About this site

This site, www.elsalvadorshuls.com, was created to help English speakers navigate the Jewish Communities in El Salvador and stay connected with them. This site is maintained by the Beit Israel San Salvador Community.

Briefy History of Jews of El Salvador

The first presence of Jewish immigrants in El Salvador dates back to the late 19th century, with the arrival of Alsatian Jews in San Salvador. Except for the occasional transit of Portuguese converts, there was no permanent Jewish community in the country until the early part of the 20th century, when Sephardic Jews arrived via France and settled in the city of Chaluchuapa. In 1909, Alfredo Widawer, who organized religious and community life, conducted the first Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. German Jews also settled in El Salvador during this period.

After the war, the community built its first synagogue in San Salvador and experienced a relative sense of stability. However, the Jewish community of El Salvador found itself caught in the violence of the Salvadoran Civil War in the late 1970s. Though most Salvadoran Jews had no intention of leaving the country, the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Ernesto Liebes, the Jewish community leader and honorary Israeli Consul, saw many members of the community flee the country. Many emigrated to the United States, Israel, and neighboring Guatemala. (source: World Jewsish Congress)

Today, the Jewish community of El Salvador is small but dedicated, and it devotes excellent effort to maintaining Jewish religious and cultural life.

This site is sponsored in honor of Moshe & Rosa Hack, Florence Ruderman, and Fina Paices.

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