The history of the Jews in Fiji is intertwined with the settlement of the
Fiji islands by European explorers and settlers. Most of these settlers arrive in Fiji via Australia and New Zealand.
The population of Fiji is 905,949 (July 2006 estimate) with approximately 60
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
s. In addition, there are close to 300 people of Jewish descent living in the Fiji Islands, principally in the capital city of
Suva. There are currently three
cemeteries in Fiji, located in
Momi (private cemetery),
Ovalau Island (Levuka), and Suva (old cemetery) with Jewish inscriptions on the
tombstones
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, ...
, dating back to the first Jewish settlers in the 19th century.
History
19th century
One of the early settlers was a merchant by the name
Alexander Schmerrill Bowman (Hebrew name Alexander ben Shmuel) who was born on 9 Jan 1847 in
Schneidemuhle,
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
, (modern-day
Pila in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
) and died 1909 in
Sydney,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia. Bowman was of the firm Bowman and Abrahams of
Levuka
Levuka () is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. Prior to 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. At the census in 2007, the last to date, Levuka town had a population ...
and
Lomaloma. When he settled in Levuka, the former Capital of Fiji, he married Sara Annette Solomon on 25 July 1877 in Levuka, Fiji. She was the daughter of Phillip Solomon and Catherine Cohen. She was born 27 September 1857 in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
, New Zealand, and died 1915 in Sydney.
Another well-known figure was 20-year-old
Henry Marks
Sir Henry Marks (5 February 1861 – 5 June 1938) was an Australian-born Fijian politician, serving as a member of the Legislative Council of Fiji for over twenty years. Alongside Robert Crompton, John Maynard Hedstrom and Henry Milne Scott, ...
who arrived in 1881 from Australia. Marks laid the foundation of what became one of the most extensive commercial enterprises in the Western Pacific.
21st century
Until the recent establishment of the Fiji Jewish Association there was little organized activity among the Jewish population. There remains limited religious life among these Jews. The Israeli Embassy holds an annual
Passover Seder, which accommodates 50 to 60 people.
Kosher food is imported from Australia.
Israel and Fiji
enjoy full diplomatic relations. In May 2002, the then Fiji Prime Minister,
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase ...
, himself of partial Jewish ancestry,
agreed with the Israeli Ambassador, H. E.
Ruth Kahanoff that the two countries should strengthen their ties though they are so far apart geographically. While there is an Israeli Embassy in Fiji, the Israeli Ambassador in
Canberra,
Australia represents Israeli interests in Fiji.
See also
*
List of Oceanian Jews
The vast majority of Jews in Oceania (estimation 120,000) live in Australia, with a population of about 7,000 in New Zealand (6867, according to the 2013 NZ Census). Most are Ashkenazi Jews, with many being survivors of the Holocaust arriving ...
*
History of the Jews in Australia
The history of Jews in Australia traces the history of Australian Jews from the British settlement of Australia commencing in 1788. Though Europeans had visited Australia before 1788, there is no evidence of any Jewish sailors among the crew. ...
*
History of the Jews in New Zealand
The first Jewish settlers in New Zealand were Anglo-Jewish traders. Small numbers of Anglo-Jewish immigrants followed, some subsidized by a Jewish charity in London which had a mission of caring for the poor and orphaned young people in the co ...
*
Fiji-Israel Relations
References
External links
The Virtual Jewish History Tour – Fiji Islands
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of The Jews In Fiji
Ethnic groups in Fiji
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
Fiji
Fiji