Tube the following day on Temple HTBEL You Tube Channel :

Hollywood Temple Beth El, 1317 N Crescent Heights Blvd, West Hollywood, CA, is now operating services on line through the High Holy Days. Information can be found on. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rosh-hashanah-and-yom-kippur-services-brought-right-to-your-door-tickets-117615153089

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Who are the Jews of Jamaica and the Caribbean? - Patch.com