Peddlers All

In 1932 three Polish Jews, a woman and two men, arrived on the Caribbean island of Barbados looking for refuge from the harsh economic conditions and anti-Semitism in Europe. The men set to work as peddlers and were soon able to send for their families. Friends followed and within a few short years a community was born, complete with a house of worship. This extensively illustrated book begins with a review of Barbados' Sephardic Jewish past (1650-1934) and the subsequent Ashkenazi community's efforts to reclaim the iconic Nidhe Israel Synagogue and cemetery the Sephardim left behind. Stories of the early Ashkenazi settlers and their children form the centrepiece of the compilation. The book concludes with a brief discussion of the community's current challenge of maintaining Jewish continuity in the face of emigration and increasing assimilation.