Woohoo, one of my posts was selected for the front page! Some other very small places with Jewish links (often tenuous):
Pitcairn Islands (pop. 48) - anthropologist Harry Shapiro lived there for a year studying its inhabitants (all descendants of the mutineers on the HMS Bounty).
Svalbard (pop. 2600) - ballerina legend Maya Plisetskaya went to school there. At 78°N, her house was a full 10° furher north than the northernmost synagogue in the world (which is in Murmansk, Russia).
Chagos Islands (pop. 3000) - for years lawyer Bernard Sheridan represented the Chagos islanders exiled to Mauritius by the British government.
St. Helena (pop. 4200) - Saul Solomon was the leading merchant and newspaper proprietor on the island. His nephew, also Saul Solomon, was an influential South African politician.
Gibraltar (pop. 28000) - a surprisingly large Jewish community, counting one chief minister and two mayors amongst its members. Composer Maurice Ohana's parents were Gibraltarian, and an anti-semitic attack on the Gibraltarian Jew Don Pacifico resulted in the UK blockading Athens.
Monaco (pop. 33000) - another significant community: including expatriates, Monaco has the highest per capita Jewish population outside Israel. Members include a princess (Alice Heine), a head of government (Jacques Rueff), a world backgammon champion (David Nahmad) and an opera composer (Franz Schreker). The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was founded by René Blum, the brother of French PM Léon Blum, who was one of the first French victims of the Holocaust.
"Highest per capita Jewish population outside Israel"? Do you simply mean "highest % Jewish population?" I would find that interesting if true; I know Monaco's a small country so it wouldn't take much to have a big percentage (i.e. 3300 Jews would be 10%) but I think there'd be a lot more out there about that if it were so. Do you have numbers to back it up?
According to US Department of State, "there are 1,000 Jewish noncitizen residents" in Monaco. Monaco's population at the time was 35,000, so that gives you 2.86% Jews.
Monaco is not listed here, but the highest non-Israel score is USA at 1.74% and Gibraltar at 1.94% (but Gibraltar is not a country). Canada is the only other country over 1%.
I went to college with one of those penguins!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo, one of my posts was selected for the front page! Some other very small places with Jewish links (often tenuous):
ReplyDeletePitcairn Islands (pop. 48) - anthropologist Harry Shapiro lived there for a year studying its inhabitants (all descendants of the mutineers on the HMS Bounty).
Svalbard (pop. 2600) - ballerina legend Maya Plisetskaya went to school there. At 78°N, her house was a full 10° furher north than the northernmost synagogue in the world (which is in Murmansk, Russia).
Chagos Islands (pop. 3000) - for years lawyer Bernard Sheridan represented the Chagos islanders exiled to Mauritius by the British government.
St. Helena (pop. 4200) - Saul Solomon was the leading merchant and newspaper proprietor on the island. His nephew, also Saul Solomon, was an influential South African politician.
Gibraltar (pop. 28000) - a surprisingly large Jewish community, counting one chief minister and two mayors amongst its members. Composer Maurice Ohana's parents were Gibraltarian, and an anti-semitic attack on the Gibraltarian Jew Don Pacifico resulted in the UK blockading Athens.
Monaco (pop. 33000) - another significant community: including expatriates, Monaco has the highest per capita Jewish population outside Israel. Members include a princess (Alice Heine), a head of government (Jacques Rueff), a world backgammon champion (David Nahmad) and an opera composer (Franz Schreker). The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was founded by René Blum, the brother of French PM Léon Blum, who was one of the first French victims of the Holocaust.
Thanks... we'll definitely do at least one from this list. Already covered Gibraltar...
ReplyDelete"Highest per capita Jewish population outside Israel"? Do you simply mean "highest % Jewish population?" I would find that interesting if true; I know Monaco's a small country so it wouldn't take much to have a big percentage (i.e. 3300 Jews would be 10%) but I think there'd be a lot more out there about that if it were so. Do you have numbers to back it up?
ReplyDeleteAccording to US Department of State, "there are 1,000 Jewish noncitizen residents" in Monaco. Monaco's population at the time was 35,000, so that gives you 2.86% Jews.
ReplyDeleteMonaco is not listed here, but the highest non-Israel score is USA at 1.74% and Gibraltar at 1.94% (but Gibraltar is not a country). Canada is the only other country over 1%.