Jodensavanne
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 (
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]
History
In 1639, the English, who controlled Suriname at the time, allowed
This Jewish community developed a
Jodensavanne's slave-owning citizens also regularly engaged in conflict with neighboring Indigenous populations and with enslaved people in their plantations. In 1670, according to the Essai Historique, approximately two hundred or so Jewish people had left Suriname, and in 1677, a year before the Carib assault on Jodensavanne, ten Jewish families had left with their slaves. European settlements including those in the Jodensavanne were attacked by Carib (
The congregation Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace") was founded, with the first wooden synagogue in the community (the
Jodensavanne declined during the mid-18th century, and most of its population moved to Paramaribo.[17] In the eighteenth century, Suriname was rocked by a series of crises which hit Jewish plantations, some of which were among the oldest in the colony, particularly hard. Expenses tended to increase as a result of: a hefty tribute levied by the Cassard expedition; the collapse of a major Amsterdam sugarcane importer in 1773; and the accrual of real estate loans. The introduction of sugar beet cultivation in Europe from 1784 and the depletion of soils on the oldest plantations both decreased revenues. Security conditions deteriorated as a result of ongoing Maroon Wars, while the growth of Paramaribo as the colony's exclusive trading port, nearer to the coast, acted to pull Jews away from Jodensavanne.[18] By 1790, Jodensavanne's population was approximated to be around twenty-two, excluding slaves. This dropped to less than ten by the early 19th century.[19] The settlement continued in its reduced state until it was destroyed by fire during a slave revolt in 1832.[12]
During
Historian Natalie Zemon Davis is working on a history of 18th century Jodensavanne, focusing on David Cohen Nassy (born 1747), and relations between Black and white people within the Jewish community.[23] An article titled 'Regaining Jerusalem' was published in 2016 by Davis, detailing a celebration of Passover within Jodensavanne.[24]
Current situation
As of the current day, all that remains at the site of Jodensavanne are the remnants of the Berache ve Shalom Synagogue, alongside three cemeteries, of which the headstones are primarily inscribed with Hebrew and Portuguese.[15]
The Archaeological Institute of the Americas, in partnership with the University of Suriname, engaged in a project labeled as the 'Interactive Dig Jodensavanne', of which conservation efforts and record-keeping projects have been active since 2014.[25]
The Jodensavanne is located near the
Population
Jodensavanne's population has not been clearly established. Sources such as the Essai Historique,[28] assert the population to be held at approximately one thousand in 1677; in contrast, historians such as Harry Friedenwald have argued for a lack of strong Jewish presence, an assertion that would imply a less populated Jodensavanne.
There were around 70 existing plantations along the Suriname River in 1750, most of which bearing 'Jewish' names, such as the thousand-acre properties owned by one Solomon Meza.[19] These plantations were marked and identified through an 18th-century map titled, "Algemeene Kaart van de Colonie of Provintie van Surinam", drawn by engineer Alexander de Lavaux, a Berlin native who served in Prussian forces.
There were several cemeteries located within Jodensavanne, of which the most heavily used, and first existing cemetery is known as the Cassipora Cemetery. Named in due part to the Cassipora Creek that stems from the Surinam river, it is expected to hold approximately two hundred tombstones, the earliest of which being from the early 17th century, and the most recent believed to have been constructed in 1840. The headstones here are primarily inscribed with Hebrew, Portuguese, and Dutch, and there exist several ohelim in the area as well, an indication of the Jewish community structures within the settlement.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d Leurs, Gloria C. (15 November 1985). "Rijke Sefardiem op plantages Suriname". Nieuw Israelietisch weekblad (in Dutch). p. 133.
- ^ a b c d Wolf, Sig. W. (2 June 1975). "Jodensavanne: Verwaarloosd monument v. opgejaagde joden". Vrije Stem: onafhankelijk weekblad voor Suriname (in Dutch). p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ a b c "Iets over the uitgifte van de Jodensavanna". Teroenga; maandblad ten behoeve van de leden der Israëlietische gemeenten in Suriname (in Dutch). 17 (7): 8–9. July 1956.
- ^ a b c d Wolbers, J. (1861). Geschiedenis van Suriname (in Dutch). Amsterdam: S. Emmering. pp. 71–4.
- ^ Bueno Bibaz, J. (1928). Beknopte geschiedenis van de kolonie van Suriname (in Dutch). Paramarimbo: H. B. Hevde. p. 40.
- ISBN 978-1-58729-110-4.
- ^ Wolbers, J. (1861). Geschiedenis van Suriname (in Dutch). Amsterdam: S. Emmering. pp. 136–7.
- ^ Oudschans Dentz, Frederik; Benjamins, HD (1927). De kolonisatie van de Portugeesch Joodsche natie in Suriname en de geschiedenis van de Joden Savanne (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger. p. 56.
- ^ a b Leurs, Gloria C. (15 November 1985). "Synagogen". Nieuw Israelietisch weekblad (in Dutch).
- ^ Wolff, H. J. (1934). Historisch overzicht over Suriname, 1613-1934 (in Dutch). Surinaamsch Handelskantoor. p. 20.
- ^ Oudschans Dentz, Frederik; Benjamins, HD (1927). De kolonisatie van de Portugeesch Joodsche natie in Suriname en de geschiedenis van de Joden Savanne (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger. p. 13.
- ^ ISBN 9781782389767
- ^ Santoro van Halm Braam, M.E.C. (15 November 1985). "Synagoge in het oerwoud". Nieuw Israelietisch weekblad (in Dutch). p. 133.
- ^ Wolbers, J. (1861). Geschiedenis van Suriname (in Dutch). Amsterdam: S. Emmering. pp. 273–4.
- ^ "History of Jews in Suriname".
- ^ OCLC 847522377.
- ^ "Kamp Jodensavanne zwarte bladzijde". Straf Kolonie (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Een vergeten schandaal uit onze vaderlandse geschiedenis". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 5 March 1994.
- ^ De Graaf, Jan (5 December 1986). "Hugo Pos rekent af met zijn demonen". Het Parool.
- ^ Herschthal, Eric (17 August 2006). "A Star Historian Opens a New Chapter: Jewish Slaveowners". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- S2CID 163802695.
- ^ "A Brief History of Jodensavanne, Suriname - Archaeological Institute of America". www.archaeological.org. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ "Education Redi Doti". Jodensavanne.sr. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "De Afobakaweg". Vakantie Arena (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- OCLC 773200985.
Further reading
- Remnant Stones. The Jewish Cemeteries of Suriname Ben-Ur, Aviva en Rachel Frankel Epitaphs, 2009 (Hebrew Union College Press)
- De groene hel. Een Nederlands concentratiekamp in Suriname A.G. Besier March 1, 1942 to July 15, 1946, Bunne 1994 (Uitg. Servo)
- De strafkolonie. Een Nederlands concentratiekamp in Suriname 1942 - 1946 Twan van den Brand Amsterdam 2006 (Uitg. Balans)
- Wreedheden in Kamp Jodensavanne. De groene hel Maaike Verschuren, Parbode, nr. 33, januari 2009, pp. 46–48.
External links
- Jodensavanne Foundation Archived 7 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Jews in Suriname
- The settlement of Joden Savanne and Cassipora cemetery at UNESCO.org
- Penal colony at Jodensavanne(in Dutch) at strafkolonie.nl