A Jewish population has been in Barbados almost continually since 1654. Origins The Jewish arrival in Barbados is a direct consequence of the Spanish Inquisition, specifically the Alhambra Decree. In 1492, some Sephardic Jews had fled the persecution in the Iberian Peninsula for Brazil where they remained until the 17th century. They were forced to flee once again from what was formerly Dutch Brazil (specifically Recife, where there existed a large Jewish community) after it was captured in 1654 by the Inquisitorial persecuting Portuguese colonizers who were consolidating their hold over all of Brazil. The early Barbadian population was increased from two other sources. In 1664, the Jewish settlement at Cayenne was dissolved and a few moved to Barbados. In 1674, a number of people also moved from Suriname following its surrender to the Dutch, the majority of these being deported to Jamaica, but a few managed to stay in Barbados. Two communities were established over time, the first being centered around the Nidhe Israel Synagogue in the Capital, Bridgetown, and a smaller one in northerly Speightstown. In Bridgetown, out of a total of 404 householders, 54 were Jews. Economic success, the resulting Discrimination Unlike the case in Suriname, very few of the Barbadian Sephardim were plantation owners. Given the small size of Barbados, all the arable land was already occupied by the 1660s. Many Jewish settlers engaged in sugar and coffee cultivation. While the British government considered Jews to be good businessmen and tradesmen, the British merchants accused them of committing illegal business transactions. Jews were accused of trading more frequently with the Dutch than the British merchants. In 1661, three Jewish traders in Barbados requested to establish trade routes between Barbados and the British Colony of Suriname; through this enterprise, the Jews gained much wealth, but further irritated the British merchants. By 1679, nearly 300 Jews lived in Barbados. On October 23, 1668, the Jews of Barbados were banned form all forms of trade. Jews were forbidden from employing Christians, limited from purchasing more than one male slave, and were forced into living in a Jewish Ghetto in Bridgetown. During the 18th century, the Jewish community of Barbados continued to grow and become financially successful, although the Jewish congregation in Speighstown closed. All the discriminatory laws were removed by 1802, by the colonial government of Barbados and in 1820 the British Parliament also repealed the discrimination laws. Contribution