 The remains of the Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace") synagogue on the Jodensavanne (February 2000) | |
  Shown within Suriname | |
| Location | Carolina, Para District, Suriname |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 5°25′45.02″N 54°59′3.43″W / 5.4291722°N 54.9842861°W |
| Type | Settlement |
| Official name | Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii |
| Designated | 2023 (45th session) |
| Reference no. | 1680[1] |
Jodensavanne (Dutch, "Jewish Savanna") was a Jewish plantation community in Suriname, South America, and was for a time the centre of Jewish life in the colony. It was established in the 1600s by Sephardi Jews and became more developed and wealthy after a group of Jews fleeing persecution in Brazil settled there in the 1660s.[2] It was located in what is now Para District, about 50 km (31 mi) south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River. Sugarcane plantations were established by forcing Black African people to work as slaves. At its height in around 1700, Jodensavanne was home to roughly 500 plantation owners and 9000 enslaved people.[3] The colony faced regular attacks from Indigenous people, slave revolts, and even raids from the French navy.[4] The community eventually relocated to the capital of Paramaribo. Clearing of grave sites and maintenance of the synagogue ruins has been attempted at various times from the 1940s to the 21st century.[3]
Jodensavanne along with the Cassipora Cemetery were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023 under the name Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery.[5]
- ^ "Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Leurs, Gloria C. (15 November 1985). "Rijke Sefardiem op plantages Suriname". Nieuw Israelietisch weekblad (in Dutch). p. 133.
- ^ a b Wolf, Sig. W. (2 June 1975). "Jodensavanne: Verwaarloosd monument v. opgejaagde joden". Vrije Stem: onafhankelijk weekblad voor Suriname (in Dutch). p. 2.
- ^ Schmit, Hans (4 December 1981). "Resten Joden savanne in Surinaamse oerwoud". Trouw (in Dutch).
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 24 September 2023.