The Jewish Community of Recife

Under Portuguese colonial rule, New Christians lived in Recife, a town in northeast Brazil. The first openly practicing Jews arrived under the Dutch colonial occupation, which lasted from 1630 until 1654. The first synagogue in Recife was built between 1636 and 1640 and called Kahal Kadosh Tsur Israel; it was the first synagogue in the Americas. In Recife, Jews engaged in the sugar and slave trades, tax farming, and finance, in addition to serving as physicians and in the Dutch military. The Portuguese reconquered Recife in 1654; Jews and Dutch citizens were given three months to depart. Most sailed for Amsterdam, but some settled in the Caribbean islands and others in New Amsterdam (New York).