In 1651 a small group of Jewish refugees from Spain and Portugal set sail from Amsterdam and settled on the island of Curaçao. Finally allowed to practice their faith openly, they founded a congregation and named it Mikvé Israel - the Hope of Israel. 

The name they gave their congregation symbolized their hope that, after having experienced generations of persecution in Europe, Judaism would flourish in the Americas. 

Today, 372 years later, only a handful of congregation members remain on the island. The costs of maintaining this heritage are too much for the community to carry alone. We need your support to keep the Hope of 1651 alive where it began, on the island of Curaçao.