Jews and Judaism in Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jewish Indonesian are Indonesians of Jewish descent or religion who maintain a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation.
Indonesia contains the small Jewish population of Ashkenazi Jews.
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[edit] History
Though Jews arrived in Indonesia early as the 7th century, Jewish immigration grew in the 11th century. During the early 18th century, many secular Jews from the Netherlands arrived and became merchants and shop-owners. There were approximately 25,000 Jews in Indonesia by 1770, and many of them were middle class. As a result of persecution in parts of Europe, Jewish immigration increased dramatically in the 1810s, with most of the new immigrants coming from France and Britain. Over 100,000 Jews arrived between the late 18h century and 1901, when immigration restrictions increased. A large number of these immigrants settled in Batavia.
At the beginning of the 20th century, these newly-arrived Jews lived primarily in urban immigrant neighborhoods, Jewish of the time urged assimilation and integration with local culture, and Jews quickly became part of Indonesian life.
[edit] History and demography
Dutch Jews played an active role in the development of the so-called Spice Islands. In the 1850's there were at least 20 Jewish families of Dutch and German origin living in Jakarta and other parts of the country. However, most Jews had tenuous ties to Judaism and attempts to organize a community came to naught. The interior of the Synagouge in Surabaya
1992 In successive years Jews from the Netherlands, Baghdad and Aden settled in Indonesia. By the 1920's there were several thousand Jews in the country and communities were established in Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and elsewhere. In the 1930's Jews fleeing the rise of Nazism also found sanctuary in Indonesia. Jews, particularly those with Dutch citizenship, suffered greatly during the Japanese occupation.
After the war, and later, upon the country's independence, nearly all Jews left the country. A few Jewish families, all of Iraqi origin, live in Surabaya. They continue to maintain a small synagogue, but there is neither a rabbi nor a teacher. There are also individual Jews living in Jakarta.
[edit] Population
The total Jewish population of Indonesia according to the World Jewish Congress is estimated at 20.
[edit] Assimilation and population changes
The same social and cultural characteristics of the Indonesia that facilitated the extraordinary economic, political, and social success of the Indonesian Jewish community have also contributed to assimilation; all Jews approve of intermarriage and creating a new Jewish community.
Intermarriage rates have risen from roughly 55% in 1944 to approximately 90%-99% in the year 2004. Intermarried couples raise their children with a local religious upbringing. However, it is much more common for intermarried families to raise their children as Indonesian.
For identity, the government issues ID cards called KTP (Kartu Tanda Penduduk.) Every citizen must carry a KTP card over the age of 17. Listed on the identity card is the holder's religion. Indonesia only recognizes 5 religions: Islam, Christian, Catholic, Buddhism, and Hindu. Judaism and other relgions are not recognized by the Indonesian government. When someone is married they must register their religion for a marriage license. Interfaith marriage is also illegal in Indonesia. It is popular for an interfaith couple to leave the country and fly to a foreign country to get married. Upon returning they will register their foreign marriage certificate with the Indonesian government.
[edit] See also
- Jew
- List of Asian Jews
- Secular Jewish culture
- Model minority - Highly successful minority ethnic groups
