History of the Jews in Ecuador

Ecuadorian Jews
Judíos de Ecuador
Template:Hebrew

Total population
290
Regions with significant populations
Quito and Guayaquil
Languages
Spanish, Yiddish, Ladino and Hebrew
Religion
Judaism

Ecuadorian Jews are a small Jewish community in the territory of today's Ecuador. They form one of the smallest Jewish communities in South America.

History

Early years

The first Jews began to arrive in Ecuador in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1580, the two kingdoms of Spain and Portugal united in the Iberian peninsula, where King Philip II of Spain was the only heir to the throne. Many Portuguese "suspicious of their faith" began to enter the Viceroyalty of Peru and the newly founded city, in which surveillance by the Inquisition was weaker. There were sixty years during which Spanish America was under one crown; during this time, when the Portuguese were arriving in these dominions, Christianity spread. The term "Portuguese" was synonymous with "converted Jew". The union of the kingdoms lasted until 1640, when the Portuguese revolted against the Spanish monarchy and the Duke of Braganza, and under the name of John IV, took the throne of the kingdom of Portugal.

These "new Christians" in Spanish America found no support from the Inquisitorial regime, and were forced to migrate to other regions of the Peruvian viceroyalty, preferably to those where there were no courts of the Inquisition. The Viceroyalty of Peru was extremely large, and there were still large areas within the territory where the Inquisition was not present. This allowed those fleeing persecution, who were labeled as Jewish or as heretics, could hide away from the major urban centers and survive by camouflaging his true personal and group identity. Thus began a pattern of "new Christians" settled in the Viceroyalty of Peru migrating from its center to the less populated and less controlled outer areas.

A relatively large number of migrants made their way towards the southern and northern Chile Audience of Quito. Within Quito, the new diaspora took first to the Interior Juan Salinas and Loyola (later transformed into the township of Loja), which, according to studies by Ricardo Ordoñez Chiriboga, was an important destination for many migrating Sephardim. Subsequently, many of these families migrated further north to Cuenca, and then to the northernmost township of Chimborazo (Alausí, Pallatanga and Chimborazo), continuing the flight from the powerful and cruel inquisitorial arm. Early Sephardic Jews probably arrived in Cuenca and its nearby settlements in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, but there is evidence of new waves of Jewish migration to the area in later times. It is possible that other Sephardim had been established in the colonial territory since the early days of the Spanish conquest, as the presence of names associated with conquerors who arrived with Benalcázar Sebastian and Pedro de Alvarado suggest. In the seventeenth century, landowners began to appear in Cuenca with surnames of uncertain origin, including Saavedra, Hadaad and Iglesias. Migrants also reached the northern Peruvian Andes, as cultural and ethnic influences of the place were not yet defined by colonial boundaries to the extent they are today; this cultural-historical unit traces back further to pre-Columbian times.

These circumstances largely explain the Sephardic presence in gold and commercial areas of Quito and Calacalí such as Loja, Zaruma, Cuenca, Santa Isabel, Yungilla, Tarquí, Chordeleg and Sígsig, as well as in other mountain passes or trade route towns between Guayaquil and Quito, such as Alausí Chapacoto, Chimborazo St. Joseph, San Miguel de Chimborazo, Guaranda and others in the northern highlands of Peru, due to their proximity. This presence of Western Sephardim Jews remained hidden for years in Ecuador, as they often settled in very remote villages and practiced Judaism only in secret at home. Most of these Crypto-Jews still speak Ladino. Some say that Antonio José de Sucre, a leader in the struggle for independence in South America, and the hero of Ecuador, who served both as president of Peru (short term) and as president of Bolivia, is a descendant of those Jews. Certain family names among established Ecuadorian families attest to their Sephardi ancestry and Crypto-Jews; however, prior to World War II there was very little active Jewish immigration to Ecuador.

Sephardic names in Ecuador include: Navon, wise; Moreno , teacher; Gabay, official; Piedra, stone; Amzalag, jeweler; Saban, soap; Nagar, carpenter; Haddad, blacksmith; Hakim, medic.

20th Century

In 1904 there were only four Jewish families in the country, and a survey in 1917 indicated the presence of 14 Jews. After 1924, when the United States established its immigration quota system, a handful more arrived in Ecuador. Yet, only in the wake of the rise of Nazism and the ensuing Holocaust in Europe did the Jewish mass immigration to Ecuador begin. During the years 1933-43, about 2,700 Jews arrived. By 1945 there were 3,000 new Jewish immigrants, 85% of whom were refugees from Europe.

In the early years of World War II, Ecuador still admitted a certain number of immigrants, and in 1939, when several South American countries refused to accept the 165 Jewish refugees from Germany aboard the ship "Koenigstein," Ecuador granted them entry permits. Nevertheless, the country eventually gave way to a policy of selectivity. Jewish immigrants to Ecuador were supposed to be employed in the agricultural realm, but the authorities soon surmised that the immigrants were actually merchants, industrialists, and businessmen. As a result, in 1938 legislation was passed compelling any Jew not engaged in agriculture or industry to leave the country. In addition, entry rights were limited to those Jews who possessed a minimum of $400, which they would have to invest in an industrial project.

In 1935 the Comite pour l'Etude de l'Industrie de l'Immigration dans la Republique de l'Equateur was established in Paris by the organization, the Freeland League of Jewish Colonization, with the purpose of creating a settlement program in Ecuador. An agreement was reached with the Ecuadorian government to transfer 500,000 acres of land to the Committee's jurisdiction for a period of 30 years to be settled by immigrants regardless of race, religion, or nationality. Several concessions were also promised, such as tax exemption for three years, citizenship after one year, customs exemption, and free transportation by train from the port to the interior of the country. The president signed the agreement several months later on the condition that a detailed program be presented by May 1937 and that the Committee invest $8,000 and settle at least 100 families. Some Jewish organizations, however, found the land proposed for the plan unacceptable, claiming that it was too far from population centers and that the climate was too severe. These objections resulted in a total abandonment of the project.

Following this attempt, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and HICEM attempted to establish chicken farms for the immigrants in other areas of Ecuador, and 60 families were settled, but conditions precluded any success in the venture, which ultimately failed. Most of the immigrants were businessmen and professionals who preferred to carry on their professions. Many discovered that the native balsa wood was excellent for furniture craft and began production. Later, these immigrants introduced iron and steel furniture to the Ecuadorian market, previously unknown to the country. They also developed retail stores and opened hotels. The success of the immigrants, however, caused tension among the Syrian and Cuban community who had previously controlled those fields of business. This pressure led to an anti-Jewish sentiment for a while, but nothing more substantial.

In 1940 there were 3,000 Jews in Ecuador, the vast majority refugees from Germany. Jews in Ecuador entered the press, medical industry and commerce. They established textile factories, pharmaceutical factories and important furniture factories.

At its peak, in 1950, the Jewish population of Ecuador was estimated at 4,000 persons, the majority living in Quito, several hundred in Guayaquil, and several scores in Ambato, Riobamba, and Cuenca. In 1952, a law was passed requiring every foreigner to supply proof that he was engaged in the occupation stipulated in his entry visa. The World Jewish Congress tried to help those Jews who were practicing business, but were only supposed to be in the agricultural sector; however, attempts at agricultural settlement were unsuccessful.

Ecuador's government policies regarding Jewish emigration were historically tentative and volatile: in 1935, for example, it gave the Jews permission to settle in an area of about 20,000 square kilometers, and on the other hand, in 1938, the government issued an order that all the Jewish residents that are not working in agriculture or are not capable to develop the industry would need to leave the country.

Jewish community today

The Jewish community today lives in two major cities: Quito and Guayaquil. The community is about 290 people. The Jewish community of Ecuador is predominantly of German origin, but the younger generation is Spanish-speaking. The Ecuadorian Jewish community is a homogeneous group, a fact which has facilitated great communal organization. The Asociacion de Beneficencia Israelita, founded in 1938, is the central body for religious and cultural affairs. Other organizations in the country are the Zionist Federation, B'nai B'rith, Wizo, and Maccabi. A bilingual Spanish-German bulletin, Informaciones, is published by the community. Intermarriage is not as great of a problem in Ecuador as elsewhere since Jews form a separate middle-stratum between the upper, traditionally Catholic classes, and the lower classes of the indigenous population.

There is a Jewish school in Quito, the Colegio Experimental Alberto Einstein, established in 1973, which serves both Jewish and non-Jewish students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. All Jewish holidays are celebrated by the school, and Hebrew and other Jewish studies are taught there. The school has an excellent reputation and superb pre-college preparatory program. The Jewish community of Quito has its own building, a home for the aged, and a synagogue that holds services on the Sabbath and holidays.

Ecuador has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Israel, and has frequently supported Israel in the United Nations. The Ecuadorian Embassy is in Tel Aviv . In the late 1960s, a network of technical cooperation and assistance was developed between the two countries, especially in the fields of agriculture, and water development. Since 1948, 137 Ecuadorian Jews have emigrated to Israel.

Prominent Ecuadorian Jews

Ecuadorian Jews have achieved prominence in various fields including academics, industry, and science. Benno Weiser (Benjamin Varon), who was an active Ecuadorian journalist, later entered the Israel diplomatic service and served in various Latin American countries. His brother, Max Weiser, was the first Israel consul in Ecuador. Moselio Schaechter is a researcher involved studying bacterial growth and cell division.

In the industrial field, where Jews played an especially important role, the names Rothschild and Seligmann stand out in the area of the development of metal industries, and the pharmaceutical industry is indebted to Carlos Alberti Ottolenghi, and Alberto Di Capua. Paul Engel, an endocrinologist and pathologist, was a co-founder of the Endocrine Society of Ecuador. Chemist Luis Levy was widely published in chemistry journals and was made a Kentucky Colonel.

External links

• Jews of Ecuador
• Jewish community in Ecuador World Jewish Congress
• The Jews of Ecuador, The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot