History of the Jews in Indonesia
Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue, The only active synagogue in Indonesia. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 500-1,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North Sulawesi, Jakarta, Ambon, Jayapura | |
| Languages | |
| Indonesian, Dutch, Ambonese, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism |
| Part of a series on |
| Jews and Judaism |
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The history of the Jews in Indonesia began with the arrival of early European explorers and settlers, the first recorded Jews arrived in the 17th century. Most Indonesian Jews arrived from Southern Europe, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the Middle East, North Africa, India, China, and Latin America. Jews in Indonesia presently form a very small Jewish community of about 500–1,000, from a nadir of about 20 in 1997. Judaism is not recognized as one of the country's six major religions, however its practices are allowed under Perpres 1965 No. 1 and article 29 paragraph 2 of the Constitution of Indonesia. Therefore, members of the local Jewish community have to choose to register as "Belief in One Almighty God" (Indonesian: Kepercayaan Terhadap Tuhan Yang Maha Esa) or another recognized religions on their official identity cards.
Presently, most Indonesian Jews live in Manado on the island of Sulawesi.