History of the Jews in Ecuador

During this time, many Portuguese were "suspicious of their faith", so the Jews began to enter the Viceroyalty of Peru, a newly founded colony where Inquisition surveillance was weaker.

In 1640, the union ended when the Portuguese revolted against the Spanish monarchy and the Duke of Braganza took the throne of the kingdom of Portugal under the name of John IV.

The "new Christians" in Spanish America found no support from the inquisitorial regime, and were forced to migrate to other regions of the Peruvian viceroyalty, especially to those where the Inquisition did not have any courts.

By avoiding major urban centers, Jewish people, labeled as heretics, could survive by camouflaging their personal and group identity.

Within Quito, the new diaspora first headed to the Interior Juan Salinas and Loyola (later transformed into the township of Loja), which, according to studies by Ricardo Ordoñez Chiriboga,[2][3] was an important destination for many migrating Sephardim.

Migrants also reached the northern Peruvian Andes, as cultural and ethnic influences of the region were not yet defined by colonial boundaries to the extent they are today.

These circumstances largely explain the Sephardic presence in gold and commercial areas of Quito and Calacalí such as Loja,[4] Zaruma, Cuenca, Santa Isabel, Yungilla, Tarquí, Chordeleg and Sígsig, as well as in other mountain passes or trade route towns between Guayaquil and Quito, such as Alausí Chapacoto, Chimborazo St. Joseph, San Miguel de Chimborazo, Guaranda, as well as other areas in the northern highlands of Peru due to their proximity.

The presence of Western Sephardic Jews in Ecuador remained hidden for years, as they often settled in very remote villages and practiced Judaism in secret at home.

Sephardic names in Ecuador include: Navon (wise), Moreno (teacher), Gabay (official), Piedra (stone), Franco (free), Amzalag (jeweler), Saban (soap), Espinoza (thorn), Nagar (carpenter), Haddad (blacksmith), and Hakim (medic).

An agreement was reached with the Ecuadorian government to transfer 500,000 acres of land to the committee's jurisdiction for a period of 30 years to be settled by immigrants regardless of race, religion, or nationality.

The president signed the agreement several months later on the condition that a detailed program be presented by May 1937, and that the Committee invest $8,000 and settle at least 100 families.

Following this attempt, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and HICEM (a merger of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the Jewish Colonization Association, and EmigDirect which handled transportation through European ports; the latter German-based organization withdrew in 1934) attempted to establish chicken farms for the immigrants in other areas of Ecuador, and 60 families were settled, but conditions[clarification needed] precluded any success in the venture, which ultimately failed.

In response, the World Jewish Congress (JWC) tried to help Jews who were practicing business, but were only allowed to engage in agricultural work according to their visas.

Ecuador's government policies regarding Jewish emigration are historically tentative and volatile; for example, in 1935 it gave the Jews permission to settle within an area of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi), but in 1938 it issued an order that all Jewish residents working in areas other than agriculture or incapable of developing the industry would be required to leave the country.

Benjamin Varon), who was an active Ecuadorian journalist, later entered the Israeli diplomatic service, serving in various Latin American countries.