| Mikvé Israel-Emanuel בית הכנסת מקווה ישראל-עמנואל |
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|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Hanchi di Snoa 29, Punda Curaçao |
| Affiliation | Reconstructionist Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Active |
| Website | SNOA.com |
| Architectural description | |
| Completed | 1674 |
| Specifications | |
The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת מקווה ישראל-עמנואל), in Willemstad, Curaçao, is one of the oldest synagogues in the Americas. It is commonly known as the Snoa (short for esnoga, an old Portuguese word for synagogue).
The community (congregation Mikvé Israel) dates from the 1650s, and consisted of Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the Netherlands and Brazil. In the nineteenth century there was a breakaway Reform community (Emanu El); the two merged to form the present community in 1964. The community is now affiliated to Reconstructionist Judaism.
The first synagogue building was purchased in 1674; the current building dates from 1730.
The other Dutch island in the Caribbean with a historical synagogue is Sint Eustatius, where the ruins of the Honen Dalim synagogue of 1739 still stand impressively on the 'Synagoge Pad'. An even older synagogue existed at Jodensavanne, Suriname, Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace"), built between 1665 and 1671.