Jodensavanne

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Jodensavanne (Dutch, Jewish Savanna) was an attempt to establish autonomous Jewish territory in Suriname. Jodensavanne is located in Para District about 50km south from Paramaribo on the Suriname River.

In 1639 the English government allowed Sephardi Jews from the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy to settle the region, coming to the old capital Torarica. In the year 1652, a new group that migrated under the leadership of Lord Willoughby came to Suriname and settled in the area Jodensavanne. A third group came 1664 after their expulsion from Brazil and then French Guiana, led by David Nassy.

The Jewish community acquired great internal autonomy, with work dedicated to the sugar-cane plantation. The Congregation Beracha ve Shalom was founded, with the first wooden synagogue in the community built between 1665 and 1671 and a second made of imported brickstone was constructed in 1685.

Noted historian, Natalie Zemon Davis, is working on a history of 18th century Jodensavanne, focusing on David Isaac Cohen Nassy (born 1747) and relations between Blacks and whites in the Jewish community ([1]).

In the mid-18th century Jodensavanne entered into decline and most of its population moved to Paramaribo. The colony strived to survive until it was destroyed in 1832 by a slave revolt and resulting fire. In the Second World War the location served as a camp for political prisoners.