Jewish Heritage of Curacao

This private tour (just me and my husband along with a guide) was a lovely way to learn about the Jewish history of Curacao. All the stops we visited were steeped in Jewish culture and our guide was very knowledgable; every question we had was answered. There was ample time to explore the shul, museums, and other stops at our own pace. It did require quite a bit of walking, but a great way to get your steps in if you're up for that.

This tour was extensive and all encompassing. It was well worth the expense to learn the history of the Portugese Sephardic population that were accepted by the Dutch and settled here. They thrived & drove the island's economy making Curacao a shining example in the Carribean. Synagogue was first Jewish house of worship in the new world.

Our guide Jude was great. He was full of interesting information and made this tour one of the highlights of the cruise.

the guide was excellent

We enjoyed our personal tour in the tour guides own car. Only the two of us. Would have liked a bit more of the other interesting things in Curacao beside the Jewish history tour. The meeting place to find our tour guide was too confusing and too far from where tours were meeting. Not the guides fault, but it needs to be addressed so that tourists do not have to walk so far. It's governed by Curacao's rules for tours for ship, I believe.

Our guide was excellent. Sadly I don't remember her name, but I believe she is the only person doing the Jewish historical tours. It was just my husband and me, so we got a very extensive and comprehensive tour.We were surprised to learn our guide was actually Roman Catholic as her knowledge of Judaism and the Jewish community in Curacao was so extensive.. I'd highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in the Jewish heritage of Curacao

We were extremely happy with the shore excursion. The person who did it, actually knew what she was talking about and took everything to heart. Our whole group (the full bus load) was very thankful for your knowledge on the subject. Highly recommend this sight. I have used to use the cruise sight before and I will try to go this sight first for now on.

We met our guide at the port area...very easy to find and ladies were so nice. Our guide was Jude and he was such a wealth of knowledge about Curaçao, all the history and definitely the Jewish History. Visited Jewish cemetery, historical home, museum highlighting the Jewish presence on the island from hundred years ago to the present. But visiting the Synagogue and it’s museum was the best. Curaçao liqueur distillery was definitely a plus and learning why it is Kosher was very interesting. We would recommend wholeheartedly.

Our driver, Ralph, greeted us with "Sholom Aleichem" (there were only three of us on the tour). We began at the old Beit Haim cemetery near the refinery; Ralph told us the history of the cemetery and the Jewish community on Curacao. Our second stop was the Mongui Maduro House, Library, and Museum, where we met a curator and a librarian who filled us in on more of the history. Then we went to the newer Ashkenazi synagogue (Shaarei Tsedek - modern Orthodox); the young, energetic Rabbi greeted us as if we were long-lost cousins! From there, we went to the Curacao Distillery (founded by the Senior family, who were Jewish, so it's kosher (as is the liquor)) for a short self-guided tour and tasting. We ended at Mikve Israel - Emmanuel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, for another self-guided tour (including the museum). Ralph pointed out other landmarks along the way and made our visit informative and enjoyable. Highly recommended.

I would have liked to give this tour 5 stars but cannot due to the transportation complications. The tour was excellent and the tour guide was extremely well-versed in each tour stop as well as the island. We expected an air-conditioned bus and were met with a not-well-air-conditioned van. When the driver asked for a replacement, the 2nd van had a tire under the back seat and limited seating. We then returned to the original van. The driver and tour guide extended the time due to the delays from the transportation, which we appreciated.