🕍 Neveh Shalom Synagogue Paramaribo

About This Sacred Site

The Neveh Shalom Synagogue in Paramaribo is one of the oldest synagogues in the Americas, famously standing directly next to the Mosque Keizerstraat, symbolizing Suriname's remarkable religious tolerance. Jewish communities have been present in Suriname since the 17th century, when Sephardic Jews established plantations and the Jodensavanne settlement. The synagogue features sand-covered floors in the Sephardic tradition and serves the remaining Jewish community.

Key Facts

• •One of the oldest synagogues in the Americas, with origins in the 17th century
• •Stands directly next to a mosque, a famous symbol of interfaith harmony
• •Sand on the floor follows Sephardic tradition, symbolizing the desert wanderings
• •Jodensavanne (Jewish Savannah) was a unique Jewish agricultural settlement founded in 1639
• •Suriname's Jewish community was once one of the largest in the Americas relative to population

Location

Coordinates: 5.8300, -55.1667