The history of the

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

goes back to

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

. In the 1700s, Jews escaping from the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

arrived in the

Banda Oriental Banda Oriental (Eastern Bank), or more fully Banda Oriental del Río Uruguay, was the name of the South American territories east of the Uruguay River and north of Río de la Plata that comprise the modern nation of Uruguay, the modern state of Ri ...

, territory of present-day Uruguay. However, the most important influx of Jews to Uruguay occurred during the end of the 19th century and to a greater extent during the first half of the 20th century, especially during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and II. With an estimated 16,600–22,000 Jews, according to the

American Jewish Year Book The ''American Jewish Year Book'' (AJYB) has been published since . Publication was initiated by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS). In 1908, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) assumed responsibility for compilation and editing while JPS rema ...

2019, Uruguay is home to the fifth-largest Jewish community in Latin America, but the largest in terms of proportion relative to its total population. The country's community is mainly composed of

Ashkenazim Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

and includes

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...

and descendants.

History

Colonial era and 19th century

The arrival of Jews to the

goes back to the 16th century, when

converso A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert" (), was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of their descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian popula ...

s began settling there. The

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

was not a significant force in the territory, and the first recorded Jewish settlement there was in the 1770s. When the Inquisition ended in 1813, it paved the way for Jews being more accepted in Uruguay throughout the 19th century.

20th century

Significant Jewish immigration to Uruguay began in the late 19th century, with the arrival of Jews from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and Argentina. At the beginning of the 20th century, Uruguay became an attractive destination for Jews due to the secularism and prosperity following the reforms carried out during the Batlle era. The largest Jewish population was in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, whose

Villa Muñoz Villa Muñoz - Retiro is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay, bordering Aguada and Reducto to the west, La Figurita to the north, La Comercial to the east and Cordón to the south. The neighborhood originated at th ...

neighbourhood received a large amount of the European Jewish immigration that came to Uruguay, which led it to become the

Jewish quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

of the capital. Jewish schools and the first synagogue were established there in 1917 by a small

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

community. The first recorded ''

minyan In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( ''mīnyān'' , Literal translation, lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain Mitzvah, religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Judaism ...

'' happened in 1912. Despite the majority of Ashkenazi immigration, a significant number of

Sephardim Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendan ...

from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

settled in the country. Most of them were poor and working-class, so upon their arrival they lived in

tenements A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

located in neighborhoods such as

Ciudad Vieja Ciudad Vieja () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan Departments of Guatemala, department of Sacatepéquez. According to the 2018 census, the town has a population of 32,802 Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

and Barrio Sur. In 1915, 30 Jewish families from

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

and

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

settled in the rural area of the

Paysandú Department Paysandú Department () is a department of the northwestern region of Uruguay. It has an area of and a population of 121,843. Its capital is the city of Paysandú. It borders Salto Department to its north, Tacuarembó Department to its east, Rí ...

and established an agricultural settlement, Colonia 19 de Abril. Around that time, a

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...

was also established in the city of

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

, 20 kilometers from

. In the early years of the century, as the Jewish community in Uruguay grew, different institutions were founded to bring it together and help the newcomers settle and adapt. After

, the number of Ashkenazim in Uruguay increased significantly, with the arrival of Jews from

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

escaping antisemitism. The majority of Jewish immigration to Uruguay took place in the 1920s and 1930s. A large percentage of Jewish immigrants during this period were

German Jews The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

and

Italian Jews Italian Jews (; ) or Roman Jews (; ) can be used in a broad sense to mean all Jews living in or with roots in Italy, or, in a narrower sense, to mean the Italkim, an ancient community living in Italy since the Ancient Roman era, who use the It ...

. Uruguayan Jews initially made a living in small retail trade and peddling, with some becoming craftsmen and artisans. In time, they moved up the economic scale, and many became the owners of large stores or medium-sized businesses. They became primarily middle-class, particularly as many of them were by then second or third-generation Uruguayans. Their economic advancement was aided by the creation of Jewish loan and assistance funds, which evolved into Jewish banks. Rosh Hashana Montevideo 1932

The Uruguayan government's open immigration policy waned during

Gabriel Terra José Luis Gabriel Terra Leivas (August 1, 1873 – September 15, 1942) was a Uruguayan lawyer and statesman who served as the 26th constitutional president of Uruguay from 1931 to 1933 and as dictator until 1938. He led a traditionalist and ...

's rule in the 1930s. During the Terra dictatorship (1933–38), immigration restrictions were imposed with the passing of laws establishing several reasons for refusing entry into the country. However, despite the fact that some refugee ships were refused entry to

"for failure to meet requirements", the arrival of Jews to Uruguay continued during the 1930s. In 1936 the Uruguayan division of

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...

was established. Once settled in Uruguay, Jews were grouped based on their origin, however in 1940, with the union of the Israelite Community, the Sephardic Israelite Community, the Nueva Congregación Israelita, and the Hungarian Israelite Community, the Central Israelite Committee of Uruguay (CCIU) was formed, as a central and representative organization of the entire community. Further, in 1945 was established the Casa de Cultura Mordejai Anilevich. With the rise of

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

in Europe and the subsequent outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the arrival of Jews from Central and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

to Uruguay increased. The

were mostly middle class, including bank employees, skilled workers, cattle breeders, researchers, lawyers and physicians. Since by the end of the war in 1945, Uruguayan law did not allow the entry into the country of people who could not prove that they had the economic resources to live on their own, in January 1945 the government stipulated that people who had relatives already residing in Uruguay would be exempt from this obligation. Thus, from January to September 1946, approximately 1,578 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust settled in the country, most of whom were from Poland, Germany and Hungary. During the establishment of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1948 and the subsequent

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, which involved the mass exodus of Jews from Arab and Muslim countries, primarily to Israel, more than 18,000 Jews immigrated to Uruguay, including a number of

Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

and

Hungarian Jews The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived ...

. Uruguay, which had supported the creation of a Jewish homeland during the 1920

San Remo conference The San Remo conference was an international meeting of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council as an outgrowth of the Paris Peace Conference, held at Castle Devachan in Sanremo, Italy, from 19 to 26 April 1920. The San Remo Resolution ...

, was one of the first nations to recognize Israel, and the first

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

country to do so. It was the first Latin American country and fourth country overall in which Israel established a diplomatic mission. It was also one of the few nations to support

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

as the capital of Israel and oppose internationalization of the city. Its diplomatic mission in Jerusalem was upgraded to the status of an embassy in 1958, but subsequently moved to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

after the enactment of the

Jerusalem Law Jerusalem Law (, ) is a common name of Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel passed by the Knesset on 30 July 1980. Although the law did not use the term, the Israeli Supreme Court interpreted the law as an effective annexation of East Jeru ...

. In 1952 the

estimated that Uruguay had about 40,000 Jews. However, in 1960 it was estimated at 50,000, the time in history when there were more Jews in the country. The community experienced a serious decline in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of emigration. By the mid-1990s, there were no Jews in the upper echelons or military, and little Jewish representation in the legislature. In 1994, a Holocaust memorial was opened on the Rambla in the

Punta Carretas Punta Carretas is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Politically located in the Municipality CH, it is an affluent neighborhood, with a high population density and a large number of high-rise apartment buildings. It i ...

neighborhood.

21st century

As of 2009, 20,000-25,000 Jews live in Uruguay, with 95% residing in

. Throughout the country, there are prominent organized communities in

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este grew to become a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists. T ...

and

Paysandú Paysandú () is the capital and most populous city of the Paysandú Department in western Uruguay. Located on the banks of the Uruguay River, it is the country's List of cities in Uruguay, fourth-largest city and a vital cultural and economic hu ...

. As of 2003, there were 20 synagogues, but only six of them held weekly

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

services, and one functioned every day. In 2017, a Holocaust memorial in Montevideo was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, with phrases such as "The Holocaust of the Jewish people is the biggest lie in history" and “Gas chambers were a fraud.” This act of vandalism followed a renovation of the memorial which attempted to clean up the monument from previous acts of antisemitic vandalization.

Notable Uruguayan Jews

;Past * Monsieur Chouchani (died 1968), mysterious scholar *

Zoma Baitler Zoma Baitler (3 April 1908 in Šančiai, Lithuania – 16 June 1994 in Montevideo, Uruguay) was a Jewish Lithuanian-born Uruguayan artist and diplomat. Biography Zoma Baitler was the youngest of six children and his childhood was spent in his ...

(1908-1994), artist and diplomatBio of Zoma Baitler
* Itsik Vaynshenker (1914–1978), writer and journalist *

Chil Rajchman Chil (Enrique) Meyer Rajchman a.k.a. Henryk Reichman, nom de guerre ''Henryk Ruminowski'' (June 14, 1914 – May 7, 2004) was one of about 70 Jewish prisoners who survived the Holocaust after participating in the August 2, 1943, revolt at the Treb ...

(1914-2004), Holocaust survivor and entrepreneur *

José Gurvich José Gurvich (January 5, 1927 – June 24, 1974) was a Uruguayan painter, potter, musician and a key figure in the Constructivism Art movement. Life and career Zusmanas Gurvicius was born on January 5, 1927, in Jieznas, Lithuania, to Ja ...

(1927-1974), painter * Carlos Sherman (1934-2005), writer * Hugo Fernández Faingold (1947-2025), academic and politician, Vicepresident of the Republic (1998-2000) ;Present *

Mauricio Rosencof Mauricio Rosencof (born June 30, 1933) is a Uruguayan playwright, poet and journalist from Florida, Uruguay. From 2005 to 2020 he has been Director of Culture of the Municipality of Montevideo. He was a founder of the Communist Youth Union and ...

(born 1933), former guerrilla fighter, playwright, poet and journalist * George Davidsohn (born 1936), businessman, founder of Davidsohn Global Technologies * Luis Camnitzer (born 1937), artist, art critic and writer * Benjamín Nahum (born 1937), historian and academic * Alberto Couriel (born 1935), public accountant and politician * Teresa Porzecanski (born 1945), anthropologist and writer * Ricardo Ehrlich (born 1948), engineer, Intendant of Montevideo (2005-2010) * Henry Cohen Engelman (born 1954), physician and academic * Gisele Ben-Dor (born 1955), conductor * Roberto Kreimerman (born 1958), engineer and politician * Sergio Gorzy (born 1958), sports journalist * Isaac Alfie (born 1962), economist, Minister of Economy and Finance (2003-2005) *

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician and actor. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for composing the song " Al Otro Lado del Río" f ...

(born 1964), singer/songwriter,

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

2004 *

Alejandro Stock Alejandro Stock Silberman is a Uruguayan-Spanish artist. Silberman was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1965, of Jewish-Russian origin through his mother Lidia Silberman and of Jewish-Austrian origin on his father's side. Since 1993 he has lived ...

(born 1965), artist * Suzie Navot, constitutional law scholar * Freddy Nieuchowicz, aka Orlando Petinatti (born 1968), radio host *

Daniel Hendler Daniel Hendler (born 3 January 1976) is a Uruguayan film, television, and theatre actor who works mainly in his household with Maia Hendler, where he lives. He is known for his starring roles in films such as '' Bottom of the Sea'', ''Family Law ...

(born 1976), actor * Álvaro Brechner (born 1976), film director, writer and producer *

Marcelo Lipatín Marcelo Lipatín López (born January 28, 1977) is a Uruguayan professional football (soccer) player. Playing career In July 2008, Lipatin was offered a contract from Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv after they discovered that Lipatin's ...

(born 1977), football player *

Gabe Saporta Gabriel Eduardo Saporta (born October 11, 1979) is an American musician and entrepreneur. From the years 2005 until 2015, he was the lead vocalist and founder of the electropop band Cobra Starship. On November 10, 2015, after nearly ten years an ...

(born 1979), singer/songwriter/bassist *

Andy Ram Andreas "Andy" Ram (; born April 10, 1980) is a retired Israeli professional tennis player. He was primarily a doubles player, and competed in three Olympics. He is the first Israeli tennis player to win a senior Grand Slam event. Ram first ...

(born 1980), retired professional tennis player * Marcel Felder (born 1984), tennis player, gold medal at the

2013 Maccabiah Games The 19th Maccabiah () were held during July 18 to 30, 2013. The Games brought together 7,500 competing athletes, making it the third-largest international sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. The Maccabiah he ...

Ariel Behar Ariel Behar (; born November 12, 1989) is a Uruguayan professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. His career-high doubles ranking is World No. 34 achieved on 6 May 2024. He has won three ATP titles with Ecuadorian partner Gonzalo Esc ...

(born 1989), tennis player * Camila Rajchman (born 1994), singer and television personality.

References

External links

*
Uruguay: Virtual Jewish History Tour
-

Jewish Virtual Library The Jewish Virtual Library (JVL, formerly known as JSOURCE) is an online encyclopedia published by the American foreign policy analyst Mitchell Bard's non-profit organization American–Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE). It is a website cove ...

Uruguay
-

Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...

* * {{Ethnic groups in Uruguay