History of the Jews in Uruguay
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 12,000 (census)-20,000 (estimate) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Montevideo | |
| Languages | |
| Uruguayan Spanish, Hebrew, Yiddish | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Argentine Jews |
The history of the Jews in Uruguay (Spanish: judeouruguayos) dates back to the colonial empire. Perhaps the most important influx of Jewish population was during the 20th century, due to World War I and World War II. Uruguay's Jewish community is mainly composed of Ashkenazi. Uruguay is home to the fourth largest Jewish community in South America after Argentina, Brazil and Chile respectively.
The arrival of Jews to the Banda Oriental goes back to the 16th century, when conversos began settling there. The Spanish Inquisition was not a significant force in the territory, and the first recorded Jewish settlement there was in the 1770s. When the Inquisition ended in 1813, it paved the way for Jews being more accepted in Uruguay throughout the 19th century.
Significant Jewish immigration began in the late 19th century, when Jews from neighboring Brazil and Argentina emigrated to Uruguay. Most of them were Sephardim, followed by Ashkenazim, Mizrahim, and Italkim. The largest Jewish population was in Montevideo, which had 150 Jews in 1909. The first recorded minyan in Uruguay happened in 1912, and the first synagogue was opened in 1917 by a small Ashkenazi community. Jewish schools were opened in the 1920s, and in 1929, the Ashkenazi community set up an educational network.
The majority of Jewish immigration to Uruguay took place in the 1920s and 1930s. A large percentage of Jewish immigrants during this period were German Jews and Italian Jews.
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