By Barbara Roisman
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During mid-March this year I was my son Ari’s guest at a YPO Mosaic Chapter retreat in Panama. YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) is a leadership community of chief executives. We were primarily Jewish attendees, including spouses, in an international group of 240 participants. Speakers included the Panama Canal Administrator, Ricaurte Vasquez, and the Panama City Mayor, Mayer Mizrachi Matalon.
The Roots of Jewish Presence
While in Panama, I had the opportunity to visit with both Jewish and non-Jewish locals. I learned about the roots of Jewish presence in Panama. Jews first arrived in the 16th century as conversos who had been expelled from or were fleeing Spain and Portugal due to the Spanish Inquisition. Many of the early Jewish settlers professed to be Catholic for their safety but continued to secretly maintain some Jewish rituals. There was no organized Jewish community in Panama until the mid-1800s.
I wandered through the ruins of Panama Viejo, the first permanent European settlement. You can view an exhibit on crypto-Jews in the Samuel Lewis de Paredes Plaza Mayor Museum. After the Inquisition, Sephardic immigration to Panama continued. Commercial opportunities resulting from the 1849 California Gold Rush and construction of the Panama Canal Railway led to an influx of Sephardi Jewish merchants from the Caribbean islands.
In 1876, the Sephardic Caribbean community established a Reform congregation, Kol Shearith Israel. Tourists are welcome to attend religious services there. It is the oldest synagogue in Panamá and in all of Central America. It serves a congregation of approximately 225 families, primarily Sephardic from the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, St. Thomas, and Jamaica. Being progressive, with a modern vision of tradition, it is the only non-Orthodox synagogue in Panama.
The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 brought Jews looking for economic opportunities. Following World War I, there was another wave of immigration of Jews from Syria fleeing persecution. Before and during World War II, Eastern European immigrants formed the beginning of an Ashkenazi community. More recently in the 1990s and 2000s, Jews arrived from Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, and Nicaragua due to political and economic unrest in those countries.
The Jewish Community Today
Today, Panama is home to approximately 15,000 Jews. It is the largest Jewish community in Central America. The population is 65 percent Sephardi and 35 percent Ashkenazi, with Syrian Jews comprising the largest national group. There are three areas of Panama City where the majority of Jews live: Punta Paitilla, Punta Pacifica, and Bella Vista. Many wealthy Jews live in high rises in Punta Paitilla and Punta Pacifica overlooking the Pacific coast. Many are connected to international trade, finance, retail, and real estate.
Much of the population is Orthodox, and a large majority considers themselves to be “traditional.“ Among the most renowned synagogues is the Sephardi Shevet Ahim Synagogue, founded in 1933. Based in Panama City’s historic Bella Vista neighborhood, this shul maintains branches in other parts of the city, including Bet Max Ve Sarah Synagogue, an ornately decorated synagogue in the Punta Pacifica neighborhood just blocks away from the JW Marriott Hotel where I stayed. Synagogue Ahavat Sion & Ateret Yosef in Punta Paitilla is another Sephardi shul. Beth El Synagogue, also located in Punta Paitilla, is the only Ashkenazi synagogue in Panama City aside from Chabad outposts, which cater mostly to Israelis and tourists. In 1986 there were just over 100 families affiliated with Beth El. Today, the community has grown to approximately 400 families.
The majority of Jewish families enroll their children in one of the Orthodox Jewish day schools plus one Reform school. Many of those who go abroad after high school to further their education return home to Panama since they can live a full Jewish life with jobs and economic opportunities and political stability. The Panamanian Jews I met reported that they do not encounter antisemitism and are comfortable wearing kippot in public.
It is not unusual to encounter three-generation Jewish families living in close proximity in Panama City. Over the last 20 years, the Jewish community has flourished with multiple synagogues, day schools, and kosher restaurants, creating a haven for those looking for a vibrant Jewish community that feels safe.
There is a strong and growing kosher food scene in Panama City. It is easy to arrange for kosher meals to be delivered to your hotel and to bring on excursions. Panama City is a kosher paradise with 40-50 establishments offering kosher food. Kosher options include dairy and meat restaurants, pita, pizza and burger shops, sushi places, lots of bakeries, ice cream and chocolate shops, and catering services. There are casual, takeout, and upscale restaurants. Remarkably, non-Jews also frequent these restaurants because of their appealing food and decor. Super Kosher is a huge supermarket that is stocked with thousands of kosher products. I was told it is the largest kosher market in the world outside of Israel.
Panama is a melting pot of cultures: Afro Caribbean, Spanish, Indigenous and international including a large Chinese population, those of European descent, and a recent influx of Israelis. The diversity of the population is partially a result of the huge work force of migrant workers, and now their descendants, from different countries who were brought to Panama to work on the building of the Canal. Most everyone coexists with minimal discrimination. About eight years ago Jewish tourism got started and now the government is actively planning to attract 200,000 Jews to come visit and perhaps become full- or part-time residents, according to the current mayor of Panama City. Elected in 2024, Mayer Mizrachi Matalon is the first Jewish mayor of Panama City, and at age 38 he is also the youngest mayor in Panama’s history. Affectionately called “Mayor Mayer,” he and his dog are quite popular with the people. He is known to go out at night with crews to fill potholes in the city streets.
Exploring Panama City
Panama City is a rare combination of modern urbanity and wild nature. Metropolitan Natural Park is a tropical rainforest sanctuary just a short distance from downtown Panama City. I spotted monkeys, sloths, and many species of birds up in the towering trees in the dense forest during a hike to the park’s highest point to get a panoramic view of the city. Tucked away in the rainforests of Charges National Park are secluded indigenous villages. I took a boat ride to visit a Wounaan community where the people performed traditional dances and songs and, through an interpreter, explained how they use plant leaves and tree bark for medicinal and creative purposes. Exquisite wood carvings, beaded jewelry, beautiful baskets, and masks woven with plant fibers were on display and available for purchase.
The Amador Causeway is a road that stretches into the Pacific Ocean from the city. On a sunset stroll along this roadway, I took in a panoramic view of the city skyline and ships lined up to enter the Panama Canal. At the Miraflores Visitor Center on the Pacific side of the canal, you can watch ships transit through the locks guided through the chambers by electric locomotives known as “mules.” You can also watch a 3D documentary about the canal’s history and construction challenges. To learn even more about this engineering marvel the comprehensive Panama Canal Museum located in the historic district of Casco Viejo is a must see. There you can learn more about the cultural and historical aspects of the canal, the diverse populations that contributed to its construction, and the political impact of the canal on Panama and the world. I took the Sunday morning half day partial tour of the canal offered by Panama Marine Adventures to experience traveling through the locks.
There are many other interesting attractions to explore on a walking tour in Casco Viejo. The architecture in this historic quarter is a mix of Spanish and French colonial styles with many old buildings being restored into townhouses and retail establishments. While touring Casco Viejo I visited both the Museum of Panamanian History and the Mola Museum, which features the fabric art of the indigenous Guna women.
There was so much more to explore but I did not have time to leave the city to travel to the Boquete Coffee region in the highlands to tour the coffee farms or to take a boat ride to the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the San Blas Islands just across the Caribbean coast of Panama. Someday, I would like to sail to the islands to explore the beaches, reefs, and small villages.
About the Author:
BARBARA ROISMAN is a retired Employment Specialist. Her focus was on job placement of individuals with mental health and learning disabilities. She is a longtime member of Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth and currently serves on its Board of Governors.
Photo Credits: Barbara Roisman
