Curacao to Panama, the Fidanque Family

According to a family tree that was donated over thirty years ago to Malcolm Stern, the earliest mention of the name of Fidanque occurs in 1634 when the name appears in the records of the Altona cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Hamburg. The family tree of the Fidanque family begins with Benjamin Fidanque who died in Curacao in the early part of the 1700's.
The tree, compiled by Elias Alvin Fidanque, is a beautiful work that tells the story of a family whose influence spreads from their beginnings in Amsterdam through many parts of the world, including, Curacao, Panama, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St. Thomas all the way to New York. As one reads the information on the tree, it becomes very important of the great service this family has provided to others for many generations. A few examples, as taken from the text on the tree include;

• Abraham Haim Fidanque, who died in 1813 in Curacao, was one of the original founders of the Curacao Burial Society (Hebra) in 1783, and many times President and Treasurer of Congregation Mikve Israel in Curacao.



• Jacob Fidnaque, of whom it is said: "He never lost a friend or made an enemy" served Congregation Beraha Hashalom in St. Thomas as Reader and Sexton from 1828-1837.



• Joseph Fidanque, who died in Panama on February 5, 1933, was Reader and Minister to Congregation Kol Shearith Israel, in that city.



• Benjamin Delvalle Fidanque, who died in New York City on February 23, 1937, likewise served his people as Vice President of Congregation Shearith Israel of New York.

All generations have shown that service to others takes priority over their own needs. This is shown in a beautiful quote left for members of the family and should be read by all. It states "

We have a worthy heritage to sustain: Acceptance of ourselves; identification with our God; loyalty to our faith; service to our fellow-men."

This family tree, built through service by an incredible family, can be found on microfilm through the Family History Library (Film # 1013428). The records have also been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of the Caribbean and will be available after the next update.

Jews of Panama

As I have continued the extraction of the synagogue records from St. Thomas, I am finding many families that have arrived in St. Thomas from the country of Panama. These families, such as the Levy Maduro, Piza and Delvalle's are more of those that have given the Caribbean such a rich Jewish history.

The first Jews to arrive in Panama were Spanish and Portuguses Conversos, who like many others were forced to practice their Judaism in secret. This only began to change in 1821 when Panama became attached to Columbia at the end of colonial rule. The first Jews to arrive were a few Sephardic families from Jamaica and Ashkenazic Jews from The Netherlands. The first Jewish Congregation, Kol Shearith Israel, was founded in 1876.
Following the completion of the Panama Canal, Jewish migration into Panama increased, however it was not until 1933 that a second Congregation was established. Jews from Syria and Israel established that congregation, Shevet Achim and built a synagogue. A third synagogue, Beth El, was established by Jews who had fled Nazi Germany.
Today, the Jewish population of Panama was less than 10,000, mostly located in Panama City. An interesting fact is that Panama is the only country other than Israel, which had 2 Jewish Presidents during the 20th Century, Max Delvalle and Eric Delvalle Maduro.
Those who were recorded in the records of St. Thomas, will be able to be found in the Knowles Collection- Jews of the Caribbean after the next update.